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K.a.§raved  'hj  A.L.Pick 


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MitmfVi  mm  ms>nmim 

BY  PATM]L€K(GfK]feXIL¥,ES ;(])?. 


■m 


;/'/-  -/.v^/  i/yoj/^^y 


<n^'  THE 

HISTORY   OF   IRELAND, 

ANCIENT   AND   MODERN, 

TAKEN  FROM  THE  MOST  AUTHENTIC  RECORDS, 


DEDICATED  TO  THE  IRISH  BRIGADE. 


BY  THE  ABBE  MAC-GEOGHEGAN 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  FRENCH, 

BY   PATRICK   O'KELLY,    ESQ., 

Author  of  a  History  of  the  Irish  Rebellion  of  1798,  &c. 


"  Let  Erin  remember  the  days  of  old, 
Ere  her  faithless  sons  betray'd  her: 
When  Malachi  wore  the  collar  of  gold, 

Which  he  won  from  the  proud  invader; 
When  her  kings,  with  standard  of  green  unfiul'd, 

Led  the  Red-Branch  Knights  to  danger ; 
Ere  the  emerald  gem  of  the  western  world 
Was  set  in  the  crown  of  a  stranger." 

MOORB. 


NEW   YORK: 

D.  &  J.  SADLIER,  58    GOLD-STREET. 

ISol. 


BOSTON  rOTT.FOV,  TTRRARl 
CHliSl.Nfi   HILL,  1.ASS. 


1114-5 


.^ 


PREFACE 


One  of  the  most  important  works  that  have  ever  been  v^rrilten  respecting 
Ireland,  is  the  history  of  the  Abbe  Mac-Geoghegan.  It  may  be  a  matter  of 
surprise  to  the  unthinking,  that  this  most  valuable  and  interesting  history  has 
not  before  this  been  translated  into  English ;  but  this  surprise  must  be  lessened 
when  we  reflect,  that,  besides  the  distracted  situation  of  this  country,  and  the  [ 
passions  that  have  agitated  her  different  sects  and  parties,  there  were  other  more  i 
powerful  causes  which  might  have  prevented  the  publication  of  the  great  truths 
contained  in  this  rare  history  of  Ireland. 

Under  such  circumstances  it  cannot  be  wondered  at,  that  an  impartial  history, 
which  has  made  known  to  France  and  to  the  Continent  the  wrongs  and  the 
sufferings  of  Ireland,  and  one  that  has  accurately  displayed  the  conduct  of  liei 
enemies,  and  the  struggles  of  her  friends,  should,  even  to  this  period,  be  unknown 
to  the  English  reader. 

The  elegantly  written  calumnies  of  Hume  have  been  generally  circulated, 
while  the  plain  truths  of  Mac-Geoghegan  have  been  suppressed. 

The  circumstances  which  have  given  an  impetus  to  the  circulation  of  fiction, 
and  the  discountenancing  of  fact,  are  now  at  an  end.  The  bad  passions  of  Irish- 
men are  subsiding,  and  the  settlement  of  a  great  question  (Catholic  Emancipation) 
has  taken  away  from  all  parties  an  interest  in  the  concealment  of  what  was  just, 
while  it  has  given  to  the  people  of  all  classes  an  inducement  to  know  the  truth 
alone,  and  nothing  but  the  truth.  With  these  objects  solely,  the  translation  of  the 
work  of  the  Abbe  Mac-Geoghegan  has  been  undertaken. 

The  history  of  Ireland  is  generally  complained  of  even  in  Ireland,  while  the 
ignorance  of  it  in  England  has  entailed  upon  Irishmen  great  and  innumerable 
calamities.  It  is  only  by  a  knowledge  of  our  country,  that  Englishmen  can 
know  how  to  estimate  its  worth,  and,  until  a  full  and  accurate  knowledge  of  all 
its  circumstances  are  attained,  can  the  country  expect  justice  to  be  done  to  it. 
Those,  therefore,  should    be    deemed   the    best   friends    to   Ireland,  who  exert 

3027 


PREFACE 


themselves  to  induce  their  fellow-men  to  study  her  character,  to  know  her  situation, 
and  to  appreciate  her  value. 

With  such  objects  has  tlie  author  of  this  Translation  undertaken  the  risk  of 
giving  to  both  countries  the  work  of  the  Abbe  Mac-Geoghegan  ;  and  from  Irish- 
men at  least,  he  looks  with  confidence  for  that  support  and  patronage  which 
patriotism  alone  should  induce  them  to  afford  him. 

He  begs  the  liberty,  therefore,  of  subscribing  himself  their  very  humble  and 
devoted  servant, 

PATRICK  O'KELLY. 

N.  B.  Some  portions  of  this  valuable  liistory  were  unavoidably  omitted  in  the 
former  edition,  ti-anslated  by  Mr.  CKelly,  but  they  shall  be  inserted  in  this 
edition,  which  has  been  carefully  revised  and  corrected  by  the  Translator. 


DEDICATION 


TO  THE  IRISH  TROOPS  IN  THE  SERVICE  OF  FRANCE. 


Gentlemen, 

To  you  I  owe  the  homage  of  my  labor  ;  you  owe  to  it  the  honor  of  your 
protection.  The  history  of  Ireland  belongs  to  you,  as  being  that  of  j^our  ances- 
tors ;  it  is  their  shades  that  I  invoke  in  a  foreign  land ;  it  is  their  glory  that  I  recall. 
The  records  of  their  exploits  and  virtues,  which  fill  a  space  of  so  many  ages,  I 
here  bring  to  your  review. 

Among  all  the  virtues,  whereof  you  shall  see  so  many  brilliant  examples,  you 
will  remark  two  that  were  peculiarly  dear  to  your  ancestors,  viz.,  an  ardent 
zeal  for  the  true  religion  so  soon  as  they  were  made  acquainted  with  it,  and  an 
inviolable  fidehty  to  their  kings :  such  are  the  qualities,  gentlemen,  which  still 
characterize  you. 

Europe,  towards  the  end  of  the  last  century,  was  surprised  to  see  your  fathers 
abandon  the  delights  of  a  fertile  country,  renounce  the  advantages  which  an 
illustrious  birth  had  given  them  in  their  native  land,  and  tear  themselves  from  their 
possessions,  from  kindred,  friends,  and  from  all  that  nature  and  fortune  had  made 
dear  to  them  ;  she  was  astonished  to  behold  them  deaf  to  the  proposals  of  a  liberal 
usurper,  and  following  the  fortunes  of  a  fugitive  king,  to  seek  with  him,  in  foreign 
climes,  fatigues  and  danger,  content  with  their  misfortune,  as  the  seal  of  their 
fidelity  to  unhappy  masters. 

France,  which  among  so  many  virtues  (of  which  she  is  a  model)  places  in  the 
first  rank  loyalty  to  her  kings,  was  delighted  to  see  those  strangers  dispute  with 
her  the  glory  of  it :  she  gladly  opened  to  them  a  generous  bosom,  being  persuaded 
that  men  so  devoted  to  their  princes,  would  not  be  less  so  to  their  benefactors  ; 
and  felt  a  pleasure  in  seeing  them  march  under  her  banners.  Your  ancestors  have 
not  disappointed  her  hopes.     Nervinde,  Marseilles,  Barcelona,  Cremona,  Luzara, 


DEDICATION. 


Spire,  Castiglionc,  Almanza,  Villa  Viciosa,*  and  many  other  places,  witnesses  of 
their  immortal  valor,  consecrated  their  devotcdness  for  the  new  country  which 
had  adopted  them.  France  apj)laudcd  their  zeal,  and  the  greatest  of  monarchs 
raised  their  praise  to  the  highest  pitch  by  honoring  them  with  the  flattering  title  of 
"  his  brave  Irishmen." 

The  example  of  their  chiefs  animated  their  courage  ;  the  Viscounts  Mount- 
cashelt  and  Clare,t  the  Count  of  Lucan,^  the  Dillons,  Lees,  Rothes,  O'Donnels, 
Fitzgeralds,  Nugcnts,  and  Galmoys,||  opened  to  them  on  the  borders  of  the 
Meuse,  the  Rhine,  and  the  Po,  tiie  career  of  glory,  while  the  O'Mahonys,  Mac- 
Donnels,  Lawlesses,  the  l^acys,  tlie  Burks,  O'Carrols,  Craftons,  Comerford, 
Gardner,  and  O'Connor,  crowned  themselves  with  laurels  on  the  shores  of  the 
Tagus, 

The  neighboring  powers  wished  to  have  in  their  service  the  children  of  those 
great  men  ;  Spain  retained  some  of  you  near  her  throne.  Naples  invited  you  to 
her  fertile  country  :  Germany  called  you  to  the  defence  of  her  eagles.  The  Taffs, 
the  Hamiltons,  O'Dwyers,!  Browns,  Wallaces,  and  O'Neills,  supported  the  ma- 
jesty of  the  empire,  and  were  intrusted  with  its  most  important  posts.  The  ashes 
of  Mareschal  Brown,**  are  every  day  watered  with  the  tears  of  the  soldiers  to 
whom  he  was  so  dear,  while  the  O'Donnels,  Maguires,  Lacys,  and  others,  en- 
deavored to  form  themselves  after  the  example  of  that  great  man. 

Russia,  that  vast  and  powerful  empire,  an  empire  which  lias  passed  suddenly 
from  obscurity  to  so  much  glory,  wished  to  learn  the  military  discipline  from  your 
corps.  Peter  the  Great,  that  penetrating  genius  and  hero,  the  creator  of  a  nation 
which  is  now  triumphant,  thought  he  could  not  do  better  than  confide  that  essential 
part  of  the  art  of  war  to  the  Field  Mareschal  de  Lacy ;  and  the  worthy  daughter 
of  that  great  emperor,  always  intrusted  to  that  warrior  the  principal  defence  of 
the  august  throne  which  she  filled  with  so  much  glory.  Finally  the  Viscount 
Fermoy,tt  general  officer  in  the  service  of  Sardinia,  has  merited  all  the  confidence 
of  that  crown. 

But  why  recall  those  times  that  are  so  long  past  ?  Why  do  I  seek  your  heroes 
in  those  distant  regions  ?  Permit  me,  Gentlemen,  to  bring  to  your  recollection 
that  great  day,  for  ever  memorable  in  the  annals  of  France  ;  let  me  remind  you 
of  the  plains  of  Fontenoy,  so  precious  to  your  glory ;  those  plains  were  in  con- 

*  M.  de  Vendomc,  called  the  Chevalier  de  Bellerive,  who  had  a  particular  esteem  for  that  warlike 
nation,  at  the  he^d  of  whose  sons  he  had  fought  so  many  battles  and  gained  so  many  victoriee, 
confessed  that  he  was  surprised  at  the  dreadful  feats  that  these  army-butchers  (as  he  called  them) 
had  performed  in  his  presence. — Camp  de  Vendome,  p.  224. 

t  M'Carthy.  X  O'Brien.  §  Sarsfield.  ||  Butler. 

f   General  O'Dwyer  was  commander  of  Belgrade. 

**  He  was  nephew  of  General  Brown. 

ft  Roche,  otherwise  de  la  Roche. 


DEDICATION. 


cerl  with  chosen  French  troops,  the  valiant  Count  of  Thomond*  being  at  your 
head,  you  charged  with  so  much  valor  an  enemy  so  formidable  ;  animated  by  the 
presence  of  the  august  sovereign  who  rules  over  you,  you  contributed  with  so 
much  success,  to  the  gaining  of  a  victory,  which,  till  then,  appeared  doubtful. 
Lawfeid  beheld  you,  two  years  afterwards,  in  concert  with  one  of  the  most  illus- 
trious corps  of  France, t  force  intrenchments  which  appeared  to  be  impregnable. 
Menin,  Ypres,  Tournay,  saw  you  crown  yourselves  with  glory  under  their  walls, 
while  your  countrymen,  under  the  standards  of  Spain,  performed  prodigies  of 
valor  at  Campo  Sancto  and  at  Veletri. 

But  while  T  am  addressing  you,  a  part  of  your  corps  is  flying  to  the  defence 
of  the  aUies  of  Louis,J  another  is  sailing  over  the  seas  to  seek  amidst  the  waves 
another  hemisphere,  the  eternal  enemies  of  his  empire.^ 

Behold,  gentlemen,  what  all  Europe  contemplates  in  you  ;  behold  herein  the 
qualities  which  have  gained  esteem  for  you,  even  from  your  most  unjust  enemies. 
Could  a  compatriot  to  whom  the  glory  of  Ireland  is  so  dear,  refuse  to  you  his 
admiration  ?     Accept,  gentlemen,  this  small  tribute  of  it. 

Honor  with  your  support  a  history,  which  the  love  for  my  country  has 
caused  me  to  undertake ;  your  protection  and  patronage  will  render  this  work 
respectable,  and  may  merit  some  indulgence  for  its  defects ;  it  should  have 
none,  were  my  labor  and  zeal  equal  to  render  it  worthy  of  those  to  whom  I 
dedicate  it. 

I  am,  with  profound  respect, 
Gentlemen, 
Your  very  humble  and  most  obedient  servant, 

J.  MAC-GEOGHEGAN. 


*  At  present  Mareschal  of  France,  Knight  of  the  Order  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  Commander  of  Lan- 
guedoc. 

t  The  Kings's  Regiment. 

{  The  regiment  of  Fitzjames,  composed  of  Irish  cavalry,  in  the  army  of  the  Prince  of  Suabia, 
dlstinguislied  itself  at  the  battle  of  Rosbacli,  against  the  Prussians. 

§  General  Lally,  with  his  regiment,  embarked  for  Pondicherry. 


INTRODUCTION 


To  observe  order  and  system  in  writing  this  history,  I  have  thought  proper  to 
divide  it  into  three  parts,  the  objects  of  which  appeared  to  me  equally  interesting. 
The  first  comprises  the  times  which  had  passed  from  the  establishment  of  the 
Scoto-Milesians  in  Ireland,  down  to  the  first  century  ;  that  part,  therefore,  during 
which  the  island  had  been  buried  in  the  darlmess  of  paganism,  I  call  "  Pagan 
Ireland." 

The  second  commences  with  the  beginning  of  Christianity  in  that  country  in 
the  fifth,  and  continues  until  the  twelfth  century :  this  part  I  call  "  Christian 
Ireland." 

Lastly,  tlie  third  comprises  the  different  invasions  of  the  English,  their  estab- 
lishment in  that  country,  and  all  that  has  occurred  down  to  our  lime. 

In  the  first  part,  or  Pagan  Ireland,  will  be  seen,  first,  the  natural  history  of 
the  country ;  second,  a  critical  essay  on  the  antiquities  of  the  Milesians  ;  third, 
the  fabulous  history  of  the  Gadelians ;  fourth,  the  religion  and  customs  of  the 
Milesians  ;  fifth,  their  civil  and  political  government ;  sixth,  their  domestic  and 
foreign  wars ;  seventh,  the  different  names  under  which  that  country  has  been 
known  to  the  natives  and  to  strangers  ;  eighth,  its  general  and  particular  divisions, 
its  dynasties,  and  territories  ;  also,  the  names  and  origin  of  those  who  were  the 
proprietors  of  it. 

In  the  second  part,  or  Christian  Ireland,  will  be  seen,  besides  its  profane  history, 
the  great  progress  that  religion  and  learning  had  made  from  the  fifth  to  the  ninth 
century ;  the  confusion  caused  to  the  state,  and  the  disorder  which  prevailed  in 
the  church  for  some  time,  by  the  invasion  of  the  Danes ;  tranquillity  restored,  and 
the  exercise  of  religion  re-established  in  its  ancient  splendor  after  the  final  defeat 
of  those  barbarians,  which  happened  in  the  beginning  of  the  eleventh  century, 
until  the  arrival  of  the  Enghsli  towards  the  end  of  the  twelfth. 

Lastly,  in  the  third  part  sliall  be  described  the  manner  in  which  some  English 
colonies  came  to  establish  themselves  in  Ireland  in  the  twelfth  century ;  the  wars 
which  they  made  upon  the  old  inhabitants  of  the  country  during  four  hundred 
years  ;  the  reunion  of  the  two  people  in  the  reign  of  James  VI.  of  Scotland  and 
I.  of  England  ;  finally,  we  shall  conclude  by  giving  a  detail  of  the  strange  revolu- 
tions which  have,  since  that  time,  arisen  to  Ireland. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH 


THE    AUTHOR, 


The  times  in  which  the  writer  of  this  work  was  born,  form  so  remarkable  an 
epoch  in  the  History  of  Ireland,  that,  before  I  enter  into  any  account  of  his  early 
life,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  make  some  remarks  upon  the  principal  features  by 
which  they  were  characterized.  Ireland  was  then,  in  very  truth,  suffering, 
prostrate,  trodden  to  the  earth,  and  ground  down  by  every  kind  of  oppression,  the 
most  iniquitous  and  tyrannical.  Every  vestige  of  freedom  was  obliterated,  and 
the  remnants  of  her  ancient  glory  still  visible,  bearing  the  marks  of  recent  vio- 
lence, spoke  but  too  eloquently  of  the  past,  while  they  seemed  but  little  calculated 
to  awaken  hopes  of  future  amelioration.  Every  thing  bore  an  aspect  drear  and 
desolate  ;  whole  towns  and  villages  were  forsaken.  Here  stood  the  dilapidated 
tower  ;  there  the  ruined  abbey,  its  altar  desecrated  and  its  shrines  polluted ; 
while  its  inmates,  hunted  like  the  game  of  the  hills,  endeavored 

"  in  a  strange  land  to  find 

That  rest,  which  at  liome  they  had  sought  for  in  vain." 

The  war  that  placed  William  firmly  on  the  English  throne,  and  banished  his 
imbecile  and  wretched  predecessor,  the  unfortunate  James,  from  the  realm  of  his 
fathers,  had  been  brought  to  a  close  before  the  walls  of  Limerick — "  City  of  the 
violated  treaty."  The  illustrious  leader  of  Ireland's  armies,  Patrick  Sarsfield, 
created  "  Earl  of  Lucan,"  and  the  other  commanders,  made  their  last  stand  within 
the  walls  of  this  city,  where  the  articles  of  treaty  were  entered  into,  and  in  a 
short  time  after  so  basely  violated,  although  ratified  and  sanctioned  by  the 
solemnity  of  an  oath.  And  thus  the  "  Island  of  the  Betrayed,"  foolishly  con- 
fiding in  the  honor  of  a  monarch  of  England,  having,  besides,  the  apparently  good 


12  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH 


security  of  iiis  soleiim  oath,  fell,  the  victun  of  perfidy,  perjury,  and  broken  faith, 
into  the  ruthless  hands  of  the  worst  and  the  wickedest  of  tyrants.  Every  species 
of  persecution  was  liad  recourse  to  against  the  professors  of  the  Catholic  faith, 
and  every  inducement  held  out  to  allure  the  people  from  the  religion  of  their 
fatlicrs.  To  prevent  the  education  of  future  ministers,  and  deprive  the  people  of 
a  priesthood — the  only  safeguard  of  a  faith,  and  the  true  source  for  its  conveyance 
from  generation  to  generation — all  the  iniquitous  laws  of  Elizabeth  were  strictly 
enforced  against  the  ecclesiastical  institutions  for  the  diffusion  of  theological  and 
philosophical  information.  In  a  word,  the  bloody  tragedies  of  Henry  and  his 
virgin  daughter's  reigns  were  reacted,  with  every  addition  which  the  improved 
taste,  sharpened  by  the  experience  of  the  actors,  could  suggest. 

The  dreadful  manner  in  which  the  Catholic  clergy  and  people  were  treated, 
elicited  the  sympathy  and  commiseration  of  the  rest  of  Europe.  Among  the 
many  letters  of  condolence  addressed  to  the  clergy  and  people  of  Ireland  during 
these  times  of  horror,  there  is  one  from  the  then  Supreme  Pontiff,  Innocent  XII., 
dated  at  St.  Mary  Major,  on  the  10th  of  June,  1698.  In  this  letter  the  holy 
father,  after  speaking  in  feeling  language  of  the  ordeal  of  persecution  the  church 
of  Ireland  had  undergone,  exhorts  the  prelates  and  people  to  confidence  in  the 
mercies  of  Him  who  suffered  so  much  for  the  salvation  of  sinners.  "  Nor"  (says 
he)  "  are  your  sufferings  like  those  of  yesterday  ;  they  are  the  sufferings  of  cen- 
turies ;  your  nation,  renowned  for  sanctity,  has  preserved  for  ages  the  glory  of 
i  the  faith,  to  your  eternal  honor,  and  the  salvation  of  your  souls.  Therefore, 
suffer  all  things  with  Christian  patience,  knowing  that  the  Lord  will  not  permit 
any  being  to  be  tried  beyond  his  strength. — As  to  us,  our  prayers  shall  be 
unceasing  before  the  throne  of  mercy."  Thus  was  Ireland  situated  in  the  reign 
of  AYilliam.  In  the  latter  end  of  that  reign,  about  the  year  1698,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  born,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Mullingar,  in  the  province  of 
Leinster.  His  father  belonged  to  that  class  commonly  designated  as  "  substantial 
country  farmers,"  and  finding  in  his  son  a  desire  to  enter  a  college  and  prepare 
himself  for  the  ministry,  he  determined  to  part  with  him,  "  it  might  be  for  years, 
it  might  be  for  ever,"  and  procure  him  that  education  in  a  foreign  college,  which 
unjust  laws  deprived  him  of  at  home.  Thus  braving  every  danger,  at  a  tender 
age  the  young  aspirant  embarked  for  France,  and  entered  the  college  of  Rheims, 
then  celebrated  for  the  learning  and  ability  of  its  professors. 

From  the  time  of  Mr.  Mac-Geoghegan*s  entrance  into  this  celebrated  institu- 
tion to  the  time  of  his  ordination,  I  can  find  but  very  scanty  means  of  information 


OF    THE    AUTHOR.  13 


as  regards  his  progress.  This  alone  is  certain,  that  he  distinguished  himself  as 
a  student  of  Philosophy,  and  obtained,  in  his  general  examination  in  Theology, 
the  first  prize  afTorded  by  the  faculty  at  Rheims.  Having  obtained  his  saceidoiaj 
ordination,  he  continued  still  in  the  College,  acquiring  further  knowledge,  an  J 
preaching  occasionally  in  the  churches  of  the  city.  About  the  year  1736,  our 
historian  went  to  England  as  chaplain  to  an  English  gentleman,  whose  name  I 
have  not  been  able  to  ascertain.  During  Mac-Geoghegan's  engagement  with  this 
gentleman,  he  found  means  to  travel  into  Ireland,  and  visit  his  native  place.  We 
may  well  imagine  what  were  his  feelings  at  the  sight  of  the  manifold  sufferings 
and  dreadful  persecutions  under  which  his  poor  countrymen  were  laboring. 
Having  travelled  through  countries  where  his  faith  was  triumphant,  where  respect 
Avas  paid  to  conscientious  conviction,  where  men  were  not  "  hanged  and  quar- 
tered" for  worshipping  God,  where  license  was  not  given  to  a  libertine  soldiery 
to  satiate  their  base  appetites  in  defenceless  villages,  and  there  murder,  m  cold 
blood,  large  crowds  of  men,  women,  and  children,  he  must  have  contemplated,  in 
bitterness  of  heart,  the  melancholy  scenes  poor  Ireland  then  presented.  We 
next  find  Mr.  Mac-Geoghegan  in  Paris,  attached  to  one  of  its  churches,  actively 
engaged  in  the  duties  of  the  ministry.  At  this  time  his  historical  labors  seem  to 
have  commenced :  a  time  when  exiled  Irishmen  displayed  to  the  world  their 
valor,  their  piety,  and  their  prowess.  In  those  days  France  numbered  among  her 
armies  a  corps,  which  none,  even  the  most  inveterate  enemy  of  Ireland,  dared 
deny  to  be  the  flower  of  chivalry,  the  saviours  of  France,  the  terror  of  England, — 
"  The  Irish  Brigade."  The  illu«trious  "  Dillon,"  foremost  of  the  first,  best  of 
the  good,  bravest  of  the  brave,  witness  to  the  broken  treaty  of  Limerick,  together 
with  many  others  of  his  countrymen,  went  over  to  France,  and  there  formed  the 
gallant  band  of  which  he  was  unanimously  appointed  leader.  In  this  place  it  is 
unnecessary  to  say  any  thing  more  about  the  "  Irish  Brigade."  Their  deeds  of 
valor  are  matters  of  history  :  and  the  well-fought  field  of  "  Fontenoi,"  where, — at 
the  soul-stirring  watchword  from  the  lips  of  Dillon,  "  Irishmen,  remember 
Limerick  !" — the  tyrant  Saxon  persecutor  bit  the  dust,  or  fled  in  confusion,  before 
the  thundering  charge  of  the  glorious  exiles  of  poor  Ireland,  will  be,  while  the 
world  remains,  the  monument  of  their  valor. 

To  this  Brigade  our  historian  had  the  honor  of  being  chaplain.  It  was  in  very 
truth  an  enviable  position.  With  what  great  and  good  men  did  it  not  give  him 
perpetual  intercourse  !  There  was  Dillon,  Purcell,  Cusack,  Butler,  and  a  host 
of  others,  in  whose   society  Mac-Geoghegan  spent  much  of  his  time.     At  the 


14  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH. 


earnest  request  of  many  of  the  Irish  exiles  then  in  France,  he  compiled  the 
present  work  in  the  French  language,  and  dedicated  it  to  the  "  Irish  Brigade." 
As  regards  the  merit  of  the  work,  one  opinion  has  always  prevailed,  that  among 
the  many  works  already  written  on  the  subject,  that  by  Mac-Geoghegan  is 
unrivalled  for  discrimination,  sound  judgment,  and  freedom  from  all  prejudice. 
Besides  this,  no  writer  could  have  within  his  reach  belter  sources  of  testimony. 
The  libraries  of  Paris,  stored  with  the  best  works  on  Ireland,  were  perfectly  at  his 
disposal ;  and  as  to  the  important  affairs  connected  with  the  reigns  of  James  the 
First  and  Second,  there  could  be  no  better  means  of  acquiring  information  than 
those  within  the  immediate  reach  of  our  writer.  Mr.  Mac-Geoghegan  did  not 
long  enjoy  the  well-earned  fame  acquired  by  his  literary  labors.  In  the  discharge 
of  his  holy  duties  a  fever  attacked  him.  and  he  died  in  the  year  1750,  regretted 
by  his  friends,  (he  had  no  enemies,)  and  was  buried  in  Paris,  where  a  simple  slab 
records  his  name. 


THE 


HISTORY    OF  IRELAND 


ANCIENT  AND  MODERN. 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


PRELIMINARY  DISCOURSE. 


The  nation  which  forms  the  subject  of 
this  history  is,  without  doubt,  one  of  the 
most  ancient  in  Europe. 

An  idea  of  its  history  must  be  agreeable 
to  such  as  are  desirous  of  exploring  its  anti- 
quity. The  situation  of  Ireland  having  ren- 
dered it  difficult  of  access  to  invaders,  her 
inhabitants  lived  during  many  ages  free  from 
all  insult  from  their  neighbors.  They  cul- 
tivated the  arts,  sciences,  and.  letters,  which 
they  had  borrowed  from  the  most  polished 
people  of  their  time,  the  Egyptians  and 
Phoenicians  ;  and  the  patronage  which  their 
princes  afforded  to  learning,  joined  to  the 
esteem  in  which  they  held  those  who  made 
a  profession  of  it,  contributed  much  to  its 
advancement.  A  system  of  government 
founded  on  the  laws  of  nature  and  humanity, 
influenced  their  morals.  Some  princes,  pos- 
sessed of  a  justice  worthy  of  the  first  Chris- 
tians, appeared  like  so  many  stars  in  an 
obscure  night,  from  time  to  time  upon  the 
throne,  and  gave  vigor  to  the  laws  enerva- 
ted by  the  weakness  of  their  predecessors.* 

011am  Fodla,  one  of  their  monarchs,  sum- 
moned a  triennial  assembly  at  Teamor,t  in 
order  to  regidate  the  affairs  of  the  state,  and 
to  examine  into  the  genealogies  of  families. 
He  established  schools  for  the  cultivation  of 
literature  and  philosophy,  which  the  people 
had  received  from  the  ancients.  Ugane- 
Mor,  Aongus  Tuirmeach,  and  Eocha  Felioch, 
who  had  re-established  the  pentarchy,  ren- 
dered jurisprudence  vigorous,  added  new 
lustre  to  the  laws,  and  granted  a  particular 
privilege  to  learning.  Fearadach  the  Just, 
Feidlim  the  Legislator,  Cormac  Ulfada,  and 
Cairbre  the  Second,  surnamed  Liffeachair, 
followed  the  example  of  their  predecessors. 
The  learned  in  jurisprudence  who  flourished 
in  the  different  reigns,  assisted  the  princes 
by  their  counsels. 

Leanung  was  not  the  sole  occupation  of 
the  Scoto-Milesians ;  without  mentioning 
their  domestic  wars,  they  often   measured 

»  Ante  C.  720.  t  Afterwards  called  Tara. 


their  arms,  not  only  with  the  Picts,  the  Bri- 
tons, and  neighboring  islanders,  but  with 
the  Romans  themselves,  who  were  then  the 
masters  of  the  world.  The  expeditions  of 
Eocha  the  Second,  of  Aongus  Ollbuagach, 
son  of  Fiacha  the  First,  Aongus  the  First, 
Ugane-Mor,  Criomthan  the  First,  Nial  the 
Great,  Dathy,  and  the  dreadful  devastations 
which  they  committed  among  the  Britons, 
(of  which  Gildas  complains,)  furnish  suffi- 
cient proofs  of  it. 

The  warlike  character  of  the  Scoto-Mile- 
sians appeared  again,  with  splendor,  in  the 
long  wars  which  they  maintained  against  the 
Danes,  and  which  lasted  with  doubtful  suc- 
cess, from  the  beginning  of  the  ninth  cen- 
tury till  1014,  when  those  barbarians  were 
totally  defeated  at  Clontarf  by  the  valiant 
Brian  Boroimhe,  the  monarch  of  the  island  ; 
while  they  abandoned  to  them  some  other 
provinces,  to  free  themselves  of  so  formi- 
dable an  enemy.  Merit  was  not  left  un- 
rewarded among  them  :  the  nobles  were 
distinguished  from  each  other,  and  they  again 
from  the  people,  by  the  number  of  colors, 
which  each  wore  according  to  his  rank. 
Enna  the  First  ordered  silver  shields  to  be 
given  to  those  chiefs  who  distinguished  them- 
selves in  war ;  Muinemon  added  to  them 
chains  of  gold,  and  Aldergode  decreed  gold 
rings  as  a  reward  to  those  who  would  dis- 
tinguish themselves  in  the  arts  and  sciences. 

Lastly,  the  antiquaries,  doctors,  bards,  or 
poets,  called  also  "  Fileas,"  were  rewarded 
withlands,  which  had  been  assigned  for  them. 

During  the  fifth  century,  Christianity  pre- 
sented new  scenes  in  Ireland.  That  nation, 
so  attached  to  the  superstitions  of  paganism 
and  idolatry,  and  versed  in  the  theology  of 
the  Druids,  became  afterwards,  by  the  preach- 
ing of  the  Gospel,  the  theatre  of  religion, 
and  a  seminary  for  strangers,  while  Gothic 
ignorance  spread  itself  over  the  face  of  Eu 
rope.  Thus,  it  may  be  said,  that  the  four 
first  ages  of  Christianity  were  the  most  bril- 
liant, both  of  the  ancient  and  modern  histo- 
ry of  that  people  ;  but  the  harmony  of  the 

3 


18 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


govcniiiRiit  ami  oloiy  of  Christianity  became 
eclipsed  in  the  niiitli'century,  by  the  frequent 
invasions  of  the  northern  barbarians,  who 
had  overrun,  about  the  same  period,  the 
greatest  part  of  Europe.  Their  incursions 
continued  for  two  centuries  with  doubtful 
success  ;  the  barbarians  were  often  defeated, 
and  in  the  end  totally  expelled. 

The  constitution  of  the  state  had  been  so 
shaken  by  this  war,  that  it  could  never  be 
re-established,  notwithstanding  the  efforts 
which  had  been  made.  A  decay  in  religion, 
and  corruption  in  the  morals  of  the  people, 
from  their  intercourse  with  the  barbarians  ; 
the  interruption  to  the  legitimate  succession 
to  the  throne,  which  occurred  about  the  time 
of  Malachy  the  Second,  by  the  intrusion  of 
the  provincial  kings  ;  and  the  different  fac- 
tions always  attendant  upon  usurpation, 
brought  insurmountable  obstacles  to  its  re- 
establishment,  and  were  favorable  circum- 
stances to  the  ambition  and  cupidity  of  a 
neighboring  nation. 

Although  history  was  cultivated  among 
the  Scoto-Milesians,  more  than  among  any 
of  their  contemporaries,  notwithstanding  also 
their  great  care  to  preserve  to  posterity  the 
remembrance  of  their  exploits  ;  yet  that  peo- 
ple were  but  little  known  to  the  learned  be- 
fore Christianity.  Strabo,  Pomponius  Mela, 
Solinus,  and  other  writers,  have  made  their 
ignorance  appear,  by  giving  arbitrary  de- 
scriptions of  this  island,  and  by  their  exag- 
gerated representations  of  the  rudeness  and 
barbarity  of  its  inhabitants. 

The  English,  having,  in  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury, put  an  end  to  the  Irish  monarchy,  and 
wishing  to  give  a  color  of  justice  to  their 
usurpation,  and  to  the  tyranny  which  they 
exercised  against  the  inhabitants  of  the  coun- 
try, have,  without  any  other  title  than  a 
fictitious  bull  of  Adrian  the  Fourth,  and  the 
right  of  the  strongest,  represented  the  Irish 
as  savages,  who  inhabhed  the  woods,*  and 
who  never  obeyed  the  laws,  as  if  these  titles 
were  sufficient  for  stripping  them  of  their 
properties.!  What !  that  people  so  renowned 
in.  the  first  ages  of  Christianity  for  their 
piety  and  learning,  and  among  whom  the 
Anglo-Saxons  themselves  went,  according 
to  their  own  historians,  to  be  instructed, 
during  the  centuries  which  preceded  the  in- 
vasion of  the  English,  are  all  of  a  sudden 
reduced  to  the  condition  of  savages  !|  The 
metamorphosis  is  too  difficult  to  be  admitted, 

*  Sylvestres  Hiberni. 
Tf  'Camd.  edit.  Lond.  p.  730. 

t  "  They  retired  hither,  for  the  sake  either  of  di- 
vine study,  or  a  more  chaste  life." — Bede's  Church 
History,  b.  3,  c.  27. 


and  at  the  same  time  too  obvious  for  us  not 
to  feel  how  absurd  such  an  accusation  must 
be.  A  nation  that  wishes  to  enslave  others, 
generally  treats  those  who  will  not  submit  to 
its  laws  as  savages  :  a  little  attention,  how- 
ever, paid  to  the  state  in  which  Ireland  then 
was,  and  to  the  pretensions  of  the  English, 
will  easily  destroy  the  imposture.  More  than 
two  thousand  years  had  already  elapsed, 
during  which  that  people,  commanded  by 
native  princes,  were  governed  by  their  own 
laws  ;  consequently  they  would  not  receive 
those  of  strangers,  in  whom  they  discovered 
neither  character  to  inspire  them  with  awe, 
nor  power  to  make  them  obey.  Although 
part  of  Ireland  had  at  first  submitted  to  the 
English,  still  more  than  two-thirds  of  it,  far 
from  bending  under  a  yoke  that  seemed 
odious  to  them,  were  always  under  arms,  to 
defend  both  their  lives  and  properties  against 
those  tyrants.  If  he  that  repels  an  enemy, 
who  comes  armed  to  invade  his  patrimony, 
should  be  treated  as  a  barbarian  or  a  savage, 
the  most  polished  nations  and  the  most 
magnanimous  merit  the  same  appellations. 
Gerald  Barry,  a  priest,  and  native  of  the 
country  of  Wales,  in  England,  called  in 
Latin,  Cambria,  (from  Avhence  is  derived 
the  name  of  Cambrensis,  under  which  he  is 
known,)  was  the  first  stranger  who  under- 
took to  write  the  history  of  Ireland,  in  order 
to  perpetuate  the  calumnies  which  his  coun- 
trymen had  already  published  against  its 
inhabitants. 

Circumstances  required  that  they  should 
make  the  Irish  pass  for  barbarians.  The 
title  of  Henry  the  Second  was  founded  only 
upon  a  bull  obtained  clandestinely  from 
Pope  Adrian  the  Fourtli,  an  Englishman  by 
birth.  The  cause  of  this  bull  was  a  false 
statement  which  Henry  had  given  to  the 
Pope  of  the  impiety  and  barbarism  of  the 
Irish  nation.  Cambrensis  was  then  ordered 
to  verify,  by  writing,  the  statement  upon 
which  the  granting  of  the  bull  had  been 
extorted.  He  did  not  fail  to  intermix  his 
work  with  calumnies,  and  groundless  ab- 
surdities ;  however,  the  credit  of  a  powerful 
king  knew  how  to  make  even  the  court  of 
Rome  believe  them.  It  was  in  this  spirit 
that  Cambrensis  wrote  his  history,  and  from 
thence  the  English  authors  have  taken  the 
false  coloring  under  which  ancient  Ireland 
has  been  represented.  Passion  and  interest 
made  them  pass  over  the  recantation  which 
Cambrensis  felt  himself  obliged  to  make,  in 
the  latter  part  of  his  life,  of  several  false 
and  calumnious  imputations,  with  which  his 
history  had  been  filled.  Cambrensis  did  not 
possess  the  necessary  requisites  for  an  histo- 


PRELIiMINARY  niSCOURSE. 


19 


rian.  History  is  not  a  mere  production  of 
the  mind :  it  is  an  assemblage  of  facts,  tlie 
arrangement  of  which  depends  alone  upon 
the  author.  To  write  the  history  of  a  country 
it  is  essential  to  know  it,  likewise  the  cha- 
racter and  genius  of  its  inhabitants,  and  to 
be  capable  of  consuhing  its  annals.  Cam- 
brensis  possessed  none  of  these  qualities  with 
respect  to  Ireland,  the  history  whereof  he 
undertook  to  write.  It  is  true,  that  he  had 
been  twice  in  that  country,  first  through 
curiosity,  in  1171,  to  witness  the  advance- 
ment of  his  relations  and  friends  ;  secondly, 
as  preceptor  of  John,  Earl  of  Mortagne,  son 
of  Henry  the  Second,  to  whom  the  king  his 
father  had  given  the  title  of  Lord  of  Ire- 
land. In  those  two  voyages  he  remained  but 
eighteen  months  in  Ireland,  and  saw  about 
one  third  of  it,  which  alone  obeyed  the  Eng- 
lish ;  he  could  not  with  safety  put  his  foot 
into  any  other  part  of  the  kingdom.  Being 
incapable  of  consulting  the  records  of  the 
country,  (written  in  a  language  to  which  he 
was  altogether  a  stranger,)  he  was  obliged 
to  substitute,  instead  of  truth,  falsehoods, 
and  the  productions  of  a  prejudiced  mind, 
to  swell  his  volumes.  Could  a  stranger,  after 
spending  some  months  at  Paris,  without 
knowing  either  the  language,  consulting  our 
historians,  or  visiting  the  learned  men  of  the 
country,  be  capable  of  writing  a  history  of 
France  ?  If  he  chose  to  describe  the  morals 
and  customs  of  the  lowest  among  the  people, 
without  even  alluding  to  the  heroic  virtues 
of  our  kings,  the  bravery  and  generosity  of 
our  nobles,  and  the  acknowledged  merit  of 
an  infinite  number  of  our  fellow-citizens  ;  if 
he  dwelt,  in  fine,  on  what  was  most  vile, 
without  speaking  of  the  civil  and  military 
government,  or  of  the  fundamental  consti- 
tution of  the  state,  could  such  a  man  aspire 
to  the  title  of  historian  ?  Would  it  not  be 
the  true  means  of  rendering  the  author  con- 
temptible, together  with  his  work  ?  Such 
has  been  precisely  the  disposition  and  ca- 
pacity of  Gerald  Cambrensis.  Have  not  the 
Irish  an  equal  right  to  complain  of  him,  as 
Josephus  (in  his  first  book  against  Appion) 
complains  of  some  Greek  authors  who  un- 
dertook to  compose  the  history  of  the  Jew- 
ish war,  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and 
captivity  of  the  Jews,  from  hearsay,  without 
having  been  ever  in  the  country,  or  seen  the 
things  of  which  they  wrote,  and  who,  he 
said,  imprudently  assumed  to  themselves 
the  title  of  historians  1 

Our  ambitious  author,  wishing,  as  he  him- 
self says,  to  acquire  glory  and  immortalize 
his  name*  by  a  description  of  Ireland,  wrote 

*  "  I  will  be  read  by  the  people,  and  if  the  pre- 


five  books  in  Latin,  the  three  first  under  the 
title  of  "  Topography  of  Ireland,"  and  the 
other  two  under  that  of  "  Ireland  conquered 
by  Henry  the  Second."  Those  are  indeed 
pompous  titles,  but  are  not  at  all  applicable 
to  so  imperlect  and  weak  a  production ;  the 
title  of  Topography  is  unfitly  applied  to  the 
description  of  a  whole  kingdom,  and  the 
name  of  Conquest  does  not  belong  to  an 
agreement  made  between  Henry  the  Second 
and  a  part  of  that  nation.  It  was  under  such 
titles,  however,  that  he  had  the  presumption 
to  begin,  and  promise,  not  only  the  history 
of  the  actual  state  of  Ireland,  but  also  of  its 
antiquities. 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  Cambren- 
sis has  succeeded  so  ill,  and  that  his  work 
deserves  not  even  the  name  of  histor5^  He 
was  prejudiced  against  the  Irish  people,  and 
his  ignorance  of  their  language  rendered  him 
incapable  of  consulting  their  annals.  He 
had  seen  but  the  few  cities  which  were  in 
the  power  of  the  English,  and  continued  in 
the  country  too  short  a  time  to  make  the 
necessary  researches  ;  that  care  he  commit- 
ted to  his  friend  Bertrand  Verdon,  who  re- 
mained in  it  but  six  months  after  him  ;  there- 
fore the  collection  of  materials,  which  could 
serve  as  a  basis  to  his  pretended  history 
of  Ireland,  was  so  inconsiderable,  and  so 
filled  with  fiction,  that  he  never  gave  even 
the  description  of  a  county,  town,  or  village, 
not  even  of  that  part*  of  it  wdiich  he  had 
seen.  He  gives  us  for  a  history  the  fabu- 
lous narrative  of  four  fountains,  three  islands, 
three  lakes,  and  the  sources  of  four  rivers,! 
of  which  the  Shannon,  the  most  considera- 
ble, discharges  itself,  according  to  him,  into 
the  North  Sea.  He  scarcely  mentions  who 
were  the  first  inhabitants  of  the  country.  As 
to  the  Scoto-Milesians,  who  were  the  peace- 
ful possessors  of  it  for  more  than  two  thou- 
sand years  before  his  time,  he  contents  him- 
self by  saying,  that  there  had  been  a  con- 
tinued and  iminterrupted  succession  of  one 
hundred  and  eighty -one  monarchs,  who 
reigned  over  that  people,  but  says  nothing 
of  their  history,  laws,  government,  or  of 
their  wars  ;  neither  does  he  furnish  any  cat- 
alogue of  their  kings.  He,  in  a  few  words, 
says  that  the  six  sons  of  Muredus,  king  of 
the  province  of  Ulster,  had  made  a  descent 
upon  Scotland.  The  invasions  and  wars  of 
the  Danes  in  Ireland  he  touches  upon  very 
lightly,  but  is  grossly  deceived,  as  much  in 

dictions  of  the  prophets  contain  in  them  any  truth, 
I  will  live  by  fame  through  every  age." — Cambren- 
sis, Preface. 

*  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  10,  page  100. 

t  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  2,  page  6. 


20 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


reference  to  the  period  of  their  first  Umdiiig 
in  tliat  country,  (which  he  fixes  in  the  year 
838,)  as  he  is'respectino-  the  name,  exploits, 
and  country  of  Coniumdus.  Such  reveries 
he  has  no  doubt  boiTOwed  from  Geoffrey  of 
Monmouth.  Like  certain  animals,  which 
wallow  in  mire,  and  prefer  it  to  the  sweet- 
est llowers,*  he  attached  himself  to  what- 
ever he  could  discover  meanest  and  most 
vile  among  the  people;  unsupported  like- 
wise by  any  written  authority,  or  the  evi- 
dence of  any  correct  or  impartial  man,  he 
composed  an  absurd  collection  of  old  wo- 
men's, sailors',  and  soldiers'  stories,  which 
he  seasons  with  scandalous  aspersions,  sat- 
ires, and  invectives  against  the  nation  ;  nei- 
ther prince  nor  people,  clergy,  secular  or  reg- 
lar,  are  spared  :  he  respects  nothing  ;  every 
thing  becomes  the  object  of  his  calumnies 
and  detraction.!  Having  spent  five  years  in 
composing  this  fine  work,  the  five  books  of 
his  pretended  history  of  Ireland  came  forth. 
In  raptures  with  that  new  production  of  his 
■genius,  and  unable  to  conceal  his  vanity, 
Cambrensis  repaired  to  Oxford ,:{:  where,  in 
presence  of  learned  doctors  and  the  assem- 
bled people,  he  read,  after  the  example  of  the 
Greeks,  his  topography,  during  three  suc- 
cessive days,  giving  to  each  book  an  entire 
day.  To  render  the  comedy  more  solemn,  he 
treated  the  whole  town  splendidly  for  three 
days  :  the  first  was  appropriated  to  the  popu- 
lace ;  the  second  to  the  doctors,  professors, 
and  principal  scholars  of  the  university  ;  and 
lastly,  the  third  day  he  regaled  the  other 
scholars,  soldiers,  and  citizens  of  the  town  : 
"  a  noble  and  brilliant  action,"  says  Cam- 
brensis himself,  "  whereby  the  ancient  cus- 
tom of  the  poets  has  been,  for  the  first  time, 
renewed  in  England."  But  unfortunately  for 
him,  the  success  did  not  answer  his  expecta- 
tions :  it  w^as  easily  seen,  particularly  at  court, 
that  the  bad  choice  he  had  made  of  the  mate- 
rials whereof  his  history  had  been  composed, 
and  the  fables  he  had  introduced  into  it,  could 


*  "  He  hath  defiled  his  writings  with  the  filthi- 
ness  of  the  rabble  :  he  resolved  to  stuff  the  whole 
nation  with  the  imperfections  of  the  populace,  re- 
corded by  himself,  like  the  spider  whieh  draws  poi- 
son from  the  thyme,  from  which  the  bee  extracts 
honey.  He  has  thus  formed,  from  among  the  most 
abandoned  of  the  Irish,  a  package;  leaving  those 
'  things  which  he  found  most  eminent,  unnoticed. 
Whatsoever  filth  he  discovered,  appeared  as  a  gem 
to  him  ;  with  it,  as  if  most  precious,  has  he  ar- 
ranged his  productions  and  work,  so  that,  like  the 
swine,  he  delights  more  in  the  dunghill  than  to  en- 
joy himself  amidst  the  sweetest  odors.''~Gratiaiws 
Lucius,  p.  5,  c.  41. 

t  Grat.  Lucius,  cap.  5,  p.  33. 

t  Usser.  Silog.  edit.  Par.  Epist.  49,  p.  84,  el  85. 


be  but  the  effect  of  his  ignorance,  or  hatred 
for  the  Irish  nation.  They  were  not  astray 
for  the  cause  of  that  hatred  ;  besides  the 
private  quarrel  which  he  had  with  Aubin 
O'Molloy,  monk  of  the  order  of  Citeaux, 
and  abbot  of  Baltinglass,  in  which  he  was  de- 
feated, and  which  excited  his  anger  against 
that  nation,  he  wished  for  the  ruin  and  de- 
struction altogether  of  the  Irish,  who  might 
prove  an  obstacle  to  the  aggrandizement  of 
his  relations  and  friends,  as  appears  from 
his  second  book  on  the  conquest  of  that  peo- 
ple. Nothing  tends  to  discover*  more  easily 
the  malignity  and  inconsistency  of  Cambren- 
sis' mind,  than  the  extremes  into  which  he 
lets  himself  be  carried.  Sometimes  he  ex- 
tols with  Avarmth  the  merit  of  his  relations, 
newly  established  in  that  country  ;  again  he 
exclaims  violently  against  the  English  and 
Normans,  engaged  with  them  in  the  same 
cause,  against  the  Irish. 

While  king  Henry  II.  lived,  that  prince 
was,  according  to  him,  "  the  Alexander  of 
the  west,"  "  the  Invincible,"  "  the  Solomon 
of  his  age,"  "  the  most  pious  of  princes," 
who  had  the  glory  of  repressing  the  fury  of 
the  gentiles,  not  only  of  Europe,  but  like- 
wise of  Asia,  beyond  the  Mediterranean. 
The  most  extravagant  phrases  which  the  re- 
fined flatterer  could  invent  were  not  spared 
in  extolling  him,  contrary  to  reason  and 
common  sense ;  for  example,  he  did  not 
blush  to  say  of  that  prince,  that  his  victo- 
ries and  conquests  were  limited  only  by  the 
circumference  and  extremities  of  the  earth. 
However,  so  soon  as  the  king  was  dead,  (as 
David  Powell  remarks,)  he  broke  forth  into 
a  thousand  invectives  against  his  memory, 
in  the  book  entitled  "  The  Instructions  of  a 
Prince,"  and  gave  free  vent  to  his  ancient 
enmity  against  him.  That  alone  should 
suffice  to  characterize  this  author,  and  to 
show  to  what  little  credit  every  thing  else 
which  he  advanced  is  entitled. 

The  reproaches  which  were  directed 
against  Cambrensis  for  having  inserted  in 
his  writings  so  much  fabulous  matter,  obliged 
him  to  recant  what  he  had  advanced,  both 
by  an  apology,  inserted  in  the  preface  to  his 
book,  called  "  The  Conquest  of  Ireland,"  and 
in  a  treatise  on  "  Recantation."  In  these 
he  acknowledges  that,  although  he  had 
learned  from  men  of  that  country,  worthy  of 
belief,  many  things  which  he  mentions,  he 
had  followed  the  reports  of  the  vulgar  in 
many  others  ;  but  he  thinks  as  St.  Augustine, 
in  his  book  on  "  The  City  of  God,"  that  we 
should  not  positively  affirm,  nor  absolutely 

*  Grat.  Luc.  c.  7,  p.  49,  50,  51,  53,  54,  &c. 


PRELIMINARY    DISCOURSE. 


21 


deny,  the  things  we  have  only  from  hearsay. 
Sir  James  Ware,  in  his  "  Antiquities  of  Ire- 
land," knew  how  to  appreciate  with  justice 
the  merit  of  our  author.  The  following  is 
the  opinion  he  holds  of  him  :  "  Cambrensis," 
said  he,  "  has  collected  into  his  topography 
so  many  fabulous  things,  that  it  would  require 
an  entire  volume  to  discuss  it  correctl}^"  In 
the  mean  time  he  warns  the  reader  to  peruse 
it  with  caution ;  he  then  adds,  "  That  it 
astonishes  him  how  men  of  his  time,  other- 
wise grave  and  learned,  could  have  imposed 
upon  the  world,  by  giving  as  truths  the  fic- 
tions of  Cambrensis."* 

But,  notwithstanding  these  incontestable 
proofs  of  the  fallacy  and  imposture  in  the 
writings  of  this  discredited  author,  and  al- 
though they  had  lain  400  years  in  obscurity, 
until  1602,  when  Camden  had  them  publish- 
ed at  Frankfort,  all  who  have  spoken  of  the 
Irish  since  that  period,  but  particularly  the 
English,  have  no  other  foundation  for  their 
abuses  against  them  than  the  authority  of 
that  impostor.  The  evil  has  become  so 
general  throughout  Europe,  that  in  most 
books  and  geographical  treatises,  wherein 
there  is  mention  of  the  manners  and  customs 
of  nations,  we  find  upon  the  Irish  only  the 
poisoned  darts  which  Cambrensis  had  di- 
rected against  them.f 

After  the  character  now  drawn  of  Cam- 
brensis, let  the  judicious  and  impartial  reader 
judge  if  he  can  be  considered  as  a  grave 
historian,  and  one  worthy  of  credit ;  or  if  he 
should  not,  on  the  contrary,  be  looked  upon 
as  a  libeller  and  impostor,  who  sought,  by 
amusing  the  public  Avith  absurd  tales,  to 
disgrace,  against  all  truth  and  justice,  an 
entire  nation.  All  others  among  the  English 
who  have  undertaken  to  write  the  history  of 
Ireland,  particularly  since  the  Reformation, 
have,  "  like  the  asp  that  borrows  the  venom 
of  the  viper,"J  taken  the  same  tone  as  Cam- 
brensis, and  faithfully  followed  his  tracks  ; 
among  that  number  are,  Hanmer,  Campion, 
Spencer,  Camden,  &c.     By  breathing  the 


*  "  Many  things  concerning  Ireland  could  be  no- 
ticed in  this  place  as  fabulous,  wliich  Cambrensis 
hath  heaped  together  in  his  topography.  To  analyze 
or  descant  upon  each  would  require  a  whole  tract. 
Caution  should  be  particularly  applied  by  the  reader 
to  his  topography,  which  Giraldus  himself  confesses. 
I  cannot  but  express  my  surprise,  how  men  now-a- 
days,  otherwise  grave  and  learned,  have  obtruded 
on  the  world  the  fictions  of  Giraldus  for  truths." — 
Ware's  Antiquities  of  Ireland,  c.  23. 

t  Grat.  Luc.  c.  1,  page  4. 

X  "  They  are  borne  by  a  similar  propensity  to  tra- 
duce the  Irish,  (as  it  is  expressed  in  the  proverb,) 
the  a-sp  borrows  poison  from  the  viper." — Gratianua 
Lucius,  c.  1,  p.  3. 


same  air  as  he,  they  were  aiiimated  by  the 
same  spirit,  and  have  inherited  all  his  hatred 
against  the  Irish. 

It  is  then  but  reasonable  that  every  stran- 
ger of  good  discernment  should  distrust  all 
that  has  appeared  on  the  affairs  of  Ireland 
from  the  pens  of  such  authors,  and  from  those 
who  have  followed  their  footsteps  ;  it  is  a 
rare  virtue  in  an  enemy  to  render  justice  to 
his  adversary,  and  there  are  none  from 
whom  we  could  less  expect  it  than  from  the 
English.  Their  natural  presumption,  in- 
flamed by  success,  has  caused  them  to  act 
at  all  times  as  if  they  were  exempt  from 
following  the  ordinary  rules  of  justice  and 
humanity  towards  those  whose  bad  fortune 
had  submitted  to  their  laws.  For  the  truth 
of  this  statement  we  can  call  upon  the  testi- 
mony of  the  Welch,  the  Scotch,  and  other 
nations,  over  whom  they  have  ruled  during 
some  time.  As  to  Ireland,  we  can  assert  that 
they  have  never  ceased  to  govern  it  with  a 
rod  of  iron.  Would  it  be,  then,  reasonable 
to  attach  belief  to  all  that  such  masters  have 
disseminated  throughout  the  world  in  order 
to  palliate  their  own  injustice  ? 

The  same  motives  which  actuated  Cam- 
brensis in  the  twelfth  century,  have  guided 
the  pens  of  the  English  historians  since  the 
Reformation.  The  Irish  could  never  bring 
themselves  to  renounce  the  religion  of  their 
forefathers,  or  embrace  the  new  maxims  of 
the  reformers ;  their  perseverance  in  the 
simplicity  of  the  primitive  faith  has  become 
a  pretext  for  dispossessing  them  of  the  pat- 
rimony of  their  ancestors,  and  for  turning 
their  most  unoffending  acts  into  pretended 
causes  for  condemning  them.  AVhen  the 
strong  man  has  resolved  to  oppress  the  weak, 
it  is  easy  to  find  a  cause  for  his  oppression, 
and  give  to  it  an  appearance  of  justice. 

The  history  of  Lord  Clarendon  would 
appear  to  merit  some  respect  in  public  esti- 
mation, by  the  rank  of  state  minister,  which 
he  held  under  the  kings  Charles  I.  and  II. ; 
but  every  prepossession  in  his  favor  will 
lose  much  of  its  weight  Avhen  it  is  known, 
that  that  minister  contributed  much  to  the 
dreadful  fate  of  the  father,  and  intended 
also  to  ruin  the  son,  by  the  excessive  regard 
he  manifested  through  life  for  the  parlia- 
mentarians, and  the  strong  aversion  he  en- 
tertained towards  the  Catholics.  His  appre- 
hensions of  seeing  the  authority  of  the 
parliament  annihilated  by  a  victorious  king, 
caused  him  to  use  all  his  influence  and  arti- 
fice with  Charles  I.  to  divert  him  from  the 
good  use  he  should  have  made  of  his  victo- 
ries. His  hatred  to  the  Catholics  made 
him  thwart  every  offer  of  service  which  the 


22 


IIISTORV    OP    IRELAND. 


confeilcratos  of  [rrbuul  c-outiiiucil  to  make  to 
the  kiivjf  against  his  n-belHoiis  parliament, 
oflVrs  of  service  for  which  they  asked  no 
other  recompense  than  a  moderate  liberty 
in  the  exercise  of  their  religion.  Although 
the  king  had,  on  variou:^  occasions,  consent- 
ed to  receive  them,  that  minister,  with  his 
associates,  contrived  to  render  them  unavail- 
ing. Clarendon  displayed  anew,  under 
Charles  II.,  when  restored,  the  surprising 
eflect  of  the  two  passions  which  guided  him. 
The  wicked  Cromwcllians,  who  merited  the 
heaviest  punishments  that  could  be  inflicted, 
were  rewarded  at  the  expense  of  the  faithful 
Irish,  the  properties  of  a  great  number  of 
whom  were  sacrificed  to  the  detestable  max- 
im which  .Clarendon,  in  order  to  cover  his 
flagrant  injustice,  influenced  the  young  king, 
too  easily  led,  to  adopt;  it  was,  "Win  your 
enemies  by  doing  good  to  them :  you  will 
be  always  sure  of  your  friends."  The  above 
facts  had  passed  before  Clarendon  wrote  his 
history  ;  he  was  obliged  to  adopt  every  thing 
that  malice  and  self-interest  could  excite 
among  the  Cromwellians,  for  the  purpose 
of  blackening  the  Irish,  and  palliating  his 
own  conduct. 

Doctor  Burnet  found  it  too  much  his  in- 
terest, in  the  revolution  which  happened  in 
the  reign  of  James  II.,  not  to  give  to  that 
event  the  most  specious  coloring.  Unable 
to  amass  a  fortune  by  an  upright  course,  he 
became  a  preacher  and  firebrand  of  sedition. 
The  rich  bishopric  of  Salisbury  was  too  con- 
siderable a  reward  'for  a  A^enal  writer,  who 
was  not  curbed  by  the  reins  either  of  probity 
or  religion ;  still  the  refusal  given  him  by 
the  prince  of  Orange,  of  the  archbishopric 
of  Canterbury,  armed  him  against  his  bene- 
factor, and  caused  him  to  unveil  truths  that 
were  not  honorable  to  that  prince's  memory. 
How  much  vanity  and  self-interest  guided 
the  haughty  and  insatiable  mind  of  that  pre- 
late, it  was  quickly  discovered  by  his  ingra- 
titude. The  stranger  will  perceive  what 
esteem  can  be  due  to  his  writings,  from  the 
sound  refutation  given  to  his  twa  first  books 
on  the  Reformation,  by  Joachim  le  Grand,  in 
his  history  upon  the  divorce  of  Henry  VIII. 
and  Catherine  of  Aragon  :  it  was  published 
at  Paris,  in  three  volumes  duodecimo,  in 
1688  ;  that  author  took  in  it  the  defence  of 
Sanderus  against  him. 

Every  thing  Avhich  I  have  said  concern- 
ing the  characters  of  Clarendon  and  Burnet, 
will  be  admitted  by  every  honoralde  man  in 
England.  The  memoirs  of  Higgins,  an 
English  gentleman  of  acknowledged  probity, 
bear  ample  testimony  of  it.  Among  all  the 
histories  of  England  which  have  appeared  in 


foreign  countries,  that  of  Rapin  Thoiras 
merits  a  preference,  both  for  the  order  and 
perspicuity  of  its  details,  and  arrangement 
of  its  materials.  It  should  not  be  matter  for 
surprise  to  see  an  author,  who  had  been 
brought  up  in  tlie  Presbyterian  principles, 
avow  himself  on  every  occasion,  opposed  to 
the  pontifical  authority  ;  it  is  but  acting  in- 
genuously according  to  his  own  maxims  and 
opinions  ;  the  enlightened  reader  cannot  be 
mistaken  in  that.  The  efforts  which  he  has 
used  for  preserving  the  appearance  of  im- 
partiality between  the  factions  that  had  torn 
the  state  under  the  reign  of  Charles  I., 
merit  our  regard.  Although  he  appears  to 
favor  the  parliamentarians,  the  royalists 
may  derive  great  advantage  from  what  the 
force  of  truth  had  drawn  from  the  mouth  of 
an  advocate  pensioned  by  their  opponents  ; 
we  discover  in  him  much  less  acrimony  upon 
the  affairs  of  Ireland,  than  among  the  gene- 
rality of  English  historians  ;  he  furnishes 
many  argmnents  that  could  be  well  applied 
in  vindication  of  that  country. 

Father  D'Orleans  is  far  less  excusable  for 
the  little  justice  he  has  done  to  Ireland,  in 
his  superficial  and  mutilated  account  of  the 
wars  in  that  country,  with  which  he  closes 
his  history  of  the  revolutions  in  England. 
There  is  much  cause  for  suspecting  that  this 
father  let  himself  be  guided  by  some  one 
interested  to  advance  the  honor  of  England. 
Surely,  the  vigorous  defence  which  Ireland 
sustained  for  three  years,  ought  to  make  that 
country  blush  for  having  surrendered  itself 
to  the  prince  of  Orange,  without  striking  a 
blow  to  oppose  him. 

Thomas  Innes,  a  vScotch  priest,  published 
at  London,  in  1729,  a  critical  essay  on  the 
ancient  inhabitants  of  North  Britain.  This 
work  shows  the  author  to  have  been  a  man 
of  letters.  The  connection  that  was  between 
the  Scots  and  the  ancient  Scoto-Milesians, 
engaged  him  in  a  criticism  on  the  antiquities 
of  the  latter,  in  which  he  makes  use  of  but 
common-place  topics.  He  says  much,  and 
proves  little  ;  he  strives  to  insinuate  that 
all  the  accounts  concerning  the  Milesians 
are  founded  merely  on  the  fabulous  narration 
of  bards,  without  any  tribunal  having  been 
appointed  to  examine  them.  No  distinction 
is  drawn  between  the  mercenary  rhymers, 
who  went  from  house  to  house,  and  those  who 
were  employed  by  the  state,  whose  writings 
were  subjected  to  the  judgment  of  the  assem- 
bly at  Teamor.  This  Avriter  upbraids  also  the 
Milesians,  with  the  contradictions  of  their 
historians,  concerning  their  antiquities,  and 
the  epochs  of  their  history  ;  but  ought  we  to 
suspect  the  authority  of  the  Bible,  because 


PRELIMINARY    DISCOURSE. 


23 


the  calculations  of  the  Hebrews,  the  Greeks, 
and  the  Latins,  all  differ  with  regard  to  the 
years  of  the  world,  since  the  creation  up  to 
the  Christian  era  ?  This  author  would  have 
to  answer  the  same  objections  for  the  writers 
of  his  own  country.  Fordun,  Major,  Boyce, 
Buchanan,  and  others,  are  not  in  accordance 
upon  every  subject.  But  it  was  reserved  for 
our  author  to  contradict  them  all,  and  to  sap 
the  foundation  of  every  thing  they  advanced 
concerning  their  antiquities.  From  a  chain 
of  possible  propositions  and  self-conjectures, 
he  asserts  with  confidence  that  the  Scots 
were  a  people  different  from  the  Milesians, 
who  established  themselves  in  Ireland  about 
the  time  of  the  Christian  era.  His  words 
are  the  following : 

"  It  is  possible,"  he  says,  "  that  the  Mile- 
sians might  have  been  established  in  Ireland 
many  centuries  before  the  Incarnation,  and 
that  there  had  been  among  them,  as  among 
other  people,  a  succession  of  kings  of  their 
race,  since  Heremon,  without  the  Milesians 
having  been  properly  the  same  as  those  who 
were  afterwards  called  Scots,  and  without 
the  latter  having  been  established  in  that 
island  before  the  Incarnation,  at  which  period 
they  settled  there  as  conquerors,  and  made 
themselves  masters  of  the  government,  as 
the  Franks  had  done  in  Gaul,  the  Goths  and 
Suevi  in  Spain,  the  Vandals  in  Africa,  and 
the  Saxons  in  Britain."  Behold  a  system 
founded  upon  possibilities  ;  he  wants  only  to 
give  reality  to  it ;  it  is  that  which  embarrasses 
our  critic  ;  "  because  he  finds  no  contempora- 
ry writer  to  attest  it,  not  even  among  the  Mi- 
lesians, who  possessed  (according  to  him) 
neither  monuments,  nor  the  use  of  letters, 
before  the  time  of  St.  Patrick."  Our  critic 
has  no  apparent  respect  for  M'Kenzie,  his 
countryman,  who  is  equally  as  he  entitled 
to  credit ;  and  affirms  that  he  saw  many 
ancient  Irish  manuscripts  ;  among  others  a 
history  of  the  kings  of  Ireland,  written  by 
Carbre  Liffechair,  monarch  of  the  island, 
about  the  time  of  the  Incarnation,  and  conse- 
quently long  before  St.  Patrick.  The  infer- 
ence which  he  draws  from  the  real  conquests 
of  the  neighboring  countries  by  the  barba- 
rians, to  establish  a  cliimerical  conquest  of 
Ireland  in  the  first  century  by  the  Scots, 
is  a  false  reasoning.  On  one  side  they  are 
supported  by  monuments  which  cannot  be 
doubted,  and  by  the  unanimous  consent  of 
all  the  world ;  on  the  other,  it  is  founded, 
according  to  the  declaration  of  our  critic,  on 
conjectures  only,  and  inferences  that  are 
merely  plausible.  For  want  of  authority  he 
raises  other  batteries,  and  draws  from,  con- 
sequences, results  which  were  inseparable 


from  revolutions  that  had  happened  in  other 
countries,  without  losing  sight  of  the  paral- 
lel between  the  Scots  and  the  Franks.  He 
quotes  Ptolemy,  and  some  other  writers  of 
antiquity,  without  deriving  from  them  any 
real  advantage  ;  but  the  silence  of  foreigners 
regarding  the  name  "  Scot,"  before  the  third 
or  fourth  century,  makes  him  triumph  in  his 
expedient.  Must  we  not  know  a  people  be- 
fore we  can  tell  them  by  their  name  ?  The 
Scoto-Milesians  were,  without  contradiction, 
better  known  to  the  ancient  Greeks  and 
Phoenicians  than  to  the  modern  Greeks. 
The  latter,  weakened  by  the  great  wars  they 
had  to  maintain  against  the  Persians,  the  Ma- 
cedonians, and  the  Romans,  were  obliged  to 
neglect  that  commerce  which  their  prede- 
cessors had  kept  up  with  the  Milesians  ;  and 
the  Romans,  who  never  made  a  descent  upon 
their  island,  knew  them  only  by  the  incur- 
sions which  they,  in  conjunction  with  the 
Picts,  made  into  Britain,  and  from  thence 
foreigners  call  them  indiscriminately  "  Hi- 
hcmr  and  "  Scoti ;"  names  that  were  then 
synonymous,  and  which,  in  the  sense  of  the 
authors  who  used  them,  signified  the  same 
people.  Lastly,  all  the  strength  of  the  argu- 
ments of  Innes,  is  founded  upon  false  prin- 
ciples, and  tends  but  to  overturn,  by  con- 
jectures and  negative  arguments,  a  system 
adopted  by  the  most  learned  historians  of  his 
nation.  Against  the  antiquities  of  the  Mile- 
sians, he  advanced  again  many  other  diffi- 
culties, which  I  shall  examine  in  the  course 
of  these  memoirs. 

The  author  of  the  age  of  Louis  XIV.  gives 
a  description  of  the  last  wars  in  Ireland, 
with  but  little  advantage  to  her  inhabitants. 
Besides  the  impressions  which  this  writer 
has  received  among  the  English,  incapable 
of  doing  justice  to  any  people  whom  they 
oppress,  he  has  too  scrupulously  followed 
the  accounts  given  in  Holland  by  the  refu- 
gees, who  were  equally  attached  to  the  glory 
of  the  prince  of  Orange  as  to  the  interests 
of  a  religion,  the  support  of  which  was  ap- 
parently the  motive  for  his  usurpation  and 
tyranny.  His  prejudices  have  influenced 
him  to  represent  the  Irish,  whom  he  allows 
to  be  good  soldiers  in  France  and  Spain,  as 
a  people  that  always  fought  badly  at  home  ; 
the  passage  of  the  Boyne  by  the  prince  of 
Orange,  he  describes  as  one  of  those  bold 
enterprises  which  should  astonish  the  world, 
and  compares  it  to  the  passage  of  the  Gran- 
icus  by  Alexander  the  Great,  or  of  the 
Rhine  by  Louis  XIV. 

Although  the  lively  representations  and 
brilliant  style  of  an  author  may  darken  truth 
in  the  eyes  of  a  reader  whom  they  charm. 


24 


IIISTORV    OF    IRELAND. 


they  have  not  always  the  same  eflect  upon 
the  minds  of  a  more  enli^rhtonccl  and  less 
prejudiced  world.  Tlie  Irish  are  equally 
brave  in  every  country.  If  they  appear  to 
be  more  so  in  France  and  Spain  than  at 
home,  it  arises  from  this,  that  they  are  bet- 
ter trained  in  foreis^n  countries,  where  they 
enjoy  the  advantaoes  of  learning  the  milita- 
ry discipline,  for  which  they  have  a  natural 
turn,  which  opportunity  is  denied  to  them 
in  their  own  country.  Their  conduct  in  the 
last  wars  of  Ireland,  about  which  our  author 
appears  as  little  informed  as  he  is  about  their 
supposed  want  of  resistance  at  the  battle  of 
the  Boyne,  takes  nothing  from  their  valor ; 
King  James  had,  according  to  the  author's 
acknowledgment,  but  about  twenty  thousand 
men,  viz.,  nearly  six  thousand  French  and 
fifteen  thousand  Irish.  The  latter  were 
troops  newly  raised,  undisciplined,  badly 
provided,  and  still  worse  armed.  The  prince 
of  Orange  had  thirty-six  thousand  veteran 
troops,  all  English  and  Dutch.  The  river 
Boyne,  which  is  always  fordable  in  simimer, 
and  has  often  not  more  than  three  or  four 
feet  of  water  in  many  places,  was  no  great 
obstacle  to  their  passing  it.  The  reader, 
therefore,  may  judge  of  the  disproportion 
and  inequality  of  the  two  armies.  The  fate 
of  the  day  could  be  easily  foreseen.  On  the 
one  side  were  twenty  thousand  men,  three- 
fourths  of  whom  scarcely  knew  how  to 
handle  a  musket,  and  commanded  by  a  king 
who,  naturally  kind-hearted,  felt  some  com- 
passion for  the  English,  whom  he  considered 
as  his  subjects,  though  armed  against  him  ; 
on  the  other,  an  army  much  superior  in 
numbers  and  experience,  commanded  by  the 
prince  of  Orange,  who,  although  more  ac- 
customed to  lose  battles  than  to  gain  them, 
was  a  very  formidable  enemy  in  the  present 
conjuncture.  As  our  author  affects  to  be 
silent  on  every  thing  that  passed  favorable 
to  the  Irish  nation  during  this  Avar,  he  makes 
no  mention  of  a  singular  action  which  oc- 
curred while  the  English  were  crossing 
the  river  :  three  or  four  Irish  gentlemen, 
having  advanced  into  it  with  pistols  in  their 
hands,  shot  Marshal  Schombergh,  in  the 
midst  of  the  English  army,  having  taken 
him  for  the  prince  of  Orange.  He  omits 
also  to  mention  the  resistance  made  by  the 
Clare  dragoons  and  other  troops  against  the 
army  of  Schombergh,  at  the  passage  of  Old- 
bridge  ;  they  were  forced  on  the  second 
attack  to  give  way,  after  having  left  a  num- 
ber killed  upon  the  spot.  As  to  the  prince 
of  Orange,  who  proceeded  up  the  river  to 
Slane,  with  half  the  army,  which  he  com- 
manded in  person,  he  had  no  great  difficulty 


to  chase  away  two  regiments  of  dragoons 
who  were  guarding  that  passage  ;  but  every 
opposition  became  unavailing.  The  king  did 
not  wait  the  event  of  the  battle  ;  escorted 
by  some  chosen  troops,  he  took  the  route  for 
Dublin,  where,  stopping  for  a  day,  he  pro- 
ceeded thence  to  Waterford,  and  there  em- 
barked for  France.  The  rest  of  the  army, 
seeing  themselves  without  a  chief,  marched 
towards  Limerick;  the  brigade  of  Surlau- 
ben  formed  the  rear-guard,  which  the  prince 
of  Orange  did  not  dare  to  attack.  The  other 
French  troops  took  the  road  for  Cork  and 
Kinsale,  and  embarked  there.  Thus  ended 
without  a  battle  the  passage  of  the  Boyne, 
so  much  boasted  of  by  English  and  Dutch 
historians,  of  whom  our  author  is  but  the 
echo,  and  which,  in  truth,  should  not  add 
much  to  the  laurels  of  the  prince  of  Orange. 

Our  author  says  nothing  of  the  first  siege 
of  Limerick,  so  glorious  to  the  Irish,  who 
overthrew  the  enemy,  already  in  possession 
of  the  breach  and  part  of  the  city ;  they 
drove  them  back  even  to  their  camp.  This 
action  made  the  prince  of  Orange  raise  the 
siege,  and  make  to  his  troops  this  reproach- 
ful remark,  which  was  as  glorious  to  the 
besieged,  as  it  was  humiliating  to  the  be- 
siegers ; — "  Yes,"  said  he,  "  if  I  had  this 
handful  of  men  who  defend  the  place  against 
you,  and  that  you  all  were  within,  I  would 
take  it  in  spite  of  you."  His  retreat  was  so 
precipitate  that  he  set  fire  to  the  hospital, 
to  cover  the  shame  of  having  abandoned  his 
sick  and  wounded.  The  battle  of  Aughrim 
which  was  fought  the  year  following,  and 
where  the  Irish  troops,  though  vanquished, 
performed  prodigies  of  valor,  and  the  second 
siege  of  Limerick,  the  obstinate  defence  of 
which  obtained  a  capitulation,  the  most  im- 
portant and  advantageous  that  has  been  ever 
witnessed,  were  equally  honorable  to  the 
Irish  nation  :  but  our  author  passes  sudden- 
ly from  the  Boyne  to  the  second  siege  of 
Limerick,  wdthout  mentioning  the  glorious 
actions  that  occurred  in  the  interval.  Per- 
haps he  was  ignorant  of  them,  or  if  not, 
that  he  wished  to  minister  to  the  honor  of 
this  hero  ;  it  has  been  long  since  said  of  him, 
what  Camden*  said  of  Buchanan,  that  he 
was  a  better  poet  than  a  writer  of  history ; 
"  Buchananus  poeta  optimus." 

The  memory  of  these  events  is  too  recent, 
and  there  still  exist  too  many  living  witnesses 
of  the  valor  of  our  people  on  that  occasion, 
that  false  representations  should  gain  credit 
in  our  days ;  but  posterity  cannot  avoid 
adopting  the  errors  which  they  will  find  dif- 

*  Brit.  edit.  Lond.  p.  89. 


OF    PAGAN    IRELAND. 


25 


fused  throughout  the  writings  of  prejudiced 
and  ill-informed  historians,  if  there  be  not 
placed  now  before  their  eyes  matter  where- 
with to  undeceive  them.  How  can  it  be 
supposed  that  the  stranger  will  be  upon  his 
guard  against  the  dishonorable  imputations 
with  which  these  authors  have  loaded  their 
writings  against  the  Irish,  if  it  be  not  made 
known  that  those  who  have  robbed  the  Irish 
of  their  possessions  are  likewise  interested 
to  rob  them  of  their  honor. 

It  is  to  be  regretted,  that  among  so  many 
learned  men,  of  whom  Ireland  justly  boasts, 
none  have  taken  the  trouble  of  writing  a 
regular  history  of  their  country.  It  appears 
that  the  Danes,  who,  by  their  invasions, 
infested  Ireland  for  two  centuries,  had  de- 
stroyed part  of  her  ancient  monuments ;  those 
barbarous  invaders  taking  delight  to  destroy 
churches,  abbeys,  and  other  places  which 
served  as  depositories  of  learning.  Ireland 
had  hardly  time  to  breathe,  after  having 
shaken  off  the  yoke  of  the  Danes,  when  she 
fell  under  that  of  the  English.  These  new 
masters  made  it  a  maxim  of  their  policy  to 
abolish  the  use  of  the  language  and  of  let- 
ters among  the  Irish.  These  reasons,  added 
to  the  little  encouragement  given,  since  the 
invention  of  printing,  to  a  nation  oppressed 
and  over  whelmed  with  the  weight  of  tyranny, 
have  caused  those  venerable  remains  of  anti- 
quity to  lie  buried  in  obscurity.  The  interest 
which  I  take  in  every  thing  that  concerns 
Ireland,  makes  me  often  sigh  for  the  addi- 
tional misfortune  Avhich  the  general  igno- 
rance of  its  history  produces,  and  has  long 
since  inspired  me  with  a  desire  of  remedy- 
ing that  evil. 

In  writing  the  history  of  Ireland,  I  have  no 
pretensions  farther  than  to  give  an  abridg- 
ment of  it :  too  happy  shall  I  feel,  if  able  to 
smooth  the  way,  or  give  emulation  to  others 
Avho  may  have  more  leisure  or  capability 
than  I.  My  desire  is  to  give  to  the  stranger 
an  idea  of  its  history,  and  to  preserve  in  his 
mind  the  sorrowful  remembrance  of  an  ex- 
piring nation.  It  is  for  him  I  write,  in  order 
to  efface  from  his  thoughts  the  bad  impres- 
sions he  may  have  received  of  it.  It  is  he 
whom  I  am  ambitious  to  satisfy,  through 
gratitude  for  the  protection  given  to  the 
exiled  portion  of  that  nation,  against  which 
tyranny  has  pronounced  this  dreadful  sen- 
tence, 

"  Veteres  migrate  coloni ;" 

and  from  whom  the  remembrance  of  Sion 
often  draws  a  sigh — "  Plevimus  cum  recor- 
daremur  Sion." 


PART  I. 

OF  PAGAN  IRELAND. 


CHAPTER  I. 

NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 

Ireland,  one  of  the  most  considerable 
islands  of  Europe,  is  situated  in  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  to  the  west  of  England,  and  extends 
from  the  50th  to  the  55th  degree  of  north 
latitude,  and  from  the  eighth  to  the  twelfth 
degree  of  west  longitude.  Its  form  is  nearly 
oval ;  from  Fair-head  in  the  north  to  Mizen- 
head  in  the  south,  its  length  is  about  three 
hundred  miles  ;*  in  breadth  from  east  to 
west,  it  is  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles,  and 
about  1400  in  circumference  ;  it  contains 
about  eighteen  millions  of  acres,  English 
measure.  The  distance  of  Ireland  from  Great 
Britain  varies  according  to  the  inequality 
of  the  coasts  of  the  two  countries :  some 
of  the  northern  parts  are  but  fifteen  miles 
from  Scotland ;  however,  the  general  dis- 
tance from  England  is  forty-five  miles,  more 
or  less,  according  to  the  different  position 
of  the  coasts.  Ireland  is  two  hundred  and 
twenty  miles  distant  from  France,  four  hun- 
dred and  forty  from  Spain,  and  about  four- 
teen hundred  and  forty  from  New  France  in 
America.  In  the  northern  parts,  the  longest 
day  is  seventeen  hours  twelve  minutes,  and 
in  the  most  southern,  sixteen  hours  twenty- 
live  minutes.  From  its  being  situated  in 
one  of  the  temperate  zones,  the  climate  is 
mild  and  agreeable.  Although  less  extended 
than  Britain,  says  Orosius,  "  Ireland  is, 
from  the  temperature  of  its  climate,  better 
supplied  with  useful  resources."!  Isidore 
says,  "  It  is  smaller  than  Britain,  but  more 
fertile,  from  its  situation. "J:  The  venerable 
Bede  confirms  the  opinions  of  these  writers: 
he  observes,  that  "  Ireland  greatly  surpasses 
Britain  in  the  healthfulness  and  serenity  of 
its  air."§     Cambrensis  adds,  that  "  of  all  cli- 

*  Stanihiirst,  de  reb.  in  Hib.  gest.  1.  p.  15. 

t  "  This  is  more  peculiar  to  Britain  :  in  its  extent 
of  land  it  is  narrower,  but  in  heat  and  climate  it 
takes  precedence." — Orosius  Hist,  book  1,  c.  2. 

X  "  It  is  narrower  in  extent,  but  more  fruitful, 
from  its  situation." — Isidorus  in  his  Book  of  Ori- 
gins, c.  6,  book  14. 

§  "  Ireland  is,  by  far,  superior  to  Britain,  from  its 
serenity  and  salubrity  of  climate." — Bedels  Church 
Hist,  book  l,c.l. 

4 


26 


HISTORY    OF    IREIiAND. 


matos  Irclanil  is  the  most  temperate."  "  Nei- 
ther extraordinary  heat  in  summer  is  felt 
there,  nor  excessive  cold  in  winter.*  That 
country,"  he  adds,  "  is  so  blessed  in  these 
particulars,  that  it  seems  as  if  nature  looked 
upon  it  with  a  more  favorable  eye  than  on 
anv  other. "t 

The  testimony,  however,  of  Cambrensis 
appears  somewhat  doubtful  and  exaggerated. 
Rain,  snow,  and  frost,  are  not  unfrequent 
during  the  winters  in  Ireland  ;  from  its  ex- 
posure to  the  exhalations  of  an  immense 
ocean,  and  those  which  the  westerly  winds 
from  America  bear  to  it,  and  which  are  not 
interrupted  in  their  course  by  any  other 
land,  nor  opposed  by  the  contrary  action  of 
the  continental  winds,  it  must  naturally  be 
subject  to  such  vicissitudes  of  climate.  It 
must  be  observed,  that  the  English  writers 
have  always  endeavored  to  heighten  the 
excellence  of  the  climate  of  Ireland,  and 
fertility  of  its  soil,  not  forgetting  at  the  same 
time  to  lower  the  merit  of  the  inhabitants, 
and  to  render  them  contemptible.  We  shall 
have  an  opportunity  to  discuss  hereafter 
their  motives  for  this  two-fold  exaggeration. 
Cambrensis,  who  extols  so  much  the  fertility 
of  that  island,  represents  the  inhabitants  as 
a  people  without  morals,  comparing  them 
to  undisciplined  savages,  that  will  not  sub- 
mit to  be  governed  by  laws.  Camden,  an- 
other English  author,  says,  that  "  if  that 
country  had  sometimes  a  bad  character,  it 
arose  from  the  rudeness  of  its  inhabitants. 
We  shall  not  at  present  reply  to  the  invec- 
tives of  these  writers  ;  we  will  have  an  op- 
portunity of  doing  it  in  another  place.  If 
ferocity  and  rudeness  go  generally  hand  in 
hand,  does  it  become  the  English  to  dis- 
parage their  neighbors  with  such  epithets 
of  abuse  ? 

The  moisture  of  the  Irish  climate,  to- 
gether with  the  great  number  of  lakes  and 
bogs  that  are  to  be  found  throughout  that 
country,  caused  by  the  stagnation  of  the 
waters  after  the  tillage  and  culture  of  its 
lands  had  been  interrupted,  in  the  ninth 
and  tenth  centuries,  by  the  frequent  inva- 
sion of  the  northern  barbarians,  must,  it 
would  appear,  render  that  country  unwhole 
some,  and  be  the  cause  of  rheumatism,  dys 
entery,  and  other  distempers  :  they  are  only 
strangers,  hoAvever,  that  are  subject  to  be 

*  "  Of  all  countries  it  is  the  most  temperate. 
Neither  the  burning  heat  of  summer  impels  to  the 
shade,  nor  the  rigor  of  the  winter  invites  man  to  the 
fire.  At  ail  seasons  a  peculiar  mildness  of  climate 
prevails." — Topography  of  Ireland,  c.  25. 

t  "Nature  has  bestowed  on  Frelaud  a  mildness 
of  look  and  climate." — Cambrensis,  p.  727. 


attacked  by  these  disorders,  the  natives 
generally  escape,  and  live  to  an  advanced 
age.  Men  have  been  often  discovered  to 
have  lived  to  a  great  age  in  that  country, 
whom  sickness  had  seldom  visited  before 
death.  "  The  climate  of  that  country,"  says 
Cambrensis,  "  is  so  temperate,  that  neither 
infectious  fogs,  nor  pestilential  winds  are 
felt,  so  that  the  aid  of  doctors  is  seldom 
looked  for,  and  sickness  rarely  appears,  ex- 
cept among  the  dying."* 

Ireland  is  intersected  by  a  great  number 
of  rivers  and  lakes.  In  the  province  of 
Leinster  we  find  the  Barrow,  which  takes  its 
rise  in  the  mountains  called  Slieve-Bloemy, 
in  the  Queen's  county,  formerly  Leix  :  it 
runs  through  part  of  the  county  of  Kildare 
and  Carlow,  and  empties  itself  into  the  sea 
at  Waterford,  with  the  Nore  and  the  Suire. 

The  Nore  has  its  rise  in  the  Queen's 
county,  waters  that  of  Kilkenny,  and  then 
loses  itself  in  the  Barrow,  some  miles  above 
Ross. 

The  Boyne,  which  rises  in  the  King's 
county,  runs  through  Castlejordon,  Bally- 
bogan,  Clonard,  Trim,  and  Navan,  in  East 
Meath  :  its  waters  are  increased  by  many 
other  small  rivers,  and  it  falls  into  the  sea 
at  Drogheda. 

The  Liffey  has  its  rise  in  the  county  of 
Wicklow,  and  makes  a  circuitous  course 
through  the  county  of  Kildare,  where  many 
small  rivers  unite  their  streams  with  it.  At 
Leixlip,  within  seven  miles  of  Dublin,  a  very 
high  cascade  is  formed,  where  the  waters 
tumble  from  the  top  of  a  sharp  rock  ;  in  the 
language  of  the  country  it  is  called  "  Leim- 
en-Uradane,"  in  English  "  The  Salmon's 
Leap."  The  country  people  say,  that  when 
the  salmon  strives  to  reascend  the  river  in 
that  place,  it  leaps  holding  its  tail  between 
its  teeth,  in  order  to  pass  the  rock  :  but  if  it 
fail  in  the  attempt,  which  frequently  happens 
from  the  height  of  the  rock  and  rapidity  of 
the  water,  it  is  caught  in  baskets,  which  the 
fishermen  are  careful  to  place  at  the  bottom 
to  take  them.  The  Liffey  passes  through 
Lucan  and  Palmerstown,  and,  after  forming  | 
some  smaller  cascades  in  its  course,  empties 
itself  into  the  sea  at  Dublin. 

The  Slaney  takes  its  rise  in  the  county 
of  Wicklow,  and,  after  running  through 
Baltingglass  and  Enniscorthy,  falls  into  the 
sea  at  Wexford. 

Lastly,  the   Iny  and  the  Brosnagh,  the 

*  "  So  great  is  its  temperature  of  climate,  that 
neither  the  infectious  cloud,  nor  pestilential  air,  nor 
noxious  blast,  requires  the  aid  of  the  physician  ;  few 
men,  except  the  dying,  will  be  found  infected  with 
disease." — Topography  of  Ireland,  1,  c.  27. 


OF    PAGAN    IRELAND. 


27 


first  of  which  rises  in  Lake  Ennil,  the  latter 
in  the  King's  county,  lose  themselves  in  the 
Shannon,  one  in  the  lake  called  Lough  Ree, 
the  other  near  Banagher. 

The  chief  rivers  of  Ulster  are  :  the  Bann 
which  rises  in  the  county  of  Down,  and  toge- 
ther with  the  river  Tonwagee,  runs  through 
the  great  lake  called  Lough  Neagh  ;  having 
then  the  county  of  Antrim  to  the  right,  and 
Derry  on  the  left,  it  forms  in  its  course  a 
more  considerable  cataract  than  the  Liffey 
at  Leixlip  :  it  passes  then  through  Coleraine, 
and  falls  into  the  ocean.  This  river  is  con- 
sidered to  be  one  of  the  best  in  Europe  for 
its  fishery  of  salmon,  eel,  and  other  fish.* 

The  Morne  flows  from  the  county  of  Ty- 
rone, and  being  joined  by  the  Derg  and  the 
Finn,  which  have  their  sources  from  two 
lakes  of  the  same  name  in  the  county  of 
Donegal,  they  run  in  the  same  channel,  and 
after  crossing  Strabane  and  Derry,  fall  into 
Lough  Foyle,  and  from  thence  into  the  ocean. 

The  Earn,  the  source  of  which  is  on  the 
borders  of  the  counties  of  Longford  and 
Cavan,  crosses  the  latter,  and  falls  into  a 
lake  of  the  same  name,  in  the  county  of 
Fermanagh,  and  from  thence  passes,  by 
Ballyshannon,  into  the  ocean. 

The  S  willy,  in  the  county  Donegal,  falls 
into  a  lake  of  the  same  name,  which  com- 
municates with  the  ocean. 

The  river  Laggan,  in  the  county  Down, 
passes  through  Dromore,  Lisburn,  and  Bel- 
fast, and  falls  into  Carrickfergus  Bay. 

The  Newry,  after  having  serA'ed  for  limits 
to  the  counties  of  Armagh  and  Down,  falls 
into  the  sea  at  Carlingford. 

The  Shannon,  which  can  by  a  fair  title  be 
termed  a  river,  is  the  chief  one  not  only  of 
Connaught,  but  of  all  Ireland,  and  deserves 
to  be  classed  amongthe  first  rivers  of  Europe. 
It  is  called  Senna  by  Orosius,  and  has  its 
source  in  a  mountain  of  the  county  of  Lei- 
trim,  called  Sliew-Nierin,  which  is  so  named 
from  the  mines  of  iron  that  are  found  in  it. 
Its  course  from  where  it  rises  to  its  mouth  is 
nearly  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  :  many 
other  rivers  fall  into  it,  and  it  forms  several 
very  considerable  lakes.  It  waters  Lanes- 
borough,  Athlone,  and  Banagher,  separating 
West  Meath  and  Leinster  from  Connaught. 
From  Banagher  it  flows  to  Limerick,  from 
whence  it  bears  ships  of  the  greatest  burden 
into  the  Western  Ocean,  a  distance  of  about 
fifty  miles. 

The  other  rivers  of  Connaught  are  not 
considerable.  The  Moy,  in  the  county  of 
Mayo,  falls  into  the  ocean  at  Killala,  having 

*  Ogyg  part  3,  cap.  3. 


Tirfiacria  in  the  county  of  Sligo,  on  its  right 
bank,  and  Tiramalgad  in  the  county  Mayo, 
upon  the  left.*  The  Suck  runs  between  the 
counties  of  Roscommon  and  Gahvay,  and 
loses  itself  in  the  Shannon  near  Clonfert. 
The  Gill,  a  little  river  in  the  county  Galway, 
discharges  itself  into  the  bay  of  Galway. 

The  rivers  in  the  province  of  Munster  are : 
the  Suir,  which,  taking  its  rise  in  the  county 
of  Tipperarv,  on  the  borders  of  Ossory, 
passes  through  Thurles,  Cashel,  Clonmel, 
Carrick,  and  Waterford,  and  from  thence 
flows  with  the  Barrow  into  the  sea. 

Avoine  DuiT  or  Avoine  More,  in  English 
"  Black  water,"  has  its  source  in  the  county 
of  Kerry,  and  after  watering  Mallow  and 
Lismore,  falls  into  the  sea  at  Youghal. 

The  rivers  Lee  and  Bandon,  in  the  county 
of  Cork,  discharge  themselves  into  the  sea, 
the  one  below  Cork,  the  other  at  Kinsale. 

The  Leane  and  the  Cashon,  in  the  county 
of  Kerry,  empty  themselves  into  the  ocean, 
the  first  in  the  bay  of  Dingle,  the  other  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Shannon. 

The  most  considerable  lakes  of  Ireland 
are  the  following  :  Lough  Neagh  ;  (lough 
signifies  lake.)  It  is  thirty  miles  long  and 
fifteen  broad  ;  its  Avaters  are  celebrated  for 
the  quality  they  possess  of  changing  wood 
into  iron  g,nd  stone. f  Lough  Foile,  and 
Lough  Earne  ;  these  being  joined  by  a  canal, 
form  two  lakes.  Lough  S willy,  and  Lough 
Cone,  at  present  Strangford,|  in  the  pro- 
vince of  Ulster.  There  are  also  some  other 
lakes  less  considerable  in  this  province,  viz  : 
Lough  Finn,  Lough  Sillin,  Lough  Ramor, 
Lough  Reagh,  Lough  Eask,  and  Lough 
Dearg  ;  the  last  is  famed  for  the  devotion 
of  the  faithful,  who  resort  there  to  perform 
a  pilgrimage. 

The  most  considerable  lakes  of  Con- 
naught are  :  Lough  Corrib,  Lough  Mask, 
Lough  Conn,  Lough  Ree,  Lough  Boffin, 
and  Lough  Allen,  in  the  Shannon  ;  Lough 
Gara,  Lough  Aarow,  and  Lough  Rea. 

The  lakes  to  be  met  with  in  Munster  are 
called  :  Lough  Ogram,  Lough  Oulan,  Lough 
Kerry,  Lough  Lene,  and  Lough  Derg. 

There  are  in  West  Meath,  Lough  Ennil, 
Lough  Hoyle,  Lough  Derrevarragh,  &c. 

In  Ireland  we  meet  likewise  with  moun- 
tains, promontories,  and  capes.  The  high- 
est mountains,  generally  called  the  Curlev/ 
Hills,  are  in  the  county  of  Wicklow  ;  those 
in  the  Queen's  county  are  Slieve  Bloema, 
and  in  the  county  of  Mayo,  the  mountains 
of  Cruachan. 

*  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  3. 

t  Wareus,  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  7. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  49,  50. 


28 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


There  are  many  bogs  in  that  country,* 
where  the  people  cut  turf  with  narrow 
spades  for  fuel ;  it  abounds  with  all  kinds  of 
grain — wheat,  ryo,  barley, oats,  peas,  &c.,t 
every  thing  grows  there  in  abundance  ;  its 
pastures  are  considered  the  best  in  Europe, 
both  for  the  quality  and  quantity  of  their 
grass,  which  caused  Bede  to  say,  that  it 
was  "  an  island  rich  in  milk  and  honey 
"  dives  lactis  et  mollis  insula."^  It  appears 
too,  that  in  his  time  the  vine  was  cultivated 
there  ;  "  nee  vinearum  expers." 

Fruit-trees  thrive  well  in  Ireland,  such  as 
pear,  apple,  peach,  apricot,  cherry,  plum, 
gooseberry,  and  nut  trees. ^  It  is  true,  they 
are  not  met  with  in  the  fields  and  on  the 
roads,  as  in  France,  Flanders,  and  other 
countries,  being  generally  planted  within 
enclosures,  and  in  gardens. 

Ireland  is  rich  in  her  herds  of  oxen,  and 
flocks  of  sheep,  goats,  and  swine  :  it  is  said, 
that  the  cows  will  not  give  their  milk  without 
the  calves,  and  that  to  succeed  in  getting  it, 
it  is  necessary  to  deceive  them  by  showing 
a  skin  filled  with  hay  or  straw.  The  sheep 
are  shorn  twice  a  year.||  They  yield  a  great 
quantity  of  wool,*il  but  it  is  not  so  good  nor 
so  fine  as  in  other  countries.**  The  horses 
called  hobbies  by  the  English,!!  which  were 
first  brought  from  the  Asturias,  are  bred  in 
Ireland  ;  they  are  excellent  both  for  the 
saddle  and  the  draught.  Their  saddle-horses 
have  a  certain  gentle  and  regular  movement, 
called  "  amble,"  but  are  very  quick  at  the 
same  time.;}: J  The  rider  might,  while  seat- 
ed upon  his  horse,  when  walking,  bear  a 
full  glass  of  liquor  in  his  hand  without 
spilling  it.^^ 

Paulus  Jovius,  according  to  the  account 
given  by  Ware,  saw  twelve  Irish  hobbies,  of 
a  dazzling  whiteness,  caparisoned  in  purple, 
with  silver  bridles  and  reins  :  they  were  led 
in  parade  with  the  trains  attendant  upon  the 
Sovereign  Pontiffs. 

Eagles,  falcons,  and  other  birds  of  prey 
are  likewise  in  Ireland  ;  greyhounds,  and 
other  hunting-dogs,  are  there  in  common. 
Bees  are  so  plenty  that  swarms  are  found 
even  in  the  trunks  of  trees. 

*  O'Sullevan.  Hist.  Cathol.  Hibern.  Compend. 
lib.  1,  cap.  6. 

t  Petr.  Lombardus  de  regno  Hib.  Comment,  cap.  8. 

t  Lib.  1,  cap.  1.     §  Grat.  Luc.  cap,  10,  page  104. 

II  "  Here  the  snowy  fleece  is  shorn  twice  a  year  ; 
and  twice  each  day  the  flocks  bring  back  their 
udders  distended." — S.  John. 

^  Pet.  Lombard.  Comment,  cap.  8. 

**  Idem.  cap.  10.       tt  War.  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  7. 

tt  "  Their  pacing  is  gentle,  by  the  alternate  ex- 
tension of  their  legs." — Plin. 

§§  Camd.  Brit.  p.  727. 


The  woods  with  which  that  country  was 
formerly  covered,  fed  gr(?at  numbers  of 
fallow-deer  ;  there  are  stags,  boars,  foxes, 
badg(M-s,  otters.  Wolves  were  likewise  in 
Ireland,  but  have  been  entirely  destroyed 
within  the  last  century.* 

The  plains  and  bogs  of  Ireland  are  full 
of  all  kinds  of  game  ;  hares,  rabbits,  phea- 
sants, partridges, woodcocks,  snipes,  plovers, 
quails,water-hens,  ducks,  and  wild  geese,  are 
in  abundance,  as  well  as  every  other  species 
of  fowl.  There  is  a  particular  wild  bird  in  it 
that  resembles  the  pheasant ;  it  is  called  in 
the  Irish  language  "  Keark-Frihy."  Some 
think  that  it  is  the  same  as  the  heath-cock ; 
there  is  indeed  an  analogy  from  the  name, 
as  Keark-Frihy  signifies  heath-hen  ;  how- 
ever that  be,  this  bird  is  not  known,  or  at 
least  very  rare  in  France.  Marshal  Saxe 
had  some  brought  from  Ireland,  to  stock  the 
plains  of  Chambord  ;  he  sent  also  to  that 
country  for  horses  and  mares,  and  had  them 
brought  to  supply  his  stud.  The  rivers  and 
lakes  of  this  country!  are  filled  with  fish  of 
all  kinds  ;  salmon,  trout,  pike,  tench,  perch, 
eel,  carp,  and  shad,  are  very  common,  with- 
out mentioning  the  sea-fish,  which  are  taken 
in  great  quantities. 

If  we  search  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 
treasures  will  be  found  in  Ireland. |  Ac- 
cording to  the  historians  of  the  country,^ 
the  first  gold  mine  was  discovered  near  the 
river  Lift'ey,  in  the  time  of  Tighernmas,  the 
monarch  ;||  afterwards  one  of  silver  was 
found  at  Airgiodross,!^  and  a  foundry  estab- 
lished on  the  borders  of  the  river  Barrow,** 
in  Avhich  coats  of  mail,  bucklers,  and  other 
armor  were  made,!!  and  given  by  the  kings 
to  such  warlike  men  as  distinguished  them- 
selves in  battle.  A  mint  was  also  founded 
for  manufacturing  gold  chains,||  which  the 
kings  and  other  nobles  wore  upon  their  necks 
as  marks  of  distinction  ;  rings,  likewise, 
which  were  presented  to  those  who  distin- 
guished themselves  in  the  arts  and  sciences. 

Thus  it  can  be  said  that  gold  and  silver 
were  in  general  use  in  Ireland,  even  in  the 
most  remote  ages  of  paganism.  This  abun- 
dance of  wealth  was  increased,  in  the  early 
periods  of  Christianity,  by  the  riches  the 
inhabitants  gained  from  the  frequent  voyages 
they  made  into  Britain  and  other  countries. 

*  Petrus  Lombar.  cap.  10. 

t  Pet.  Lomb.  Comment,  cap.  7. 

t  Idem.  cap.  9.  §  Keating,  page  64,  66,  74. 

II  Anno.  M.  3085.  Ante  C.  915. 

^   Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  21. 

**  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  8,  page  59,  02 

tt  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  28,  and  33. 

U  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Eadna  Dearg. 


OF    PAGAN    IRELAND. 


29 


The  immense  treasures  that  the  Norman 
plundered  from  the  churches  and  monaste- 
ries of  this  country,  as  well  as  the  annual 
tribute  of  an  ounce  of  gold,  called  "  airgiod- 
froiii,"  exacted  from  the  natives  by  the  bar- 
barians, during  their  dominion  over  them 
furnish  incontestable  proofs  of  its  wealth  at 
that  time. 

We  know,  that  in  the  time  of  Denis 
Christian,  and  Gregory,  who  were  abbots 
successively  in  the  abbey  of  St.  Benedict, 
established  at  Regensburgh  (called  also 
Ratisbon)  for  the  Scoto-Milesians,  (which 
was  the  old  name  of  the  Irish,)  the  kings 
and  princes  of  Ireland,  particularly  Con- 
chovar  O'Brien,  king  of  Munster,  had  sent 
by  three  remittances,  about  the  beginning 
of  the  twelfth  century,  considerable  sums  of 
gold  and  silver,  to  rebuild  their  houses,  then 
falling  into  ruins.  After  the  abbey  had  been 
entirely  rebuilt,  and  property  purchased  in 
the  city  and  neighborhood  for  the  support 
of  the  monks,  there  was  a  sum  still  remain- 
ing.* I  shall  not  speak  of  the  rich  presents 
from  the  same  king  of  Munster  to  the  Em- 
peror Lothaire  II.  to  assist  in  the  holy  wars.f 
Cambrensis  himself  bears  testimony  to  the 
wealth  of  that  island,  in  the  age  which  suc- 
ceeded the  devastations  of  the  Normans : 
"  Aurum  quoque  quo  abundat  insula."]: 
Mines  of  quicksilver,  tin,  lead,  copper,  alum, 
vitriol,  sulphur,  antimony,  and  iron,  are  dis- 
covered there  in  great  quantities  ;  this  last 
metal  is  manufactured  in  the  country,  and 
found  to  be  not  inferior  in  quality  to  that  of 
Spain.  However,  the  English  government 
having  made  it  a  part  of  her  policy  to  keep 
the  Irish  in  subjection  and  dependence,^ 

*  "  Isaac  and  Gervasius,  who  were  descended 
from  noble  parentage  in  Ireland,  being  endowed 
with  piety,  learning,  and  eloquence,  were  joined 
by  two  others  of  Irish  descent,  viz.,  Conradus 
Carpentarius,  and  Gulielmus  ;  they  came  to  Ireland, 
where,  after  paying  their  respects  to  Conchur 
O'Brien,  the  king,  they  explained  to  him  the  objects 
of  their  coming.  He  received  them  hospitably, 
and  after  a  few  days  sent  them  back  to  Germany, 
laden  with  gold,  silver,  and  other  precious  gifts. 
With  this  wealth  the  abbot  purchased  several  farms, 
towns,  and  country-seats  ;  and  in  the  city  of  Ratis- 
bon, bought  many  lots,  houses,  and  sumptuous 
buildings.  After  all  this,  there  remained  a  large 
sum  of  that  which  was  given  by  the  king  of  Ireland  ; 
this  the  abbot  Gregory  resolved  to  apply  to  the 
sacred  utensils  of  the  temple,  and  with  it  he  also 
built  a  new  one  ornamented  and  finished  with  car- 
ved, stone;  likewise  a  monastery  of  great  extent, 
after  taking  down  the  old  one  which  was  falling 
into  ruins." — Chronicles  of  Ratisbon,  by  Gratianus 
Lucius,  c.  21,  p.  162. 

t  Walsh,  Prospect  of  Ireland,  sect.  6,  p.  447. 

X  Hib.  expug.  lib.  2,  cap.  15. 

§  Pet.  Lomb.  ibid.  cap.  9. 


have  been  always  opposed  to  the  increase  of 
their  wealth  and  the  working  of  their  mines. 
Quarries  of  stone,  resembling  a  hard  free- 
stone, are  also  found,  besides  coal  mines,  ala- 
baster, and  marble  of  several  kinds,  such  as 
red,  black,  striped,  and  some  mixed  with 
white  ;  there  is  another  likewise  of  a  grayish 
color,  which  becomes  azure  when  polished  : 
the  houses  in  Kilkenny  are  built  with  this 
last  kind,  and  the  streets  paved  with  it. 

The  produce  and  growth  of  the  island,* 
and  those  articles  which  form  its  chief  trade 
and  export,  are  oxen,  sheep,  swine,  leather, 
tallow,  butter,  cheese,  salt,  honey,  wax,  furs, 
hemp,  wool,  linen-cloths,  stuffs,  fish,  wild- 
fowl, lead,  tin,  copper,  and  iron.  Ireland 
produces  every  thing  necessary  and  useful, 
and  could  do  well,  without  the  aid  or  inter- 
course of  any  other  country. 

Its  situation  for  trade  with  other  nations 
is  peculiarly  favorable  ;t  her  harbors  are 
more  numerous  and  more  convenient  than 
those  of  England. I  They  were  formerly 
frequented  by  the  Phoenicians, §  the  Greeks, 
and  the  Gauls.  "  Ireland,"  says  Camden, 
"is  to  be  admired  both  for  its  fertility,  and 
the  advantageous  situation  of  its  sea-ports. "|| 
Still  the  commerce  of  that  country  is  incon- 
siderable, owing  to  the  restrictions  and  nar- 
row limits  imposed  upon  it  by  a  neighboring 
nation,  which  has  tyrannized  over  it  for  some 
centuries,  and  prevents  its  wealth  to  pros- 
per and  increase. T[ 

In  that  happy  country,  the  works  of  nature 
which  are  seen,  excite  our  wonder ;  iew 
examples  of  the  same  kind  are  in  any  other 
country  of  Europe.  By  a  peculiar  blessing 
to  Ireland,**  its  land  is  entirely  exempt  from 
all  venomous  reptiles  ;  some  serpents,  ad- 
ders, lizards,  and  spiders  are  indeed  to  be 
seen  there,  as  in  other  places ;  but  by  a 
strange  singularity,  they  have  not  the  poison- 
ous quality  inseparable  from  their  nature  in 
other  countries,!!  except  in  the  island  of 
Crete.  When  they  are  brought  from  other 
places,  says  Bede,  they  die  when  approach- 
ing that  sacred  land.jl     "  NuUus  ibi  ser- 

*  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  7. 

t  Petr.  Lombard,  cap.  2. 

\  "  The  harbors  of  Ireland  are  better  known  for 
their  commerce  and  traders,  than  those  of  Britain." 
—  Tacitus  in  his  Life  of  Agricola. 

§  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  1. 

II  "  Whether  you  consider  the  convenience  of  its 
sea-ports,  or  fertility  of  the  soil,  the  country  is 
blessed  with  many  advantages." — Camden,  p.  680. 

IT  "  If  thou  hadst  not  been  too  near  to  a  faithless 
nation,  there  would  not  be  upon  the  globe  a  more 
happy  people." — S.  John,  in  his  ancient  poem  on 
Ireland. 

**  Pet.  Lombard,  Comment,  cap.  6. 

tt  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  7.     U  Lib.  1,  cap.  7. 


30 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


pens  viverc  valeat."  "  Neither  serpents, 
nor  any  venomous  things,"  says  Camden, 
"  arc  to  be  met  witli."  ^*  Nulhis  hie  angriis, 
nee  venenatum  (juicquam."  This  happy 
exemption  from  poisonous  inseets  is  again 
expressed  in  some  Aerses  of  Adriamis  Ju- 
nius, wherein  the  island  is  introduced  as 
speaking  of  its  own  advantages.* 

Tlie  wonders  of  two  celebrated  lakes  in 
Ireland,  Lough  Neagh  and  Lough  Lene, 
are  well  known  to  the  learned  by  the  dif- 
ferent dissertations  published  upon  them; 
among  others,  the  philosophical  lectures  of 
Richard  Barton,  printed  at  Dublin  in  1751.t 

Lough  Neagh,  situated  in  the  north  of 
Ireland,  is  bordered  on  the  northeast  by 
the  county  of  Antrim,  by  Tyrone  upon  the 
west,  and  Armagh  upon  the  south  ;  is  thirty 
miles  long,  and  fifteen  broad ;  its  Avaters 
possess  a  petrifying  quality,  which  changes 
wood  into  iron  or  stone.  Nennius,  an 
English  author,  makes  mention  of  it,|  and 
it  has  been  celebrated  in  some  beautiful 
lines,  by  the  author  of  the  Ogygia.^  "  Every 
thing  which  is  thrown  into  a  certain  lake  in 
Ireland,"  says  ToUius,  "  is  changed  into 
iron  or  stone,  if  it  fall  to  the  bottom."! 

M.  de  Buffbn  mentions  that  "  a  lake  is 
said  to  be  in  Iceland,  which  petrifies. "T[ 
"  The  lake  Neagh  in  Ireland,"  continues  he, 
"  possesses  the  same  quality ;  but  these 
petrifactions  caused  by  the  waters  of  the 
lakes  are  certainly  nothing  more  than  in- 
crustations, such  as  the  waters  of  Arcueil 
produce."  Experience  does  not  accord 
with  the  opinion  of  that  celebrated  natural- 
ist. Incrustation  is  caused  by  concretion, 
and  the  application  of  a  strange  body  on  the 


*  "  I  am  that  icy  lerne  formerly  so  called  by  the  j 
Greeks,  and  well  known  to  the  mariners  of  Jason's  j 
ship.  To  me  God,  the  benign  source  of  things 
created,  has  given  llie  same  privilege  as  to  Crete, 
where  the  thundering  and  mighty  Jove  was  brought 
up:  there,  if  the  terrific  serpent  were  brought,  lest 
it  should  pour  from  its  hissing  tongue  the  black 
poison  of  Medusa,  daughter  of  Pliorcus,  the  chops 
become  compressed,  and  life  together  with  its  poi- 
soned blood  become.^  extinct.'' — Bartons  Philoso- 
phical Lnctures.  p.  85. 

t  Barton,  Philosophical  Lectures,  p.  85. 

t  "  There  is  another  lake,  named  Lough  Eachac, 
which  changes  wood  into  stone  after  a  year.  Men 
cleave  the  wood  and  shape  it  when  put  in." — Ogyg. 
Wonders  of  Ireland. 

§  "  In  Ulster  there  is  a  lake  called  Lough  Neagh. 
If  wood  be  affixed  in  it  to  the  bottom,  alter  seven 
years  that  which  is  at  bottom  is  changed  into  iron, 
in  the  water  it  becomes  a  whet-stone,  and  above 
the  surface  a  tree." — Ogygia,  part  3,  c.  50.  | 

II  "  In  a  lake  in  Ireland,  every  thing  which  is  ' 
thrown  into  it  is  changed  into  iron,  or  becomes  a  I 
stone." — Tollius,  Hist,  of  gems  and  stones.  j 

IT  Barton,  ibidem.  ' 


surface  of  another,  without  altering  its  sub- 
stance. In  the  petrifaction  attributed  to 
Lough  Neagh,  the  changing  of  a  piece  of 
wood  into  stone  is  effected  by  the  total 
change  of  the  inner  part,  and  in  that  the 
difierence  of  bodies  consists,  as  the  matter  is 
alike  in  all.  Pieces  of  wood,  after  having 
lain  a  certain  time  in  that  lake,  are  taken 
out  either  partly  or  entirely  petrified  ;  some 
possess  the  properties  of  the  stone,  its  hea- 
viness, hardness,  and  solid  cohesion  of  the 
parts,  which  make  their  separation  difficult ; 
while  another  retains  the  quality  of  wood, 
which  is  that  of  being  fibrous  and  combus- 
tible. 

There  are  two  sorts  of  petrified  wood : 
one  is  white ;  it  appears  on  the  outside  to 
be  wood,  but  is  in  reality  a  stone  without 
any  mixture.  This  kind  being  porous,  is 
incomparably  lighter  than  the  common  stone  ; 
it  is  susceptible  of  being  cut,  and  is  useful 
for  whetting  edged  tools.  The  other,  being 
less  porous,  is  black,  harder,  and  more 
weighty  :  a  mixture  in  it  is  sometimes  dis- 
covered, either  on  the  surface  or  in  the 
interior  of  the  stone.  The  two  kinds  are 
alike  in  this,  that  they  split  like  wood,  and 
strike  fire  like  the  flint-stone  ;  they  will 
resist  the  strongest  fire  without  being  cal- 
cined or  vitrified.  It  has  been  likewise 
remarked,  that  the  second  sort,  after  passing 
through  the  fire,  becomes  also  white  and 
light,  as  there  will  be  voids  remaining  after 
the  particles  of  wood  which  composed  part 
of  it  are  consumed.  In  those  mixed  bodies 
a  matter  is  discovered,  which  is  solid  and 
transparent,  resembling  crystal.  The  cele- 
brated Boyle  makes  mention  of  them  in  his 
essay  on  the  origin  and  virtue  of  precious 
stones.  He  says,  "  There  is  a  lake  in  the 
north  of  Ireland,  which,  like  any  other, 
abounds  with  fish.  At  the  bottom,  rocks 
are  discovered  with  masses  attached  to  them, 
which  are  clear  and  transparent  as  crystal. 
They  .are  of  several  colors,  some  white, 
brown,  and  amber." 

It  is  not  well  known,  what  kind  of  wood 
it  is  that  petrifies  in  Lough  Neagh  ;  accord- 
ing to  the  general  opinion,  it  is  the  holly ; 
but  it  has  been  observed,  that  the  grain  of 
the  petrified  wood,  after  being  polished, 
becomes  variegated,  whereas  the  holly  does 
not.-  It  would  be  more  reasonable,  in  my 
opinion,  to  say,  that  petrifaction  operates 
upon  the  wood  (which  is  the  oak,  broom, 
and  yew  tree)  that  grows  on  the  borders 
of  the  lake,  or  its  vicinity ;  the  agreeable 
smell  which  it  produces  would  make  one 
think  it  to  be  cedar.  As  to  the  time  requi- 
site for  this    petrifaction,  it  has  not  been 


OF    PAGAN    IRELAND. 


31 


ascertained ;  some  branches  of  holly  are 
seen,  which,  it  is  said,  were  petrified  in 
seven  years  :  as  to  the  precise  time  which 
might  be  necessary,  it  matters  not,  but  the 
truth  of  the  phenomenon  is  incontestable. 

It  is  observed,  that  petrifaction  is  pro- 
duced, not  only  in  Lough  Neagh,  but  also 
within  its  environs,  to  the  distance  of  eight 
miles,  even  upon  high  and  sandy  soil  to  which 
the  waters  of  the  lake  do  not  appear  to  have 
access.  This  discovery,  by  destroying  the 
system  Avhich  attributed  the  virtue  of  it  to 
the  water  exclusively,  seems  to  affix  it  to 
the  soil,  or  at  least  to  supply  it  with  that 
quality  by  the  power  of  the  rain,  or  vapors 
which  arise  from  the  lake. 

Although  the  phenomenon  of  petrifaction, 
like  many  others  which  we  perceive  in  na- 
ture, be  extraordinary,  it  is  not  supernatu- 
ral ;  however,  as  it  is  not  allowed  man  to 
fathom  into  all  things,  the  cause  of  it  is  per- 
haps sought  for  in  vain.  The  learned  at- 
tribute it  to  the  water  or  to  the  air.  Water 
being  fluid,  is  capable  from  its  condensed 
gravity,  of  conveying  strong  particles  in  its 
current.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the 
vapors  which  come  forth  from  the  earth. 
It  is  easy  to  conceive  that  pieces  of  wood 
which  have  lain  for  some  time  horizontally 
under  the  earth,  having  preserved  the  pores 
and  tubes  which  served  as  conduits  to  the 
juice  that  nourished  them  during  vegetation, 
easily  admit  into  these  tubes  the  fluid  bodies, 
and  that  the  particles  of  stony  matter  with 
which  they  are  loaded  being  of  a  sulphu- 
reous and  saline  nature,  separate  them- 
selves in  their  course,  and  penetrate  into 
the  sides  of  the  tubes  when  the  movement 
of  the  liquids  is  gentle,  whereas  too  rapid  a 
motion  is  injurious  to  petrifaction.  In  the 
course  of  time,  a  more  abundant  concretion 
of  these  particles  is  formed  into  a  solid  body, 
wl^^ch  by  its  corrosive  quality  is  substituted 
for  an  equal  quantity  of  wood,  by  changing 
the  form  of  those  bodies,  and  introducing 
that  of  stone.  It  is  nearly  thus  that  the 
changing  of  iron  into  copper  is  accounted 
for,  which  a  fountain  of  running  water,  near 
the  copper-mines  of  Hemgrunt  in  Hungary, 
and  at  Newsohl  in  Germany,  produces. 
Great  advantages  arise  at  present  to  Ire- 
land from  this  phenomenon ;  bars  of  iron, 
that  lie  in  a  stream  of  water  which  flows 
from  the  copper-mines  in  the  county  of 
Wicklow,  become  changed  after  seven 
weeks  into  copper,  which  is  caused  by  the 
great  quantity  of  vitriol  accompanying  the 
particles  of  copper,  and  prepares  a  recep- 
tacle for  them  by  consuming  the  iron. 

To  be  able  to  judge  of  the  influence  of 


the  air  as  it  regards  petrifaction,  we  must 
consider  the  different  circumstances  of  that 
element.  The  phenomenon  cannot  be  at- 
tributed to  the  exterior  air  which  forms  the 
atmosphere  of  the  globe  ;  it  being  a  much 
lighter  fluid  than  water,  its  degree  of  rare- 
faction and  motion  is  therefore  too  great  to 
support  the  particles  of  petrifying  matter, 
and  conduct  them  to  the  equilibrium  neces- 
sary for  petrifaction.*  Petrifaction  is  pro- 
duced in  the  earth,  consequently  it  is  more 
the  effect  of  the  interior  than  the  exterior 
air  ;  the  earth,  like  the  animal  body,  receives 
much  matter,  and  is  purified  in  proportion, 
which,  according  to  the  season  or  climate, 
causes  the  different  phenomena  of  thunder, 
rain,  fever,  plague,  and  other  epidemic  dis- 
orders. It  receives  likewise  into  its  cavi- 
ties much  of  the  same  kind  of  air  which  sur- 
rounds the  globe  ;  but  as  the  situation  of 
the  interior  air  is  different  from  that  of  the 
exterior,  in  regard  to  the  variety  of  matter 
which  it  generates,  and  the  causes  which 
sometimes  rarefy,  sometimes  condense  it, 
without  being  subject  to  the  violent  agita- 
tions produced  by  storms  and  hurricanes,  to 
which  the  exterior  air  is  exposed,  it  must 
naturally  produce  different  effects.  Thus, 
without  offending  against  the  laws  of  physics, 
we  may  imagine  it  to  be  capable  of  bearing 
particles  of  stone  or  other  petrifying  matter 
into  the  pores  and  tubes  of  wood  which  it 
meets  in  its  course.  This  is  sufficient  to 
account  for  the  phenomenon  of  petrifaction. 

The  waters  of  Lough  Neagh  are  also 
considered  to  be  very  salutary  for  such  as 
are  attacked  by  scrofula,  and  other  like  dis- 
tempers. 

In  the  bogs  of  Ireland,  whole  trees  are 
often  found  lying  horizontally  some  feet 
under  the  earth,  whhout  being  petrified. 
These  have  fallen,  either  by  the  violence  of 
the  waters  of  the  deluge,  which  had  torn 
them  from  their  roots,  or  more  probably 
which  the  Normans  had  felled  in  the  valleys 
that  were  then  covered  with  wood,  in  order 
to  impede  the  efforts  of  the  Irish  coming  to 
attack  them  ;  it  is  a  stratagem  of  war,  prac- 
tised even  to  this  day.  Those  trees  are 
sometimes  seen  burned  at  the  thick  end,  no 
douI)t  because  the  barbarians  not  having 
sufficient  axes,  made  use  of  fire  to  fell  them. 
It  is  easy  to  suppose,  that  trees  covered  with 

*  "  According  to  the  laws  of  hydrostatics,  heavy 
bodies  do  not  swim  in  fluids  which  are  less  weighty  ; 
that  is  to  say,  the  bodies  whose  surface  contains 
more  matter  than  an  equal  surface  of  fluid,  must 
verge  to  the  bottom,  so  that  these  bodies  become 
diminished,  according  to  the  greater  proportion  be- 
tween the  surface  and  matter  which  it  encloses." 


32 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


branches  and  leaves,  and  heaped  one  upon 
another,  might  liave  stopped  tlic  mire,  which 
the  waters  that  ran  in  the  valleys  carried 
along  with  them,  and  in  succession  of  time 
have  formed  banks  suflicient  to  prevent  the 
numing  of  the  waters,  and  cause  them  to 
overflow  the  neighboring  lands.  Lakes 
and  bogs  are  of  course  formed  by  the  stag- 
nation of  those  waters  loaded  more  or  less 
with  strange  bodies  ;  the  matter  whereof 
they  are  composed  is  an  accumulation  of 
dried  herbs,  hay,  heath,  roots,  and  other 
things  produced  by  stagnant  waters,  and 
forms  in  its  mixed  state  but  one  spongy 
substance,  whifch  easily  admits  the  water, 
and  covered  in  course  of  time  those  trees 
altogether,  that  had  contributed  to  its 
growth.  Some  of  the  bogs  in  Ireland  are 
twenty  feet  deep  from  their  surface  to  the 
bottom,  which  is  a  kind  of  potter's  clay  or 
sand.  Thousands  of  acres  are  seen  in  dif- 
ferent districts  of  that  country,  which  con- 
siderably deduct  from  the  produce  of  the 
island  ;  otherwise  it  is  extremely  fertile. 
The  only  benefit  to  be  derived  at  present 
from  the  bogs  in  Ireland,  is  the  turf  which 
is  cut  for  fuel. 

Lake  Lene  is  not  less  remarkable  than 
lake  Neagh :  it  lies  to  the  southern  extremity 
of  the  island,  in  the  county  of  Kerry.  It  is 
divided  into  the  upper  and  lower  lake,  and 
contains  in  the  whole  about  three  thousand 
square  acres  :  it  is  bounded  south  and  east 
by  the  mountains  Mangerton  and  Turk,  west 
by  Glena ;  to  the  north  of  it  is  a  beautiful 
plain,  ornamented  with  fine  country-seats, 
and  on  the  northeast  is  the  town  of  Killar- 
ney.  These  mountains  are  covered  from 
the  base  to  their  top  with  the  oak,  yew-tree, 
holly,  and  the  arbutus,*  Avhich  represent  in 
their  difterent  degrees  of  vegetation  an 
agreeable  variety  of  colors,  green,  yellow, 
red,  and  white,  forming  an  amphitheatre, 
which  recalls  in  winter  the  charms  of  the 
spring.  Some  cascades  are  formed  by  the 
falling  of  the  waters  from  the  summit  of 
these  mountains,  particularly  from  Man- 
gerton, Avhose  murmurs  being  repeated  by 
echoes,  add  still  more  to  the  charms  of  this 

*  "  The  strawberry-tree,  in  Latin  the  arbutus,  is 
a  shrub  which  in  some  countries  becomes  a  tree.  In 
the  mountains  of  Lough  Lene  it  grows  to  the  height 
of  20  feet ;  its  leaves,  like  the  laurel,  are  alwa3's 
green,  and  at  the  end  of  a  purple  color ;  its  flowers 
hang  like  grapes,  are  white,  and  of  an  agreeable 
smell,  resembling  the  lily  ;  its  fruit  resembles  the 
strawberry  in  shape,  but  much  larger ;  it  is  round, 
sour,  and  yellow,  before  ripe,  it  then  becomes  red  ; 
exquisite  in  taste,  the  inhabitants  eat  it  as  they 
would  apples,  but  it  is  fit  to  drink  water  after  it, 
otherwise  it  would  be  unwholesome." 


spot.  On  the  top  of  this  mountain  is  a  lake, 
the  depth  of  which  is  not  known  ;  in  the 
language  of  the  country  it  is  called  "  Poulle- 
i-feron,"  which  signifies  "  Hell's  hole."  It 
frequently  overflows,  and  rolls  down  in 
frightful  torrents.*  Lake  Lene  contains 
several  islands,  which  resemble  so  many 
gardens  ;  the  arbutus  takes  root  among  the 
rocks  of  marble  in  the  midst  of  its  waters. 
Nennius  says,  in  his  treatise  upon  the  won- 
ders of  Ireland,  that  "  there  are  four  mines, 
namely,  tin,  lead,  iron,  and  copper,  which 
form  four  circles  around  the  lake."  He  adds, 
that  "  pearls  are  found  in  it,  which  kings 
wear  for  ear-rings. "f  There  are  indeed  some 
precious  stones  in  this  lake,  and  in  its  neigh- 
borhood mines  of  silver  and  copper,  more 
especially  the  latter,  which  at  present  makes 
of  itself  a  great  branch  of  trade. 

The  Giant's  Causeway  in  the  county  of 
Antrim,  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  where  the 
coast  is  elevated  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
is  another  wonder,  that  merits  the  atten- 
tion of  the  curious.  This  causeway,  which 
is  in  the  form  of  a  triangle,  extends  from 
the  foot  of  a  mountain  into  the  sea,  to  a 
considerable  distance ;  its  apparent  length, 
when  the  waters  retire,  is  about  six  hundred 
feet.  It  consists  of  many  thousand  pillars, 
which  are  pentagonal,  hexagonal,  and  hep- 
tagonal,  but  irregular,  as  there  are  few  of 
them  of  which  the  sides  are  equally  broad  ; 
their  size  is  not  uniformly  the  same,  vary- 
ing from  15  to  26  inches  in  diameter,  and 
in  general  not  more  than  twenty.  All  these 
pillars  touch  one  another  with  equal  sides, 
which  are  so  close,  that  the  joints  can  be 
scarcely  perceived  ;  they  are  not  all  equally 
high ;  they  sometimes  form  a  smooth  sur- 
face, and  sometimes  are  unequal.  These 
pillars,  none  of  which  are  of  a  single  piece, 
are  composed  of  many  unequal  ones,  from 
one  to  two  feet  high  ;  and  what  is  still  more 
singular,  these  pieces  are  not  joined  by 
plain  surfaces,  being  set  one  into  the  other, 
by  concave  and  convex  outsides,  highly 
polished,  the  same  as  the  sides  of  the  ad- 
joining pillars.  There  are  some  places  where 
this  colonnade  is  elevated  above  the  earth 
thirty-two,  and  even  thirty-six  feet,  but  we 

*  "  It  is  usual  to  sec  some  lakes  on  the  tops  of 
mountains,  in  Ireland,  the  waters  of  which  fall  pre- 
cipitately into  the  valleys,  where  rivers  are  formed. 
On  Slieve  Donart,  in  the  territory  of  Mourn,  and 
the  county  of  Down,  this  is  met  with  ;  also  at  Ban- 
try,  in  the  county  of  Cork,  and  at  Powerscourt,  in 
the  county  of  Wicklow." 

t  "  There  is  a  lake  called  Lough  Lene,  sur- 
rounded by  four  circles  ;  in  it  many  gems  are  found, 
which  kings  wear  in  their  ears." — Nennius,  his 
Wonders  on  Ireland,  Ogyg.  c.  5. 


OF    PAGAN    IRELAND. 


33 


are  ignorant  of  its  depth.  People  have  dug 
at  the  foot  of  one  of  the  columns,  to  the 
depth  of  eight  feet,  and  it  was  found  to  bo 
the  same  all  through. 

The  stone,  as  to  the  substance,  is  a  homo- 
geneous body,  which  admits  of  no  mixture, 
and  is  extremely  hard  ;  when  broken,  it  is 
found  to  have  a  fine  and  shining  grain ;  it 
is  heavier  than  other  kinds  of  stone,  resists 
tools  of  the  best  temper,  and  of  course,  can- 
not be  cut ;  still  it  dissolves  in  the  fire. 

Besides  the  Giant's  Causeway,  some  other 
colonnades  of  the  same  kind  are  discovered 
on  the  land  side  ;  the  most  considerable  is 
composed  of  fifty  pillars,  whereof  the  mid- 
dle one  is  forty  feet  high,  and  the  others, 
on  the  right  and  left,  diminish  like  the  pipes 
of  an  organ  ;  it  is  on  that  account  the  inhab- 
itants have  given  them  the  name  of  "  The 
Organ." 

Is  the  Giant's  Causeway  a  work  of  nature 
or  of  art  ?  That  is  a  question  of  contro- 
versy, among  the  learned  of  England  and  of 
Ireland.  Those  who  maintain  that  it  is 
the  effect  of  nature,  prove  it  according  to 
the  rules  of  geometry  ;  they  cite  a  proposi- 
tion out  of  Euclid,  according  to  which 
"  there  are  but  three  figures  which  can  form 
a  plain  and  continued  surface,  viz.,  six  equi- 
lateral triangles,  four  squares,  and  three 
hexagons.  But  they  say  these  rules  of  art 
have  not  been  observed  in  the  Giant's  Cause- 
way, Avhich  is  composed  of  polygons  having 
unequal  sides,  although  they  are  very  well 
adapted  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  adjoin- 
ing pillars,  which  cannot  be  attributed  but 
to  a  superio'r  Intelligence."  It  is  added, 
"  the  joining  of  those  pieces  which  compose 
the  pillars  appears  to  be  a  Avork  of  nature ; 
whereas  in  all  other  columns,  both  ancient 
and  modern,  the  pieces  are  joined  by  flat 
surfaces,  and  it  cannot  be  conceived  how 
the  joining  of  the  stones  that  form  this 
causeway,  could  have  been  made  without  an 
infinite  number  of  instruments  which  are  not 
known  to  us." 

This  system  of  reasoning,  though  plausible , 
is  not  satisfactory  ;  for  besides  our  not  be- 
ing able  to  deny  a  thing  because  we  cannot 
conceive  it,  it  is  certain  the  arts  have  had 
their  revolutions,  and  that  there  have  been 
many  which  formerly  prevailed  that  have 
not  come  down  to  us. 

The  inhabitants  of  Ireland  are  tall  and 
well  made  :*  the  strong  exercises  which 
tend  to  fortify  the  nerves,  and  render  the 
body  vigorous,  were  at  all  times  practised 
among  them.     Hunting,  horse-racing,  foot- 

*  Petrus  Lombardus,  cap.  12. 


racing,  wrestling,  and  other  like  exercises, 
form  still  their  usual  amusements.  We 
attribute  to  Lugha  Lam  Fada,*  one  of  their 
ancient  kings,  the  institution  of  military  ex- 
ercises, at  Tailton  in  Meath  :t  those  exer- 
cises consisted  in  wrestling,  the  combats  of 
gladiators,  tournaments,  races  on  foot  and 
on  horseback,  as  we  have  seen  them  insti- 
tuted at  Rome  a  long  time  after  by  Romu- 
lus in  honor  of  Mars,  which  were  called 
"  Equiria."  Those  games  at  Tailton,  which 
Gratianus  Lucius  andO'Flaherty  call  "  Ludi 
Taltini,"!  were  celebrated  every  year,  du- 
ring thirty  days,  that  is,  fifteen  days  before 
and  fifteen  days  after  the  first  of  our  month 
of  August.  On  that  account,  the  first  of 
August  has  been  and  is  still  called  in  Ire- 
land, "  Lah  Lugh-Nasa,"  which  signifies  a 
day  in  memory  of  Lugha.  These  olympiads 
always  continued  among  the  Milesians  until 
the  arrival  of  the  English. §  We  discover 
to  this  day  some  vestiges  of  them,  with- 
out any  other  change  than  that  of  time 
and  place.  Wrestling,  which  we  call  in 
France,  "  le  tour  du  Breton,"  the  exercises 
of  gladiators,  and  races  on  foot,  are  still  on 
festival-days  their  common  diA^ersion  in 
various  districts  of  Ireland,  and  the  con- 
querors generally  receive  a  prize.  The 
plains  of  Kildare  are  celebrated  for  the 
great  concourse  of  nobility  who  assemble 
there  every  year.  Race-horses  are  brought 
there  from  every  province  in  the  kingdom, 
likewise  from  England  and  other  countries  ; 
considerable  wagers  are  bet  on  these  occa- 
sions, and  more  noblemen  are  ruined  by 
them  than  by  any  other  mode  of  gaming. 

"  The  Irish,"  says  Camden,  "  are  war- 
like, witty,  and  remarkable  for  the  just  pro- 
portion of  their  limbs.  Their  flesh  and 
muscles  are  so  supple,  that  the  agility  which 
they  possess  is  incredible. "||  Good,  an  Eng- 
lish priest  who  wrote  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, after  having  been  for  many  years  in 
Ireland,  a  professor  of  humanity,  gives  the 
following  description  of  its  inhabitants : 
"  They  are  a  nation,"  he  says,  "  to  be  piaised 
for  their  strength,  and  particularly  for  the 
activity  of  their  bodies  ;  for  a  greatness  of 
soul :  they  are  witty  and  warlike,  prodigal 
of  life,  hardy  in  bearing  fatigues,  cold,  and 
hunger  ;  prone  to  loose  pleasures,  courteous 


*  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Lugha. 

+  Ogyg.  par.  3,  cap.  13. 

t  Gratianus  Lucius,  cap.  9,  p.  85. 

§  Ibidem,  cap.  8,  p.  58. 

II  "  They  are  warlike,  witty,  and  remarkable  for 
the  just  proportion  of  their  Unibs.  Their  flesh  and 
muscles  arc  so  supple,  that  the  agility  which  they 
incredible." — Camden  Brit.,  p.  680. 


34 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


and  kind  to  strangers,  constant  in  their 
love,  hating  also,  seldom  forgiving,  too  cred- 
ulous, greedy  of  glory,  and  quick  to  resist 
injuries  and  insidts."* 

"  Of  all  men,"  says  Stanihurst,  "  the  Irish 
are  the  most  patient  in  fatigue,  the  most 
warlike  ;  rarely  do  they  suller  themselves 
to  be  cast  down  even  in  their  heaviest  afflic- 
tions.''t 


CHAPTER  II. 

CRITICAL    ESSAY    UPON    THE    ANTIQUITY    OF 
THE    SCOTO-MILESIANS. 

Nothing  has  more  engaged  the  minds 
of  historians  than  the  researches  they  have 
made  on  the  origin  of  ancient  countries,  and 
there  is  nothing  in  which  they  have  so  little 
succeeded  ;  so  much  of  the  marvellous  has 
been  introduced  into  the  writings  of  the 
ancients  upon  these  subjects,  that  it  is  with 
difficulty  the  small  portion  of  truth  found  in 
them,  can  be  distinguished  from  the  fables 
Avhich  vanity  has  caused  them  to  insert. 
Sacred  historj^  therefore,  can  serve  as  the 
only  infallible  guide  in  the  knowledge  of 
antiquity.  •  It  has  become  so  much  the  cus- 
tom of  every  people  to  endeavor  to  ennoble 
their  origin,  and  establish  it  upon  an  ancient 
and  illustrious  foundation,  that  it  would 
appear  new  and  obscure  beginnings  have 
something  in  them  dishonorable  :  to  give 
to  them  some  brilliancy  in  the  midst  of 
the  darkness  which  surrounds  them,  fable  is 
often  made  use  of  instead  of  history :  they 
prefer  to  lose  themselves  in  an  abyss  of  anti- 
quity, rather  than  candidly  avow  themselves 
to  be  of  modern  mediocrity. 

The  Egj'ptians  reckon  a  period  of  forty- 
eight  thousand  years,  and  pretend  to  have 
seen  twelve  hundred  eclipses  before  the  reign 


*  The  whole  nation  of  the  Irish  aie  strong  in 
their  persons,  peculiarly  active,  jx^sscssing  a  brave 
and  elevated  mind  ;  sharp  in  their  intellects  and 
warliite.  Life  is  not  regarded  in  their  propensities  ; 
labor,  cold,  and  hun2;er  are  overlooked  ;  their  pas- 
sions are  strong  in  love  ;  they  are  hospitable  to 
strangers,  sincere  in  their  attachments,  and  in  their 
quarrels  impl  icable  :  too  credulous,  greedy  of  glory, 
they  will  resist  insult  and  injustice,  and  most  ardent 
in  all  their  acts." — Camden,  p.  789. 

+  '•  As  has  been  already  remarked,  the  Irish  are 
extremely  hospitable,  good-natured,  and  beneficent. 
Of  all  men  they  are  the  most  patient  in  suffering, 
and  rarely  overcome  by  difficulties." — Stanihurst, 
b.  1,  p.  48. 


of  Alexander  the  Great.  Their  historian  Ma- 
netho,  supported  by  the  protended  inscrip- 
tions on  the  pillars  of  Hermes  in  the  land  of 
Seriad,  descril)es  the  succession  and  reign 
of  their  kings  for  many  thousand  years  before 
the  time  of  the  creation,  as  estaljlished  by- 
Moses.  The  Chaldeans  ascend  still  higher  : 
they  pretend  to  have  made  astronomical 
observations,  during  four  hundred  thousand 
years.  The  Chinese  count  upon  a  revolution 
of  forty  thousand  years,  and  pretend  to  have 
made  observations  long  before  the  creation. 

The  learned  consider  these  chronologies 
fabulous,  and  the  pretended  observations  of 
the  Egyptians  and  Chaldeans,  to  have  been 
unknown  to  ancient  astronomers.  It  has  been 
proved  that  the  history  of  the  pillars  of 
Hermes  is  but  a  fiction  which  falls  of  itself, 
whereas  it  is  the  opinion  of  every  one,  that 
Hermes  was  the  first  by  whom  characters 
were  invented,  and  that  the  land  of  Seriad 
was  not  known  to  the  ancient  geographers. 
As  to  the  chronology  of  the  Chinese,  it  has 
been  shown,  that  their  pretensions  have  been 
contradicted  by  the  ephemerides.  The  most 
ancient  observations,  acknowledged  by  them 
to  be  authentic,  as  has  been  made  to  appear, 
are  those  of  two  fixed  stars,  one  in  the  winter 
solstice,  and  the  other  in  the  vernal  equinox, 
in  the  time  of  the  King  Yao,  who  reigned 
after  the  universal  deluge.  If  their  historians 
give  to  their  empire  a  duration  of  forty 
thousand  years,  it  can  be  founded  but  upon 
an  equivocal  and  uncertain  tradition ;  where- 
as, according  to  their  own  acknowledgment, 
their  books  were  all  consumed  in  the  flames, 
about  two  thousand  years  ago,  "by  order  of 
their  Emperor  Zeo,  and  no  monuments  re- 
main among  them  more  ancient  than  that 
period. 

Similar  ravings  have  found  credit  among 
the  Arcadians,  v/ho  boast  that  they  are  more 
ancient  than  the  moon,  and  among  the  Sicil- 
ians, who  pride  themselves  on  the  foundation 
and  antiquity  of  their  cities  :  they  pretend, 
for  instance,  that  Palermo  was  founded  in 
the  time  of  the  patriarch  Isaac,*  by  a  colony 
of  Hebrews,  Phoenicians,  and  S}Tians  ;  and 
that  Saphu,  grandson  of  Esau,  was  governor 
of  a  tower  named  Baych  in  the  same  city. 
After  the  example  of  Manetho,  they  cite 
some  ancient  inscriptions,  not  better  estab- 
lished than  those  of  the  columns  of  Hermes. f 
We  can  form  the  same  opinion  on  the  pre- 
tended antiquity  of  Messina,  which  they  say 
was  enlarged  by  Nimrod. 

The  origin  of  the  Romans  is  not  better 

*  Fazcll.  Hist.  Sicul.  dccad.  1,  part,  prior,  lib.  8. 
t  Reinr,  Notizie  Istoriche  di  Messina. 


THE    SCOTO-MILESIANS. 


35 


established,  as  authors  do  not  agree  upon 
that  point.  Some  attribute  it  to  the  Trojans  ; 
others  give  to  them  different  founders :  but 
without  seeking  after  such  distant  prodigies 
of  antiquity,  the  offspring  of  vanity,  have 
we  not  the  history  of  Brutus,  forged  by 
Geoffry  of  Monmouth,  an  English  monk  of 
the  twelfth  century  ?  This  friar,  zealous  for 
the  glory  of  his  nation,  and  wishing  to  give 
to  it  an  illustrious  beginning,  introduces  the 
story  of  a  certain  Brutus,  great  grandson  of 
^Eneas,  the  Trojan,  having  peopled  Britain, 
and  by  this  happy  discovery,  finds  for  it,  at 
the  same  time,  an  origin  and  a  name.  This 
system  did  not  succeed  :  it  was  rejected  even 
by  those  whose  interest  it  was  to  uphold  it, 
particularly  by  Nubrigensis,  Polydore  Virgil, 
Buchanan,  Camden,  Baker,  and  others. 

The  higher  we  ascend  towards  the  source 
of  ancient  history,  the  more  obscure  we  dis- 
cover it  to  be.  It  is  probable  that  the  ancient 
Milesians  had  been  addicted  to  the  marvel- 
lous as  well  as  other  people  who  were  their 
contemporaries.  The  great  antiquity  to 
which  they  aspire,  will  no  doubt  appear 
astonishing.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive  that 
a  people  obscure  and  almost  unknown,  can 
trace  their  origin  and  genealogy  to  times  so 
remote,  while  the  most  considerable  coun- 
tries of  Europe  are  new,  and  still  scarcely 
understand  their  origin.  It  is  a  paradox,  I 
allow,  but  it  must  be  likewise  granted,  that 
the  thing  is  not  impossible.  The  genealogies 
of  the  house  of  Austria,  of  the  dukes  of 
Ascot,  and  of  some  other  princes,  have  been, 
it  is  said,  traced  so  far  back  as  the  deluge. 
We  have  an  example  of  it  among  the  Jewish 
people.  Although  God  conducted  with  a 
peculiar  care  the  pens  of  the  holy  writers,  in 
every  thing  regarding  the  laws,  the  prophe- 
cies, canticles,  the  history  of  the  creation  of 
the  world,  and  all  that  was  above  human 
understanding  ;  the  same  writers  have  treat- 
ed of  the  genealogies  of  families,  and  have 
given  an  account  of  historical  facts,  which 
they  had  known  from  the  study  of  tradition, 
and  which  were  known  to  all  who  wished 
to  be  instructed  in  them. 

After  the  precautions  which  are  adopted 
in  France,  and  other  countries,  by  deposit- 
ing in  their  courts  of  justice,  and  registries, 
returns  of  the  baptisms,  marriages,  and 
burials,  as  also  their  plan  of  keeping  the 
registry  of  their  nobles,  which  is  called 
heraldry,  can  it  be  hereafter  a  matter  for 
surprise,  if,  after  the  lapse  of  two  thousand 
years,  genealogies  make  their  appearance, 
and  ascend  from  generation  to  generation 
I  up  to  us  1 

The  matter  is  therefore  possible,  and  re- 


duces itself  to  the  following  question,  viz., 
to  know  if  the  ancient  Milesians  carefully 
transmitted  to  posterity,  since  a  certain 
epoch,  some  features  of  their  history.  Before 
this  matter  be  farther  examined,  it  is  pru- 
dent to  lay  it  down  as  a  principle,  which 
should  be  admitted,  that  all  ancient  nations 
have  had  their  obscure  periods,  both  fabu- 
lous and  historical. 

Varro  distinguishes,  after  the  manner  of 
the  Greeks,  three  different  eras — 

The  first,  from  the  creation  to  the  dekige, 
which  is,  he  says,  obscure  and  uncertain, 
because  we  are  ignorant  of  all  that  passed 
during  that  time. 

The  second,  from  the  deluge  to  the  first 
olympiad,  which  he  calls  fabulous,  from  the 
many  fables  that  have  been  related  concern- 
ing that  epoch. 

Lastly,  the  third,  from  the  first  olympiad 
till  our  time,  which  he  denominates  historical. 

Although  the  different  periods  character- 
ized thus  by  Varro,  undergo  some  difficulty 
by  referring  to  the  authority  of  the  sacred 
writings  ;  though  Josephus,  in  his  first  book 
against  Appian,  assures  us  that  the  histo- 
ries of  the  Phcsnicians,  Egyptians,  and 
Chaldeans,  set  forth  with  truth  and  accu- 
racy many  things  concerning  the  reign  of 
their  kings,  and  that  they  contain  the  prin- 
cipal events  which  happened  in  their  coun- 
tries before  the  first  olympiad,  even  before 
Abraham  and  Moses ;  and  although  he 
praised  so  highly  Dion  the  Phoenician,  and 
Berosus  the  Chaldean,  for  the  correctness 
and  authority  of  their  histories  ;  and  accord- 
ing to  him,  that  these  two  historians  have 
treated  of  the  events  which  happened  in  the 
second  distinction  of  time,  named  fabulous 
by  Varro,  particularly  Berosus,  who  has 
spoken  of  the  deluge,  of  the  ark,  the  Arme- 
nian mountains  where  it  rested,  and  that 
he  has  continued  his  history  from  Noah, 
and  the  first  kings  who  reigned  after  the 
deluge  ;  yet  the  distinction  of  time,  made  by 
that  learned  Roman,  ought  to  be  admitted 
into  the  histories  of  almost  every  people. 

It  is  possible  that  some  nations  have  pre- 
served from  tradition  a  general  and  confused 
idea  of  their  origin,  and  of  their  first  found- 
ers ;  but  if  it  be  required  of  them  to  fix 
their  dates,  or  to  examine  in  detail  the  form 
of  their  governments,  they  will  either  tell 
us  nothing  of  these  things,  or  speak  of  them 
as  mere  chimeras. 

The  ancient  bards  have  preserved  to  us 
the  memory  of  different  colonies,which  came 
successively  to  establish  themselves  in  Hi- 
bernia,  before  Jesus  Christ.  But  can  we  not 
suspect  the  truth  of  the  accounts  which  they 


36 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


have  left  us  ?  The  bards  were  held  in  high 
esteem  among  the  Milesians,  who  called 
them  in  their  language  "  Fileas,"  or  "  Fear- 
danas,"  that  is  to  say,  philosophers.  They 
enjoyed  groat  privileges,  and  sat  by  right  of 
suflrage  in  the  assemblies  of  the  state  ;  pos- 
sessions were  given  them  from  the  liberality 
of  the  monarch,  by  the  provincial  kings  and 
private  lords. 

Strabo*  and  Liican  called  them  poets,  or 
prophets.  Pomponius  PYstus  says  that  a 
bard  is  a  singer,  who  celebrates,  in  verse, 
the  praises  and  exploits  of  great  men.  Dio- 
dorus  Siculus  calls  a  bard  a  composer  of 
canticles. 

The  bards  were,  as  O'Flahertyt  and  some 
ancient  authors  say,  both  poets  and  philoso- 
phers. They  were  masters  of  arts  and 
sciences:  their  knowledge  did  not  consist  in 
the  harmony  of  words  to  flatter  princes. 
They  described,  like  the  Arabs  and  ancient 
Greeks,  philosophy,  the  laws,  and  history, 
in  verse,  which  style  being  more  concise, 
was,  at  the  same  time,  more  easily  retained.^ 
li  The  bards  of  Wales,  as  David  Powell 
i  remarks,  were  employed  for  preserving  the 
Ij  heraldry  and  genealogies  of  their  nobles: 
1 1  the  profession  of  a  bard  was,  among  the 
Milesians,  for  the  same  end.^  This  office 
enjoined  him  to  write  the  annals,  genealo 
gies,  alliances,  Avars,  voyages,  and  transmi 
grations  of  that  people,  who,  in  tracing  them 
from  father  to  son  up  to  Milesius,  are  de 
scended,  according  to  the  bards,  from  Japhet 
and  Magog.  This  has  caused  Camden  to 
say,  that  if  every  thing  their  historians  re- 
late concerning  their  antiquity  be  true,  it  is 
with  justice  that  Plutarch  calls  that  island 
Og)-gia,  which  signifies  very  ancient.  They 
draw,  continues  the  same  author,  their  his- 
tory from  the  most  remote  antiquity,  so  that 
that  of  other  nations  is  new  when  compared 
to  theirs. II 

It  is  certain  that  every  man  then,  as  those 
of  our  time,  were  descended  from  one  or 
other  of  the  three  brothers,  Sem,  Cham,  or 


'•   ^eog.  lib.  4. 

t  l.Jb.  5.  Ogyg.  par.  3,  cap.  27. 

t  Newt.  Chronol.  chap.  1,  p.  44. 

§  "  They  were  philosophers  in  reality,  and  poets 
in  name,  but  it  need  not  be  doubted,  whether  as 
philosophers  or  poets,  they  have  written  best  on 
divine  subjects.  The  character  of  the  poets  among 
the  ancients,  was  that  of  wisdom,  and,  as  in  our 
days,  their  knowledge  did  not  consist  in  the  meas- 
ure and  scanning  of  words,  nor  in  their  flatteries  of 
the  great." — Ogyg.  part  .3,  c.  30. 

II  "  From  the  deepest  sources  of  antiquity,  the 
history  of  the  Irish  is  taken  ;  so  that  in  comparison 
to  them,  that  of  other  nations  is  but  novelty  and  a 
beginning." — Camd.  p.  728. 


Japhet.  It  is  also  probable,  that,  while 
men  were,  in  the  early  ages  of  the  world, 
near  their  original  stock,  and  lived  to  be 
very  old,  without  being  distracted  by  that 
variety  of  sciences  and  arts  which  luxury 
has  produced  in  latter  ages,  nor  by  the  know- 
ledge of  so  many  fine  but  often  useless  dis- 
coveries which  at  present  occupy  the  minds 
of  men  :  fathers  took  care  to  instruct  their 
children  in  that  which  formed  the  chief  ob- 
ject of  their  studies,  namely,  the  genealogy  of 
their  families.  All  this  seems  like  the  truth  ; 
we  need  nothing  more  to  found  our  conjec- 
tures upon ;  but  that  is  not  sufficient  to 
maintain  historical  truths,  particularly  in 
referring  to  a  period  of  antiquity,  when  peo- 
ple had  not  yet  known  the  use  of  letters, 
"  without  the  aid  of  which,"  says  Newton, 
"  they  could  with  difficulty  transmit  or  con- 
tinue the  memory  of  the  names  or  actions 
of  men,  after  death,  beyond  eighty  or  a  hun- 
dred years."* 

The  bards  were  in  general  mercenary 
men,  who  gave  themselves  up  either  to  the 
extremes  of  exaggerated  praise,  of  which 
they  were  lavish,  or  to  sharp  satires,  Avhich 
they  darted  against  those  whose  honor  they 
had  some  motive  for  assailing.  If,  in  spite 
of  the  regulations  made  and  established  by 
the  assembly  at  Tara,  for  the  purpose  of 
restraining  the  Milesian  bards,  and  limiting 
their  enthusiasm,  they  had  been  often  obliged 
to  pronounce  the  sentence  of  banishment 
against  them,  to  repress  their  insolence,  (a 
sure  proof  that  all  they  related  ought  not  be 
received  for  historical  truths,)  what  belief 
should  be  then  attached  to  those  of  a  more 
distant  antiquity,  whom  nothing  restrained, 
and  who  pursued  with  impunity  whatever 
passion  dictated  1  Can  their  correctness  in 
the  details  which  they  have  given  of  the  ori- 
gin of  the  Milesians,  the  genealogies  of  their 
chiefs,  and  the  succession  of  their  kings,  be 
relied  upon  ?  Can  we  subscribe  to  their 
affected  precision,  in  marking  the  day  of  the 
month,  the  week,  or  of  the  moon,  and  the 
precise  place  of  their  arrival  in  the  island,  at 
a  time  when  chronology  was  so  imperfect  ? 

Let  us  strive  to  discover  a  standard 
whereby  to  avoid  in  this  history,  a  boyish 
credulity,  in  admitting  things  that  are  im- 
probable, as  well  as  a  forced  diffidence,  by 
rejecting  what  is  well  founded.  Let  us,  with 
Varro,  distinguish  the  different  epochs,  and 
unravel,  as  much  as  possible,  the  truth  from 
what  is  false. 

The  Ante-Milesian  history,  which  signi- 
fies all  that  is  related  of  the  first  colonies  who 

*  Introduct.  to  Chron.  page  7. 


THE    SCOTO-MILESIANS. 


37 


were  in  possession  of  the  island  before  the 
arrival  of  the  Milesians,  may  be  carried  to 
times  that  are  obscure,  doubtful,  and  un- 
known. 

We  can  likewise  bring  back  to  fabulous 
times,  the  accounts  of  the  origin  of  the 
Scoto-Milesians,  the  voyages  and  transmi- 
grations of  their  ancestors,  the  Gadelians, 
in  different  regions,  and  of  various  circum- 
stances which  accompanied  their  voyage 
from  Spain  to  Ireland,  until  their  complete 
establishment  in  it,  some  time  after  their  ar- 
rival. 

In  the  mean  while,  let  us  allow  that  there 
are  no  positive  reasons  for  opposing  such 
accounts ;  all  the  arguments  that  can  be 
adduced  against  them  are  negative,  and  con- 
sequently insufficient ;  besides,  the  objects 
being  at  too  remote  a  period  to  be  able  to 
distinguish  them,  it  is  perhaps  as  well  to 
credit  as  to  reject  them.  All  judgment 
should  be  suspended  upon  what  is  not 
proved  to  be  absolutely  true,  or  decidedly 
false.*  That  is  the  maxim  which  Camden, 
an  English  author,  has  judiciously  adopted  ; 
his  moderation  in  this  instance  cannot  be 
attributed  to  a  love  for  Ireland.!  I  shall  ob- 
serve the  prudent  counsel  of  that  historian, 
and  will  give  in  the  following  chapter,  un- 
der the  title  of  fabulous  history,  what  writers 
say  concerning  the  primitive  ages,  both  to 
preserve  the  thread  of  their  history,  and 
mark  my  respect  for  antiquity.| 

As  to  the  Scoto-Milesians,  if  we  consider 
them  to  have  been  established  in  Ireland  for 
some  ages  before  the  Christian  era,  and 
composing  a  body  of  people  governed  by 
laws,  living  tranquilly,  and,  being  separated 
from  the  continent,  beyond  the  reach  of 
insult  from  strangers,  which  period  we  may 
place  before  the  reign  of  OUam  Fodla,  (about 
seven  or  eight  centuries  before  Jesus  Christ,) 
we  can  fix  the  date  of  the  Milesian  history 
in  the  third  degree  of  time,  called  historical 
by  Varro.  Their  annals,  since  then,  merit 
belief  as  much  as  any  ancient  history  of  other 
nations  that  we  read  of.  Of  that  truth  we 
shall  be  readily  convinced  by  paying  atten- 
tion to  the  antiquity  of  the  Irish  language, 

*  "  I  do  not  think  that  what  is  founded  on  con- 
jecture, which  borders  upon  truth,  or  what  is  sup- 
ported by  tradition,  concerning  the  origin  of  a  peo- 
ple, should  be  rejected." — Buchanan,  Scotch  Re- 
cords, b.  1,  p.  54. 

t  "  That  which  it  is  neither  my  intention  to  refute 
nor  maintain,  should  receive  indulgence  for  the 
character  of  its  antiquity." — Brit,  page  728. 

t  "  lis  authority  should  be  conceded  to  antiquity, 
and  not  repelled  by  vain  conjectures,  unless  better 
and  more  authentic  documents  can  be  adduced." — 
Ogyg-puTt  1,  p.  2. 


which  is  certainly  not  derived  from  any  that 
is  spoken  in  Europe,  and  to  the  singularity 
of  its  characters,  which  have  no  prototype  ; 
also  to  the  powerful  motives  which  had  in- 
fluenced the  Milesians  in  preserving  their 
history. 

Languages  have  generally  their  origin 
among  the  people  by  whom  they  are  spoken. 
Those  who  maintain  that  the  Milesians  are 
descendants  of  the  Gauls,  strive  to  discover 
the  root  of  the  Irish  language  in  the  Gallic  ; 
but  as  the  result  cannot  be  more  true  than 
the  principle  from  whence  it  is  taken,  it  is 
more  natural  to  refer,  on  that  subject,  to  the 
traditions  and  ancient  monuments  of  the 
Milesians.  By  these  it  is  discovered  that 
the  Milesians  are  descended  from  a  colony  j 
of  Scythians,*  who,  after  many  migrations  ; 
into  different  countries,  came  to  settle  and 
establish  themselves  in  Ireland ;  that  their 
language  also,  which  they  call  Gaelic,  from 
Gaodhal,  one  of  their  ancient  chiefs,  has 
been  at  all  times  the  peculiar  language  of 
that  colony,  not  only  since  their  establish- 
ment in  Ireland,  but  even  from  their  going 
out  of  Egypt.  A  people  who  are  victorious  , 
usually  introduce  into  the  conquered  coun- 
try their  religion,  laws,  customs,  and  lan- 
guage :  of  this  truth  the  Scots  and  Saxons 
will  afford  an  example  ;  the  former  of  whom, 
consisting  of  some  colonies  of  the  Scoto- 
Milesians,  who  in  spite  of  the  Picts  estab- 
lished themselves  in  a  canton  of  Albania, 
have  preserved  their  language,  viz.,  the 
Scotic,  which  is  still  in  use  among  them.f 

The  Britons,  having  called  the  Saxons  to 
their  aid  against  the  Scots  and  Picts,|  expe- 
rienced the  perfidy  of  their  allies,  who  forced 
them  to  seek  an  asylum  in  Wales.  The 
Saxon  language  prevailed  therefore,  and  the 
Bretonnic  ceased  in  England,  except  within 
the  narrow  confines  of  that  province  occupied 
by  the  Britons.  It  is  not  probable,  therefore, 
that  the  Gadelians,  during  their  sojourn  in 
Spain,  or  the  Milesians,  their  descendants, 
established  in  Ireland  by  right  of  conquest, 
and  who  had  never  borne  a  foreign  yoke,  had 
ever  changed  their  language  in  changing 
their  country,  unless  they  could  "abandon 
their  native  tongue  by  substituting  a  strange 
one  instead  of  it.  The  error  of  authors, 
which  I  have  to  combat  here,  arises  from 


*  Ogyg.  part  2,  page  63. 

t  "  They  brought   their   language  from   Ireland 
into  Britain." — Joan.  Major,  de  Gest.  Scot.  b.  1,  c.  9. 

X  "  They  were  forced  to  send  for  the  Saxons  into  I 
their  country,  which  turned  to  their  own  destruc- 
tion.    The  English  or  Angli  were  very  strong,  but  ' 
not  at  all  faithful." — Polydorus  Virgil,  Eng.  Hist. 
b.3,  p.  131. 


38 


HISTORY  OP  IRELAND. 


their  anectcil  ignorance  of  the  true  history 
of  the  INIik^sians.  Contrary  to  the  s])irit  of 
this  history,  these  authors  appear  to  con- 
foiuul  the  Milesians  with  a  number  of  other 
colonies  who  came  at  iliflercnt  periods  into 
Ireland,  with  the  consent  of  the  first  inhab- 
itants, and  who  learned  and  adopted  the 
language  of  the  country,  viz.,  the  Bretonnic, 
wliich  did  not  undergo  any  material  change 
by  the  mixture  of  different  nations. 

The  arguments  which  Camden  and  oth- 
ers draw  from  a  pretended  connection  or 
analogy  of  many  Irish  words  with  the  Bre- 
tonnic, or  Gallic,  by  proving  that  the  Irish  is 
derived  from  either  of  them,  would  equally 
prove  the  contrary  to  their  assertions.  It  is 
well  known  that  neighboring  nations  Avhich 
trade  together,  (languages  being  subject  to 
corruption  and  change,)  borrow  some  words 
from  each  other,  without  either  being  an 
original  source  for  the  other  to  derive  its 
language  from.  For  example,  the  French 
and  English  languages  are  alike  in  many 
words  common  to  both,  without  the  one  be- 
ing derived  from  the  other.  Commerce  was 
frequent  between  the  Scoto-Milesians  and 
the  Britons  :  if  either  nation  was  rendered, 
from  subjection,  like  the  other,  it  was  the  lot  of 
Britain  at  that  time.  The  Scoto-Milesians 
held  over  them  a  superiojity  of  genius,  of 
riches,  and  of  arms,  as  a  celebrated  poet 
gives  at  present  to  the  English,  from  his  own 
authority.  They  frequently  brought  war  in- 
to their  country,  and  carried  away  prisoners  ; 
the  dreadful  devastations  which  were  com- 
mitted by  them,  according  to  Gildas  and 
Bede,  furnish  proofs  of  it.  The  Scoto-Mi- 
lesians were  at  that  time  a  free  people,  gov- 
erned by  their  own  laws,  while  the  Britons, 
Gauls,  and  Spaniards  were  slaves,  subject 
to  a  foreign  power,  and  forced  sometimes  to 
seek  an  asylum  in  Ireland,  to  rescue  them- 
selves from  the  tyranny  of  the  Romans.*  It 
is  known,  besides,  that  the  Firbolgs  and  the 
Firdomnians,  whose  language  was  perhaps 
a  dialect  of  the  Celtic,  had  a  contiimal  trade 
with  the  Scoto-Milesians,  who,  after  they 
had  conquered  the  island,  assigned  them 
some  lands  in  it.  Nothing  more  was  neces- 
sary to  cause  some  mixture  of  the  two  lan- 
guages, and  contribute  to  the  supposed  con- 
nection of  the  Scotic  -with  the  Bretonnic  or 
Gallic,  although  they  are  fundamentally  dif- 
ferent one  from  the  other. 

We  might  say,  that  from  the  same  cause 
the  Scotic  is  derived  from  the  Latin,  because 


*  '•  After  the  Romans  had  extended  their  empire 
over  almost  all  countries,  many  flocked  to  Ireland 
out  of  Spain,  Gaul,  and  Britain,  to  escape  from  the 
Roman  yoke." — Camd.  Brit.  p.  728. 


there  are  some  words  common  to  both  lan- 
guages, and  which  have  the  same  signifi- 
cation. We  discover  an  example  in  the 
numeral  nouns,  anon,  do,  tri,  ceathar,  and 
which  appear  the  same  as  unus,  duo,  tres, 
quatuor,  which  the  Latins  make  use  of  to 
express  numbers.  These  words  are  in  re- 
ality the  same,  and  differ  only  in  idiom.  On 
that  subject  I  have  two  replies,  which  are 
alike  unanswerable. 

First — Words  are  arbitrary  signs,  invented 
to  express  the  thoughts  and  communicate 
the  ideas.  These  signs  consist  in  a  combi- 
nation of  letters,  or  of  syllables,  and  which 
may  be  found  the  same  in  different  idioms. 

Second — The  Scotic  language  being  more 
ancient  than  the  Latin,  why  should  we  sup- 
pose that  it  has  taken  from  the  Latin  some 
of  its  words,  rather  than  think  the  contrary  ? 
The  trade  which  the  Scoto-Milesians  had 
with  the  Romans  from  the  beginning  of 
Christianity,  the  veneration  in  which  they 
held  their  apostle  and  every  thing  that  came 
from  him,  even  the  language  in  which  he 
had  instructed  them,  could  not  these  make 
us  think  that  they  might  have  adopted  some 
Latin  words,  and  have,  imperceptibly,  for- 
gotten their  old  ones,  without  the  two  lan- 
guages having,  on  that  account,  any  affinity 
between  them  ? 

The  learned,  who  have  undertaken  the 
task  of  fathoming  and  examining  the  nature 
and  difference  of  languages,  have  always 
put  in  the  number  of  the  mother  tongues  of 
Europe,  the  Scotic,  and  the  Bretonnic,  be- 
tween which  there  has  been  no  analogy.* 

Joseph  Scaliger  counts  eleven  mother 
tongues  in  Europe  ;  the  Latin,  Greek,  Teu- 
tonic, Sclavonic,  Epirotic,  Tartarian,  Hun- 
garian, Finlandish,  Irish,  Welsh,  and  the 
Biscayan  or  Cantabrian.  The  number  of 
the  mother  languages  in  Europe,  of  the  least 
extent,  says  Nicholas  Sanson,!  is  better 
known  to  us  than  of  the  other  parts  of  the 
world,  and  may  be  reduced  to  six,  viz.,  the 
Irish,  Finlandish,  the  Bretonnic  or  Welsh, 
the  Biscayan,  Hungarian,  and  Albanian. 
The  Irish  language  (continues  he)  is,  be- 
sides in  Ireland,  still  spoken  in  the  north  of 
Scotland.  The  Finlandish  is  used  in  Scan- 
dinavia, which  comprises  Finland  and  Lap- 
land. The  Bretonnic,  which  is  the  lan- 
guage of  Lower  Brittany,  in  France,  is  like- 
wise called  Welsh,  being  the  native  language 
of  Wales,  a  province  of  England.  The 
Biscayan  comprises  Lower  Navarre,  with 
Labour,  in  France,  and  Biscay,  in  Spain. 

*  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  3. 

t  Introd.  a,  la  Geograph.  2  part,  livre  3,  chap.  5, 
des  Langues. 


THE    SCOTO-MILESIANS. 


The  Hungarian  is  the  language  of  Hungary 
and  Transylvania,  which  countries  belong 
to  Turkey  in  Europe,  and  the  Albanian  is 
thus  named  from  Albania,  a  country  also  of 
Turkey  in  Europe. 

To  refuse  to  a  nation  the  use  of  letters, 
displays  a  wish  for  sapping  the  foundation 
of  its  history,  and  depriving  it  of  the  means 
of  transmitting  its  tradition  to  posterity.  It 
is  possible  that  some  facts  of  history  have 
been  preserved  by  oral  tradition,  as  it  is  said 
the  works  of  Homer  had  been,  during  many 
ages,  preserved  by  the  memory  alone  ;  but 
such  tradition,  without  the  aid  of  letters, 
must  be  very  imperfect. 

Bollandus  was  the  first  who  refused  to  the 
Milesians  the  advantage  of  characters.  He 
says,  that,  like  the  Germans,  the  Pagan 
Irish  had  not,  before  the  time  of  St.  Patiick, 
the  use  of  letters,  nor  any  method  of  pre- 
serving upon  paper  or  other  matter,  the 
memory  of  their  deeds  ;  that  among  all  the 
liberal  arts,  they  knew  but  a  sort  of  rhyming 
poetry,  which  was  in  great  esteem  with 
them,  and  served  instead  of  memoirs  and 
annals  :  and  that  St.  Patrick,who  was  versed 
in  Roman  literature,  was  the  first  that  in- 
troduced among  them  the  use  of  letters. 

It  appears  that  Bollandus,  an  enlightened 
man  in  other  respects,  has  not  sufficiently 
examined  this  criticism.  His  error  has  arisen 
from  a  false  deduction,  drawn  from  what  he 
had  read  in  Nennius,  Colgan,  Ward,  and 
others,  concerning  St.  Patrick.  These  authors 
say,  that  the  saint  had  given  the  "abjectoria," 
or,  as  Nennius  has  it,  the  "  abjectoria,"  that 
is  to  say,  the  alphabet,  to  those  whom  he 
had  converted.  The  Roman  characters  were, 
in  fact,  not  known  to  the  Milesians  before 
the  time  of  St.  Patrick  ;  but  this  truly  apos- 
tolical man,  wishing  to  strengthen  the  new 
converts  in  the  faith,  by  reading  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  and  to  render  that  infant  church 
conformable  to  the  universal  one,  in  the 
rites  and  manner  of  celebrating  the  divine 
mysteries,  and  in  the  use  of  other  writings 
of  the  church,  took  the  opportunity  of  giving 
them  the  Roman  characters,  that  they  might 
be  able  to  learn  that  tongue  ;  and  the  trans- 
lation of  these  works  from  the  Latin  into  the 
Scotic  language  would  have  been  difficult  for 
a  man  that  had  not  been  perfectly  instructed 
in  the  latter.  But  these  authors,  in  speaking 
of  the  Roman  letters,  do  not  take  from  the 
Milesians  all  kinds  of  characters  ;  on  the 
contrary,  they  suppose  that  they  possessed 
such  as  were  suited  to  tHeir  language ; 
whereas,  in  the  same  chapter  in  which  Colgan 
says  that  St.  Patrick  had  given  to  Fiech, 
one  of  his  disciples,  the  alphabet,  written 


with  his  own  hand,  he  adds  that  this  same 
Fiech  was  sent  some  time  before  into  Con- 
naught  by  Dubtach,  whose  disciple  he  was, 
to  present  some  poems  of  his  own  compo- 
sition, in  the  Scotic  language,  to  the  princes 
of  that  province.  He  also  speaks  of  a  hymn 
in  that  tongue,  which  Fiech  had  composed 
in  honor  of  St.  Patrick.  Lastly,  that  Fiech 
had  made  so  great  a  progress  in  the  Roman 
language,  that  in  less  than  fifteen  days  he 
knew  the  entire  psalm  book,  which  coidd 
never  be  possible  wimout  a  previous  know- 
ledge of  other  characters.  Ward*  tells  us, 
that  Benignus,  a  disciple  of  St.  Patrick,  and 
his  successor  in  the  see  of  Armagh,  had 
written  a  book,  partly  in  Latin  and  partly 
Irish,  on  the  virtues  and  miracles  of  that 
saint,  and  that  Jocelyn  made  use  of  it  in 
writing  his  life.  If  letters  had  been  unknown 
to  the  Scoto-Milesians  before  that  time,  as 
Bollandus  asserts,  how  could  Fiech  and 
Benignus  have  been  able,  says  Harris,  to 
write  so  elegantly  and  poetically  in  that 
language,  and  make  use  of  characters  that 
were  not  till  then  known  to  them  ?  I 

Caesar,  Pliny,  and  some  other  authors,  in 
speaking  of  the  druids,  inform  us,  that  they 
were  learned ;  that  they  knew  theology, 
philosophy,  and  other  sciences ;  and  that 
those  of  Gaul  wha  wished  to  attain  perfec- 
tion in  the  knowledge  of  their  mysteries, 
went  into  Britain  to  be  instructed  in  them. 
Caesar  says,  that  they  did  not  commit  their 
mysteries  to  writing,  but  that  in  all  other 
affairs,  whether  public  or  private,  they  made 
use  of  Greek  characters.! 

It  is  certain  that  their  order  was  estab- 
lished in  Hibernia,  in  the  time  of  Caesar,  of 
which  Ware  bears  testimony  .J  It  is  also 
certain  that  the  druids  of  Hibernia  were 
connected  with  those  of  Britain,  and  that 
they  enjoyed  the  same  advantages  in  the 
sciences,  letters,  and  in  every  other  thing. , 

The  characters  made  use  of  by  the  Mi- 
lesians, long  before  St.  Patrick,  are  herein 
subjoined.  It  is  only  necessary  to  discover 
whether  they  were  Greek  or  Phoenician ; 
that,  however,  shall  be  examined  in  course. 
But  what  need  for  resorting  to  authority  ? 
A  moderate  idea  of  the  elements  of  the  Scotic 
language,  of  the  figure,  order,  and  the 
number  of  its  characters,  also  the  mysterious 
manner  which  the  ancient  Milesians  made 


*  Wardeus,  Vit.  Rumoldi,  p.  317. 

t  "  They  were  said  to  learn,  there,  a  great  num- 
ber of  verses.  Neither  do  they  consider  it  lawful 
to  commit  their  mysteries  to  writing,  though  in  al- 
most  all  public  and  private  affairs  they  make  use 
of  the  Greek  letters." — Casar  in  his  Gallic  Wars. 

I   Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  5. 


40 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


use  of  in  writinjT,  will  be  sufTicicnt  to  prove 
llicir  anliciuity,  and  the  peculiarity  of  these 
characters.  Those  ancient  characters  are, 
in  their  figure,  different  from  the  other  lan- 
guages of  Europe.  The  alphabet  of  the 
Greeks,  and  the  abecedarium  of  the  Latins, 
sufficiently  point  out  the  order  of  their  letters 
by  their  initials— A.  B.  of  the  Greek  tongue, 
aiul  A.  B.  C.  of  the  Latin.  In  like  manner, 
the  Bobelloth,  or  Beith-Luis-Nion  of  the 
Milesians,  express  the  order  of  their  letters 
by  their  initials,  B.  L.,  or  B.  L.  N.  The 
alphabet  of  the  Milesans  has  this  in  common 
with  the  Hebrew,  that,  in  both  languages, 
the  name  of  the  letter  is  a  substantive.  For 
example,  in  the  Hebrew,  "  Aleph"  signifies 
guide,  or  conductor  ;  "  Beth,"  a  house,  &c. 
Thus  in  the  Milesian,  "  Beth"  is  the  name 
of  the  birch  tree,  "  Luis"  signifies  the  wild 
ash,  and  "  Nion"  the  true  ash.  There  is 
this  difference,  however,  that  the  Hebrew 
letters  derive  their  names  from  all  kinds  of 
various  objects,  whereas  those  of  the  Mile- 
sians represent  only  different  names  of  trees  ; 
because  the  druids,  who  were  the  wise  men 
of  ancient  times,  and  who  lived  in  the  woods, 
thought  they  acted  conformably  with  nature 
in  giving  to  their  characters  such  names  as 
might  be  retained,  in  order  to  impress  their 
disciples  with  the  ideas  they  wished  to  in- 
spire. We  must  remark  here,  that  in  the 
Beith-Luis-Nion,  or  alphabet  of  the  Milesian 
language,  the  N.,  at  present  the  fifth  letter, 
was  the  third  in  ancient  times  :  it  is  also  to 
be  observed,  that  the  characters  such  as  are 
here  represented,  have  greatly  degenerated, 
and  are  no  longer  what  they  had  been  in 
the  times  of  paganism,  and  in  the  first  ages 
of  Christianity.* 


BEITH-LUIS-NION 


ALPHABET. 

Irish,         Latin,  English. 

1  B  b  Beithe,  Betulla,  Birch. 

.2  L  ^   Luis,      Ornus,  Wild  Ash. 

3  F  Y  Fearn,    Alnus,  Alder. 

4  8$  Suil,       Salix,  Willow. 

5  N  Kl  Nion,     Fraxinus,       Ash. 

6  H  V)   Huath,   Oxiacanthus,  White  thorn. 

7  D  O  Duir,      Ilex,  Oak. 

8  T  G  Timne,  Not  explained. 


*  Ogyg-  part  3.  cap.  30. 


9  C  C    Coll,  Corylus,         Hazel. 

10  M215  Muin,       Vitis,  Vine. 

1 1  G  3  Gort,         Hedera,  Ivy. 

12  P  P  Peth-boc,iVo^  explained. 

13  II  ]1  Puis,         Sambucus,      Elder. 

14  A  "^  Ailm,        Abies,  Fir  Tree. 

15  0  (^  Onn,         Genista,  Broom, 

16  U  ir  Ur,  Erix,  or  Erica,Heath, 

17  E  ^   Egdhadh,Tremula,         Aspen, 

18  I     J    Idho,        Taxus,  Yew. 

Besides  these  simplecharacters,  there  are 
some  diphthongs  and  unnecessary  conso- 
nants, erased  from  the  modem  alphabet ;  if 
the  h  also,  which  is  but  an  aspirate,  be  taken 
away,  the  alphabet  will  consist  of  but  seven- 
teen letters. 

This  order  has  been  changed  a  few  cen- 
turies ago,  and  in  the  Beith-Luis-Nion,which 
is  at  present  used,  the  letters  are  arranged 
as  in  the  Latin  alphabet.  Before  the  inven- 
tion of  parchment,  the  Milesians  made  use 
of  birchen  boards,  on  which  they  engraved 
their  characters  with  a  style  or  punch  :  they 
were  called  in  the  Irish  language  "  Orauin," 
or  "  Taibhle  Fileadh,"  that  is,  philosophical 
tablets.  Their  characters  were  also  called 
by  the  ancients,  "  Feadha,"*  that  is,  wood. 
Other  people,  as  well  as  the  Milesians,  had 
the  custom  of  engraving  their  letters  on 
wood.  It  is  that  to  which  Horace  alluded, 
in  saying  "  leges  incidere  ligno  ;"  and  the 
prophet  Isaiah,t  "  scribe  super  buxum :" 
from  this  is  derived  the  word  codex,  which 
signifies  book,  from  caudex,  the  trunk  of  a 
tree. 

Besides  the  characters  which  were  in  com- 
mon use,  the  Milesians  had  a  mysterious  man- 
ner of  writing,  which  was  called  "  Oghum- 
crev,"  and  "  Oghum-coll,"  that  is  to  say,  a 
writing  which  represented  the  branches  of 
trees,  particularly  the  hazel.  "  I  have,"  says 
Ware,  "  a  book  of  parchment  filled  with 
this  kind  of  characters."!  Such  mysterious 
writing  was  permitted  to  be  used  only  by  the 
druids,  and  some  antiquarians,  who  made 
use  of  it  for  the  purpose  of  transmitting  to 
posterity  certain  tilings  which  they  wished 
to  conceal  from  the  knowledge  of  the  people. 
This  mystery  in  their  writings  consisted  in 
the  position  or  situation  of  certain  lines  or 


*  Kenned.  Preface,  p.  28. 

+  Cliap.  30.  V.  8. 

t  "  Besides  the  common  characters  which  the 
ancient  Irish  made  use  of,  there  were  secret  or  arti- 
ficial forms  for  committing  their  mj'sterics  to  writing, 
which  they  called  Oghum:  I  have  a  little  book  of 
parchment  filled  with  them." — Ware's  Antiquities, 


THE    SCOTO-MILESIANS. 


41 


figures  in  relation  to  the  principal  one  ;  the 
following  Avill  serve  as  an  example  of  it. 

Mi.  o.  ^ 

T.II.IIIJIIIJIlll.    rntni.^  r 


> 


m^ 


3i,.G/u.  e. 

mm 


X     .3^. 


Zi,- 


,oz. 


^£-^ 


A  little  reflection  on  the  Beith-Luis-Nion, 
and  the  Oghum  of  the  Scotic  language, 
which  has  been  explained,  will  suffice  to 
confound  Bollandus.  A  language,  and  conse- 
quently the  elements  of  it,  are  either  original, 
or  derived  from  some  other  which  has  served 
as  a  model  to  it.  Let  Bollandus  show  us 
this  other  language  from  which  the  Scotic  is 
derived,  and  upon  what  model  its  characters 
have  been  formed.  We  challenge  him  to  do 
it :  let  him  inform  us  at  what  time  and  by 
whom,  the  Beith-Luis-Nion,  composed  of  a 
number  of  letters  different  in  their  figure 
and  order  from  those  of  other  alphabets  that 
are  known,  and  the  Oghum,  which  is  a 
mysterious  manner  of  writing,  and  unknown 
in  the  other  languages  of  Europe,  Avere  in- 
troduced into  Ireland  ?  According  to  his 
system,  it  was  not  before  the  conversion  of 
Ireland,  whereas  the  Scoto-Milesians  (as  he 
avers)  had  not  the  use  of  characters  :  if 
introduced  since  that  period,  let  him  tell  us 
by  whom  that  manner  of  writing  was  intro- 
duced, and  for  what  purpose  ?  And  as  they 
had  already  received  from  St.  Patrick  the 
Roman  letters,  much  more  easy,  why  did 
they  adopt  others  ?  Why  did  they  take  away 
from  the  Roman  alphabet  five  or  six  letters  ? 
That  is  what  he  cannot  explain,  because,  as 
Harris  says,  no  alphabet  can  be  found  after 
the  most  rigorous  research,  not  even  the 
Runic,  whose  elements  resemble,  in  figure 
and  order,  those  of  the  Beith-Luis-Nion,  or 
the  Oghum.  The  great  number  of  authors 
whose  works  were  written  in  the  Scotic  lan- 
guage before  Christianity,  is  an  unanswera- 
ble proof  against  the  assertions  of  Bollandus. 
Keating  on  the  reign  of  Laogare  II.,  and 
Gratianus  Lucius,  in  the  20th  chapter  of  his 
"  Cambrensis  Eversus,"  quote  many  of  them. 
The  first  is  Amergin,  brother  of  Heber  and 
Heremon,  who  was  poet  and  supreme  judge 
of  the  colony,*  in  the  beginning  of  its  estab- 

*  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  30. 


lishment  in   Hibemia.     O'Flaherty  quotes 
the  following  hemistich  as  a  remnant  of  his 
poetry  :* 
"Eagna  la  heagluis  adir;  agus  fealtha  laflaithibh." 

Which  he  thus  renders  into  Latin  :  "  Aris 
prajpositus  fit  doctior,  aptior  armis." 

Ethrial  Maclrial  Faidh,  that  is,t  Ethrial 
son  of  Irial  the  prophet,  monarch  of  Ireland, 
had  written,  according  to  Keating,  the  his- 
tory of  the  voyages  and  migrations  of  the 
Milesians  up  to  his  time  ;  besides  a  great 
number  of  tracts  on  various  subjects,  viz., 
history,  the  genealogies  of  families,  medi- 
cine, philosophy,  the  laws,  &c.  O'Flaherty 
mentions  three  celebrated  poets  under  Con- 
chovar,  who  began  to  reign  in  Ulster  some 
years  before  the  birth  of  our  Saviour.  These 
poets,  whose  names  are,  Forchern  Mac- 
Deagh,  Neidhe  MacAidhna,  and  Aithirne 
MacAmhnas,  composed  many  works  upon 
poetry  and  the  laws  ;  they  were  likewise  the 
authors  of  precepts,  or  celestial  judgments, 
which  O'Flaherty  calls  "  juditia  coelestia." 
All  these  were  revised,  enlarged,  and  pub- 
lished by  Kenfolae  MacOlill,  antiquarian, 
in  the  seventh  century,  under  the  reign  of 
Donald  the  Second. | 

Jocelyn,  in  his  panegyrics  on  Dubthach 
O'Lugair,^  a  celebrated  poet,  who  was  con- 
verted by  St.  Patrick, II  says,  that  "  the  tal- 
ents he  had  used  before  his  conversion,  to 
celebrate  the  praises  of  the  false  gods,  were 
afterwards  applied  by  him  to  praise  the 
true  God  and  his  saints. "T[  The  characters 
which  he  made  use  of  were  the  Scotic, 
because  he  had  then  known  no  other.  A 
treatise  on  the  "  Education  of  a  Prince," 
written  by  Cormac  Ulfada,  monarch  of 
Ireland  in  the  third  century,  addressed  to 
his  son  Cairbre  Liffeachair,  may  be  added 
to  the  above.  This  tract  was  found  in  a 
collection  of  ancient  monuments  by  O'Duve- 
gan.  O'Flaherty,  in  fine,  assures  us,  upon  the 
authority  of  Dualdus  Firbissius,^n  ancient 
antiquarian,  that  in  the  time  of  St.  Patrick, 
one  hundred  and  eighty  volumes  concerning 
the  doctrine  and  discipline  of  the  druids 
were  condemned  and  burned.** 

The  epoch  of  the  use  of  letters  among 


*  Anno  Mundi  2292.       t  Anno  Mundi  3025. 

\  War.  de  Script,  cap.  1. 

§  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  30. 

II   Harris,  vol.  2,  cap.  3. 

IT  "  The  verses  which  he  had  formerly  composed 
in  praise  of  his  false  gods,  now  changing  to  a  better 
purpose  his  thoughts  and  language,  he  composed 
more  renowned  poems  and  sermons  in  praise  of  the 
omnipotent  God  and  of  his  saints.'' — Jocelin  in  his 
Life  of  St.  Patrick. 

**  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  30,  p.  219. 


42 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


the  Scoto-Milosians  may  be  placed  about 
the  time  of  their  passiiijr  ironi  Spain  into 
Irohmd.  All  civc-iinistauccs  arc  favorable  to 
this  opinion  :  the  only  difficulty  is  to  know 
from  whom  they  had  received  them,  whether 
from  the  Pluenicians,  or  from  the  Greeks. 

"  The  druids,"  says  Caesar,  "  never  com- 
mitted their  mysteries  to  writing,  except  in 
their  public  acts,  in  which  they  made  use 
of  Greek  characters."  This  gave  rise  to  a 
belief,  that  the  ancient  Britons  and  the  Mile- 
sians had  borrowed  the  cliaractcrs  of  the 
Greeks,  through  the  channel  of  the  druids, 
which  supposes  a  commerce  to  have  been 
between  the  Greeks  and  the  islands  of  Bri- 
tain. Saint  Jerome,  indeed,  in  accordance 
with  ancient  authors,  informs  us  that  the 
Greeks  had  spread  themselves  over  the 
whole  of  Europe,  along  the  coasts  and 
neighboring  countries,  as  far  as  the  British 
isles.  But  we  must  understand  that  Saint 
Jerome,  and  the  authors  whom  he  follows, 
allude  to  the  ancient  Greeks.  Herodotus 
tells  us  that  those  parts  of  Europe  were  not 
known  to  the  modern  Greeks.  Polybius, 
who  lived  after  him,  says,  that  neither  the 
Greeks  nor  Romans  were  acquainted  with 
the  islands  of  Britain.  Dion  of  Nice  assures 
us  that  in  the  third  century  it  was  doubted 
if  they  were  not  a  continent.  We  cannot 
attribute  the  commerce  alluded  to  to  the 
modern  Greeks,  who,  being  exhausted  by 
long  wars,  were  more  like  subjects  than  al- 
lies to  the  Romans,  and  unable  therefore  to 
attempt  such  enterprises.  Thus  if  we  wish 
to  believe  that  there  had  been  a  commerce 
between  the  Greeks  and  the  islands  of  Bri- 
tain, we  must  ascend  to  much  earlier  periods, 
viz.,  to  the  times  of  the  most  ancient  Greeks, 
as  Camden  calls  them,  "  Graeci  vetustissi- 
mi,"*  who  frequented,  he  says,whether  in  the 
character  of  pirates,  or  as  traders,  the  islands 
of  Britain.  It  is  not  certain,  however,  that  the 
Greeks  ever  had  an  established  or  regular 
trade  with  the  islands  of  Britain.  It  might  be, 
that  chance  had  driven  some  of  their  vessels 
thither,  as  it  did  the  fleet  of  the  Argonauts, 
which  is  supported  by  the  assumed  authority 
of  Adrianus  Junius  ;  or  it  might  be,  that  a 
storm  had  cast  upon  the  coast  of  the  country 
some  merchant-ships.  But  if  the  Greeks 
were  at  any  time  masters  of  the  above  island, 
or  traded  thither,  can  it  be  imagined  that 
they  would  have  been  so  ignorant  of  them 
in  the  time  of  Herodotus  ?  Or  if  they  had 
been  established  there  at  a  later  period,  how 
could  they  have  doubted,  as  Dion  of  Nice 
says,  whether  they  were  a  continent  or  not  ? 

*  Brit.  p.  20. 


As  to  the  druids,  it  is  not  proved  that  they 
had  come  from  Greece.  It  maybe  thought, 
for  sake  of  argument,  that  they  had  received 
their  characters  from  the  Phocians,  the  first 
Greek  colony  that  settled  at  Marseilles,  about 
six  hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era. 
However,  a  difficulty  still  remains  ;  the  cere- 
monies of  the  druids,  and  the  care  they  took 
to  conceal  their  mysteries,  would  appear  to 
have  a  greater  reference  to  the  ceremonies 
and  hieroglyphics  of  the  ancient  Egyptian 
priests,  than  to  those  of  the  Greeks.  Thus 
nothing  prevents  us  to  imagine  that  the  first 
druids  came  from  Egypt  into  Spain,  with 
the  Gadelians,  and  that  they  followed  the 
Milesians  into  Ireland,  from  whence  they 
spread  themselves  subsequently  into  Bri- 
tain, Gaul,  and  other  countries  of  Europe. 

The  opinion  of  those  who  think  that  the 
Milesians  had  received  their  characters  im- 
mediately from  the  Phoenicians,  appears 
more  like  the  truth,  on  account  of  the  trade 
those  people  had  together,  either  in  Spain 
or  Ireland.  The  analogy  which  Caesar 
discovers  between  the  characters  of  the 
druids  and  those  of  the  Greeks,  does  not 
at  all  affect  this  opinion  ;  as,  being  derived 
from  the  same  source,  they  must  be  ex- 
tremely alike. 

We  know  that  the  Phoenicians  were  mas- 
ters of  almost  all  the  nations  of  Europe,  but 
particularly  of  Asia  Minor,  Greece,  and  the 
nations  bordering  on  the  Mediterranean. 
They  sailed,  said  Newton,  in  the  times  of 
David  and  Solomon,*  upon  the  Mediterra- 
nean Sea  as  far  as  Spain,  and  beyond  it ; 
they  introduced  everywhere  the  sciences, 
particularly  navigation,  astronomy,  and  let- 
ters ;  and  the  coasts  of  Ireland,  says  Ware, 
after  Bochart,  were  known  to  them.f  The 
Spanish  origin  which  ancient  authors  give 
to  the  Scoto-Milesians,  and  the  epoch  of 
their  passing  from  Spain  into  Ireland,  being 
compared  with  these  circumstances,  are  a 
strong  indication  that  letters  were  in  very 
early  use  among  this  people,  and  support 
firmly  the  opinion  of  those  who  think  that 
they  had  received  them  rather  from  the 
Phoenicians  than  from  the  Greeks.  The 
use,  therefore,  of  letters,  added  to  a  taste  for 
history,  and  the  necessity  of  preserving  the 
genealogies  in  all  their  purity,  to  regulate  the 
succession  to  the  throne,  afford  a  strong  pre- 
sumption that  history  prevailed  among  them. 

The  Scoto-Milesians  had,  like  the  Jews, 
powerful  motives  to  influence  them  to  pre- 
serve their  history,  and  the  genealogies 
of  their  chief  families.     The  means  which 

*  Chron.  p.  12.  -     +  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  1. 


THE    SCOTO-MILESIANS. 


43 


they  made  use  of  in  handing  down  their 
traditions,  bespeak  a  nation  equally  lettered 
and  polished.  By  a  fundamental  law  of 
state,  it  was  necessary  to  be  of  the  house  of 
Milesius  to  possess  the  throne,  the  sover- 
eignty of  the  provinces,  or  to  fill  high  military 
posts,  or  the  magistracy.  The  interests  of 
the  princes  and  of  the  people,  respectively, 
required  them  to  take  measures  to  prevent 
deception ;  very  wise  laws  were  enacted  in 
regard  to  those  rights.  011am  Fodla,  who 
reigned  about  three  centuries  after  the 
establishment  of  the  colony  in  Ireland, 
founded  the  triennial  assembly  at  Tara  :  he 
created  the  offices  of  antiquaries  in  the 
different  provinces,  to  watch  over  and  pre- 
serve the  exploits  of  their  heroes,  and  the 
genealogies  of  families.  He  ordained  that 
the  genealogical  and  historical  records  of 
those  antiquarians  should  be  examined  in 
the  triennial  assembly,  by  commissioners 
appointed  for  that  purpose ;  he  decreed  heavy 
penalties  against  those  who  might  be  discov- 
ered to  prevaricate  in  the  discharge  of  their 
duty.  Lastly,  he  enacted  that  copies  of  such 
private  registries  as  were  thus  examined 
and  made  pure,  should  be  inserted  in  the 
great  book  or  registry,  since  called  the 
"  Psalter  of  Tara,"  which  was  written  in 
verse,  after  the  manner  of  the  ancient  Arabs. 
This  regulation  was  frequently  renewed 
and  confirmed  by  other  princes  ;  and  that 
assembly  was  continued  up  to  the  time  of 
Christianity. 

Besides  those  registries,  we  have,  since 
the  time  of  paganism,  the  "  Black  Book," 
and  that  of  "  Conquests,"  the  whole  of  which 
is  given  in  the  "  Psalter  of  Cashel,"  and  in 
other  modern  works.  Cairbre  Liffeachair, 
monarch  in  the  third  century,  composed  the 
"  History  of  the  Kings,"  his  predecessors,  a 
copy  of  which  had  been  preserved  until  the 
last  century,  in  the  abbey  of  Icolm-kill ;  and 
Sir  George  M'Kenzie,  in  his  "  Defence  of 
the  Royal  Line  of  Scotland,"  speaks  of 
having  seen  it. 

Since  the  time  of  Christianity,  we  have 
the  book  called  "Na-Gceart,"  written  half 
in  Irish,  and  half  Latin,  by  Saint  Benignus, 
disciple  of  Saint  Patrick.  The  psalter  called 
"  Na-Rann,"  those  of  Cashel,  Armagh, 
Cluan-Mac-Noisk,  Cluan-Aigneach,  and  of 
Gravala ;  the  books  of  Fiontan  of  Leix, 
Glandaloch,  Roscrea,  and  Kilkenny.  The 
"  Martyrology"ofMarianus  Gorman,  written 
in  the  eleventh  century,  besides  many  ancient 
Irish  manuscripts,  of  Cluan-Mac-Noisk, 
translated  into  English  in  1627,  by  Conall 
Mac-Geoghegan.* 

*  Ogyg-  Epist.  p.  10. 


The  annals  of  Ulster,  named  "  Ultoni- 
enses,"  by  Usher,  written  partly  in  Irish, 
and  partly  in  Latin,  and  finished  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  by  Roderick  Cassidy, 
archdeacon  of  Clogher,*  who  had  written 
the  last  part  of  it. 

The  annals  of  Tigernach,  of  Cluan-Mac- 
Noisk,  written  in  the  Irish  language  and 
characters,  in  the  eleventh  century. 

The  annals  of  Innisfail,  written  in  the 
thirteenth  century,  and  the  Synchronisms  of 
Flannus  a  Monasterio.  The  greatest  part  of 
these  writings  are  still  entire.  We  discover 
other  extracts  scattered  in  the  writings  of 
Lecan,  and  those  of  Molaga,  Mholing, 
O'Duvegan,  Mac-Egan,  Moel  Conrj^,  O'Bro- 
deen,  O'Dorau,  O'Duneen,  &c. 

All  these  authors  have  written  one  after 
the  other ;  they  have  transmitted  age  after 
age,  and  as  if  from  hand  to  hand,  the  thread 
of  the  history  of  the  Milesians,  from  the 
beginning.  Scarcely  an  age  passes  without 
some  v/ho  write  the  history  of  every  country. 
The  last  historians,  if  general,  always  renew 
and  relate,  besides  the  present,  whatever 
might  be  contained  in  the  ancient  monuments 
of  a  country ;  so  that,  should  the  original 
ones  be  lost,  or  consumed  by  time,  their  sub- 
stance is  still  preserved  in  modern  works. 

The  reality  of  the  monuments  of  the  Mile- 
sians cannot  be  doubted ;  they  are  quoted 
by  authors  that  are  well  known  and  inca- 
pable of  imposing  them  by  substituting  chi- 
meras for  the  true  ones.  Keating,  Colgan, 
Gratianus  Lucius,  Walsh,  O'Flaherty,  Ken- 
nedy, and  others,  quote  them  in  every  page. 
Usher  speaks  of  the  annals  of  Tigernach, 
and  of  those  which  he  calls  "  Ultonienses."t 
Ware  quotes  the  psalter  named  "  Narran," 
written  in  the  eighth  century,  half  Irish  and 
half  Latin,  by  Aongus  Kelide,  or  Colideus.| 
He  praises  the  "  Psalter  of  Cashel,  and  its 
author,  Cormac-Mac-Cullinan,  bishop  of 
Cashel,  and  king  of  the  province  of  Munster, 
in  the  beginning  of  the  tenth  century ;  he 
says,  that  this  book  is  highly  esteemed,  and 
that  its  author  was  both  learned  and  well 
versed  in  the  antiquities  of  his  country. ">^ 

Sir  George  MacKenzie,  a  Scotchman,  in 
the  advertisement  prefixed  to  his  "  Defence 
of  the  Royal  Line  of  Scotland,"  printed  at 
Edinburgh  in  1685,  speaks  of  some  Irish 
manuscripts  in  the  abbey  of  Icolm-kill,  which 

*  War.  de  Script.  Hib. 

t  Primord.  15  et  16,  passim. 

t  Og;yg.  part  3,  cap.  17  et  21.  ' 

§  "  He  was  a  man  most  learned  and  skilled  in 
the  antiquities  of  Ireland,  and  wrote  in  his  native 
language,  a  history  commonly  called  the  Psalter 
of  Cashel,  which  is  still  extant  and  held  in  high 
esteem." — Antiquities,  c.  2. 


44 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


he  speaks  of  having  seen.  The  following 
are  his  wonls : 

"  Since  I  have  commenced  this  work,  a 
very  ancient  manuscript  of  the  abbey  of 
Icolm-kill  has  fallen  into  my  hands  ;  it  was 
Avritten  by  Cairbre  Liffeachair,  who  lived 
six  generations  before  St.  Patrick,  and  about 
the  time  of  our  Saviour ;  an  exact  account 
is  given  in  it  of  Irish  kings,  from  whence  I 
infer,  that  as  the  Irish  had  manuscripts  at 
that  period,  we  must  certainly  have  possess- 
ed them  likewise."  There  are,  in  the  same 
book,  many  things  added  by  the  druids  of 
that  time.  "  I  have  seen,"  continues  Mac- 
Kenzie,  "  an  ancient  genealogy  of  the  kings 
of  the  Scots  in  Albania,  which  agrees  with 
what  has  been  said  in  our  history  on  the 
crowning  of  Alexander  II.,  and  which  is 
preserved  at  Icolm-kill  as  a  sacred  deposite. 
I  have,"  he  says,  "  likewise  seen  another 
ancient  manuscript,  which  sets  forth  that  the 
Dalreudini  of  Albania  have  been  established 
here  (in  Scotland)  six  generations  before 
Eire,  whom  Usher  calls  the  father  of  our 
kings.  From  the  same  manuscript  it  is 
discovered,  that  Angus  Tuirtheampher  had 
reigned  in  Ireland  five  hundred  years  before 
our  Feargus  I.,  and  that  after  his  time,  the 
Albanian  Scots  had  separated  from  those  in 
Ireland,  which  accords  with  our  histories, 
that  say  the  Scots  inhabited  this  country 
for  a  long  period  before  Feargus  established 
himself  in  it.  These  same  Irish  manuscripts 
agree  also  with  the  history  of  Cairbre, 
whereof  mention  is  made  above  :  these  are, 
in  fact,  the  additions  made  to  his  book  by 
our  ancient  senachies."  Such  is  the  formal 
and  positive  testimony  of  MacKenzie  in  sup- 
port of  ancient  Irish  manuscripts. 

The  annals  of  Ulster,  of  Tigernach,  of 
Innisfail,  which  are  mentioned  in  the  cata- 
logue of  English  and  Irish  manuscripts 
printed  at  Oxford,*  are  found,  with  many 

*  "  The  annals  of  Ulster  is  a  book  of  most  an- 
cient character,  and  has  been  written  partly  in 
Irish  and  partly  in  Latin,  but  in  the  Irish  charac- 
ters ;  it  commences  with  the  year  of  our  Lord  444, 
and  ends  a.  d.  1041,  in  which  Rodericus  Cassideus, 
archdeacon  of  Ciogher,  died ;  he  wrote  the  latter 
part  of  said  annals.'' — Vol.  2. 

'•  The  annals  of  Tigernachus  (according  to  Ware) 
Clonmacnaisensis,  are  mutilated  in  the  beginning. 
The  author  touches  on  universal  history  till  the 
coming  of  St.  Patrick ;  after  this  he  describes  the 
affairs  of  Ireland  till  the  year  of  our  Lord  1088, 
which  he  died  :  the  book  is  in  the  Irish  characters 
and  language." — Vol.  3. 

"  In  the  annals  of  the  monastery  of  Innisfail,  the 
author  lightly  touches  on  universal  history,  from  the 
creation  of  the  world  to  the  year  of  our  Lord  430. 
After  this  he  describes,  with  great  accuracy,  Irish 
affairs  to  the  year  of  our  Lord  1215,  in  which  he 
lived."— FoZ.  26. 


other  Irish  manuscripts,  in  the  cabinet  of 
the  Duke  of  Chandos,  in  England,  who  has 
had  them  since  the  death  of  the  Earl  of  Clar- 
ndon. 

The  late  king  of  England,  James  II.,  had 
a  large  manuscript  volume  in  folio,  called 
eavar  Lecan,  taken  from  the  library  of 
Trinity  College,  Dublin  ;  it  was  afterwards, 
by  order  of  the  prince,  who  had  an  act  passed 
before  notaries  for  the  purpose,  deposited  in 
the  archives  of  the  Irish  college  in  Paris, 
and  is  carefully  preserved.  The  style  of 
this  manuscript  is  so  concise,  and  the  words 
so  abridged,  that  it  is  difficult  to  find  any 
among  the  learned  in  that  language  able  to 
decipher  it.  The  translator  of  Keating's 
history  into  English,  printed  at  Dublin  in 
1723,  and  afterwards  in  London,  informs  us 
in  his  preface,  that  there  is  in  the  library  of 
Trinity  College,  in  the  same  city,  among 
other  monuments,  a  volume  in  folio,  written 
upon  parchment  many  centuries  ago  ;  that 
this  volume  contains  extracts  from  the 
Psalters  of  Tara,  Cashel,  Armagh,  and  other 
monuments  of  antiquity ;  and  in  order  to 
obtain  the  reading  of  it  for  six  months,  that 
he  had  been  obliged  to  give  security  to  the 
amount  of  one  thousand  pounds  sterling. 
Would  he  have  dared  to  publish  and  to  have 
printed  in  the  same  city  that  account,  and 
give  the  name  of  Doctor  Raymond,  during 
his  lifetime,  who  had  been,  he  says,  his  se- 
curity, if  he  feared  that  he  could  be  contra- 
dicted ?      That  is  not  probable. 

The  monuments  to  which  we  have  been 
alluding,  besides  many  others  preserved  in 
the  cabinets  of  some  lords  of  the  country, 
are  fragments  that  have  escaped  the  fury 
of  the  Danes ;  they  can  be  compared  to 
inscriptions  engraven  upon  columns  injured 
by  time,  which  are  at  present  useless  in  a 
country  where  the  language  is  in  its  decline. 
From  such  sources,  those  who  have  treated 
of  the  subject  within  the  two  last  centuries, 
have  been  supplied  :  when  the  language  was 
better  understood  than  at  present,  it  was 
then  possible  to  consult  these  monuments  ; 
but  those  opportunities  will  disappear  the 
more  as  time  advances. 

The  value  of  history  is  sustained  by  the 
materials  of  which  it  is  composed  ;  but  it  is 
not  in  the  writings  of  foreigners  that  these 
materials  should  be  looked  for ;  they  must 
be  taken  from  the  monuments  of  that  nation 
which  is  to  form  the  subject  of  the  history. 
The  Milesians  were  very  jealous  of  their 
antiquities  :  the  regulations  made  in  their 
assemblies  at  Tara,  for  the  purpose  of  pre- 
serving their  annals,  convince  us  easily  of 
this.     Although  their  monuments  be  written 


THE    SCOTO-MILESIANS. 


45 


in  a  language  which  is  strange  and  un- 
known to  the  other  nations  of  Europe,  that 
does  not  take  away  from  the  truth  of  the 
facts  which  are  contained  in  them. 

I  am  well  aware  that  there  are  some 
among  those  who  take  the  honorable  name 
of  Irishmen,  as  well  as  among  foreigners, 
who  seek  to  enfeeble  the  authority  of  the 
monuments  of  the  Irish.  Both  are  influ- 
enced by  different  motives,  but  their  attempts 
are  supported  by  negative  arguments,  and 
conjectures  drawn  from  doubtful  and  obscure 
principles. 

If  evidence  and  authority  are  essential  to 
support  historical  facts,*  they  are  not  less 
requisite,  when  the  question  to  subvert  them 
is  debated :  criticism  likewise,  when  two 
such  means  are  wanting,  will  fall  of  itself. 

Neither  are  mathematical  nor  legal  proofs 
necessary  to  maintain  historical  facts  :  moral 
ones  ought  to  suffice  :  reason  does  not  permit 
us  to  seek  but  what  are  merely  proportioned 
to  the  nature  of  the  subject.  The  certainty 
of  history  cannot  be  more  than  a  moral 
certainty,  founded  upon  the  tradition  of  a 
people,  upon  their  ancient  monuments,  upon 
grounds  that  are  probable,  or  upon  the 
testimony  of  men  who  are  worthy  of  belief. 
The  historians  even  of  our  time  have  never 
seen,  of  themselves,  the  one-thousandth  part 
of  what  they  relate.  We  must  presume  as 
much  upon  the  tradition  of  an  entire  people, 
as  upon  the  testimony  of  two  witnesses  in  a 
private  cause,  the  truth  of  which  is  founded 
only  upon  the  presumption  that  they  do  not 
perjure  themselves,  so  that  the  most  solid 
support  of  the  history  of  a  country  is  the 
general  opinion  of  its  inhabitants,  from  whom 
strangers  ought  to  derive  every  thing  that 
they  wish  to  know  concerning  them. 

Critics  think  that  they  are  competent  to 
judge  of  things  which  they  probably  have 
never  seen,  and  which  perhaps  they  would 
not  be  capable  of  understanding,  even  though 
they  should  see  them. 

The  first  class  of  critics,  as  above,  strive 
to  find  the  origin  of  the  Milesians  among 
the  Gauls,  and  by  dint  of  calculating  and 
combining  the  ideas  which  they  have  drawn 
from  the  writings  of  Caesar,  Strabo,  Tacitus, 
and  Ptolemy,  they  say,  that  Gaul,  so  fertile 
and  abounding  in  fruit,  was  not  less  so  in 
men ;  that  it  had  been,  from  time  to  time 

*  "  There  are  two  things,  viz.,  reason  and  au- 
thority,  which  tend  to  confirm  or  impugn  all  mat- 
ters :  but  in  the  study  of  antiquities,  authority  and 
the  knowledge  of  past  events  are  most  powerful 
and  are  supported,  not  on  account  of  reasons  addu- 
ced,  but  by  the  authority  of  writers." — Caind.  in  his 
epistle  on  the  Ogyg.  p.  6. 


obliged  to  send  some  colonies  into  the  neigh- 
boring countries,  and  of  course  into  Spain 
on  account  of  its  proximity,  and  that  the 
descendants  of  these  colonies  had  perhaps 
passed  subsequently  from  Spain  to  Ireland. 
We  see  that  this  mode  of  reasoning  is  found- 
ed upon  conjectures  only.  Criticism  affects, 
after  the  manner  of  Ptolemy,  to  discriminate 
and  divide  into  tribes  the  ancient  inhabit- 
ants of  Ireland,  under  the  names  of  Cauci, 
Menapii,  Brigantes,  Gangani,  Luceni,  &c., 
and  to  discover  the  origin  of  these  people  in 
the  different  countries  with  which  they  think 
those  names  had  reference  or  affinity.  The 
Cauci,  it  is  thought  by  critics,  were  from 
Germany,  the  Menapii  from  Belgic  Gaul, 
the  Brigantes  from  Great  Britain :  the  Gan- 
gani and  Luceni  are  represented  to  be  from 
Spain,  and  according  to  Camden  and  Silius 
Italicus  to  be  of  Scythian  origin. 

But  besides  Ptolemy's  not  being  able  to 
know  the  Milesians  at  a  time  when  com- 
merce was  rare  between  nations  that  were 
far  apart,  he  could  therefore  know  them  but 
through  the  imperfect  report  of  sailors,  who 
had  perhaps  scarcely  seen  the  coasts  of  the 
island.  We  know  that  the  Greeks  and  an- 
cient geographers  were  in  the  habit  of  cor- 
rupting, or  changing  altogether  the  proper 
names  of  countries,  nations,  and  even  of 
cities,  and  of  giving  new  names  to  them  ac- 
cording to  their  own  fancy.* 

The  several  nations  named  by  Ptolemy, 
are,  as  O'Flaherty  says,  strange  and  as  little 
known  to  the  Milesians,  as  the  most  distant 
parts  of  America  ;  "  so  that  it  is  astonishing," 
continues  he,  "  that  men  so  discerning  in 
other  things,  could  dwell  on  such  absurdi- 
ties, and  make,  in  foolish  conjectures,  a  dis- 
play of  their  ignorance  of  our  history. "f 

It  is  certain  that  the  ancient  monuments 
of  the  Milesians,  to  which  alone  we  should 
refer  in  every  matter  that  concerns  them, 
make  no  mention  of  such  a  mixture  of  people. 
They  inform  us  of  the  Milesians,  or  of  the 
Scots,  as  the  only  possessors  of  the  island, 
many  centuries  before  Jesus  Christ,  and  that 
they  were  of  Scythian  origin.  Is  there  any 
thing  in  that  impossible  or  extraordinary  1 
What  could  be  their  motive  for  imposing 
upon  the  world  a  desire  of  being  descended 
from  a  barbarous  nation,  and  so  distant  as 


*  Joseph.  lib.  1.  cont.  Appian.  Camd.  Brit, 
p.  17. 

t  "  Great  surprise  seizes  me,  that  men  otherwise 
most  sagacious,  should  make  such  follies  of  great 
moment,  when  laboring  to  develop  them  :  they  have 
sacrificed  their  time,  and,  during  these  foolish  and 
prophetic  eiForts,  betrayed  their  ignorance  of  our 
affairs." — Ogyg.  part  1.  p.  16. 


46 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


that   of    Scythia,    rather   than    from 


neighboring    nations 


Would    it   not   be 


eiinally  glorious  for  them  to  have  had  their 
origin  from  Gaul,  or  any  other  nation  on 
the  continent?  Certainly  it  would.  But 
it  is  more  fit  that  ehildven  should  follow  the 
traditions  and  writings  that  they  have  re- 
ceived from  their  fathers,  rather  than  attach 
themselves  to  conjectures  which  are  desti- 
tute of  proofs. 

As  to  those  who  pretend  that  the  Milesians 
had  the  use  of  characters  before  St.  Patrick, 
what  has  been  explained  concerning  the  lan- 
guage and  characters  of  that  people  should 
satisfy  them. 

The  use  of  letters  among  a  people  pre- 
supposes polished  manners  and  cultivated 
minds  :  it  cannot  (say  the  critics)  be  ima- 
gined, that  such  qualities  could  belong  to  the 
Milesians,  whom  Strabo,  Pomponius  Mela, 
and  other  ancient  authors  represent  to  have 
been  ferocious,  rude,  and  barbarous  before 
Christianity. 

The  Romans,  who  never  had  been  masters 
of  Ireland,*  had  not  therefore  the  opportu- 
nity of  being  judges  of  the  morals  of  its  in- 
habitants. 

Polybius,  more  ancient,  by  two  centuries, 
than  Strabo,  assures  us,  that  the  British  isles 
were  scarcely  known,  and  that  every  thing 
which  could  be  said  of  them,  was  but  the 
effect  of  the  imagination.! 

Dion  of  Nice  agrees,  that  in  his  time  it 
was  still  doubted  if  they  were  islands  or  a 
continent.  In  the  first  century  also,  Agricola 
was  ignorant  whether  Britain  was  an  island, 
until  he  had  sailed  round  the  Orkneys  with 
his  fleet.  By  this  it  appears,  that  in  the 
time  of  Strabo,  who  lived  in  the  first  century, 
Ireland  was  not  known  to  the  Romans,|  and, 
as  Nicholson  in  his  Irish  Library  asserts, 
those  authors,  not  knowing  what  to  say  of 
it,  have  ventured  to  give  some  accounts  of 
that  island  which  they  had  perhaps  received 
from  sailors  cast  upon  its  coasts,  where  the 
inhabitants  might  have  been  what  they  are 
at  present,  among  the  most  polished  nations, 
cruel  and  ferocious  to  those  who  are  ship- 
wrecked upon  their  shores. 

The  candid  avowal  of  Stral)o  himself  shows 
it :  he  agrees  that  he  had  no  witnesses  worthy 
of  belief  for  all  that  he  had  said.^ 

*  >'  But  I  cannot  be  induced  to  think,  that  this 
country  ever  fell  into  the  power  of  the  Romans." — 
Camd.  Brit.  p.  729. 

t  "  They  dream,  if  they  either  speak  or  write 
concerning  them." — Polyb.  b.  3,  p.  88. 

t  Chap.  1.  p.  1. 

§  "  Concerning  Ireland  I  have  nothing  certain 
which  I  can  say.     The  things    indeed  which  we 


It  appears  that  there  was  a  custom  for- 
merly common  to  every  nation,  of  affixing 
to  each  in  their  turn  the  name  of  barbarians. 
In  the  opinion  of  the  Egyptians,  the  first 
Greeks  were  barbarians  ;  the  latter  desig- 
nated the  Romans  by  the  same  title  ;  the 
Romans  reproached  the  Carthaginians  with 
their  bad  faith, "  fides  punica,"  which  became 
proverbial  among  those  who  were  them- 
selves wanting  in  good  faith  to  all  the  world. 
In  fine,  all  those  (whom  we  would  at  present 
more  politely  call  strangers)  were  looked 
upon  by  the  Romans  as  barbarians,  among 
whom  they  did  not  discover  either  their 
religion,  customs,  or  a  quick  submission  to 
the  power  of  their  arms.  Some  moderns 
have  borrowed  from  the  ancients,  of  whom 
they  are  but  the  echo,  the  ideas  they  had 
formed  of  the  Milesians  ;  they  have  even 
outdone  them  in  the  portraits  which  they 
have  drawn  to  the  disadvantage  of  that 
people,  according  as  their  own  interest  re- 
quired it. 

Gildas  Britannicus,  surnamed  the  wise,* 
the  first  British  author  of  whom  we  have 
any  account,  wrote  in  the  sixth  century  a 
treatise,  "  De  Excidio  Britanniee  ;"  he  seems 
to  doubt  if  his  countrymen,  the  ancient 
Britons,  left  any  monuments  or  manuscripts 
to  transmit  to  posterity  the  remembrance  of 
their  origin,  as  he  says  that  he  Avas  obliged 
to  follow  in  his  writings  the  accounts  given 
of  his  country  by  foreigners.  This  doubt  of 
Gildas  is  further  strengthened  by  the  silence 
observed  by  Csesar,  who  makes  no  mention 
of  any  custom  of  writing  history  to  have 
been  among  the  Britons.  If  these  (say  the 
critics)  had  not  in  the  sixth  century  any 
historical  monuments,  what  pretensions  could 
the  Scoto-Milesians  have  to  them,  whose 
dates  are  much  higher  than  the  Christian 
era? 

The  weakness  of  the  comparison  will  be 
felt,  by  attending  a  little  to  the  situation  of 
both  countries  at  that  time.  The  Scoto- 
Milesians,  free  and  independent,  lived  within 
themselves,  and  were  separated  by  their  in- 
sular situation,  from  the  rest  of  the  world ; 
while  the  Britons  were  slaves,  trampled 
upon  by  a  foreign  power,  and  often  harassed 
by  the  Pictsand  Scots.  The  Scoto-Milesians 
held  a  superiority  over  them  in  every  thing  : 
they  made  war  upon  them  in  their  own 
country  ;  they  carried  away  prisoners  ;  and, 
in  fine,  were  a  lettered  people,  which  cannot 
be  said  of  the  Britons.  Shall  it  be  then 
pretended,  that,  because  there  were  not  in 

relate  are  unfounded,  from  the  want  of  witnesses 
worthy  of  belief." 

*  Camd.  Brit.  edit.  Lond.  p.  788. 


THE    SCOTO-MILESIANS. 


47 


the  time  of  Gildas,  any  historical  monuments 
among  the  Britons,  the  neighboring  nations 
must  have  been  also  without  any  ?  The 
inference  cannot  appear  to  be  a  just  one. 

But  they  say  that  the  modern  critics 
(English  of  course)  have  despised  and  re- 
jected those  chimeras  of  antiquity  to  which 
the  Milesians  aspire,  as  well  as  the  authori- 
ties they  produce  to  support  them.  It  is 
evident  that  those  critics  should  not  be  be- 
lieved in  respect  to  the  monuments  of  that 
people  :  they  were  unacquainted  with  the 
language  in  which  they  were  written  ;  it  was 
altogether  impossible  for  them  to  know  it. 
There  are  but  few  even  among  the  natives 
capable  of  deciphering  their  ancient  wri- 
tings :  it  is  by  a  particular  study  only,  of  the 
abbreviations,  punctuations,  and  of  the  an- 
cient characters  of  that  language,  and  the 
Oghum,  that  they  can  attain  to  it.  The  old 
Scotic  language,  which  was  spoken  two 
thousand  years  ago,  and  which  is  made  use 
of  in  their  monuments,  was  entirely  differ- 
ent from  what  is  now,  and  has  been  spoken, 
within  the  last  few  centuries  ;  and  has  be- 
come a  jargon  by  the  adoption  of  many  Latin, 
English,  and  French  words.  Are  these 
not  difficulties,  which  it  is  impossible  for  a 
stranger  to  surmount,  who  attempts  to  write 
the  history  of  that  country  1  If  the  primitive 
Irish  language  be  scarcely  known  by  the 
bulk  of  the  nation  itself,  what  knowledge  can 
an  Englishman  have  of  it  after  the  short  so- 
journ of  a  few  months,  during  which  he  mixes 
but  with  those  who  speak  his  own  language  ? 
If  he  be  able  to  collect  a  fcAV  imperfect  frag- 
ments written  in  the  Scotic  language  and 
characters  by  some  ignorant  bard,  he  returns 
to  his  country  as  much  pleased  as  if  he 
possessed  the  most  authentic  monuments  of 
that  nation,  and  his  native  prejudice  against 
the  Irish  furnishes  him  with  matter  to  amuse 
his  readers  at  their  expense,  with  accounts 
that  are  both  ridiculous  and  absurd. 

Camden  himself  was  not  better  informed, 
as  appears  from  the  imperfect  sketch  of  the 
history  of  Ireland,  which  he  has  introduced 
into  his  "  Britannia."  Spelman,  Stillingfleet, 
Nicholson,  &,c.,  are  of  the  same  stamp  : 
nevertheless,  such  are  the  witnesses  that  are 
at  present  questioned  upon  the  antiquities 
of  the  Scoto-Milesians,  and  the  critics  that 
are  adduced  and  scrupulously  copied  after. 

The  judicious  Ware,  it  is  true,  begins  his 
antiquities  of  Ireland  with  the  reign  of  Lao- 
gare,  and  the  apostleship  of  Saint  Patrick. 
He  assigTis  it  as  a  reason  for  not  taking 
them  from  an  earlier  epoch,  that  most  of 
what  had  been  written  concerning  the  pre- 
decessors of  that  monarch,  was  exceedingly 


mixed  with  fables  and  anachronisms,  "  fabu- 
lis  et  anachronismis  mire  admixta."  Two 
things  in  this  must  be  observed  :  first,  that, 
from  the  acknowledgment  of  the  author, 
there  were  some  kings  the  predecessors  of 
Laogare,  and  monuments  which  speak  of 
them  ;  second,  that  these  monuments  were 
mixed  with  fables  and  anachronisms.  I  have 
no  doubt  but  his  criticism  is  just ;  this  is  a 
fault  common  to  all  ancient  histories.  What 
can  be  known  of  antiquity,  if  all  history  be 
rejected  which  contains  any  thing  that  may 
be  false,  fabulous,  or  supposed  1  Is  not 
Herodotus,  the  father  of  history,  called  also 
the  father  of  falsehood  ?  Why  has  he  put 
forth  things  that  are  doubtful,  nay  untrue, 
according  to  Manetho,  in  regard  to  Egypt 
and  the  Egyptians,  upon  the  testimony  of 
Vulcan's  priests,  whom  he  had  met  with  at 
Memphis  ?  Is  he  correct  in  the  accounts 
he  gives  of  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
Scj-thians,  Amazons,  and  other  countries, 
from  hearsay  ?  Have  the  author  of  the 
Cyropedia,  Titus  Livy,  Quintus  Curtius, 
and  others  been  free  from  the  lash  of  criti- 
cism ?  Have  the  more  modern  historians, 
Camden,  Buchanan,  de  Thou,  Mezeray,  and 
Pere  D'Orleans,  escaped  censure  ?  Is  not 
Voltaire  convicted  of  repeated  mistakes  in 
his  "  Age  of  Louis  XIV.,"  in  his  history 
of  Charles  XIL,  and  in  his  history  of  the 
empire  ? 

If  the  historians  of  our  days  were  obliged 
to  warrant  every  thing  that  they  advance  in 
their  writings,  their  embarrassment  would  be 
very  great.  How  many  things,  either  from 
a  spirit  of  partiality  or  ignorance,  would  be 
found  to  be  suppressed  !  How  many  would 
appear  darkened  or  disfigured,  from  a  desire 
of  transferring  to  those  whom  they  admired, 
the  merit  of  some  whom  they  disesteemed  ! 
If  the  history  of  the  late  campaigns  in 
Flanders  be  written,  it  will  with  justice  be 
said,  that  the  French  were  conquerors  at 
Fontenay,  Rocoux,  and  Lawfeld  ;  it  will  be 
admitted  that  they  took  the  cities  of  Menin, 
Ypres,  Mons,  Namur,  and  Burgenopzoom ; 
but  will  the  several  circumstances  and  par- 
ticular facts  be  correctly  detailed  ?  Shall 
there  be  mention  made  of  those  who  gave 
way  before  the  enemy  ?  Will  they  who,  by 
not  obeying  their  officers,  contributed  to  the 
loss  of  the  advantages  gained,  be  likewise 
introduced  ?  Shall  justice  be  done  to  such 
as  were  instrumental  to  the  gaining  of  their 
battles,  and  to  the  taking  of  the  cities  ? 
Lastly,  will  both  parties  agi-ee  in  their  ac- 
counts of  the  various  operations  of  their 
campaigns  ?  I  am  of  opinion  that  they  will 
not.     Have  we  not  frequently  witnessed  the 


48 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


singing  of  the"  Te  Deum"  by  both  parties 
when  the  battle  was  o\^er  ?  The  history 
of  it  will  bo  written  when  the  focts  will  be 
almost  forgotten,  and  no  person  found  to 
contradict  them.  The  productions  of  the 
imagination  will  then  take  the  place  of  truth  ; 
the  historian  will  flatter  some  at  the  expense 
of  others  ;  the  coward  will  be  immortalized 
in  his  writings,  while  those  will  be  suffered 
to  lie  buried  in  perpetual  oblivion,  who  had 
merited  the  best  of  their  country. 

Are  not  the  gazettes  themselves,  which 
are  published  by  authority,  often  filled  with 
falsehood,  and  the  editor  obliged  to  retract 
what  he  had  already  made  public  in  the 
ordinary  course  ?  Let  four  men  from  dif- 
ferent quarters  of  Paris  be  summoned  to 
give  testimony  of  what  had  happened  in 
the  middle  of  the  city,  will  they  agree  upon 
what  each  will  tell  of  it  in  his  own  quarter  ; 
and  will  their  accounts,  after  having  passed 
through  many  mouths,  and  returning  to  the 
first  author,  be  intelligible  1  What  can  be 
concluded  from  this,  but  that  there  are  very 
few  histories  which  are  not  mixed  with 
truth  and  fable  ? 

To  return  to  Ware  ;  can  Ave  not  with 
some  degree  of  justice  say,  that  he  was  not 
a  fit  judge  in  this  affair  ?  He  did  not  know 
the  primitive  language  of  Ireland,  so  as  to 
be  competent  to  explore  the  first  periods  of 
its  history.  He  had  no  opportunity  of  con- 
sulting the  Psalters  of  Teamor,  and  other 
monuments  necessary  for  such  an  under- 
taking ;  he  saw  but  some  books  of  annals, 
written  half  in  I^atin  and  half  in  Irish,  the 
dates  whereof  ran  no  higher  than  the  Chris- 
tian era  ;  in  a  word,  every  thing  antecedent 
to  that  period,  is  accused  by  him,  of  con- 
taining fables  and  anachronisms  :  by  these 
means  he  exonerates  himself  from  making 
the  researches  to  which  he  did  not  feel  him- 
self competent. 

It  is  farther  objected,  that,  because  the 
Romans,  and  also  the  Greeks,  the  most 
civilized  in  their  time  of  any  people  of  Eu- 
rope, had  not  historians  more  ancient  than 
Herodotus,  who  lived  about  four  hundred 
years  before  the  Christian  era,  the  preten- 
sions of  the  Milesians,  with  respect  to  the 
epoch  of  their  history,  cannot  be  maintained. 

Should  Ave  suppose  Avith  those  critics, 
Avhich  is  but  a  mere  conjecture  of  the  truth, 
that  Herodotus  Avas  the  first  historian  among 
the  Greeks — for  it  is  possible  there  were 
others  more  ancient,  whose  works  have  been 
lost — the  comparison  is  still  weak,  and  noth- 
ing can  arise  from  it  but  a  negative  proof. 

We  know  that  the  Greeks,  Avho  excelled 
in  the  art  of  government,  philosophy,  elo- 


quence, poetry,  and  other  fine  arts,  w^ere 
very  limited  in  the  knoAvledge  of  history. 

Josephus,  in  his  book  against  Appian, 
asserts,  that  to  have  a  knowledge  of  antiqui- 
ty, we  must  not  seek  it  among  the  Greeks, 
whose  Avritings,  he  says,  are  imperfect,  new, 
and  doubtful  ;  it  appears  therefore  that  his- 
tory Avas  not  the  ruling  passion  of  that  people, 
although  most  polished  in  other  respects. 

As  to  the  Romans,  they  are  more  modern. 
The  use  of  letters,  says  Livy,  Avas  rare 
among  the  ancient  Romans,  the  memory 
being  their  only  depository  of  time,  in  the 
first  ages  of  the  republic.  If  their  priest, 
in  succeeding  ages,  transmitted  some  monu- 
ments, they  were  lost  in  the  burning  of  the 
city  ;*  and  if  we  attach  belief  to  Vossius  on 
the  subject,  Fabius  Pictor  was  the  first  Avho 
wrote  the  history  of  the  republic,  in  the 
year  of  Rome  485. f 

Orpheus  of  Crotona,  in  his  poem  of  the 
Argonauts,  and  Aristotle  in  his  book  "  Of  the 
Avorld,"  dedicated  to  Alexander,!  make  men- 
tion of  Ireland,  under  the  name  of  lerna, 
from  whence  Usher  takes  the  opportunity 
of  saying,  "  that  the  Romans  could  produce 
no  testimony  so  authentic  for  the  antiquity 
of  their  name.''^^*  The  comparison  of  Usher 
is  not  made  in  allusion  to  the  soil  or  land  of 
Rome,  nor  to  that  of  Ireland  ;  the  two  coun- 
tries being  in  that  respect  of  equal  antiqui- 
ty ;  the  question  is  with  respect  to  those 
who  inhabited  the  two  "countries,  of  which 
we  have  a  more  authentic  testimony  for 
their  antiquity  than  the  other  :  thus,  in  the 
opinion  of  Usher,  the  Scoto-Milesians  had 
a  better  title  to  it  than  the  Romans. 

The  strength  of  this  reasoning  will  be  felt 
still  more  forcibly,  if,  with  Camden,  Ave  con- 
sider that  the  name  lerna,  and  others  vA^hich 
strangers  give  to  that  island,  are  derived  from 
Eire,  "  ab  Erin  ergo  gentis  vocabulo  origi- 
natio  pretenda  ;"||  a  name  which  has  been 
peculiar  to  it  since  the  Scoto-Milesians  haA-e 
been  in  possession  of  the  island,  and  which 
is  derived  from  Ire,  one  of  their  ancient 
chiefs.  If  it  be  then  alloAved  us  to  think, 
with  Usher,  that  the  Scoto-Milesians  were 


*  "  The  writings  in  these  days  were  few.  The 
memory  of  exploits  was  the  only  guardian  of  them  ; 
and  if  any  things  had  been  committed  by  their 
priests  to  be  preserved  in  monuments,  they  must 
have  perished  in  the  conflagration  of  the  city." — 
Livy,  b.  6. 

t  De  historia  Lat.  lib.  1,  cap.  44,  et  lib.  2. 

t  Newton,  Introduction  to  Chron.  p.  6. 

§  "  Of  such  antiquity,  that  the  Romans  them- 
selves could  not  produce  an  author  to  bear  similar 
testimony  of^heir  name." — Usher,  Church  Hist, 
p.  724. 

II  Camd.  Brit.  edit.  Lond.  p.  726. 


THE  SCOTO-MILESIANS. 


49 


established  in  Ireland  before  the  Roman 
name  was  known,  we  may  likewise  suppose 
that,  from  being  a  lettered  people,  the  dates 
of  their  histories  are  much  higher  than  those 
of  the  Romans. 

The  obscurity  of  the  monuments  of  the 
Milesians  is  again  objected  to.  It  is  a  mat- 
ter of  astonishment  (people  say)  that  among 
so  many  learned  men  whom  Ireland  has 
produced,  none  have  undertaken  to  translate 
and  publish,  in  some  known  language,  the 
ancient  monuments  of  that  country,  while 
other  nations  have  been  careful,  since  the 
invention  of  printing,  to  collect  and  submit 
to  the  view  of  the  critic  all  their  titles  to  an- 
tiquity which  they  have  been  able  to  dis- 
cover ;  the  Milesians  are  apparently  diffi- 
dent themselves  of  the  truth  and  authenticity 
of  their  monuments,  as  they  are  afraid  to 
make  them  appear  before  the  world. 

Of  that  objection  I  feel  the  full  force,  and 
see  the  necessity  there  would  be  for  having 
their  monuments  published,  in  order  to  afford 
to  the  learned  the  opportunity  of  judging  of 
them ;  but  I  see  at  the  same  time  the  great 
difficulties  that  await  the  undertaking.  That 
nation,  being  always  engaged  in  wars  since 
the  twelfth  century  to  the  present  time,  es- 
pecially since  the  invention  of  printing,  has 
never  been  in  a  state  to  undertake  such  a 
project.  The  various  revolutions  which 
have  happened  since  the  reign  of  Elizabeth, 
both  in  religion  and  general  government,  as 
well  as  in  the  fortunes  of  individuals,  par- 
ticularly the  Milesians,  who  are  alone  inter- 
ested to  have  their  antiquities  made  known, 
have  produced  so  great  a  discouragement 
among  them,  that  they  only  thought  of  the 
present,  and  their  greatest  concern  has  been 
to  save  from  shipwreck,  and  to  preserve  some 
portion  of  the  patrimony  of  their  ancestors, 
without  troubling  themselves  about  times 
that  are  so  long  past. 

Those  who  make  the  objection  do  not 
weigh  the  difficulties  which  await  the  at- 
tempt. To  translate  from  the  Irish  lan- 
guage into  others,  the  learned  in  that  lan- 
guage should  be  chosen  from  among  the 
natives  of  the  country,  which  would  create  a 
diffidence  and  doubt  of  the  capability  and 
correctness  of  the  translators  ;  and  to  judge 
of  the  affair,  the  Irish  themselves  would  be 
both  the  judges  and  the  party. 

The  matter  would  be  less  difficult  were 
the ,  Irish  manuscripts  less  numerous.  In 
order  to  render  the  enterprise  useful,  more 
than  fifty  volumes  should  be  translated  and 
published,  each  of  which,  though  differing  in 
object,  have  an  essential  connection  one  with 
the  other  relative  to  the  history  of  that  nation. 


It  ought  to  satisfy  us  that  Keating,  Colgan, 
Gratianus  Lucius,  Bruodine,  O'Flaherty, 
and  many  others,  who  have  made  use  of 
and  understood  the  Irish  manuscripts,  can 
warrant  them,  and  say  that  they  bear  every 
mark  of  the  remotest  antiquity,  and  that  the 
extracts  which  they  have  given  from  them 
are  faithful. 

The  same  difficulties  are  not  met  with  in 
the  antiquities  of  other  nations  of  Europe  ; 
their  ancient  monuments  are  not  many  ;  there 
are  but  few  of  them  that  mount  so  high  as 
the  Christian  era,  and  are  written  in  lan- 
guages and  characters  which  are  known  to 
all  the  learned  :  whereas,  those  of  the  Mi- 
lesians are  unknown,  not  only  to  foreigners, 
but  even  to  most  of  the  Irish  themselves. 

How  many  authentic  manuscripts  are 
there  remaining  in  the  libraries  of  the  Vati- 
can, of  the  king  at  Paris,  and  the  Bodleian  at 
Oxford,  which  were  never  published  !  A  cat- 
alogue of  the  English  and  Irish  manuscripts 
which  had  never  been  printed,  was  published 
a  few  years  ago  in  this  city,  (Paris.) 

Those  who  had  the  history  of  their  coxm- 
try  first  printed,  have  taken  their  materials 
from  manuscripts  that  were  never  printed, 
the  dates  of  which  run  much  higher  than 
the  period  when  printing  was  invented  ;  still, 
no  lawsviits  were  instituted  against  them  for 
not  having  previously  published  such  wri- 
tings. The  rareness  of  a  manuscript  has 
never  been  a  cause  for  esteeming  it  the  less, 
and  the  printing,  which  is  but  a  copy,  gives 
to  it  an  authority  so  far  as  that  it  becomes 
thereby  more  generally  known. 

The  authors  who  have  in  the  last  three 
centuries  given  their  attention  to  the  history 
of  Ireland,  and  that  are  best  known,  are 
Stanihurst,  Peter  Lombard,  Keating,  Mes- 
singham,  O'SuUivan,  Ward,  Clery,  Roth, 
Usher,  Colgan,  Ware,  Bruodine,  Gratiaims 
Lucius,  Belling,  Walsh,  O'Flaherty,  O'Reil- 
ly, Porter,  Molyneux,  Kennedy,  &c. 

Richard  Stanihurst,  a  native  of  Dublin, 
but  of  English  descent,  having  made  his 
studies  at  Oxford  and  at  London,  wrote,  in 
the  Latin  language,  a  small  volume  in  quarto, 
which  was  printed  at  Antwerp,  in  1584, 
under  the  title  of  "  De  rebus  in  Hibernia 
gestis,  libri  quatuor,"  with  notes  upon  some 
extracts  taken  from  Cambrensis.*  This 
author,  being  from  his  youth  under  the  gui- 
dance of  men  badly  disposed  towards  the 
Irish  nation,  lent  his  pen  to  disparage  a  peo- 
ple whom  he  did  not  know,  and  whose  mon- 
uments he  was  unable  to  consult,  being  writ- 
ten in  a  language  whereof  he  was  altogether 

»^  Keating's  Prcef.  page  9. 


50 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


ignorant ;  it  cannot  be,  therefore,  a  matter 
of  surprise  that  liis  book  is  tiUeil  witli  er- 
rors, anil  that  his  descriptions  of  the  Irish 
nation,  which  make  the  subject  of  his  work, 
are  aUogetlier  false.*  Stani'hurst,  seeing  his 
history  censured  by  the  world,  and  burned 
by  orders  of  the  Inquisition  in  Portugal, 
promised,  at  a  more  advanced  age,  when  he 
had  entered  into  holy  orders,  to  recant  his 
writings  by  a  public  avowal,  but  was  pre- 
vented by  death  before  he  could  accomplish 
his  purpose. 

Peter  Lombard  was  born  in  Waterford, 
and  being  brought  up  from  his  youth  at 
Westminster,  under  the  eyes  of  the  learned 
Camden,  he  displayed  great  proofs  of  capa- 
city for  the  sciences :  he  afterwards  came 
to  Louvain — where  he  completed  his  stu- 
dies, and  received  the  doctor's  cap.  The 
provostship  of  the  cathedral  of  Cambray  was 
afterwards  conferred  on  him  ;  lastly,  he  was 
appointed  archbishop  of  Armagh,  and  pri- 
mate of  Ireland.  Among  his  other  works, 
he  has  left  a  commentary  in  Latin  on  the 
history  of  Ireland,  which  was  highly  es- 
teemed, and  was  printed  after  his  death,  in 
quarto,  at  Louvain,  in  1632.t 

Geoffry  Keating  was  born  in  Ireland,  in 
the  sixteenth  century,  during  the  reign  of 
Queen  Elizabeth.  Being  intended  for  the 
ecclesiastical  state,  he  left  his  country  in 
consequence  of  the  persecutions  that  were 
carried  on  against  the  Catholics,  and  came 
to  France,  where  he  received  the  degree  of 
doctor  in  theology.  Returning  afterwards 
to  his  native  country,  and  being  perfect  mas- 
ter of  the  Irish  language,  he  collected  every 
thing  that  was  possible  for  him  from  the 
ancient  monuments  of  Ireland,  and  formed 
the  design  of  reducing  them  into  the  shape 
of  history  ;  two  motives  induced  him  to  un- 
dertake it,  as  he  himself  says  in  his  preface. 
First,  to  draw  from  obscurity  a  people  who 
were  equally  ancient  as  they  were  generous 
'and  noble,  by  preserving  from  the  ravages 
of  time,  a  methodical  history  of  their  monu- 
ments. Secondly,  to  develop  the  injustice 
of  some  authors,  who,  without  consulting 
them,  propagate  against  the  Irish  their  false 
productions,  which  may  be  termed  satires 
rather  than  history.  He  adds,  that  every 
thing  which  he  advances  in  favor  of  Ire- 
la,nd  arises  from  his  love  for  truth,  and  that 
his  testimony  should  not  be  suspected,  benig 
himself  of  English  origin.  This  qualifica- 
tion, however,  raised  suspicions  from  many 
quarters  against  him,  particularly  in  the  pro- 

*  Harris,  Irish  Writers,  vol.  2,  chap.  13. 
t  O'SuIlivan,  Hist.  Cath    Hiber.  compend.  tome 
1,  lib.  4,  cap.  1. 


vinces  of  Ulster  and  Connaught,  where  he 
was  denied  access  to  their  monuments  which 
would  be  essential  for  his  history,  and  the 
want  of  which  has  rendered  it  less  copious 
and  complete  than  it  would  otherwise  have 
been.  This  history,  written  in  the  Irish 
language,  which  was  principally  spoken  at 
that  time,  has  been  since  translated  into 
English,  and  become  thereby  open  to  criti- 
cism. Those  who  think  themselves  interest- 
ed in  degrading  the  Irish  people,  whose  an- 
tiquity appears  to  them  insupportable,  severe- 
ly censure  the  history  of  Keating  ;*  while 
others,  rhore  moderate  and  impartial,  con- 
sider it  a  valuable  collection  of  antiquities.! 
It  must,  however,  be  acknowledged,  that  if 
the  English  translation  of  this  history  be  a 
faithful  one,  which  is  not  very  certain,  there 
are  many  anachronisms  in  the  work,  and  ac- 
counts which  seem  to  be  fabulous,  and  ab- 
surd tales.  However,  these  should  be  attrib- 
uted rather  to  the  credulity  of  the  author, 
who  has  too  closely  followed,  on  some  occa- 
sions, the  fictions  of  the  ancient  bards,  than 
to  any  previous  intention  of  degrading  the 
history  of  the  Irish  nation.  Among  all  its  de- 
fects we  discover  many  good  and  interesting 
things,  which  make  that  work  essentially 
useful  ;  provided  it  be  read  with  caution, 
much  information  may  be  derived  with  re- 
spect to  the  origin  of  the  Milesians,  their  es- 
tablishment in  the  island,  their  wars,  gov- 
ernment, and  the  succession  of  their  kings. 
Thomas  Messingham,  a  priest,  and  native 
of  the  province  of  Leinster,  also  apostolical 
prothonotary,  and  superior  of  a  community  of 
Irish  in  Paris,  published  in  that  city  in  1624, 
a  small  folio  volume  in  Latin,  entitled  "  Flo- 
rilegium  insula?  Sanctonmi."  It  contains 
the  lives  of  many  of  the  Irish  saints,  taken 
from  the  best  of  authors. 

Philip  O'SuIlivan,  a  gentleman  of  the  no- 
ble family  of  O'SuIlivan  Barry,  in  the  county 
of  Cork,  being  compelled  by  the  misfortune 
of  the  times,  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth, to  fly  from  his  country,  withdrew  to 
Spain,  where,  after  having  completed  his 
studies  at  Compostello,  he  composed  several 
works  in  Latin  ;  among  others,  an  abridg- 
ment of  the  history  of  Ireland,  which  had 
for  its  title,  "  Historicse  Catholicse  Hiberniae 
Compendium,"  dedicated  to  Philip  IV.  king 
of  Spain,  and  printed  at  Li.sbon  in  1621. 
The  fabulous  account  of  St.  Patrick's  pur- 
gatory, introduced  into  his  history,  after  the 
Viscount  Lamon  de  Parellos,  a  Spanish  lord, 
has  been  injurious  to  it.     In  his  description 

*  Cox,  Talbot,  Welsh,  Pref. 

t  Approbation  of  Doctor  Finlay,  prefixed  to  Keat- 
ing's  Hist.    London  ed. 


THE    SCOTO-MII.ESIANS. 


51 


of  the  island,  its  antiquities,  the  invasion 
of  the  English,  the  fifteen  years'  Avar  under 
Queen  Elizabeth,  and  the  persecution  under 
James  I.,  he  appears  to  be  correct.  He  has 
drawn  upon  himself  the  censure  of  Usher, 
who  treats  him  as  a  faithless  author,  on  ac- 
count of  a  tract  written  against  him,  under 
the  title  of  "  Archicornigeromastix." 

Hugh  Ward,  or  Wardeus,  a  native  of  the 
county  Donegal  in  Ulster,  was  first  brought 
up  at  Salamanca,  where  he  became  one  of 
the  order  of  St.  Francis,  in  1616  ;  he  after- 
wards completed  his  studies  at  Paris,  from 
whence  he  was  called  and  nominated  lec- 
turer in  theology,  and  afterwards  warden, 
at  Louvain.  As  he  was  very  learned  and 
versed  in  antiquity,  he  took  the  resolution 
to  write  a  universal  history  of  the  saints  of 
his  own  country  ;  for  that  object  he  sent 
Michael  O'Cleary,  a  monk  of  his  order,  to 
collect  materials  necessary  for  it.  In  the 
mean  time  he  composed  several  works  that 
were  afterwards  very  useful  to  John  Col- 
gan,  who  xmdertook,  after  his  death,  to  finish 
his  intended  history. 

Michael  O'Cleary,  a  native  of  the  prov- 
ince of  Ulster,  and  monk  of  the  order  of 
St.  Francis,  was  sent,  as  has  been  observed, 
into  Ireland  by  Ward,  to  make  the  researches 
necessary  for  the  work  he  had  contemplated. 
This  monk  performed  his  commission  with 
all  possible  attention,  without  his  patron 
having  derived  from  it  any  benefit,  being 
prevented  by  death. 

O'Cleary  having  formed  a  taste  for  that 
kind  of  employment,  troublesome  indeed, 
but  very  useful  to  the  public,  and  being 
joined  by  other  antiquarians  of  the  country, 
particularly  Ferfessius  O'Conry,  Peregrin 
O'Cleary,  and  Peregrin  O'Dubgennan,  col- 
lected a  quantity  of  materials  to  serve  for 
an  ecclesiastical  and  civil  history,  and  re- 
duced them  into  order.  Some  ancient  mon- 
uments he  purged,  by  comparing  them  with 
old  manuscripts,  of  the  errors  which  had 
crept  in  by  the  ignorance  of  the  copyists. 

The  first  of  these  monuments  is  an  his- 
torical abridgment  of  the  Irish  kings,  their 
reign  and  succession,  their  genealogies  and 
death. 

The  second  is  a  tract  on  the  genealogies 
of  their  saints,  called  "  Sanctilogium  genea- 
logicum." 

The  third  treats  of  the  first  inhabitants, 
and  different  conquests  of  that  island  ;  the 
succession  of  her  kings,  their  wars,  and  oth- 
er remarkable  events,  from  the  deluge  until 
the  arrival  of  the  English  in  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury. This  book  is  called,  "  Leabhar  Gab- 
haltas."   Our  author  composed  another  work 


in  two  volumes  quarto,  called  the  Annals  of 
Donegal,  and  sometimes  the  Annals  of  the 
Four  Masters.  Those  two,  which  are  not 
yet  printed,  are  taken  from  the  annals  of 
Clon-Mac-Noisk,  of  Innisfail,  of  Senat,  and 
many  other  ancient  authentic  monuments  of 
the  country.  The  first  comprises  its  ancient 
history  from  the  earliest  periods  till  the 
twelfth  century ;  and  the  second,  after  leav- 
ing a  chasm  of  about  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
four  years,  begins  with  the  fourteenth  and 
ends  with  the  seventeenth  centuries.  O'- 
Flaherty*  taxes  these  annals  with  an  error 
in  their  chronology,  but  they  are  followed 
by  Gratianus  Lucius,!  and  Colgan.;!: 

David  Roth,  a  native  of  Kilkenny,  doctor 
of  theology  in  the  college  of  Douay,  and 
bishop  of  Ossory,  was,  according  to  Usher, 
well  skilled  in  the  antiquities  of  his  country. § 
He  was  an  eloquent  orator,  a  subtile  philos- 
opher, a  profound  theologian,  and  a  learned 
historian.il  Various  works  were  published 
by  him  in  Latin,  under  borrowed  names, 
and  among  others  his  "  Hibernia  Resur- 
gens,"  which  was  printed  at  Rouen,  and  at 
Cologne,  in  1621.T[ 

James  Usher,  or  Usserius,  was  a  native 
of  Dublin  and  well  known  in  the  republic 
of  letters  by  his  erudition  and  the  great 
number  of  his  works,  which  are  a  proof  of 
it.  The  writings  of  this  learned  man  that 
have  any  reference  to  our  history,  are  his 
"  Veterum  Epistolarum  Hibernicarum  Syl- 
loge,"  and  "  Britannicarum  Ecclesiarum  An- 
tiquitates."  The  first  contains  fifty  letters 
upon  the  Irish  people,  with  some  notes  from 
the  editor.  This  small  volume  was  printed 
first  in  Dublin  in  1630,  and  reprinted  at 
Paris,  1665.  The  second,  which  was  print- 
ed at  Dublin  in  1639,  and  at  London  in  1687, 
treats  of  the  origin  of  British  churches. 

John  Colgan,  a  native  of  the  county  Don- 
egal in  Ulster,  and  monk  of  the  order  of 
Saint  Francis  in  the  convent  of  Saint  An- 
thony of  Padua,  at  Louvain,  where  he  was 
professor  in  theology,  was  learned  in  the 
language  and  antiquities  of  his  country ;  he 
undertook  to  write  the  lives  of  the  Irish 
saints,  and  was  the  more  capable  of  under- 
taking it,  from  being  aided  by  the  researches 
which  Ward  had  got  made  for  the  same 
intention.  In  1645  a  volume  in  folio  was 
published  by  him,  at  Louvain  ;  it  contained 
the   lives  of  the  saints   for  the  first  three 


*  Ogyg.  prolog,  p.  43. 

t  Cambr.  Evers.  cap.  8. 

t  Act  Sanct.  passim. 

§  Prim.  cap.  16,  p.  7.37, 

II  Syllog.  epist.  p.  125. 

^  Messinghain,  Florileg.  p.  87. 


Ili" 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


months  of  tlic  year,  under  the  title  of  "  Acta 
Sanctorum  Vcteris  et  Majoris  Scotia? ''  A 
second  vohnne  was  iniblished  at  Louvain 
in  1G47,  which  had  for  its  title,  "  Triadis 
Thaumaturge,  &c. ;"  it  contained  the  lives 
of  St.  Patrick,  Saint  Columb,  and  Saint 
Bridget.  We  have  likewise  a  treatise  from 
him  on  the  country,  life,  and  writings  of 
John  Scot,  called  the  subtile  doctor,  printed 
in  octavo,  at  Antwerp,  in  1655.  There  are, 
in  fine,  many  manuscript  volumes  at  Lou- 
vain, of  this  author,  which  speak  of  the 
apostleship  and  mission  of  many  Irish  saints 
in  foreign  countries. 

Sir  James  Ware,  or  Wareus,  a  native  of 
Dublin,  made  many  researches  useful  to  the 
history  of  Ireland,  both  in  the  registries  and 
cloisters  of  the  churches  and  monasteries  of 
the  country,  and  in  the  libraries  of  England. 
He  published  first  in  Dublin  in  1639  a  trea- 
tise in  Latin,  upon  the  Irish  writers.  In 
1654,  and  1658,  he  had  the  antiquities  of 
Ireland  published  in  London,  under  the  title 
of  "  De  Hibernia  et  Antiquitatibus  ejus  Dis- 
quisitiones."  In  fine,  he  has  furnished  a 
commentary  on  the  Irish  prelates,  from  the 
conversion  of  that  country  down  to  his  time. 
This  work  has  been  printed  at  Dublin  in 
1665,  under  the  title  of  "  De  Pra;sulibus 
Hiberniae  commentarius."  All  these  have 
been  translated  into  English,  and  printed  in 
folio  at  London,  in  1705,  to  which  is  sub- 
joined a  discourse  from  Sir  John  Davis, 
wherein  he  examines  into  the  cause  of  the 
delay  of  the  conquest  of  Ireland  by  the 
English.  Ware's  researches  on  the  found- 
ation of  the  churches,  the  names  and  suc- 
cession of  their  prelates,  the  establishment 
of  monasteries  and  religious  houses,  and  the 
learned  writers  of  that  country,  are  extremely 
interesting.  His  works  which  relate  to  Ire- 
land, from  the  invasion  of  the  English,  are 
in  general  excellent,  and  worthy  a  man  of 
his  merit  ;  but  his  treatise  on  its  antiquities 
is  of  small  moment ;  he  was  not  sufficiently 
acquainted  with  its  language,  to  be  able  to 
consult  the  monuments  of  that  people,  so 
that  he  has,  at  a  small  expense,  acquired 
for  himself  the  title  of  antiquarian. 

Anthony  Bruodine,  a  native  of  the  county 
Clare  in  Ireland,  was  a  recoUet  and  professor 
in  theology  in  the  convent  of  that  order  at 
Prague.  Among  other  works  he  composed 
a  volume  in  quarto,  entitled,  "  Propugnacu- 
lum  Catholics  veritatis,  pars  prima  histor- 
ica,  &c.,"  printed  at  Prague  in  1668. 

John  Lynch,  priest  and  archdeacon  of 
Tuam,  and  native  of  Galway  in  Connaught, 
was  learned  in  the  language  of  his  country, 
and  ably  conversant  in  all  kinds  of  literature. 


The  troubles  produced  to  his  country  by  the 
war  of  the  parliamentarians,  and  tyranny  of 
Cromwell,  obliged  him  to  leave  it.  In  1652, 
he  came  to  France,  and  published  among 
other  works,  a  volume  in  folio,  printed  in 
1662,  under  the  title  of  "  Cambrensis  Ever- 
sus,"  and  under  the  borrowed  name  of  "  Gra- 
tianus  Lucius."  Our  author  with  much 
judgment  and  solidity  refutes  the  calumnies 
that  Cambrensis  had  advanced  against  his 
country.  In  the  chronology  he  is  not  very 
correct,  and  though  his  book  be  not,  properly 
speaking,  a  history  of  Ireland,  many  inter- 
esting facts,  taken  from  the  antiquities  of 
that  country,  are  found  in  it. 

Sir  Richard  Belling,  a  native  of  the  county 
Dublin,  has  left  us  a  volume  in  duodecimo, 
printed  in  Latin,  at  Paris,  in  1650,  under  the 
title  of  "  Vindiciarum  Catholicorum  Hiber- 
niee  libri  duo,"  and  under  the  borrowed  name 
of  "  Philopater  Irenajus."  In  the  first  book 
of  this  volume  we  discover  a  sufficiently 
exact  account  on  the  afTairs  of  Ireland, 
from  the  year  1641  till  1649.  The  second 
is  a  refutation  of  a  work  written  by  a  monk 
named  Paul  King,  on  Irish  affairs. 

Peter  Walsh  was  a  native  of  Moortown 
in  the  county  Kildare  ;  being  admitted  into 
the  order  of  St.  Francis,  he  studied  at  Lou- 
vain, where  he  became  professor  of  theology. 
There  are  many  of  his  works  in  English, 
concerning  the  affairs  of  his  time.  The 
first  part  of  his  prospectus  of  Ireland  has 
been  given,  and  printed  in  duodecimo,  at 
London  in  1682.  In  this  he  begins  with 
the  history  of  the  country,  to  end  it  with  the 
twelfth  century  ;  but  though  the  recital  of 
facts  contained  in  it  be  sufficiently  correct, 
still  the  want  of  order  and  system  discover- 
able, makes  the  reading  of  it  irksome.  The 
second  part,  which  he  promised,  has  never 
appeared. 

Roderick  O'Flaherty,  an  Irish  gentleman, 
was  born  at  Moycullin  in  the  county  Gal- 
way ;  it  was  the  patrimony  of  his  ancestors 
for  many  ages,  but  confiscated  in  the  troubles 
which  had  arisen  in  1641  ;  he  was  a  man  of 
letters,  and  profoundly  skilled  in  the  history 
of  his  own  and  foreign  countries.  He  has 
left  us  a  large  volume,  in  Latin,  composed 
from  the  most  authentic  monuments,  and 
which  he  dedicated  to  the  duke  of  York, 
who  soon  afterwards  became  king  of  Great 
Britain,  under  the  name  of  James  II.  It  was 
printed  in  quarto  at  London,  in  1685,  under 
the  title  of  "  Ogygia,"  wherein  he  treats  of 
the  ancient  history  of  Ireland  before  Chris- 
tianity. In  this  book  he  displays  great  eru- 
dition, and  a  deep  knowledge  of  chronology, 
as  appears  from  the  testimony  of  two  great 


THE  SCOTO-MILESIANS. 


53 


men,  Loftus  and  Belling,  whose  approvals 
are  found  printed  at  the  head  of  his  work. 
Stillingfleet  also  cites  him  with  eulogy.* 
The  second  book  of  liis  Ogygia  is  still  in 
manuscript,  without  being  printed. 

Hugh  O'Reilly,  an  Irish  gentleman  and 
native  of  the  county  Cavan,  was  master  in 
the  court  of  chancery,  and  register  to  the 
council  under  James  II.  Having  followed 
the  fortunes  of  that  prince  into  France,  he 
was  nominated  his  chancellor  for  the  king- 
dom of  Ireland.  In  1693  O'Reilly  published 
a  small  volume  in  English,  which  has  for  its 
title,  "  Ireland's  case" briefly  stated,"  that  is 
to  say,  an  abridgment  of  the  state  of  Ireland, 
since  the  reformation,  wherein  the  things 
which  happened  in  that  country,  are  repre- 
sented without  disguise.  He  reproaches 
Charles  II.  with  want  of  gratitude  to  his 
Irish  subjects  for  their  services  :  he  shows 
the  injustice  and  bad  policy  of  that  prince, 
for  having  confirmed  the  murderers  of  the 
king  his  father  in  their  possessions  and 
wealth,  as  rewards  for  their  regicide  ;  the  old 
proprietors  were  for  those  objects  stripped 
of  their  fortunes,  whose  only  crime  was  their 
faithful  allegiance  to  their  king.  He  speaks, 
in  fine,  like  a  man  who,  in  pleadhig  his  own 
cause,  pleads  that  of  his  country.  His  com- 
plaints it  appears  were  well  founded,  where- 
as the  king  his  master,  to  whom  he  commu- 
nicated the  purport  of  his  writings  before 
they  would  be  printed,  was  pleased  to  say, 
that  "they  contained  but  too  many  truths." 

Francis  Porter,  a  native  of  the  county  of 
Meath,  and  monk  of  the  order  of  Saint 
Francis,  was  foi  a  long  time  professor  of 
theolog)'-  in  the  college  of  Saint  Isidore,  at 
Rome,  and  president  of  it  for  some  time. 
Among  other  works,  he  has  left  us  a  volume 
in  Latin,  and  printed  in  quarto  at  Rome,  in 
1690,  under  the  title  of  "  Compendium  An- 
nalium  Ecclesiasticarum  Regni  Hiberniae." 
After  his  description  of  the  kingdom,  and  a 
list  of  its  kings,  he  speaks  of  the  war  of  the 
Danes  :  the  remainder  relates  to  the  affairs 
of  the  church. 

Louis  Augustin  Allemand,  a  lawyer  in 
the  parliament  of  Paris,  published  in  that 
city,  in  1690,  "  L'Histoire  Monastique 
d'Irelande,"  in  the  French  language,  and 
dedicated  it  to  James  II.,  king  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland.  The  learned  author 
follows  with  great  exactness  those  who  have 
written  on  the  same  subject  before  him,  viz.. 
Usher,  Ware,  Colgan,  and  others,  and  it 
can  be  affirmed,  that,  for  a  stranger,  who 
had  never  seen  the  country  of  which  he 
writes,  his  work  is  very  correct. 

*  Pref.  ad  Orig.  Brit. 


William  Molyneux  was  born  in  Dublin, 
and  has  published  many  excellent  Avorks. 
Among  others,  one  upon  "  The  State  of 
Ireland,"  was  dedicated  by  him  to  the  prince 
of  Orange  :  he  proves  in  it,  that  that  country 
Avas  never  conquered  by  Henry  II.  ;  that  he 
granted,  according  to  treaty,  a  parliament 
and  laws  to  the  people  of  Ireland ;  that  the 
ecclesiastical  state  in  that  country  was  inde- 
pendent of  England,  and  that  the  English 
could  not  bind  the  Irish  by  laws  made  where 
the  people  had  not  their  deputies. 

Matthew  O'Kennedy,  an  Irish  gentleman, 
and  doctor  of  laws,  master  in  the  court  of 
chancery,  and  judge  of  the  admiralty,  in 
Ireland,  has  written  a  small  volume  in  Eng- 
lish, printed  at  Paris,  in  1705  :  it  contains 
an  historical  and  chronological  dissertation 
on  the  royal  family  of  the  Stuarts,  who  are 
(he  says)  of  Irish  descent,  through  the  colo- 
nies that  were  sent  at  different  periods  into 
x\lbania.  This  treatise  has  not  escaped 
criticism  ;  it  has  been  abused  by  Father  De 
la  Haye,  an  Anglo-Scotchman,  in  a  letter 
to  the  duke  of  Perth,  wherein  there  are 
more  invectives  against  Kennedy  and  his 
country,  than  proofs  against  his  dissertation, 
the  object  of  his  attacks,  as  appears  by  Ken- 
nedy's reply,  in  the  shape  of  a  letter,  to 
what  De  la  Haye  had  advanced  ;  this  was 
printed  at  Paris,  in  French,  in  1715,  with 
the  letter  of  that  father  subjoined  to  it. 

Walter  Harris,  counsellor,  has  published 
two  volumes  in  folio,  in  English,  on  the 
history  of  Ireland,  under  the  title  of  "The 
Works  of  Sir  James  Ware  on  Ireland, 
revised  and  augmented."  The  first  volume 
was  printed  at  Dublin  in  1739,  and  the 
second  in  1745  ;  a  third  which  he  promised, 
has  not  yet  appeared.  The  Irish  people  are 
deeply  indebted  to  this  learned  man,  for  the 
pains  he  has  bestowed,  and  the  interesting 
researches  he  has  made  to  complete  that 
work,  which  he  has  considerably  enlarged 
and  enriched  with  many  tracts  that  escaped 
the  vigilance  of  his  prototype,  and  which 
merit  for  him  the  title  of  author  instead  of 
editor,  which  he  has  modestly  taken. 

The  dissertations  upon  the  ancient  history 
of  Ireland,  given  in  England  by  an  anonymous 
writer,  and  published  at  Dublin,  in  1753, 
through  the  care  of  Michael  Reilly,  display 
an  extensive  knowledge  in  the  antiquities  of 
that  country.  This  work  is  flowery  in  its 
style,  and  the  matter  handled  with  peculiar 
delicacy  and  neatness.  I  wish  that  author 
had  continued  his  writings  upon  that  subject ; 
the  nation  will  lose  much,  should  he  repose 
beneath  the  shade  of  his  first  laurels. 

Such  are  the  principal  authors  that  have 


54 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


treated  on  the  history  of  Ireland,  within  the 
three  last  eenturies :  the  greater  part  of 
them  are  of  English  extraction,  and  cannot 
be  suspected  of  being  partial  to  ancient 
Ireland,  no  more  than  those  English  authors, 
whom  I  have  made  use  of.  Such  are  the 
sources  from  whence  I  have  taken  the  mate- 
rials that  compose  this  history,  without 
adopting  the  fables  of  some,  or  following 
the  exaggerated  criticism  of  others.  Anti- 
quity ever  deserves  respect;  "Sua  detur 
antiquitati  venia ;"  nor  should  the  caprice 
of  the  envious  be  a  sufficient  cause  to  dis- 
pute it. 


CHAPTER  III. 

FABULOUS   HISTORY  OF  THE  GADELIANS. 

It  is  more  than  probable  that  Ireland 
remained  desert  and  uninhabited  from  the 
creation  to  the  deluge.  No  history,  not 
even  that  of  Moses,  offers  any  thing  which 
can  lead  us  to  suppose,  that  before  the 
universal  deluge,  men  had  discovered  the 
secret  of  passing  from  one  country  to  another 
that  was  separated  by  water.  The  ark, 
which  was  constructed  by  order  of  God 
himself,  and  which  served  to  preserve  man 
on  the  watery  element,  is  the  first  vessel  of 
v/hich  we  have  any  knowledge.  Consequent- 
ly the  story  of  the  three  Spanish  fishermen, 
who  were  driven  by  contrary  winds  on  the 
coast  of  Ireland,  some  time  before  the  deluge, 
and  the  account  of  Keasar,  daughter  of  Bith, 
according  to  others  niece  of  Noah,  who,  by 
means  of  a  vessel  which  she  had  built  after 
the  model  of  the  ark,*  retired  to  that  island, 
to  save  herself  from  the  waters  of  the  deluge, 
should  be  rejected  as  a  fiction,  and  unworthy 
of  being  admitted  into  a  serious  history. 

There  are  some  old  collections  of  charters, 
with  many  other  monuments  in  writing,  of 
the  church  of  Cluan-Mac-Noisk,  in  Latin 
"  Cluanensis,"  cited  by  O'Flaherty  in  the 
dedicatory  epistle  of  his  Ogygia,t  which  fix 
the  arrival  of  the  first  colonies  in  Ireland, 
under  Partholan,  in  the  year  of  the  world 
1 989,1  three  hundred  and  twelve  years  after 
the  deluge  ;  this  colony  was  followed  by  the 
Nemedians,  the  Fomorians,  the  Firbolgs,and 
the  Tuatha  de  Danains.^  Although  most 
historians  II  who  speak  of  the  first  inhab- 
itants of  Ireland  after  the  deluge,  mention 

*  Ware,  cap.  2.      t  Page  10.       t  Ware,  cap.  2. 
§  Ogyg.  part  2,  p.  65  ;  part  3,  p.  2. 
II  Ogyg.  part  2,  p.  73. 


those  colonics  ;  they  do  not  however  agree 
upon  the  origin  of  those  people.  Some  con- 
sider them  to  have  been  originally  from 
Scythia,  others  from  Thrace,*  or  Migdonia  ; 
but  the  opinion  of  those  who  suppose  that 
they  came  from  Britain  and  Gaul,  appears 
more  natural,  without  being  subject  to  the 
same  improbabilities.  Those  authors  fol- 
lowing this  principle,  that  all  nations  had 
been  peopled  one  from  the  other  succes- 
sively ,t  say,  that  according  to  order  and 
reason,  Asia  Minor,  being  nearest  to  the 
cradle  of  the  human  race,  must  have  been 
peopled  by  the  descendants  of  Japhet  before 
Greece,  Greece  before  Italy,  Italy  before 
Gaid,  Gaul  before  Britain,  and  Britain  be- 
fore Ireland  ;  that  therefore  those  countries 
must  have  drawn  their  first  inhabitants  one 
from  the  other,  from  Asia  to  Ireland :  by 
such  gradation  they  pretend  that  Ireland 
received  her  first  inhabitants  from  Britain, 
or  from  Gaul.  The  conjecture  is  a  strong 
one.  The  analogy  that  is  between  the  name 
of  those  people  and  the  inhabitants  of  Belgic 
Gaul,  and  other  nations,  either  of  Gaul  or 
Britain,  added  to  the  proximity  of  those 
countries,  gives  to  it  an  appearance  of  plausi- 
bility. The  Fomorians  and  Firbolgs  may 
have  been  descended  from  the  Belgae  of 
Belgic  Gaul,  and  the  Tuatha  de  Danains 
from  the  Danmonii,  an  ancient  people  of 
Cornwall  in  Britain.  Whatever  truth  may 
be  in  these  conjectures,  Partholan  having 
landed  with  his  colony  in  Ireland,;]:  divided 
the  island  between  his  four  sons,  Er,  Orbha, 
Fearon,  and  Ferghna ;  but  his  posterity,  after 
three  hundred  years'  residence  in  the  coun- 
try, perished  miserably  by  the  plague,  at 
Binneadair,  at  present  Howth,  near  Dublin  ; 
after  which  time  the  island  continued  unin- 
habited for  the  space  of  thirty  years,  until 
the  arrival  of  the  second  colony  commanded 
by  Nemedius. 

It  is  said  that  Neivy,  or  Nemedius, §  great 
grand-nephew  of  Partholan,  having  learned 
by  some  means  the  disasters  and  tragical 
end  of  his  relations  in  Ireland,  and  wishing, 
as  heir  of  Partholan,  to  succeed  him  in  the 
possession  of  that  island,  embarked  with 
thirty-four  transport  vessels,  carrying  each 
thirty  persons,  without  counting  Macha,  his 
wife,  and  his  four  sons,  Starn,  Janbaneal, 
Annin,  and  Fergus,  who  followed  his  fortune 
in  the  expedition.  Macha  died  after  twelve 
years,  and  was  interred  in  a  place  since 
called  from  her  name,  Ardmach. 

*  Camd.  Brit.  edit.  Franc,  p.  12. 
+  Ogjg.  part  1,  p.  7,  part  2. 
t  Walsh,  Prospect  of  Irl.  part  1,  sec.  1. 
§  Ogyg.  part  2,  p.  65. 


FABULOUS    HISTORY    OF    THE    GADELIANS. 


55 


Nemedius  was  not  long  in  peaceful  pos- 
session of  his  new  kingdom,  when  he  was 
disturbed  by  the  Fomorians  or  Fomhoraigs. 
Nemedius  fought  some  successful  battles 
against  them :  the  first  was  near  the  moun- 
tain called  Slieve  Bloemy ;  the  second  at 
Rossfraochin,  in  Connaught,  where  Gan  and 
Geanan,  the  principal  commanders  of  these 
strangers,  were  slain  ;  the  third  at  Murbuilg, 
in  the  country  since  called  Dalriada,  other- 
wise Route,  in  which  Starn,  son  of  Neme- 
dius, lost  his  life.  But  the  fourth  battle  was 
fatal  to  him,  his  whole  army  having  been 
cut  to  pieces.  His  son  Arthur,  who  was 
born  in  the  country,  and  Jobean,  son  of 
Starn,  were  found  among  the  slain.*  Ne- 
medius, unable  to  survive  so  great  a  mistor- 
tune,  died  of  grief  some  short  time  after- 
wards at  Oilean-Arda-Neivy,  at  present 
Barrymore,  in  the  county  of  Cork  ;  after 
which  the  Fomorians  easily  made  them- 
selves masters  of  the  whole  island.  Those 
of  the  colony  of  Nemedius  who  had  escaped 
the  last  defeat,  after  some  few  unavailing 
efforts,  being  vmable  to  bear  the  tyranny  of 
those  new  masters,  resolved  to  abandon  the 
country.  Jobath,  gi-andson  of  Nemedius, 
led  a  part  of  the  colony  into  the  north  of 
Germany,  from  whence  are  descended  the 
Tuatha  de  Danains.f  Briotan  Maol,  grand 
son  of  Nemedius  by  Feargus,  established 
himself  with  his  tribe  in  Britain,^  called,  ac- 
cording to  the  Psalter  of  Cashel,  from  his 
name,  and  his  posterity  settled  there  under 
the  name  of  Britons.  This  opinion,  wliich 
is  supported  by  a  number  of  ancient  Irish 
chronologists,  agrees  as  to  the  time,  with 
Henry  of  Huntington,  who  says,  that  the 
Britons  came  into  Britain  in  the  third  age 
of  the  world,  "  Brittones  in  tertia  mundi 
setate  venerunt  in  Brittaniam  ;"  this  account 
merits  at  least  as  much  credit  as  the  fable 
of  Geoffry  of  Monmouth  about  Brutus,  which 
has  been  opposed  and  rejected  by  his  own 
countrymen. 

In  some  time  after,  the  Firbolgs  or  Bel- 
gians, another  people  of  Britain,  to  the  num- 
ber of  five  thousand  men,  commanded  by 
five  chiefs,  either  by  the  defeat  or  desertion 
of  the  Fomorians,  took  possession  of  the 
island.  Those  five  leaders  Avere,  Slaingey, 
Rughruighe  or  Rory,  Gan,  Gannan,  and 
Sengan,  all  brothers,  and  children  of  Dela 
of  the  race  of  the  Nemedians.  They  divided 
the  island  into  five  parts  or  provinces,  which 
gave  birth  to  the  pentarchy,  which  lasted 


*  Ogyg;.  part  3,  cap.  7. 

t  Keating. 

t  Walsh,  Prosp.  of  Ireland,  part  1,  sect.  1. 


with  little  interruption  till  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury. Slaingey,  governor  of  Leinster,  was 
the  chief  of  the  pentarchy,  and  monarch  of 
the  whole  island.  The  people  were  known 
by  three  different  names,  viz.,  Gallenians, 
Damnonians,  and  Belgians ;  but  the  last 
was  the  general  name  of  the  whole  colony  ; 
their  dominion  lasted  about  eighty  years 
under  nine  kings,  who  were,  Slaingey,  Rory, 
Gann,  Geanan,  Sengan,  Fiacha,  Rionall, 
Fiobgin,  and  Eogha,  who  married  Tailta, 
daughter  of  a  Spanish  prince,  who  gave 
name  to  the  place  of  her  burial,  still  called 
Tailton,  in  Meath.* 

In  the  reign  of  Eogha,  the  colony  of  the 
Tuatha  de  Danains,  whose  ancestors  had 
been  conducted  into  the  north  of  Germany 
by  Jobath,  grandson  of  Nemedius,!  ^.s  we 
have  already  said,  made  a  descent  upon  Ire- 
land under  the  conduct  of  Nuagha  Airgiod- 
lamh,  who  immediately  gave  battle  to  the 
Firbolgs,  commanded  by  Eogha  their  king, 
at  Moyturey  near  Lake  Masg,  in  the  terri- 
tory of  Partrigia,  otherwise  Partry,  in  the 
county  of  Mayo.:|:  The  latter  lost  in  one 
day  the  battle  and  possession  of  the  island, 
and  were  so  reduced  as  to  seek  an  asylum 
in  the  islands  of  the  north.  Nuagha,  having 
lost  one  hand  in  the  action,  had  one  made 
of  silver,  whence  the  name  of  Airgiodlamh 
is  derived,  which  signifies  silver  hand. 

It  is  said  that  the  Tuatha  de  Danains 
were  very  skilful  in  the  art  of  magic,  which 
was  the  theology  of  those  barbarians.  Be- 
fore they  landed  in  Ireland,  they  passed 
through  Norway  and  Denmark,  where  their 
diabolical  science  procured  them  respect. 
They  brought  from  that  country"  the  famous 
stone  called,  "  Lia-Fail,"  in  Latin,  "  saxum 
fatale."  This  stone,  which  gave  to  Ireland 
the  name  of  "  Innisfail,"  that  is  to  say,  the 
island  of  Fail,  was  used  at  the  coronation  of 
their  kings  ;  it  is  pretended,  that  during  the 
ceremony  an  astonishing  noise  issued  from 
it,  like  the  statue  of  Memnon  in  the  Thebaid, 
from  which  a  distinct  sound  was  heard,  when 
struck  by  the  first  rays  of  the  rising  sun. 
But  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  which  made 
all  those  pagan  superstitions  vanish,  caused 
this  stone  also  to  lose  its  virtue.  There  is 
a  prophecy,  like  wise,  which  says,  that  where- 
soever the  stone  should  be  preserved, a  prince 
of  the  race  of  the  Scots  should  reign  ;  which 
gave  rise  to  the  following  lines  : 

Cineadh  Scuit  saor  an  fine, 
Munab  breg  an  f haisdinc. 

*  Ogyg-  part  3,  cap.  9. 
t  Ogyg.  part  2,  page  81. 
X  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  10. 


56 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Mar  a  bf  huighid  an  Lia-fail, 
Dligliid  flait  heas  do  ghabhail. 

whicli  are  found  thus  translated  into  Latin 
in  the  History  of  Scotland,  by  Hector  Boe- 
tius  : 

Ni  fallal  fatum,  Scot!  quociimque  locatum 
Invenient  lapideni,  regnare  tenentur  ibidem. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  thirteenth  century 
of  Christianity,  Fcargus  the  Great,  son  of 
Earcha,  having  been  elected  by  the  Dal- 
riads  of  Albania  for  their  chief,*  and  seeing 
that  he  was  able  to  get  himself  crowned 
king,  sent  to  ask  this  stone  from  Murtough, 
then  monarch  of  Ireland,  in  order  to  render 
the  ceremony  of  his  inauguration  more  solemn 
and  august,  and  to  perpetuate  the  diadem  in 
his  own  family  ;  the  monarch  readily  grant- 
ed the  request  of  Feargus,  who  got  him- 
self crowned  first  king  of  the  Dalriads  of 
x\lbania,  on  that  stone  Avhich  was  preserved 
with  veneration  in  the  abbey  of  Scone,  till 
the  thirteenth  centurj',  when  it  was  forcibly 
carried  off  by  Edward  I.,  king  of  England, 
and  placed  in  the  chair  which  is  used  at  the 
coronation  of  the  kings  of  England,  in  the 
abbey  of  Westminster,  where  it  is,  they  say, 
still  preserved. 

The  colony  of  the  Tuatha  de  Danains, 
thus  called  from  three  of  their  chiefs,  bro- 
thers and  children  of  Danan,  daughter  of 
Dealboith,  of  the  race  of  Nemedius,  was  in 
possession  of  that  island,  according  to  the 
Psalter  of  Cashel,  for  the  space  of  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety-seven  years  governed  by 
seven  kings  successively,  namely,  Nuagha 
Airgiodlamh,  Breas,  Lugha-Lamh-Fada,  in 
Latin  "  Longimanus,"  Dagha,  Delvioth,  Fi- 
agha,  and  the  three  sons  of  Kearmada,  name- 
ly, Eathur,  Teahur,  and  Keahur :  who  reigned 
alternately,  a  year  each,  for  thirty  years. 
Those  three  brothers  were  married  to  three 
sisters  ;  they  took  surnames  from  the  differ- 
ent idols  which  they  worshipped.  Eathur, 
who  had  married  Banba,  was  called  Maccuill, 
from  a  certain  kind  of  wood  which  he  adored. 
Teahur  espoused  Fodhla,  and  worshipped 
the  plough ;  he  was  called  Mac-Keaght. 
Keahur,  husband  of  Eire,  displayed  better 
taste  than  his  brothers,  as  he  took  the  sun 
for  his  divinity,  and  was  thence  named  Mac- 
Greine,  that  is  to  say,  the  son  of  the  sun. 

Ireland,  which,  until  the  reign  of  those 
three  brothers,  had  no  other  name  but  that 
of  Inisfail,  or  Iniselga,  changed  it  with  her 
king,  and  was  called  by  the  name  of  the 
reigning  queen,  alternately,  Banba,  Fodla, 

*  War.  Antiq.  Hiber.  cap.  5,  Ogyg.  part  1,  p.  45. 


and  Eire  ;*  but  the  latter  was  more  used, 
as  it  was  in  the  year  of  the  reign  of  Keahur, 
and  consequently  when  the  island  was  called 
Eire,  that  the  children  of  Milesius  conquer- 
ed it. 

Those  first  inhabitants  of  Ireland,  having 
been  destroyed  successively,  at  last  gave 
way  to  the  Scoto-Milesians,  and  were  forced 
to  yield  to  them  the  possession  of  the  island. 

Some  of  our  modern  authors  give  us,  after 
their  ancient  Fileas,  the  following  detail  of 
the  origin,  voyages,  and  transmigTations  of 
the  Scoto-Milesians. 

Japhet,  one  of  the  sons  of  Noah,t  had 
seven  sons,  who  were  the  first  of  the  human 
race  in  Europe,  and  a  part  of  Asia ;  viz., 
Gomer  peopled  Gaul  and  Germany  ;  Magog 
occupied  Scythia,  at  present  Tartary,  Madai 
and  Javan  established  themselves  in  the 
several  proA'inces  of  Greece,  Thubal  in  Spain, 
Mosoch  in  Italy,  and  the  countries  which 
extend  from  the  Mediterranean  as  far  as  be- 
yond the  river  Ister  ;  and  Thyras  possessed 
himself  of  Thrace.  "  Ab  his  divisae  sunt 
insula;  gentium  in  regionibus  suis."| 

According  to  the  "  White  Book,"  called  in 
the  Scotic  language,  "  lesvar-dx'om-sneach- 
ta,"  and  that  of  "  Conquests  and  Invasions," 
both  written  in  the  times  of  paganism,  and 
cited  by  Keating,^  Magog,  son  of  Japhet, 
had  three  sons,  viz.,  Baath,  Jobath,  and 
Fathochta.  From  the  first  was  descended 
Fenius  Farsa,  king  of  Scythia,  from  whom 
the  Gadelians  and  Milesians  derived  their 
origin  ;  the  second  was  chief  of  the  Ama- 
zons, Bactrians,  and  Parthians  ;  the  third 
was  ancestor  to  Partholan,  and  consequently 
of  the  Nemedians,  the  Firbolgs,  and  Tuatha 
de  Danains,  who  were  the  first  inhabitants 
of  Ireland. 

Fenius  Farsa,  king  of  the  Scythians,  had 
two  sons,  viz.,  Nenual,  the  elder,  heir  to  his 
crown,  and  Niul,  who  being  very  learned  in 
the  languages  multiplied  by  the  confusion  of 
Babel,  made  a  voyage  into  Egypt,  where  he 
married  Scota,  daughter  of  king  Pharaoh 
Cincris,  and  established  himself  in  the  coun- 
try of  Capacirunt  on  the  borders  of  the  Red 
Sea.  Niul  had  by  the  princess  his  spouse,  a 
son  whom  he  named  Gaodhal,  who,  at  the 
time  that  Moses  was  making  preparations 
to  draw  the  people  of  Israel  out  of  captivity, 
having  been  bitten  by  a  serpent,  was  pre- 
sented by  his  father  to  the  holy  patriarch, 
who  cured  him  by  a  touch  of  his  wand  ;  but 
there  remained  always  a  green  spot  in  the 

t  Gen.  cap.  10. 
t  Ibidem,  vcr.  5. 
§  Page  53,  et  seq. 


FABULOUS    HISTORY    OF    THE    GADELIANS. 


57 


place  of  the  wound,  which  caused  him  to  be 
called  Gaodhal-Glas,  otherwise  Gadelas,  the 
word  glas  in  the  Scotic  language  signifying 
green.  Moses  foretold,  on  curing  him,  that 
the  land  which  would  be  inhabited  by  his 
posterity,  who  were  called,  and  even  to  this 
day  are  called,  Clanna-Gaodhal,  or  Gade- 
lians,  that  is,  the  children  of  Gaodhal,  would 
be  free  from  serpents,  and  all  venomous  rep- 
tiles, which  has  been  verified  in  regard  to 
the  islands  of  Crete  and  Ireland. 

The  posterity  of  Niul,  in  the  third  gene- 
ration, became  numerous,  and  were  conse- 
quently suspected  by  the  Egyptians,  who, 
under  the  orders  of  Pharaoh-En-Tuir,  their 
king,  formed  the  resolution  of  making  war 
against  those  strangers.  Finding  themselves 
unable  to  oppose  the  superior  forces  of  the 
Egyptians,  they  embarked  under  the  conduct 
of  Sur,  son  of  Easur,  son  of  Gaodhal,  and 
after  a  few  days  sailing,  landed  in  the  island 
of  Crete,  where  their  chief  died,  and  was 
succeeded  in  the  command  by  Eibher,  other- 
wise Heber-Scot,  his  son.  From  this  flight 
of  the  Gadelians  out  of  Egypt,  we  must 
understand  what  Washingham,  an  English 
monk  and  historian  in  the  fifteenth  century, 
says  in  his  book  called,  "  Ypodigma."  "  The 
Egyptians,"  says  he,  "  having  been  swallow- 
ed up  in  the  Red  Sea,  those  who  survived 
that  disaster  expelled  a  certain  noble  Scy- 
thian, fearing  lest  he  should  usurp  a  power 
over  them.  Being  thus  driven  away,  to- 
gether with  his  family,  he  came  to  Spain, 
where  he  lived  for  many  years ;  his  race 
was  multiplied  exceedingly,  and  from  thence 
they  came  to  Ireland."* 

Heber-Scot,  having  the  command  of  the 
Gadelians,  departed  from  the  island  of  Crete, 
and  sailing  through  the  iEgean  and  the 
Euxine  seas,  he  arrived  in  the  river  Tanais 
in  Scythia,  the  country  of  his  ancestors, 
where  his  colony  settled  for  some  time  ;  they 
were  commanded  after  his  death  by  his  de- 
scendants successively  from  father  to  son  ; 
viz.,  by  Agnamon,  Tait,  Adnoin,  and  Lam- 
phion.  A  persecution  however  was  raised 
through  jealousy  of  the  Scythians  against 
them,  and  they  were  compelled  to  take  refuge 
among  the  Amazons,  having  Adnoin  for  their 
chief.  After  sojourning  there  for  some  time, 
they  departed,  under  the  conduct  of  Lam- 
phion,  the  son  of  Adnoin,  for  the  country 

*  "  The  Egj'ptiaiis  being  drowned  in  the  Red 
Sea,  those  who  remained  drove  from  among  them 
a  certain  noble  Scythian  who  Hved  in  the  countrjs 
lest  he  should  usurp  dominion  over  them.  After 
being  driven  out,  he  with  his  family  came  to  Spain, 
where  he  lived  for  many  years ;  and  from  thence 
came  to  Ireland." — Ad.  ann.  1185. 


called  in  their  language,  "  Geethluighe," 
which  some  think  to  be  Gothia,  or  Gothland ; 
but  more  probably,  according  to  O'Flaherty,* 
Getulia,  in  Africa,  conformably  to  this  verse 
from  Propertius  in  Camden  :t 

Hibernique  Gette,  pictoquc  Britannia  curru.         I 

They  remained  in  that  country  during 
ght  generations,  under  the  connnand  of 
eight  chiefs,  the  descendants  of  Lamphion, 
viz.,  Heber-Glun-Fion,  Eibric,  Nenuaill, 
Nuagatt,  Alluid,  Earchada,  Deaghatha,  and 
Bratha.  By  the  last  thfey  were  led  into 
Spain,  inhabited  at  that  time  by  the  descend- 
ants of  Tubal,  son  of  Japhet. 

These  new-comers,  under  the  command 
of  Breogan,  son  of  Bratha,  made  war  with 
success  against  the  old  inhabitants,  and  be- 
came masters  of  the  northern  provinces, 
where  Breogan  built  a  city,  which  he  called 
Brigantia,  or  Braganza,  after  his  own  name. 

TMs  captain  had  ten  sons,  namely,  Cu- 
ailgne,  Cuala,  Blath,  Aibhle,  Nar,  Breagha, 
Fuad,  Muirtheimhne,  Ith,  and  Bille.     This 
last  was  father  of  Gallamh,  otherwise  Mileag- 
Espaine,  in  Latin,  Milesius,  the  ancestor  of 
the  Milesians  or  ancient  Irish  ;  Ith  had  a  son 
called  Lugadg,  or  Lugadius.    Milesius,  after 
whom  the  ancient  Irish  were  called  Clanna-  ' 
Mileag  or  Milesians,  became    in  his  turn 
chief  of  the  colony  of  the   Gadelians,  and 
after  having  secured  and  extended  by  many  I 
victories  the  conquests  of  his  predecessors, 
he  made  peace  with  his  enemies,  and  formed  j 
the  resolution  of  A'isiting  the  country  of  his  | 
ancestors.     He  left  part  of  the   colony  to  j 
guard  his  new  kingdom,  and  embarked  with  ; 
the  remainder  for  Scythia,  where  he  was  j 
honorably  received  by  Riffloir,  then  king  ;  j 
who  knew  that  this  prince  was,  as  well  as  j 
himself,  descended  from  Fenius-Farsa,  with  1 
this  difference,  that  Riflioir  had  his  origin  : 
from  Nennual  the  elder,  and  successor  to  j 
the  throne  of  his  father  ;  whereas,  Milesius 
was  descended  from  Niul  the  younger.  | 

Milesius  became  by  his  courtly  manners  j 
so  great  a  favorite  with  the  king,  that  he 
appointed  him  his  first  minister,  and  general 
and  chief  over  his  troops  ;  as  a  greater  proof 
of  liis  confidence,  he  gave  him  his  daughter 
Seaug  in  marriage,  by  whom  he  had  two 
sons,  Donn  and  Aireach,  surnamed  Feabhrua. 
But  the  death  of  his  wife,  added  to  some 
difference  he  had  with  the  king,  caused  him 
to  leave  Scythia.  He  embarked  with  his 
two  children  and  little  troop  of  faithful 
Gadelians,  for  Egypt,  where  the  king,  Pha- 
raoh-Nectonebus,  gave  him  the  command  of 

*  Ogyg-  part  2,  cap.  67.      t  Edit.  Lend.  p.  87. 


58 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


his  army  in  a  war  in  which  he  was  engaged 
against  the  Ethiopians. 

Milesius  acquitted  himself  of  that  com- 
mission as  usual,  with  honor,  and  Scota 
the  king's  daughter  was  given  him  in  mar- 
riage, as  a  reward  for  his  services.  He  had 
by  this  princess  in  Egypt,  Heber-Fionn  and 
Amhergin.  During  his  residence  in  that 
country,  he  caused  twelve  young  men  of 
his  suite  to  be  instructed  in  the  different 
arts  and  sciences  then  in  use,  in  order  that 
they  might,  on  their  return  to  Spain,  instruct 
their  countrymen  in  the  same. 

Milesius  thinking  it  time  to  put  an  end  to 
his  labors,  and  to  join  once  more  his  rela- 
tions and  friends  in  Spain,  to  enjoy  with 
them  the  sweets  of  repose,  after  a  residence 
of  seven  years  in  Egypt,*  took  leave  of  the 
king  and  all  his  court,  to  return  with  the 
princess  his  wife,  his  children,  and  attend- 
ants. After  arriving  in  an  island  called  Irene, 
on  the  frontiers  of  Thrace,  Scota  was  deliv- 
ered of  a  son,  whom  they  called  Ir.f  During 
their  voyage  she  had  another,  to  whom  they 
gave  the  name  of  Colpa ;  and  at  length, 
after  many  fatigues  and  dangers  by  sea  and 
land,  they  arrived  in  Spain,  where  this  great 
captain,  after  appeasing  some  troubles  which 
had  arisen  during  his  absence,  and  having 
had  two  more  sons,  Aranann  and  Heremon, 
ended  his  days  in  peace. 

The  family  of  Breogan,  of  which  that  of 
Milesius  king  of  Gallicia,  his  grandson, 
formed  the  most  considerable  branch,  was 
become  numerous. |  A  drought  of  several 
years,  followed  by  a  want  of  grain  and  all 
kinds  of  provisions,  having  caused  a  famine, 
ruined  and  compelled  them  to  seek  a  reme- 
dy for  so  pressing  an  evil.  All  the  chiefs 
of  the  tribes  assembled  at  Braganza,  to  de- 
liberate on  what  should  be  done.  The  re- 
sult of  the  conference  was,  to  abandon  their 
settlement  in  Spain,  and  seek  for  one  in 
some  other  country  ;  particularly  as  Caicer, 
the  druid,  a  famous  prophet  among  them, 
had  foretold  long  before,  that  their  descend- 
ants should  be  possessed  of  the  most  wester- 
ly island  in  Europe. §  But  as  it  was  of  im- 
portance to  learn  where  that  island  lay,  be- 
fore they  should  bring  the  whole  colony 
thither,  the  assembly  intrusted  the  discovery 
of  it  to  Ihy,  otherwise  Ithe,  (son  of  Breogan 
and  uncle  of  Milesius,)  a  man  of  prudence 
and  consummate  experience.  Ith  having  ac- 
cepted the  commission,  equipped  a  vessel, 
and  taking  one  hundred  and  fifty  soldiers  on 

*  Lecan.  fol.  13,  p.  2,  col.  1. 

t  Keat.  p.  80,  et  seq. 

X  O'Suli.  Compendium,  vol.  i.  lib.  3,  cap.  1. 

§  Keating. 


board,  besides  rowers  and  sailors,  he  set  out 
with  J^udgadli,  his  son,  to  make  the  discov- 
ery to  which  he  had  been  appointed.  On 
his  arrival  in  the  north  of  the  island,  he 
offered  sacrifices  to  Neptune,  and  inquired 
from  the  iidiabitants  what  the  name  of  the 
country  was,  the  people  who  inhabited  it, 
and  likewise  the  prince  who  ruled  there : 
they  told  him  that  the  island  was  sometimes 
called  Innisfail,  sometimes  Inis-Ealga,  and 
that  it  was  governed  by  three  princes  who 
were  brothers,  and  children  of  Kearmada  of 
the  nation  of  the  Tuatha  de  Danains  ;  that 
they  were  then  at  Oileag-Neid,  at  present 
Inish-Ovven,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  pro- 
vince, since  called  Ulster.  Ith,  conducted 
by  a  guide,  and  escorted  by  one  hundred  of 
his  soldiers,  took  the  road  to  Oileag-Neid. 
On  his  arrival  he  was  presented  to  the 
princes,  who  received  him  honorably,  and 
seeing  him  possessed  of  much  wisdom,  they 
appointed  him  arbiter  of  their  differences, 
namely,  on  whom  should  the  right  of  suc- 
ceeding Kearmada,  their  father,  devolve. 
Ith  having  acquitted  himself  on  this  occasion 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  parties  concerned, 
he  exhorted  them  to  peace  and  union  among 
themselves,  congratulating  them  on  their 
happiness  in  possessing  so  fertile  a  country,  j 
and  situated  in  so  fine  a  climate  ;  he  then 
set  out  to  join  the  rest  of  his  men,  whom 
he  had  left  to  guard  his  vessel.  The  three 
princes  began  to  reflect  on  the  praises  which 
Ith  had  bestowed  on  their  country,  and  con- 
ceiving a  mistrust  towards  him,  they  looked 
on  him  as  a  man  of  an  enterprising  turn, 
and  capable  of  coming  with  a  more  numerous 
force,  to  conquer  a  country  which  he  thought 
so  fine.  In  order  to  obviate  that  danger  they 
dispatched  a  force  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
chosen  men,  commanded  by  MacCuille,  in 
pursuit  of  him ;  they  attacked  him  at  a  place 
since  called  after  his  name,  Moy-Ith,  in  the 
county  of  Tyrone.  The  combat  was  bloody, 
and  the  resistance  on  the  side  of  the  Gade- 
lians  obstinate,  till  at  length  seeing  their 
commander  Ith  dangerously  wounded,  and 
unable  to  withstand  the  superior  force  of 
their  enemies,  they  reached  their  vessel  with 
difficulty,  and  embarked  for  Spain,  but  had 
the  misfortune,  during  their  voyage,  to  wit- 
ness their  commander  expire  of  his  wounds. 
During  the  interval  of  Ith's  expedition,  Mile- 
sius, after  a  reign  of  thirty-six  years  in 
Gallicia,  died,  universally  regretted  by  the 
whole  colony  ;  but  the  arrival  of  lAigadius, 
who  presented  to  them  the  dead  body  of  Ith, 
his  father,  added  considerably  to  their  afflic- 
tion. With  eyes  bathed  in  tears,  and  lan- 
guage the  most  energetic  which  the  grief  of 


FABULOUS    HISTORY    OF   THE   GADELIANS. 


59 


a  son  (who  loved  his  father  tenderly)  could 
make  use  of,  he  displayed  the  perfidy  of 
those  three  princes  of  the  western  isle,  and 
forcibly  impressed  upon  them,  that,  as  the 
death  of  his  father  had  been  the  eftect  of  his 
zeal  for  the  common  cause,  he  trusted,  that 
an  attempt  whereby  the  law  of  nations  had 
been  violated,  and  an  insult  that  might  re- 
flect upon  the  entire  colony,  should  not  be 
left  unpunished.* 

The  GadeUans,  aff'ected  by  the  just  resent- 
ment of  Lugadius,t  prepared  themselves  for 
revenge,  resolved  to  shed  in  sacrifice  to  the 
manes  of  Ith,  the  last  drop  of  their  blood, 
and  without  loss  of  time  had  a  fleet  of  sixty 
sail  equipped  with  every  thing  necessary  for 
so  important  an  expedition.  The  little  fleet 
being  provided  with  all  things,  and  ready  to 
sail,  the  entire  colony,  that  is  to  say,  the  de- 
scendants of  Breogan  divided  into  different 
tribes,  embarked  with  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren, their  vassals,  a  number  of  soldiers, 
artisans,  and  laborers  of  every  kind,  under 
forty  chiefs,  of  whom  the  principal  were  the 
eight  sons  of  Milesius,  namely,  Donn,  Ai- 
reach,  Heber-Fionn,  Amhergin,  Ir,  Colpa, 
Aranann,  and  Heremon,  with  their  mother 
Scota.  After  coasting  along  part  of  Spain, 
Gaul,  and  Britain,  they  at  length  arrived  on 
the  southern  coast  of  the  western  island, 
which  had  been  promised  to  them  by  their 
druids.  While  they  Avere  preparing  to  dis- 
embark, they  were  overtaken  by  a  violent 
storm,  which  soon  changed  their  hopes  into 
despair.  The  heavens  were  darkened ;  a 
wind  from  the  southeast  swelled  the  waves  ; 
their  confusion  was  great  and  the  danger 
inevitable,  so  that  in  a  little  time  the  fleet 
was  scattered,  and  out  of  sixty  ships  of  which 
it  was  composed,  not  two  of  them  remained 
together.  The  first  victim  to  Neptune's 
wrath  was  Donn  ;  he  perished  with  his  entire 
crew,  on  the  western  coast  of  the  island,  at 
a  place  called  after  his  name,  Teagh-Duinn. 
Aranann  was  driven  to  sea  by  a  sudden  gust. 
Ir  was  shipwrecked  upon  the  southern  coasts, 
his  body  was  found  upon  the  strand,  and 
buried  in  a  craggy  island,  called  Skeilg- 
Mihil,  within  a  few  leagues  of  Dingle  in  the 
county  of  Kerry :  it  is  called,  in  Mercator's 
map  of  Ireland,  jMidelskyllighs.  Heremon, 
Aireagh,  and  Colpa,  were  driven  by  the  storm 
towards  the  north.  The  two  last,  with  the 
whole  of  their  attendants,  perished.  Colpa 
being  wrecked  at  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
afterwards  called  the  Boyne,  the  place  was 
named  Invear-Colpa,  that  is,  the  bay  of  Col- 
pa, below  the  city  of  Drogheda.  The  storm. 


*  Keating. 


t  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  16. 


however,  having  abated,  and  being  succeed- 
ed by  a  calm,  Heremon,  more  fortunate  than 
his  brothers,  reached  Invear-Colpa,  and  at 
the  same  time  Heber-Fionn,  Amergin  his 
brother,  with  all  their  attendants,  disem- 
barked at  Invear-Skeiny,  at  present  Bantry, 
in  the  county  of  Cork,  or  rather  the  county 
of  Kerry.* 

This  account,  says  Keating,  is  taken  from 
an  ancient  poem  of  Eochaid  O'Floin,  begin- 
ning with  those  words  :  "  Taoisig  Na-Luing 
Sinter  lear,"  related  in  the  Psalter  of  Cashel.f 

Heber-Fionn  had  no  time  to  rest  after  his 
fatigues ;  for  at  the  end  of  three  days  he 
was  attacked  at  Sliave-Mish,t  at  present  in 
the  barony  of  Truchanaimy,  in  the  county 
of  Kerry,  by  a  party  of  the  Tuatha  de  Da- 
nains,  commanded  by  the  princess  Eire, 
wife  of  Mac-Greiny,  who,  after  losing  a 
thousand  men,  was  put  to  flight  by  the 
Milesians. 

The  princess  Eire,  after  collecting  the 
remains  of  her  army,  led  them  to  Tailton, 
where  the  princes Ibeing  assembled,  she  gave 
them  an  account  of  her  defeat.  The  Mile- 
sians lost  three  hundred  men  in  the  action, 
besides  Scota,  the  widow  of  Milesius,  Fais 
a  lady  of  quality,  some  druids,  and  several 
officers  who  had  fallen.  Scota  and  Fais  were 
buried  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain,  in  two 
valleys,  which  were  called  after  their  names, 
Glean-Scoithin  and  Glean-Fais. 

Heber,  after  this  first  advantage,  having 
refreshed  his  troops,  advanced  into  the  coun- 
try to  make  further  discoveries,  in  hopes  of 
meeting  some  of  the  colony  that  were  scat- 
tered by  the  storm  some  time  before,  and, 
after  a  long  and  fatiguing  march,  arrived  at 
Invear-Colpa,  where  he  found  Heremon  with 
his  division,  by  whom  he  was  informed  of  the 
disasters  that  had  befallen  his  brothers  Ai- 
reagh and  Colpa,  who  had  perished  on  that 
coast.  The  brothers  now  uniting  their  forces, 
formed  their  plans  of  operation  for  a  cam- 
paign. They  determined  to  go  in  quest  of 
the  enemy,  who,  according  to  the  reports  of 
their  scouts,  was  not  far  off".^  They  began 
their  march,  and  after  a  few  days  came  up 
with  the  three  princes  of  the  Tuatha  de 
Danains,  in  the  plains  of  Tailton,  with  a 
formidable  army  ready  to  meet  them. ||  The 
action  began,  and  this  battle,  which  was  to 
decide  the  fate  of  both  parties,  was  for  a 
long  time  doubtful,  the  troops  on  both  sides 
making  extraordinary  efforts  ;  the  latter  to 

*  Ogyg.  part  .3,  cap.  10. 

t  Ogyg.  part  2,  page  82  and  83. 

I  Ogygia,  part  2,  page  86. 

§  Gratianus  Lucius,  cap.  8,  page  58. 

II  Walsh,  Prosp.  of  Ireland,  part  1,  sec.  1. 


60 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


defend  their  patrimony  against  the  invaders, 
who  wished  to  wrest  it  I'roni  them  ;  the  for- 
mer, less  to  revenge  the  death  of  their  coun- 
tryman, than  to  obtain  the  possession  of  an 
ishand  which  had  been  destined  for  them,  ac- 
cording to  the  prophecy  of  the  druids.  At 
length  the  three  princes  of  the  Tuatha  de 
Danains,  together  with  their  principal  ofli- 
cers  having  fallen,  the  army  was  put  into 
disorder,  and  the  rout  became  so  general, 
that  more  were  killed  in  the  pursuit  than  on 
the  field  of  battle.  That  day,  so  fatal  to  the 
Tuatha  de  Danains,  decided  the  empire  of 
the  island  in  favor  of  the  Milesians. 

Heber-Fionn  and  Heremon,  brothers  and 
children  of  Milesius,  as  chiefs  of  the  colony, 
divided  the  island  between  them.  Heber 
possessed  Deisiol  Eirionn,  that  is,  the  south- 
ern part,  afterwards  called  the  province  of 
Munster,  where  he  built  a  palace.  Heremon 
enjoyed  the  sovereignty  of  Leinster,  and  had 
the  palace  of  Rath-Beothaig  built  at  Air- 
geodross,  upon  the  banks  of  the  river  Nore, 
in  the  county  of  Ossory ;  at  the  solicitation 
of  his  wife  Thea,  daughter  of  Lucha,  son  of 
Ith,  he  afterwards  built  the  palace  of  Tea- 
mor,  which  signifies  the  residence  of  Tea. 
They  gave  the  northern  parts  of  the  island, 
at  present  the  province  of  Ulster,  to  Heber- 
Donn,  son  of  Ir,  and  to  some  other  chiefs. 
The  descendants  of  Heber-Donn,  called  the 
Clanna-Rorys,  built  in  the  county  of  Ar- 
magh the  palace  of  Eamhain-Macha,  which 
lasted  for  almost  seven  hundred  years,  and 
was  possessed  by  that  tribe  till  the  time  of 
the  three  brothers,  called  the  three  CoUas, 
by  whom  that  superb  edifice  was  destroyed. 
They  conferred  on  their  cousin  Lugadh,  son 
of  Ith,  the  sovereignty  of  Corca-Luidh.*  The 
fiefs  and  lordships  throughout  the  various 
provinces  were,  in  fine,  distributed  among  the 
other  chiefs,  according  to  their  rank  and 
merit ;  and  in  consideration  of  the  services 
which  the  remaining  party  of  the  Firbolgs 
had  rendered  them  in  the  conquest  of  the 
island,  they  bestowed  on  them  the  province 
of  Connaught,  which  their  descendants  re- 
tained till  the  third  age  of  Christianity.  1 
do  not  find  that  any  portion  was  given  to 
their  brother  Amhergin,whowas  still  living, 
and  a  druid  by  profession  ;  he  was  probably 
treated  like  the  tribe  of  Levi,  who  possessed 
no  share  in  the  land  promised  to  the  Israel- 
ites. 

The  two  brothers  Heber-Fionn  and  Here- 
mon reigned  together  during  the  space  of  a 
year  ;  but  the  ambition  of  Heber's  wife  be- 
came the  cause  of  her  ruin.     Not  content 

*  o&y?"  p^'t  ^)  p^gs  11. 


with  the  division  that  was  made  between  the 
two  princes,  she  influenced  her  husband  to 
do  justice  to  himself  by  force  of  arms.  Prince 
Heber,  weak  and  condescending,  yielded  to 
the  importunities  of  his  wife,  and  declared 
war  against  his  brother  Heremon.*  War 
being  now  commenced,  the  two  armies  met 
upon  the  plains  of  Geisiol,the  frontier  bound- 
aries of  the  provinces  of  Leinster  and  Mun- 
ster.f  The  battle  was  bloody  and  obstinate, 
but  Heber  and  his  chief  ofiicers  being  slain,| 
Heremon,  like  a  second  Romulus,  became 
sole  possessor  of  the  island,  over  which  he 
reigned  forthirteenyears.^^  This  is  confirmed 
by  the  authority  of  Aongus  Celide  or  Coli- 
deus,  an  author  of  tlie  eighth  century,  cited 
by  Ware  in  the  second  chapter  of  his  An- 
tiquities of  Ireland. II  The  foregoing  is  a 
slight  sketch  of  w-hat  ancient  and  modern 
histories  set  forth  respecting  the  origin  of  the 
Milesians  ;  let  us  now  view  the  difficulties 
which  would  be  advanced  against  the  voyages 
and  transmigrations  of  the  Gadelians.  The 
first  is,  to  reconcile  a  point  of  chronology  on 
the  subject  of  Gaodhal,  who,  according  to 
the  manuscripts  followed  by  Keating,  was 
the  sixth  descendant  from  Japhet,  and  con- 
temporary of  Moses,  which  made  the  four- 
teenth or  fifteenth  generation  after  Shem. 
Keating  hijudiciously  supposes  that  he  has 
smoothed  a  difficulty  by  imagining  Niul  or 
some  of  his  ancestors  to  have  lived  for  many 
ages,  in  order  to  make  the  sixth  descendant 
on  one  side  fall  in  with  the  fourteenth  on  the 
other  ;  but  if  mankind  lived  then  to  a  great 
age,  the  supposition  is  equally  applicable  to 
the  ancestors  of  Moses,  as  to  those  of  Niul. 
It  is  more  natural  to  think  that  the  anachro- 
nism has  arisen  through  some  copyist  of  the 


*  War.  Antiq.  cap.  2.       t  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  17. 

t  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  8,  page  58. 

§  "  After  several  battles  and  doubtful  events  of 
war  between  the  brothers,  victory  fell  at  length  to 
Heremon,  and  in  one  of  these  battles  Heber,  his 
brother,  being  slain,  Heremon  became  sole  master 
of  the  kingdom,  and  was  the  first  monarch  of  the 
Irish  people,  who  inhabit  the  kingdom  to  this  day." 
— Gerald  Camh.  Topograp/iy  of  Ireland,  c.  7. 

II  "  The  island  Hibernia  was  divided  between  the 
two  princes  of  the  army  called  Milesians,  and  into 
two  parts.  Heber  obtained  the  southern  parts,  and  to 
Heremon  fell  the  northern,  together  with  the  monar- 
chy. Heremon  was  the  first  of  the  Scots  who  ruled 
over  the  whole  of  Ireland,  during  13  years,  and  had 
5  sons  elected,  4  of  whom  governed  the  kingdom 
for  3  years,  and  Jarel,  the  prophet,  during  10.  Of 
the  descent  of  Heremon,  58  kings  ruled  over  Ire- 
land before  Patrick  had  preached  the  doctrines  and 
sufferings  of  Christ  to  the  Irish.  After  the  time 
of  Patrick,  50  kings  of  the  above  lineage  ruled 
over  Ireland." — Ware''s  Antiquiiies,  and  Ogyg.  p. 
3,c.  7. 


FABULOUS    HISTORY    OP    THE    GADELIANS. 


61 


manuscripts  of  the  Milesians,  who  might 
have  omitted  some  generations  between  Ja- 
phet  and  Niul.  As  to  the  histories  of  those 
times  so  far  remote,  there  are  many  things 
in  them  very  obscure,  and  several  difficulties 
therein  hard  to  be  resolved.    Do  we  not  see 

j  the  learned  differ  about  the  king  that  reigned 

I  in  Egypt  in  the  time  of  Moses,  and  who  was 
drowned  in  the  Red  Sea  ?     Some  pretend 

j  that  it  was  Amenophis,  father  of  Sesostris, 
while  others  say  that  it  was  Pheron,  son  of 
the  latter.  The  Hebrews,  the  Greeks,  and 
the  Latins  disagree  concerning  the  number 
of  years  that  elapsed  from  the  time  of  the 
creation  to  the  coming  of  the  Messiah  ; 
their  differences,  however,  do  not  affect  the 
truth  of  the  events  which  are  recorded  to 
have  happened  at  that  time,  viz.,  the  crea- 
tion of  the  world,  the  deluge,  the  genealog)^ 
of  Abraham,  whether  in  ascending  up  to 
Adam,  or  descending  down  to  Moses.  A 
similar  anachronism  with  respect  to  Gaodhal 
and  Moses,  ought  not  to  destroy  the  truth 
of  the  history  of  the  Gadelians,  as  to  their 
origin  and  genealogy. 

It  will  be  perhaps  again  objected,  that 
navigation  being  unknown  at  those  early 
periods,  it  cannot  be  believed  that  the  Gade- 
lians had  been  able  to  make  such  distant  voy- 
ages by  sea,  as  from  Egypt  to  Crete,  from 
Crete  to  Scythia,  from  Scythia  to  Africa,  from 
Africa  to  Spain,  and  from  Spain  to  Ireland. 

I  This  difficulty  Avill  vanish  if  we  but  con- 
sider that  the  art  of  sailing  had  been  at  all 
times  in  use,  at  least  since  the  deluge.  We 
know  that  long  before  Solomon,  the  Phceni- 
cians,  Egyptians,  and  Greeks  possessed  the 
art  of  navigation.  The  Phcenicians,  says 
Herodotus,*  who  traded  to  all  countries, 
with  the  merchandises  of  Egypt  and  Assyria, 
arrived  at  Argos,  a  trading  city  in  Greece, 
and  after  disposing  of  their  merchandise, 
they  carried  off  the  wives  of  the  Greeks,  toge- 
ther with  lo,  daughter  of  king  Inachus,  who 
reigned  at  Argos  about  the  year  of  the  world 
3112  ;  after  which,  some  Greeks  trading  to 
Tyre,  carried  away  in  their  turn,  Europa, 
daughter  of  the  king  of  Tyre,  to  be  revenged 
for  the  insult  their  countrymen  sustained  by 
the  carrying  off  of  their  wives  from  Argos. 
We  find  that  David,  after  conquering  and 
reducing  the  kingdom  of  Edom  into  a  pro- 
vince of  his  empire,  established  commerce 
at  Elath  and  at  Asiongaber,  two  ports  on  the 
Red  Sea.  But  Solomon  carried  it  still  far- 
ther, for  in  his  time  they  traded  from  the 
Red  Sea  along  the  coast  of  Arabia,  Persia, 
the  Indies,  and  as  far  as  the  western  coast 
of  Africa.    History  informs  us  that  Nechao, 

*  Lib.  1. 


the  second  of  the  name,  and  king  of  Egypt, 
having  equipped  a  fleet  on  the  Red  Sea,  had 
Phcenician  pilots  brought  to  command  it. 
This  fleet,  after  having  coasted  along  the 
Red  Sea,  entered  the  ocean,  and  crossing 
the  Torrid  Zone,  doubled  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  and  after  sailing  round  Africa,  re- 
turned to  Egypt  through  the  Straits  of  Gib- 
raltar, by  the  Mediterranean  Sea  ;  so  it  is 
more  than  probable,  that  from  the  earliest 
times,  and  immediately  after  the  deluge,  man- 
kind had  discovered  the  art  of  building  ships, 
from  the  model  of  the  Ark,  which  had  saved 
their  ancestors  from  the  waters  of  the  deluge. 

But  it  may  be  asked,  why  did  they  not 
establish  themselves  in  some  part  of  the 
continent,  rather  than  expose  themselves  to 
so  many  dangers  by  sea,  to  seek  after  an 
island  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  separate 
themselves  forever  from  all  intercourse  with 
mankind  ?  The  weakness  of  that  question 
will  be  perceived,  when  we  consider  that  a 
taste  for  voyages  and  emigrations  prevailed 
in  the  early  ages  of  the  world.  Men  had 
not  been  sufficiently  settled,  nor  property  in 
the  possession  of  lands  established  as  it  has 
since  become.  For  besides,  a  colony  of 
Tyrians,  Avho,  having  coasted  along  Asia 
Minor,  Greece,  Italy,  Gaul,  and  the  several 
countries  which  surround  the  Mediterra- 
nean Sea,  without  stopping  in  any,  sailed 
through  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar  into  the 
ocean,  established  themselves  in  the  west- 
ern coast  of  Spain,  and  built  the  city  of 
Cadiz,  long  before  Utica  and  Carthage. 
Moreover,  there  were  colonies  sent  into  dif- 
ferent countries  by  the  Egyptians,  Phoeni- 
cians, Greeks,  and  Carthaginians,  who  were 
themselves  a  colony  of  Phcenicians.  Car- 
thage herself,  after  having  founded  three 
hundred  cities  on  the  coast  of  iVfrica,  and 
finding  herself  still  overcharged  with  inhab- 
itants, sent  Hanno  with  a  fleet  and  thirty 
thousand  volunteers,  to  make  discoveries  on 
the  coast  of  Africa  beyond  the  Pillars  of  Her- 
cules, and  to  establish  some  colonies  there.* 

The  Scythians,  from  whom  the  Gadelians 
were  descended,  and  who  were  masters  of 
the  vast  regions  which  extended  from  the 
Boristhenes  to  the  country  of  the  Massage- 
tes,  and  from  the  Saces  to  the  east  of  the 
Caspian  Sea,  had  neither  cities  nor  houses  ; 
they  were  continually  roving,  and  lived  in 
tents,  sometimes  in  one  country,  sometimes 
in  another. 

*  The  learned  are  divided  about  the  time  of  the 
expedition.  Strabo  supposes  it  to  have  been  a  few 
years  after  the  Trojan  war  ;  but  Vossius,  who  be- 
lieves Hanno  to  be  more  ancient  than  Homer,  as- 
serts that  it  took  place  at  least  a  century  before  the 
taking  of  that  city. 


62 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


Whatever  truth  may  be  attached  to  what 
I  have  now  related  with  regard  to  the  voy- 
ages and  transmigrations  of  the  Gadclians 
in  dirtorent  countries,  it  appears  at  all  times 
indisputable,  that  that  people  derived  their 
origin  from  the  Scythians  ;  their  namcKinea 
Scuit,  or  Scota,  denotes  it.*  The  accounts 
of  foreign  authors  and  those  of  their  Fileasf 
confirm  it.  Newton,|  with  Appina  and  oth- 
ers, says,  that  Greece  and  all  Europe  had 
been  peopled  by  the  Cimmerians  or  Scythi- 
ans from  the  borders  of  the  Euxine  Sea, 
who,  like  the  Tartars  in  the  north  of  Asia, 
led  a  wandering  life.  Spain  had  perhaps 
her  share  in  peopling  a  part  of  Europe,  and 
consequently  the  ancient  Spaniards  were 
descended  from  the  same  Scythians.  Al- 
though the  Milesians  claim  the  glory  of  hav- 
ing come  directly  from  Egypt  to  Spain,  they 
do  not  at  the  same  time  lose  sight  of  their 
Scythian  origin.  They  call  themselves  at 
all  times  the  descendants  of  the  Iberians  or 
Scythians  of  the  Euxine  Sea.^  They  pre- 
tend that  the  colony,  after  having  been  led 
into  different  countries  by  their  princes,  es- 
tablished themselves  at  last  in  Spain.  How- 
ever, if  they  pass  themselves  for  the  children 
of  Magog,  rather  than  of  Gomer,  from  whose 
posterity  Gaul,  Germany,  and  other  countries 
of  the  north  had  been  peopled,  it  is  a  matter 
which  is  of  itself  but  of  little  importance. 

The  truth  of  the  Scoto-Milesians  having 
passed  from  Spain  to  Ireland  is  supported 
Ijy  proofs  that  are  equally  strong.  Foreign 
authors  are  in  perfect  accordance  Avith  the 
monuments  of  that  people  on  that  head  ; 
this  constitutes  a  certainty  beyond  all  doubt. 
Among  the  number  are  Nennius  of  the  ninth 
century,  Walsingham,  Henry  of  Hunting- 
ton,]] Buchanan,*!!  and  others.  The  opinion 
of  these  authors,  says  Camden,  accords  with 
the  opinion  of  the  Irish,  who  gladly  call  them- 
selves the  descendants  of  the  Spaniards.** 

*  War.  Antiq.  Hibern.  cap.  1,  page  3. 

t  Bards. 

t  Chron.  Dublin  edit,  page  10. 

§  Ogyg-  part  2,  page  66  et  82. 

II  "  Tlie  Britons  came  into  Britain  during  the 
third  age  of  the  world,  and  the  Scoti  into  Ireland 
in  the  fourth  age.  Whereas  those  matters  are  un- 
certain, it  is  indubitable,  that  they  came  from  Spain 
to  Ireland,  and  emigrating  from  thence,  they  added 
a  third  nation  in  Britain  to  tiie  Britons  and  the 
Victs."— Huntingdon,  pp.  88,  729. 

f  "  There  is  a  prevailing  report,  which  says,  that 
a  great  number  of  Spaniards,  who  were  either  driven 
from  the  country  by  the  great  ones,  or  from  a  re 
dundancy  of  population,  went  of  their  own  accord 
and  passed  into  Ireland." — Buchanan,  b.  4,  c.  5. 

**  "  To  this  opinion,  prevalent  among  the  Irisli, 
jnay  be  added,  i.  e.  '  they  confess  most  freely,'  that 
they  are  descended  from  the  Spaniards." — Irish 
Writers,  vol.  2,  c.  5. 


We  can  likewise  add  to  this  the  authority 
of  an  ancient  Latin  manuscript  in  Gothic 
diaracters,  of  which  Harris  speaks  :*  it  was 
discovered  a  few  years  ago,  in  the  archives 
of  a  monastery  in  Gallicia,  by  Sir  John 
Higgins,  counsellor  of  state,  and  head  phy- 
sician to  Philip  V.  This  manuscript  is 
entitled  "  Concordantia  Hispaniae  atque  Hi- 
berniae  a  Sedulio  Scoto  genere  Hiberniensi 
et  Episcopo  Oretensi,"  and  is  attributed  to 
Sedulius  the  younger,  who  lived  in  the 
eighth  century.  The  siibject  of  it  is,  ac- 
cording to  Harris,  as  follows  :  Sedulius 
having  acquired  a  high  Reputation  by  his 
commentaries  on  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew, 
and  the  Epistles  of  St.  Paul,!  Pope  Gregory 
II.  sent  him  into  Spain,  having  nominated 
him  bishop  of  Oreto,  to  allay  some  troubles 
that  had  arisen  among  the  clergy  of  that 
nation.  Sedulius,  meeting  with  some  oppo- 
sition from  the  Spaniards  in  consequence  of 
being  a  stranger,  wrote  this  treatise,  wherein 
he  shows,  that,  as  an  Irishman,  and  being 
descended  from  the  Spaniards,  he  should 
consequently  enjoy  the  same  privileges  as 
they  did.  He  continued  therefore  to  enjoy 
his  bishopric,  until  driven  from  it  by  the 
Moors.  The  pope  afterwards  nominated 
him  titular  bishop  of  Great  Britain,  and  in 
that  quality  he  assisted  at  a  council  at  Rome, 
against  unlawful  marriages. | 

The  testimony  of  the  Spaniards  them- 
selves, particularly  of  Alderetus,  in  his  An- 
tiquities of  Spain,  and  of  Florianus  del 
Ca.npo,  joined  to  a  tradition  among  the 
people,  who  look  upon  the  Irish  as  their 
children,  and  as  a  colony  which  had  left 
their  country,  in  consequence  of  which  they 
are  treated  as  inhabitants  of  the  country, 
particularly  in  Gallicia,  and  the  northern 
parts  of  the  kingdom,  Avhere  they  enjoy  the 
same  privileges  as  the  natives  ;  these  are 
conclusive  proofs  on  the  subject,  although 
Camden  pretends  that  it  was  ambition  made 
Florianus  del  Campo  say,  that  the  Brigantes 
had  passed  from  Spain  into  Ireland,  and 
from  thence  into  Britain. 

The  great  difficulty  consists  in  settling 
the  time  of  the  transmigration  of  the  Scoto- 
Milesians  from  Spain  to  Ireland,  on  account 
of  the  different  calcidations  of  the  annalists. 
Following  the  ancient  monmnents,  Keating 
fixed  it  1300  years  before  the  birth  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Cambrensis,  and  the  author  of  the 
Polychronicon,  reckon  1800  years  from  their 
arrival  in  the  island,^  till  the  mission  of  St. 

*  Irish  Writers,  vol.  2,  c.  5. 

t  Usser,  Primord.  cap.  16,  page  780. 

t  Binii  Concil.  tome  3.     Baleus,  Cent.  14,  n.  28. 

§  Walsh,  Prospect  of  Ireland,  page  393. 


RELIGION    AND    CUSTOMS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


Patrick  in  the  fifth  century,  which  agrees 
pretty  nearly  with  the  calculation  of  Keat- 
ing. The  number  of  kings  who  reigned  in 
Ireland  from  Heremon  to  the  twelfth  age  of 
Christianity  was  181.  The  epoch  of  their 
commencement  in  the  time  of  Heremon  de- 
pends upon  the  length  of  their  reign  ;  if  we 
allow  to  each  a  reign  of  fourteen  years,  we 
must  necessarily  ascend  from  the  twelfth 
century  upwards  to  the  epoch  fixed  upon 
by  Keating ;  but  if  with  Newton,*  we  give 
to  each  a  reign  of  eighteen  or  twenty  years, 
which,  in  a  warlike  nation,  is  not  probable, 
we  must  ascend  much  higher  than  that  era. 
Camden,  as  well  as  Nennius,  presumes  that 
we  should  search  for  their  migrations  in  more 
modern  times  ;  this,  however,  is  not  conclu- 
sive. O'Flaherty,  who  was  much  more  capa- 
ble than  those  foreigners  of  fathoming  the 
antiquities  of  his  country,  has  in  accordance 
with  ancient  monuments,  defined  the  time 
j  that  each  Milesian  king  reigned,  from  the 
arrival  of  the  colony  in  Ireland  until  the 
birth  of  our  Saviour,  and  places  it  in  the 
time  of  Solomon,  that  is,  about  1000  years 
i  before  Jesus  Christ. f  This  account  agrees 
!  with  the  period  of  the  conquest  of  Spain, 
;  by  Sesac  or  Sesostris,  of  which  Newton 
j  speaks,;}:  and  which,  according  to  Buchanan, 
was  probably  the  cause  of  the  flight  of  that 
colony,  "  A  potentioribus  domo  pulsam." 

We  might,  perhaps,  with  a  greater  ap- 
pearance of  truth,  place  that  event  a  century 
later,  that  is,  in  the  time  of  Melcartus,  or 
Hercules  the  Tyrian,  who  was,  according 
to  Newton,  the  second  conqueror  of  Spain, 
and  the  founder  of  Carteia,  particularly  as 
that  learned  man  thinks,  that  they  had  not 
taken  distant  voyages  (such  as  to  Britain  or 
Ireland)  before  the  time  of  that  conqueror. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


OF    THE    RELIGION   AND    CUSTOMS    OF    THE 
MILESIANS. 

It  is  not  easy  to  define  the  religion  of  the 
ancient  Milesians  ;  it  appears,  however,  by 
their  history,  that  Tighernmas,^  the  seventh 
king  of  that  race,  was  the  first  king  who  in- 

*  Chron.  Dublin  edit.  chap.  1,  p.  55  and  57. 

+  "  The  best  among  the  Irish  writers  are  agreed, 
that  it  was  during  the  reign  of  Solomon  the  Scoti 
passed  from  Spain  to  Ireland." — Ogyg.  part  2,  p. 
83. 

t  Chron.  Dublin  edit,  page  17. 

§  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Tiffhernnias,  a.  m. 
3085. 


troduced  idolatry  among  them.  The  same 
histories  inform  us,*  that  that  unhappy 
prince  was,  together  with  a  great  number 
of  his  subjects,  struck  dead  by  an  invisible 
hand,  on  the  day  we  call  "  All  Saints," 
while  they  were  employed  in  worshipping 
the  idol,  called  in  their  language,  "  Crom- 
Cruadh,"  in  the  plains  of  Moy-Sleachta,  near 
Fenagh,  in  the  barony  of  Mohill,  territory 
of  Briefny,  at  present  the  county  of  Leitrim: 
that,  till  then,  their  ancestors,  the  Gadelians, 
had  a  knowledge  of  the  true  God,t  and  fol- 
lowed the  religion  of  the  patriarchs,  having 
received  that  divine  impression  from  Moses 
and  the  Israelites,  with  whom  they  had  some 
connection  before  the  passage  of  the  Red  Sea. 
However  this  be,  no  nation  was  ever  more 
superstitious  afterwards  than  the  Milesians : 
and  though  they  neither  worshipped  cats, 
dogs,  crocodiles,  nor  the  vegetables  which 
their  gardens  produced,  as  the  Egyptians 
did ;  still  they  had  many  gods  of  various 
sorts  and  orders.  This  inclination  to  idol- 
atry, common  to  them  with  other  nations, 
(not  excepting  the  people  chosen  and  im- 
mediately governed  by  God  himself,)  was 
strengthened  by  the  example  of  the  Tuatha 
de  Danains,  their  immediate  predecessors  in 
the  possession  of  the  island,  who  worshipped 
the  sun,  the  moon,  sometimes  the  plough, 
and  other  things  made  by  the  hands  of  men ; 
but  as  these  divinities,  resting  upon  the  ca- 
price or  inventions  of  man,  could  not  fix  the 
mind,  the  objects  of  this  worship  were  fre- 
quently changed. 

Great  honors  were  paid  to  the  druids 
and  bards  among  the  Milesians,  as  well  as 
to  those  among  the  Britons  and  Gauls. 
The  first  called  Draoi  in  their  language,;}: 
performed  the  duties  of  priest,  philosopher, 
legislator,  and  judge.  Caesar  has  given,  in 
his  commentaries,^  a  well-detailed  account 
of  the  order,  office,  jurisdiction,  and  doctrine 
of  the  druids  among  the  Gauls.  As  priests, 
they  regulated  religion  and  its  worship ; 
according  to  their  will  the  objects  of  it  were 
determined,  and  the  divinity  often  changed ; 
to  them,  likewise,  the  education  of  youth 
was  intrusted.  Guided  by  the  druids,  the 
Milesians  generally  adored  Jupiter,  Mars, 
Mercury,  Apollo,  the  sun,  moon,  and  wind; 
they  had  also  their  mountain,  forest,  and 
river  gods.||  These  divinities  were  common 
to  them,  and  to  other  nations  of  the  world. 

*  0?ry?-  part  3.  cap.  21,  22. 
+  Grat.  Luc,  cap.  8,  page  59. 
t  War.   Antiq.    Hibern.    cap.   5,   Ogvg.  part  3, 
cap.  22. 
§  Lib.  6. 
[j  War.  Antiq.  Hibern.  cap.  5. 


64 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


It  is  known  that  Augustus  had  a  temple 
raised  in  Gaul,  in  honor  of  the  wind  Cir- 
cius.* 

According  to  the  Annals  of  Ulster,  cited 
by  Ware,  the  usual  oath  of  Laogare  II.,  king 
of  Ireland  in  the  time  of  St.  Patrick,  was 
by  the  sun  and  wind.  The  Scythians  swore 
by  the  wind,  and  sometimes  by  a  cimeter 
or  cutlass,  in  use  among  the  Persians,  upon 
which  was  engraven  the  image  of  Mars.  It 
is  mentioned  by  Jocelin,  an  English  monk 
of  the  order  of  Citeaux,  in  his  life  of  St. 
Patrick,!  written  in  the  twelfth  century,  that 
the  same  Laogare,  before  his  conversion, 
adored  an  idol  named  Kean  Croithi,  which 
signifies,  "  Head  of  all  the  Gods."  In  the 
register  of  Clogher,  there  is  mention  made 
of  a  stone  ornamented  with  gold  by  the 
pagans,  which  gave  oracles. ;{:  From  this 
stone  the  town  was  called  Clogher,  which 
signifies  "  golden  stone."  Charles  Maguire, 
prebendaiy  of  Armagh,  and  dean  of  Clogher 
in  the  15th  century,  says  in  his  notes  on  the 
registry^  of  Clogher,  that  that  stone  was  still 
preserved  at  the  right  of  the  entrance  into 
the  church.  Ware,  in  the  same  chapter, 
speaks  of  the  fatal  stone  called  Liafail,  or 
"  saxum  fatale,"  which  the  Tuatha  de  Da- 
nains  brought  with  them  to  Ireland,  and 
which  groaned  when  the  kings  were  seated 
on  it  at  their  coronation.  That  stone,  he 
mentions,  was  sent  into  Albania  to  be  used 
at  the  coronation  of  Fergus  ;  that  Keneth 
had  it  placed  in  a  wooden  chair,  in  which 
the  kings  of  Scotland  sat  at  the  time  of  their 
coronation,  in  the  abbey  of  Scone,  whence 
it  was  transferred  by  Edward  I.,  king  of 
England,  and  placed  in  Westminster  Abbey. 
The  superstition  of  the  druids  and  the 
authority  of  the  oracles  were  in  as  high 
veneration  among  the  Milesians  as  among 
other  people,  until  the  birth  of  our  Saviour, 
which  put  an  end  to  all  such  illusions. 

As  legislators  and  judges,  the  druids  were 
arbiters  in  all  public  affairs,  and  were  in- 
vested Avith  a  power  to  reward  or  punish. 
Every  kind  of  privilege  and  immunity  was 
conferred  on  them  ;  they  were  also  exempt 
from  contributing  to  the  necessities  of  the 
state.  Their  doctrine  was  a  kind  of  theology 
I  and  philosophy  ;  they  professed  the  magic 
art,  and  the  knowledge  of  futurity.^ 

The  druids,  says  Caesar,  are  indebted  for 
their  origin  and  institution  to  Britain,  and 
those  of  Gaul  went  thither  to  be  perfected 


*  Ibidem.  t  Cap.  56. 

t  War.  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  5. 
§  Euseb.  praep.  Evang.  lib.   5,   Suidas,  Niceph. 
Calixt,  Eccles.  Hist.  lib.  1,  cap.  17. 


in  their  profession  ;  but  whether  those  of 
Britain  owed  the  origin  of  their  order  to  the 
Milesians,  or  they  to  the  Britons,  is  a  matter 
of  little  moment,  and  upon  which  I  do  not 
pretend  to  decide  ;  however,  there  was  this 
difference  between  the  druids  of  the  Gauls, 
the  Britons,  and  those  of  the  Milesians, 
that  the  last  communicated  by  means  of  the 
oghum  mysteries,  which  the  others  never 
committed  to  writing. 

It  is  certain  that  after  the  confusion  of 
tongues  at  Babel,  and  the  dispersion  of 
mankind,  every  family  or  colony  formed  for 
itself  a  system  of  religion  in  the  different 
countries  where  they  settled,  and  that,  for 
the  exercise  of  it,  a  society  of  men  intrusted 
with  its  duties  was  necessary  to  be  formed. 
These  ministers  were  known  throughout  a 
great  part  of  Europe,  by  the  name  of  druids. 
They  were  known  among  the  Greeks  by  the 
name  of  Sophoi,  or  philosophers  ;  among 
the  Persians,  Magi  ;  the  Indians,  Gymno- 
sophists  ;  and  Chaldeans,  among  the  Assyri- 
ans.* 

The  different  nations  among  whom  reli- 
gion was  administered  by  the  druids,  endea- 
vor to  discover  in  their  languages,  the  origin 
and  etymology  of  the  word  "  Druid."  In 
dru,"  which  signifies  faithful,  the  Germans 
think  to  have  found  it.  The  Saxons  derive 
it  from  "  dry,"  which  means  magi.  In 
Armorica  the  Word  "  deruidhon"  was  in  use. 
The  Milesians,  who  apply  the  word  "dry- 
ithy"t  to  signify  druid,  take  it  from  "  dair," 
which  means  oak,  with  which  their  island 
was  formerly  covered,  from  which  the  an- 
cients called  it,  "  Insula  nemorosa.";}:  The 
Greek  interpretation  of  the  word  druid  adds 
probability  to  the  opinion  of  the  Milesian. 
A^vs  in  Greek,  signifies  oak,  a  tree  sacred  to 
Jupiter,^  because  the  druids  chose  the  forests 
of  oak,  to  celebrate  inthejn  their  superstitious 
mysteries,  to  which  Lucan,  lib.  1,  alludes, 


'•  iiemora  alta  remotis, 

Incolitis  lucis," 

or  because  they  made  use  of  the  mistletoe 
of  the  oak  in  their  religious  ceremonies. 
Ovid  makes  allusion  to  it,  when  he  says, 

"  Ad  viscum  druidae,  druidse  clamare  solebant." 

Pliny  is  explicit  and  clear  upon  this 
matter  :  there  is  nothing,  he  says,  so  sacred 
among  the  druids,  (it  is  thus  the  Gauls  call 
their  magii,)  as  the  oak  and  the  mistletoe, 


*  Diofjen.  Lacrt.  prologue, 
t  Droiii. 

t  "  The  woody  island." 
6  Claud,  lib.  1. 


RELIGION    AND    CUSTOMS   OP    THE    MILESIANS. 


65 


which  that  tree  produces.  They  chose  forests 
of  oak  wherein  to  celebrate  their  religious 
ceremonies,  whence  the  name  druid  is  most 
probably  derived  from  the  Greek  interpreta- 
tion. Every  thing  which  that  tree  produces, 
is,  according  to  them,  a  gift  of  heaven,  and 
a  sign  of  its  being  chosen  by  the  gods.  The 
priest,  (continues  Pliny,)  dressed  in  white, 
climbs  the  oak,  and  with  a  golden  knife 
detaches  from  it  the  mistletoe,  which  was 
thought  to  be  a  sovereign  antidote  against 
all  distempers.  The  most  ancient  and 
celebrated  oracle  in  Greece,  was  consulted 
under  the  oak,  in  the  forest  of  Dodona. 
God  himself,  in  the  time  of  the  patriarchs, 
appeared  to  men  in  woods  of  oak  ;  temples 
were  erected  in  them  to  his  honor,  and  cov- 
enants made  between  God  and  man ;  sacri- 
fices Avere  also  oiFered  in  them,  and  angels 
announced  to  man  the  commands  of  the 
Lord.  When  the  Jews  had  apostatized,  and 
abandoned  the  worship  of  the  true  God,  they 
sacrificed  upon  high  mountains,  and  beneath 
the  oak  they  burned  incense, "  Subtus  univer- 
sam  quercum  frondosam,"  so  that  according 
to  sacred  and  profane  history,  the  oak  was 
held  in  great  veneration  by  the  ancients.* 

The  Milesian  bards,  called  Filea  or  Fear- 
dana,  were  not  less  esteemed  than  the  druids ; 
they  enjoyed  high  privileges,  and  sat,  with 
a  right  of  suffrage,  in  the  assemblies  of  the 
state.  Possessions  and  property  were  given 
them  by  the  monarch,  provincial  kings,  and 
the  private  lords.  Strabo  and  Lucan  call 
them  poets  or  prophets  .f  Pompeius  Festus 
says, I  that  a  bard  is  a  man  who  sings  in 
verse  the  praises  and  deeds  of  great  men.§ 
Diodorus  Siculus  calls  a  bard  a  composer  of 
hymns. II  David  Powell  informs  us,  that  the 
Welsh  bards  were  employed  in  preserving 
the  genealogies  and  armorials  of  their  no- 
bles :  the  Milesians  had  those  of  their  own 
country  similarly  employed.  That  matter, 
as  Ware  observes,  is  largely  treated  of  in  the 
laws  of  Hoel-Dha  :1"  he  says,  too,  that  among 
the  number  of  the  bards  was  the  celebrated 
poet,  Dubtach-Mac-Lughair,**  "  Poeta  egre- 
gius  Hibernicus,"  who  composed  many  po- 
ems in  honor  of  the  false  gods  ;  but  that 
after  he  had  been,  by  the  preaching  of  Saint 
Patrick,  converted  to  the  true  faith,  he  appli- 
ed his  talents  to  the  praises  of  the  Almighty 
and  his  saints. ft 


*  Ezech.  cap.  6,  v.  13. 

t  Geograph.  lib.  4. 

^  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  27. 

§  Lib.  1.  II  Lib.  5. 

IT  Antiq.  Hibern.  cap.  5. 

**  Ibidem. 


tt  Jocelin,  cap.  45. 


There  were  two  divinities  whose  worship 
was  universal  among  the  Milesians  ;  the  first 
was  Beul,  the  same  perhaps  as  Bel  among 
the  Asiatics.  We  discover  in  their  histories, 
that,  in  the  reign  of  Tuathal  Tcachtmar,* 
a  portion  of  land  was  taken  from  each  prov- 
ince to  appropriate  it  as  a  demesne  for  his 
use.  Assemblies  were  held  each  year  in 
the  dismembered  portion  of  Connaught.f 
In  this  general  assembly  of  all  the  states,^ 
called  the  meeting  of  Uisneach,  in  the  bar- 
ony of  Rathconra,  in  Westmeath,  animals 
were  sacrificed  and  offered  to  Beul,  when 
invoking  his  protection  for  the  fruits  of  the 
earth  ;  and  to  render  the  festival  more  sol- 
emn, it  was  ordained,  that  in  every  territory 
of  the  island,  two  fires  should  be  kindled ; 
and  that  between  them  a  number  of  beasts 
of  every  kind  should  be  made  to  pass,  in 
order  to  preserve  them  against  all  infectious 
distempers  for  the  ensuing  year.  The  day 
fixed  upon  for  the  ceremony  agrees  with 
our  first  day  of  May,  which  was,  and  is  still 
called  by  the  Irish, "  Lha-Beul-tinne,"  which 
signifies  the  day  of  Beul's  fire,  the  Irish  word 
Iha  signifying  day,  and  tinne  fire.^ 

The  same  monarch  ordered  another  meet- 
ing to  assemble  every  year  at  Tlachta,  in  the 
portion  appropriated  for  that  use,  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Munster  ;  it  is  now  called  the  barony 
of  Clanlish,  in  the  King's  County.  The 
sacred  fire  was  lighted  there,  to  apprize  the 
druids  and  pagan  priests  that  they  were  to 
assemble  on  the  eve  of  the  first  of  November, 
and  consume  in  it  the  sacrifices  oflered  to 
their  household  gods.  It  was  forbidden, 
under  penalty  of  a  fine,  to  kindle  a  fire  in 
any  other  place  on  that  night,  which  was 
not  taken  from  the  sacred  fire. 

The  second  divinity  that  was  worshipped 
among  the  Milesians,  which  continued  till 
the  time  of  Christianity,  was  the  Golden 
Calf.  Keating  gives  us,  on  the  reign  of 
Cormac  Ulfada,  an  example  of  that  impious 
devotion,  in  the  conduct  of  Maoilogann  the 
druid,  towards  that  prince,  who,  having 
resigned  the  crown,  withdrew  to  a  small 
country-house  at  Anacoille,  near  Tara,  to 
devote  himself  to  the  worship  of  the  true 
God,  whom  he  had  already  known.  The 
minister  of  Satan  came  to  seek  him  in  his 
retreat,  and  proposed  to  him  the  worship  of 
the  Golden  Calf  ;  he  reproached  him  for 
having  withdrawn  himself  from  a  religion 
that  had  been  so  long  established,  and  which 
his  predecessors  down  to  him  had  professed. 

*  Keating  on  the  r^ign  of  Tuathal  Teachtmar. 
t  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  56. 
X  Anno  Domini,  130. 
§  Ogyg-  part  2,  p.  62. 


66 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


The  pious  prince  answered  liim  with  a  mild- 
ness and  resohition  worthy  the  first  heroes 
ol'  Christianity,  that  he  adored  but  the  one 
true  God,  the  Creator  of  lieaven  and  earth; 
that  as  to  those  gods  made  hy  the  hands  of 
men,  he  knew  them  not.  This  profession 
of  his  faith  cost  him  his  life,  for  the  night 
following  he  died,  by  an  unnatural  death, 
after  he  had  ordered  that  he  should  not  be 
buried  among  the  pagan  kings,  his  predeces 
sors,  because  he  Avished  his  ashes  not  to 
mingle  with  idolaters. 

It  requires  but  a  slender  knowledge  of 
history  to  discover  the  changes  which  a 
long  interval  of  time  and  place  produces. 
Those  who  at  present  inhabit  a  country  live 
fiir  differently  from  the  ancient  inhabitants 
of  the  same  country ;  but  few  ages  are  suf 
ficient  to  make  that  difference  perceptible. 
The  French,  now-a-days,  differ  widely  in 
their  taste  and  manner  of  living  from  those 
that  have  gone  before  them  but  a  few  cen- 
turies. In  the  age  we  live  in,  what  analogy 
is  there  between  our  customs  and  those  of 
the  surrounding  nations  1  If  then  Ave  com- 
bine these  two  considerations,  it  cannot  sur- 
prise us  that  men  who  lived  two  or  three 
thousand  years  ago,  in  countries  apart  from 
us,  had  customs  different  from  ours.  W 
need  only  ascend  800  years  from  the  present 
time,  and  it  will  be  found  that  every  country 
was  then  less  rich,  and  the  people  less  pol- 
ished ;  and  the  farther  we  proceed  thus,  the 
jl  poorer  the  country  will  appear  to  have  been, 
1 1  and  the  inhabitants  of  it  more  barbarous. 
j  The  Milesians  have  had  their  origin  from 
I  the  Scythians,  and  their  customs  from  the 
I  Egyptians.  These  two  rival  nations  were, 
I !  no  doubt,  in  their  time  the  most  polished  of 
' '  any  in  the  world.  Scythia  was  shortly  after 
the  deluge  erected  into  a  kingdom  ;  it  "lasted 
till  the  tyrannical  sway  of  the  kings  of  Baby- 
lon, and  was  so  polished,  that  othef  nations 
borrowed  their  laws,  and  the  form  of  their 
government  from  it.  From  these  circum- 
stances an  emulation  arose  between  them 
and  the  Egyptians,  and  in  their  struggle  for 
jpre-eminence,  the  Scythians  had  always 
the  advantage.*  Herodotus  loads  them  with 
praises  when  speaking  of  the  rash  expedi- 
tion undertaken  against  them  by  Darius,  to 
revenge  some  hostilities  committed  by  them 
when  pursuing  the  Cimmerians  into  Asia, 
.-and  for  putting  down  the  empire  of  the 
Medes,  who  were  then  masters  of  that  part 
of  the  world.    Justin,  an  excellent  historian 

*  "  There  wasalongdispute  between  the  Egyptians 
land  Scythians,  in  which  controversy  the  Egyptians 
were  defeated,  and  the  Scythians  appeared  to  be 
the  more  ancient." — Polydorus,  b.  1, 


in  the  time  of  Augustus,  says,  in  his  epitome 
of  Trogus  Pompeius,  when  speaking  of  the 
heroic  actions  of  the  Scythians,  that  they 
never  underwent  a  foreign  yoke  ;  that  they 
routed  with  disgrace  Darius,  king  of  the 
Persians ;  and  that  Cyrus  and  his  whole 
army  Avere  destroyed  by  them  :  that  Zopy- 
rus,  general  of  Alexander  the  Great,  together 
Avith  the  Avhole  of  his  forces,  fell  beneath 
their  bloAvs ;  and  that  they  heard  of  the  Ro- 
man arms  without  having  ever  felt  them.* 

Egypt  has  been  in  like  manner  ahvays 
looked  upon  among  the  ancients  as  the  most 
renowned  school  in  matters  of  government 
and  Avisdom,  and  the  cradle  of  the  arts  and 
sciences.  So  convinced  of  this  was  Greece, 
that  most  of  the  great  men,  as  Homer,  Pytha- 
goras, Plato,  and  her  two  great  legislators, 
Solon  and  Lycurgus,  went  into  Egypt  to  per- 
fect themselves,  and  draw  from  thence  the 
rarest  knoAvledge  in  all  kinds  of  erudition. 
Of  the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians,  God  him- 
self bears  a  most  glorious  testimony,  in  be- 
stOAving  praise  upon  Moses  for  his  having 
been  instructed  therein.! 

Those  are  the  sources  from  whence  the 
Milesians  have  taken  the  first  rudiments  of 
their  government,  manners,  and  customs  ; 
having  their  origin  from  the  Scythians,  and 
their  education  from  the  Egyptians. 

The  trade  Avhich  the  Phcenicians  carried 
on  with  that  people  did  not  a  little  contribute 
to  its  perfection. I  Newton  observes  that 
the  Edomites,  Avhen  scattered  and  subdued 
by  David,  AvithdreAv,  some  to  Egypt,  another 
part  to  the  coasts  of  the  Persian  Gulf,  and 
that  others  of  them  came  and  settled  upon 
the  coasts  of  the  Mediterranean,  where 
they  fortified  Azotus,  and  took  possession 
of  Sidon. 

They  carried  with  them  to  all  the  coun- 
tries to  which  they  Avent  the  sciences  and 
arts,  particularly  those  relating  to  astronomy, 
naA'igation,  and  the  use  of  letters,  which  they 
Avere  in  possession  of  in  Idumea,  before  the 
time  of  Job,  who  makes  mention  of  it.  It 
was  among  them  that  Moses  learned  to  com- 
mit the  law  to  Avriting.  They  changed  the 
name  Erythrcea  into  that  of  Phoenicia,  and 
called  themselves  Phoenicians  :  the  country 
along  the  coasts  of  Palestine,  from  Azotus 

*  "  The  Scythians  themselves  continued  either 
without  being  invaded  or  invincible  ;  they  routed 
Darius,  king  of  the  Persians,  and  forced  him  to  fly 
from  Scythia  in  disgrace  ;  the  Scythians  slew  Cyrus 
with  his  whole  army :  and  Zopyrus,  general  of 
Alexander  the  Great,  they  overcame  and  destroyed 
with  the  entire  of  his  forces.  They  heard  of  the 
Romans  only  by  name." — Chron.  page  12. 

t  Acts  vii.,  22. 

\  Chron.  page  12. 


RELIGION    AND    CUSTOMS    OF    THE  MILESIANS. 


67 


to  Sidon,  was  called  Phoenicia.  They  after- 
wards spread  themselves  along  the  shores 
of  the  Mediterranean  as  far  even  as  Spain, 
where  the  Milesians,  who  were  then  inhab- 
iting that  country,  had  an  opportunity  of 
forming  an  intercourse  with  them.  The 
trade  between  these  two  people  was  not 
confined  to  Spain  alone  ;  it  extended  itself  to 
Ireland,  where  they  traded  with  those  Mile- 
sians who  had  made  themselves  masters  of 
the  island.  Thus,  it  is  probable  that  the  lat- 
ter may  have  received  their  characters  from 
the  Phoenicians,  and  thatFenius  Farsa,*  from 
whom,  it  is  said,  they  are  descended,  is  the 
same  as  Phenix  or  Phaenius,  who  was  among 
the  Phoenicians  the  first  inventor  of  letters.! 

Notwithstanding  all  these  advantages,  it 
is  natural  to  think  that  the  Milesians  had 
been,  like  other  people  who  were  their  con- 
temporaries, rude  and  barbarous  in  their 
manners. 

Pomponius  Mela,  and  Strabo,  represent 
them  as  a  nation  ignorant  of  every  virtue, 
and  who  lived  upon  human  flesh.  These 
traits  appear  to  have  been  mere  conjectures 
without  any  foundation, |  as  Strabo  himself 
acknowledges,  "  Horum  etiam,  quae  comme- 
moramus,  dignos  fide  testes  non  sane  habe- 
mus."  It  is  true  that  their  histories  have 
left  us  one  example  of  the  barbarous  custom 
imputed  to  them  by  Strabo,  in  the  conduct 
of  a  nurse, ^  in  the  times  of  paganism,  who 
being  intrusted  with  the  care  of  a  young 
princess,  fed  her  with  the  flesh  of  children, 
thinking,  from  a  diabolical  superstition,  that 
such  food  would  give  her  additional  charms. || 
But  does  not  this  affectation  of  their  histo- 
rians, by  recording  so  inhuman  an  act,  lead 
us  to  discover  that  the  barbarity  ascribed 
to  the  nurse  was  the  crime  of  an  individu- 
al, and  not  a  custom  common  to  an  entire 
nation  ?  Such  inhumanity,  attributed  by 
Strabo  to  the  Milesians,  was  not  peculiar  to 
them  :  it  prevailed  likewise,  according  to 
him,  among  the  Scythians,  Gauls,  Spaniards, 
and  other  nations. T[ 

Polybius  informs  us,that  Annibal  rejected, 
with  horror,  the  cruel  proposal  which  the 
Gauls  made  to  him  of  eating  human  flesh.** 

*  Samuel  Bochart  Cadomensis  apud  War.  Antiq- 
Hib.  cap.  1. 

+  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  30,  p.  219. 

t  Camd.  Brit.  edit.  p.  788. 

§  War.  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  2. 

II   Keating. 

If  "  It  is  said  to  be  a  custom  among  the  Scythi- 
ans to  feed  on  human  flesh,  and  that  the  Gauls, 
Spaniards,  and  many  others,  when  pressed  by 
famine  during  a  siege,  have  practised  the  same 
th'mg:'—Strab.  b.  4. 

**  Roilin,  Hist.  Ancienne. 


This  custom  prevails  at  present  among  the 
Hottentots,  and  other  inhabitants  of  Africa.* 
Saint  Jerome  says  that  he  saw  in  Gaul,  the 
Scots,  a  people  of  Britain,  feed  on  human 
flesh.t 

Dempster,  a  Scotch  Avriter,  and  a  man 
very  zealous  for  the  glory  of  his  country, 
makes  use  of  all  his  talent  to  turn  from  his 
countrymen  the  disgrace  of  the  above  im- 
putation :|  but  as  he  finds  himself  confound- 
ed by  the  weight  of  the  authority  of  Saint 
Jerome,  he  seeks  to  avoid  the  blow  by  eva- 
sion, and  observes,  that  instead  of  the  word 
"  Scotos,"  which  is  generally  met  with  in  St. 
Jerome's  text,  it  should  be  read  "  Gothos," 
and  as  the  words  "  Gentem  Britannicam," 
are  characteristic  of  the  Scots  of  Albania, 
and  evidently  distinguish  them  from  the 
Scots  of  Ireland,  he  pretends,  on  the  authority 
of  Erasmus,  that  the  Avords  are  not  found  in 
the  ancient  editions  of  that  father's  works  : 
but  Usher  coniutes  him  on  his  assumed 
authority  from  Erasmus,  and  moreover  adds, 
that  all  the  editions  of  St.  Jerome,  and  par- 
ticularly the  Basle  edition  in  the  year  1497, 
contain  the  words  "  Gentem  Britannicam."^ 

Has  any  custom  ever  been  more  barbarous 
than  that  of  sacrificing  children,  which  pre- 
vailed so  generally  among  the  Phoenicians, 
Carthaginians,  Gauls,  Scythians,  Greeks, 
and  Romans- — nations  in  every  other  respect 
very  polished  ?  It  was  a  custom  with  the 
kings  of  Tyre,  to  sacrifice  in  times  of  great 
calamity,  their  sons,  in  order  to  appease  the 
anger  of  the  gods.||  Individuals,  likewise, 
when  they  endeavored  to  rescue  themselves 
from  any  great  misfortune,  resorted  to  the 
same,  and  were  as  superstitious  as  their 
princes,  so  that  those  who  had  not  children 
of  their  own,  purchased  them  from  the  poor, 
that  they  might  not  want  the  merit  of  such 
a  sacrifice.  The  same  custom  continued 
for  a  long  time  among  the  Phoenicians,  and 
the  Canaanites.  The  children  who  were 
inhumanly  burnt,  were  cast  either  into  a  hot 


Pet.  Lorn.  Comment.  Hib.  cap.  13,  p.  131,  et 


seq 


t  "  What  shall  I  say  of  other  nations,  when  I 
myself,  while  very  young,  have  seen  in  Gaul  a 
British  people  who  had  been  Scots,  feed  upon  hu- 
man flesh." — Hieron.  b.  2,  against  Jovinianus. 

t  Apparat.  ad  Hist.  Scotic.  lib.  1,  cap.  4. 

§  "  Dempster  himself  was  not  able  to  show  that 
these  words  were  inserted  in  a  certain  ancient  book, 
much  less  in  all ;  neitlier  has  Erasmus  written,  at 
any  time,  such  a  thing.  All  the  editions  of  the 
works  of  St.  Jerome  (particularly  that  published 
at  Basle  in  the  year  1497)  have,  in  this  place,  dis- 
played to  us  the  British  nation." — Usher,  Church 
History,  cap.  15,  p.  589. 

1!   Philo. 


68 


HISTORY   OF    IRELAND. 


furnace,  or  shut  up  in  a  statue  of  Saturn, 
which  was  set  on  fire.*  In  order  to  stifle 
the  cries  of  tlic  unhappy  Aictims  during  this 
barbarous  ceremony,  the  air  resounded  with 
the  noise  of  drums  and  trumpets.  Mothers 
made  it  an  honor  and  a  point  of  rehgion,  to 
assist  at  the  cruel  spectacle,  without  shed- 
ding a  tear,  or  uttering  the  least  lamenta- 
tion.f  They  were  so  callous  and  inhuman 
as  to  caress  their  children  and  appease  their 
cries,  lest  a  victim  oflered  with  a  bad  grace, 
and  in  the  midst  of  tears,  might  be  displeas- 
ing to  the  gods. 

The  Carthaginians  retained  till  the  de- 
struction of  their  city,  the  barbarous  custom 
of  ollering  up  human  victims  in  sacrifice  :| 
it  was,  however,  suspended  for  a  few  years, 
lest  they  might  bring  on  themselves  the 
wrath  and  power  of  Darius  the  First,  king 
of  "Persia,  who  had  forbidden  them  to  ofter 
human  victims,  and  had  likewise  enjoined 
them  not  to  eat  the  flesh  of  dogs.  During 
the  battle  which  was  fought  in  Italy,  between 
Gelon  the  tyrant  of  Syracuse,  and  Hamilcar 
the  Carthaginian  general,  which  lasted  from 
morning  till  night,  the  Carthaginian  general 
did  not  cease  to  offer  up  in  sacrifice  to  their 
gods,  living  men  in  great  numbers,  by  having 
them  thrown  into  a  burning  furnace  ;  and 
seeing,  says  Herodotus,^  his  troops  give 
way,  he  cast  himself  into  it  not  to  survive 
his  shame. II  In  times  of  pestilence,  children 
were  sacrificed  in  great  numbers  to  their 
gods,  without  pity  for  an  age  which  would 
excite  compassion  in  the  most  cruel  enemy, 
by  which  a  remedy  for  their  evils  was 
sought  in  crime,  and  barbarity  made  use  of 
to  appease  the  gods. 

When  Agathocles  laid  siege  to  Carthage,^! 
the  unfortunate  inhabitants  of  that  city  as- 
cribed their  misfortune  to  the  just  anger  of 
Saturn  against  them  for  having  sacrificed, 
instead  of  children  of  the  first  quality,  (to 
which  they  had  been  accustomed,)  those  of 
strangers  and  slaves.  To  make  amends  for 
their  supposed  crime,  they  offered  up  in 
sacrifice  to  Saturn,  two  hundred  children 
of  the  first  families  in  Carthage,  besides 
three  hundred  citizens,  w^ho,  thinking  them- 
selves guilty  of  the  same  crime,  voluntarily 
sacrificed  themselves  likewise. 

Solinus  says,  that  the  ancient  Irish  had 
the  custom  of  drinking  the  blood  of  those 
whom  they  had  slain,  and  of  besmearing 


*  Plutarq.  de  Supcrstitione,  p.  171. 

t  TertuU.  in  Apollog.  Quint.  Curt.  lib.  4,  cap.  3. 

t  Plut.  de  Sacra  Vindicatione  Deorum 

§  Lib.  7. 

II  Justin,  lib.  17. 

IT   Diodor.  lib.  20 


their  faces  with  it  ;*  that  the  mothers  pre- 
sented, upon  the  point  of  a  sword,  the  first 
food  to  their  male  children,  praying  that 
they  might  not  die  in  any  other  way  than  in 
war,  or  with  arms  in  their  hands.  It  is  very 
probable  that  Solinus  is  not  better  informed 
on  the  subject  than  Strabo,  who  cannot 
vouch,  by  witnesses  worthy  of  belief,  for  all 
that  he  advances.  We  need  but  examine, 
at  present,  into  the  habits  of  other  people 
of  antiquity,  and  they  will  be  discovered  to 
have  been  rude  and  barbarous. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  Balearic  islands, 
accustomed  themselves  from  their  earliest 
youth  to  the  use  of  the  sling.  Mothers 
placed  upon  the  branch  of  a  very  tall  tree, 
pieces  of  bread  intended  for  the  breakfast 
of  their  children,  who  were  to  continue  fast- 
ing until  they  could  strike  them  down  from 
the  branch.  It  is  therefore  an  injustice  to 
reproach  a  nation  for  barbarous  manners,  at 
a  time  when  the  evil  generally  prevailed  in 
other  countries. 

The  ancient  Irish,  called  Milesians,  or 
Clanna  Mileag,  that  is  to  say,  the  children 
of  Milesius,  Avere  divided  into  four  tribes, 
namely,  those  of  Heber,  Heremon,  Ir,  and 
Ith.  They  preserved  their  race  pure,  and 
made  no  alliances  wdth  the  lower  orders,  nor 
with  their  vassals,  who  had  followed  them 
from  Spain.  They  formed  four  great  families, 
who  were  descended  from  the  same  father. 
They  preserved  their  genealogies  carefully, 
and  knew  the  whole  line  of  their  ancestors, 
down  to  the  chief  of  their  tribe.  This  pre- 
caution was  essential  in  regard  to  the  suc- 
cession to  the  throne,  because  it  was  required 
that  those  who  aspired  to  it  should  be  de- 
scended from  one  of  the  tribes.  Each  tribe 
possessed,  in  the  beginning,  their  own  portion 
of  the  island,  and  each  portion  was  divided 
into  lands  and  lordships,  possessed  by  the 
different  branches  of  the  tribe.  Each  tribe 
had  a  number  of  vassals  or  farmers  to  culti- 
vate their  lands,  and  conduct  their  numerous 
flocks  of  cattle,  which  formed  their  chief 
wealth.  Every  one  was  called  by  his  name  : 
they  did  not  take  the  name  of  castles  or 
villages,  like  the  nobles  of  the  present  day, 
but  they  usually  added  to  their  names  that 
of  their  fathers,  with  the  adjective  Mac, 
which  signifies  son,  as  Laogare  Mac-Niall. 
The  custom  of  the  people  of  the  east,  says 
M.  Rollin,  was  to  add  to  the  name  of  the 
son  that  of  the  father  ;  for  instance,  Sarda- 
napalis  is  composed  of  Sardan  and  Pal,  which 
means  Sardan,  son  of  Pal.  This  custom 
was  followed  by  the  Greeks  and  Romans. 

*  Lib.  20. 


RELIGION    AND    CUSTOMS    OF   THE    MILESIANS. 


69 


It  is  observed,  even  to  this  day,  in  Muscovy, 
where  Wits  is  sometimes  added  to  the  names 
to  signify  the  son  of  such  a  one,  as  Petrowits, 
the  son  of  Peter,  Jeannowits,  son  of  John. 
The  Fitz  made  use  of  among  the  Saxons  in 
England,  implies  the  same  thing ;  for  in- 
stance, in  the  names  Fitzgerald,  Fitzmaurice, 
Fitzsimon,  Fitz  signifies  son,  and  is  the  same 
as  the  son  of  Gerald,  the  son  of  Maurice, 
the  son  of  Simon :  we  discover  also  in  the 
same  country  the  Thompsons,  the  Johnsons, 
which  names  signify  the  sons  of  Thomas,  of 
John,  &c.  The  tribe  which  usually  bore 
the  name  of  their  chiefs,  sometimes  changed 
them,  to  take  that  of  some  one  among  their 
chiefs,  who  was  renowned  for  some  great 
action,  as  the  tribe  of  Ir,  which  took  the 
name  of  Clanna-Rory,  which  signifies  the 
children  of  Rory. 

There  Avas  among  the  Milesians,  great 
simplicity  without  refinement,  proportioned 
to  the  time  in  which  they  lived,  but  not 
always  without  that  mixture  of  vice  so  com- 
mon among  other  people.  Wo  discover 
among  them  neither  those  pompous  titles 
of  nobility  invented  within  the  last  seven  or 
eight  centuries,  nor  that  multitude  of  ex- 
penses, nor  luxury,  the  necessary  cause  of 
many  new  fashions,  which  lend  to  the  ruin 
of  many  families.  This  great  simplicity, 
joined  to  a  general  prejudice  that  that  which 
is  most  ancient  is  always  most  imperfect, 
easily  convinces  us  that  they  were  rude  in 
their  manners. 

The  arts  and  trades  were  not  unknown  to 
the  Milesians  :*  having  discovered  among 
them  mines  of  gold,  silver,  tin,  lead,  and  iron, 
they  had  learned  to  melt  and  manufacture 
them.t  The  forges  of  Airgiodross,|  of  which 
their  historians  speak ;  the  arms  which  they 
made  use  of,  such  as  the  sword,  the  lance, 
the  axe,  and  other  instruments,^  show  us 
that  there  were  among  them  workmen  who 
knew  how  to  make  use  of  the  hidden  treas- 
ures with  which  nature  had  enriched  their 
island.  Their  churches  and  houses  were 
generally  built  of  wood,  which  is  a  proof 
that  there  were  carpenters  among  them. 
Their  churches,  says  Bede,  were  not  built  of 
stone,  but  of  oak-wood  artificially  wrought.  || 
Saint  Bernard,  in  speaking  of  an  oratory 
which  Saint  Malachy  caused  to  be  built  in 
Ireland,  says  that  it  was  made  of  polished 
wood  solidly  put  together ;  to  this  remark 

*  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Tighernmas. 
t  Idem,  on  the  reign  of  Enna,  surnained    Air- 
gheagh. 

t  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  8,  p.  59. 

§  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  21  et  28. 

II  "  Not  of  stone,  but  of  wrought  oak." 


he  adds,  that  it  was  a  very  handsome  Scotic 
structure.*  Their  chariots,  whether  for  war 
or  travelling,  and  the  great  number  of  ships 
that  they  made  use  of,  as  well  for  fishing 
(which  was  largely  carried  on  among  them) 
as  for  the  frequent  expeditions  which  they 
made  into  Britain  and  other  countries,  prove 
that  they  must  have  had  mechanics  to  con- 
struct them.  In  ancient  times,  they  made 
use  of  little  boats  built  of  light  wood,t  or  of 
osier,  which  they  covered  with  the  skins  of 
horses,  oxen,  or  of  some  wild  beast,  and 
these  boats  they  called  curraghs.;}:  With 
those  small  vessels  they  easily  crossed  the 
Scythian  valley,  which  signifies  the  sea  that 
separates  Ireland  from  Britain.  But  ac- 
cording as  they  became  perfect  in  the  arts, 
they  built  much  larger  and  more  solid  ves- 
sels, to  transport  their  armies  and  colonies 
to  Albania.^ 

The  manufacture  of  cloth,  stuffs,  and  every 
thing  necessary  to  cover  and  preserve  them 
from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  was  in 
very  general  use  among  the  ancient  Irish. || 
The  men,  says  Cambrensis,  wore  trousers 
or  "  braies,"  in  Latin,  "  braccae,"  whence  a 
part  of  Gaul  was  called  "  Gallia  Braccata." 
The  Persians,  Scythians,^!  Sarmatii,**  the 
ancient  people  of  the  Palatinate,  called 
Vangiones,  the  Batavians,tt  Hebrews,:}:^ 
and  almost  every  nation  had  the  same  cus- 
toms. 

Among  the  Irish,  the  tunic,  drawers, 
leggings,  and  boots,  were  composed  of  one 


*  "  A  Scotic  work  very  handsome." — Gratiamis 
Lucius,  c.  8,  p.  62. 

t  Grat.  Luc.  cap  8,  p.  62. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  34. 

§  "  Claudianus  clearly  proves,  that  the  Irish 
afterwards  were  provided  with  better  fleets ;  when, 
he  says,  '  The  Scot  moved  all  Ireland,  and  the  sea 
foamed  with  the  hostile  oar.'  " 

"  An  army  of  Scots,  on  board  a  number  of  ships, 
passed  into  Britain,  and  Niellius  being  monarch  of 
Ireland,  six  sons  of  Muredus  with  a  large  fleet 
seized  upon  the  northern  parts  of  Britain.  These 
foul  flocks  of  Scots  and  Picts  came  forth  from  their 
curraghs  in  which  they  crossed  the  Scythian  val- 
ley."— Solinus,  Cambrensis,  and  Gildas,  in  Grat.  j 
Luc.  c.  12,  p.  115.  j 

II   Grat.  Luc.  cap.  12,  p.  112. 

IT  "  With  skins  and  sown  trousers,  they  drive 
away  pinching  cold,  and  the  face  alone  of  the  whole 
person  appears." — Ovid,  b.  3. 

**  "  The  whole  body  is  enveloped  in  trousers, 
and  even  the  face  (e.xccpt  the  eyes)  is  covered." — 
Mela,  b.  2. 

tt  "  The  Sarmatians,  Vangiones,  and  savage  Ba- 
tavians   imitate    thee   with    loosened    trousers." —  | 
Lucan.  in  Grat.  Luc.  c.  13,  p.  123. 

%\  "  These  men  were  bound,  and  with  trousers 
and  cap,  were  cast  into  a  burning  furnace." — Dan- 
iel, c.  3,  ver.  21. 


70 


HISTOKY    OF    IRELAND. 


piece,*  and  so  tight,  that  the  form  of  the 
body  appeared,  l)y  wliich  thoy  differed  from 
those  of  otlier  peopk>,  \vho  wore  this  dress 
loose  and  flowing.  IJesides  this  the  Irish 
wore  a  cloak  of  purple,  which  they  called 
"falling,"  like  the  "pallium"  of  the  Greeks, 
and  the  "  toga"  of  the  Romans.  They  con- 
sidered it  as  b(-fltting  the  gravity  of  man  to 
wear  those  cloaks.  The  English  called  them 
mantles,  from  "  mantelum"  and  "  mantele," 
mentioned  by  Plautus  and  Pliny.  Mantles, 
mantelets,  and  mantillas,  have  undoubtedly 
derived  their  etymology  from  the  same 
source.  They  wore  their  hair  long,  and 
allowed  the  beard  to  grow  on  the  upper  lip  :t 
their  head-dress  consisted  of  a  cap  raised  to  a 
point,  of  the  same  materials  as  their  clothes  ; 
this  cap  was  called,  in  their  language, 
"  barredh,"  perhaps  from  the  "  biretum," 
worn  by  the  Gauls  ;  but  more  probably  from 
"  barr,"  which  signifies  top,  and  from  the 
word  "  eda,"  which  means  clothing.  Finally, 
on  their  feet  they  wore  sandals,  or  soles 
tied  with  many  strings.  The  Irish  women 
dressed  themselves  with  much  modesty.  A 
small  mantle  of  cloth,  embroidered  or  trim- 
med wath  fringe,  according  to  the  quality  of 
the  person,  which  hung  down  to  the  knees,| 
covered  their  other  dress.  Their  head-dress, 
called  in  their  language,  "  fileadh,"  con- 
sisted of  a  piece  of  fine  linen,  with  which 
they  enveloped  the  head  in  a  spiral  form, 
and  thus  made  a  kind  of  veil  tied  behind. 
The  unmarried  women,  as  a  mark  of  distinc- 
tion, wore  long  hair  platted,  and  interwoven 
with  ribands. 

The  different  classes  among  the  Irish 
were  distinguished  by  the  number  of  colors 
in  their  dress  ^  The  mechanics  and  work- 
ing classes  wore  but  one  color,  the  soldiers 
two  ;  officers  three  ;  those  who  exercised 
hospitality  four ;  II  the  nobles  five;  the  his- 
torians and  learned  six  ;T[  which  shows  the 
esteem  in  which  men  of  letters  were  held  : 
lastly,  the  kings  and  princes  of  the  blood 
wore  clothes  of  seven  colors.  The  plaid,  or 
robes  of  different  colors,  which  are  still 
worn  by  the  Scotch  Highlanders,  are  prob- 
ably the  remains  of  this  ancient  Milesian 
custom. 

In  the  earlier  periods,  the  Milesians  slept 
under  tents,  after  the  manner  of  the  Scythians 
their  ancestors  ;  however,  as  soon  as  they 
were  well  secured  in  their  possessions,  they 

*  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  13,  p.  122  et  seq. 

t  Idem,  cap.  13,  p.  125. 

I  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  12,  p.  112. 

§  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Tighernmas. 

il   Grat.  Luc.  cap.  8,  p.  59,  et  cap.  10,  p.  105. 

^  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  23. 


evinced  a  taste  for  building  houses  and 
towns.*  Stones  were  not  used  in  their 
buildings,  the  use  of  which  was  not  known 
to  the  Britons  and  Gaids.f  Their  houses 
were  built  of  wood,  their  furniture  was  very 
plain,  and  all  their  vessels  made  of  wrought 
wood,  according  to  the  taste  of  the  times. 

The  Irish  were  remarkable  for  their  hos- 
pitality.;{:  The  unfortunate  always  found 
refuge  among  them. §  The  Spaniards,  Gaids, 
and  Britons,  sought  an  asylum  in  that  coun- 
try, to  secure  themselves  from  the  tyranny 
of  the  Romans  ;||  princes  Avho  were  perse- 
cuted in  their  own  country,  found  there  a 
safe  retreat.  Dagobert  II.,  son  of  Sigebert, 
king  of  Austrasia,  having  been  expelled  his 
kingdom  by  Grimoald,  mayor  of  the  palace, 
was  received  wdth  distinction  in  Ireland, 
where  he  remained  in  exile  during  twenty- 
five  years. •[[  Oswald,  king  of  the  Northum- 
brians,** with  his  brothers  and  several  lords, 
found  refuge  among  the  Scots,  that  is  to  say, 
the  Irish,  "  apud  Scotos  exulabant,"  among 
whom  they  remained  for  sixteen  years,  till 
the  death  of  the  tyrant  whose  fury  they 
wished  to  avoid. 

Alfred,  king  of  the  Northumbrians,  and 
one  of  the  successors  of  Oswald,  having  been 
driven  from  the  throne  of  his  ancestors, 
withdrew  into  Ireland,!!  where  he  made  a 
considerable  progress  in  the  study  of  litera- 
ture, and  in  the  art  of  governing.  Bede 
mentions  a  number  of  Englishmen,  both  no- 
bles and  others,  who  went  to  Ireland  in  the 
time  of  the  holy  bishops  Finan  and  Colman, 
to  be  instructed  in  divine  learning,  and  to 
perfect  themselves  in  the  practice  of  a  mo- 
nastic life.||  He  adds,  also,  that  the  Scots 
supplied  them,  gratis,  with  every  thing  ne- 
cessary for  their  support,  even  with  books 
for  their  studies. ^^ 

*  War.  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  22. 

t  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  10,  p.  99. 

t  "  They  are  indeed  the  most  hospitable  of  man- 
kind. You  cannot  gratify  them  more,  than  either 
to  visit  them  of  your  own  accord,  or  invite  them  to 
visit  you  in  turn." — Stan.  Irish  Hist.  b.  1,  p.  33. 

§  Petr.  Lombard,  cap.  12,  p.  111. 

II  "  Many,  no  doubt,  passed  into  Ireland,  from 
Spain,  Gaul,  and  Britain,  to  draw  their  necks  from 
the  iniquitous  oppression  of  the  Roman  yoke." — 
Camd.  Brit.  edit.  p.  682. 

IT  Hist.  Ecclesiast.  de  Fleury.  Abreg^  Chron. 
de  Calmet. 

**  Abrdge  Chron.  du  Pres.  Hayn. 

t+  Bede,  Hist.  Eccles.lib.  3,  cap.  1  et  seq. 

tt  Bede,  Malmsburiensis,  et  Harps  feldius  apud. 
Grat.  Luc.  c.  14,  p.  128. 

§§  "  All  of  whom  the  Irish  most  freely  received, 
and  afforded  them  daily  food  without  payment : 
they  likewise  supplied  them  with  masters  and  books 
without  remuneration." — Bede's  Church  Hist.  c. 
27,  b.  3. 


RELIGION    AND    CUSTOMS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


71 


The  love  of  hospitality  was  not  confined 
to  individuals,  it  was  the  general  taste  of  the 
nation  ;  as  there  were  lands  assigned  by  the 
government  to  a  certain  number  of  persons, 
who  were  appointed  to  exercise  it  in  the 
different  provinces.  They  were  named 
"  Biatachs,"  from  "  Bia,"  in  Latin,  Victus, 
which  signifies  all  kinds  of  food.  The  oflice 
of  Biatach  was  considered  honorable  by  the 
Irish.*  In  order  that  it  might  be  discharged 
with  dignity,  none  but  nobles  were  appointed 
to  it;  besides  the  lands  assigned  by  the  state, 
they  should  be  the  lords  of  seven  boroughs 
or  villages,  feeding  seven  herds  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  oxen  each,  without  counting 
the  produce  in  grain,  after  seven  ploughs 
every  year.  The  Hospitalers  took  care  never 
to  be  taken  unprepared.  Large  pots,  filled 
with  all  kinds  of  meat,  supplied  in  abundance 
every  thing  to  satisfy  their  guests.  The  fare 
was  plain  and  frugal :  they  were  unacquaint- 
ed with  sauces  and  ragouts  :  their  general 
food  was  flesh,  fish,  bread  baked  in  the 
ashes,  milk,  butter,  honey,  and  herbs,  prin- 
cipally water-cresses,  which  were  much  used 
by  them,  as  well  as  by  the  ancient  Persians. 

Hospitality,  when  confined  to  the  limits 
prescribed  by  prudence,  is  a  virtue  belong- 
ing to  charity  ;  but  among  the  Irish  it  was  a 
vice  which  might  be  called  prodigality,  and 
tended  to  the  ruin  of  families.  For  besides  the 
hospitable  institutions  established  by  public 
authority,  the  houses  of  private  lords  were 
like  inns,  where  every  one  was  welcome, 
particularly  the  bards,  or  Fileas,  who  were 
equally  loved  and  feared,  on  account  of  their 
satirical  genius,  as  they  were  lavish  of  praise 
or  cutting  satire,  according  to  the  good  or 
bad  reception  they  received.! 

Among  the  Milesians,  music  formed  part 
of  a  good  education  ;  every  one  was  desirous 
of  knowing  how  to  sing  or  play  on  some  in- 
strument.|  The  office  of  music-master  to  the 
king,  was  among  the  number  of  those  created 
in  the  third  century,  in  the  reign  of  Cormac- 
Ulfada.^  These  appointments  consisted  of 
a  gentleman  companion,  a  druid,  a  judge,  a 
doctor,  a  poet,  historian,  musician,  and  three 
stewards.  Those  who  filled  these  offices 
always  followed  the  court  ;  the  gentleman 
was  companion  to  the  king;  the  druid  super- 
intended the  afiairs  of  religion  ;  the  judge 
interpreted  the  laws,  and  decided  all  con- 
troversies among  the  people  ;  the  doctor 
watched  over  the  king's  health  ;  the  poet 
celebrated  his  great  deeds  ;   the  historian 

*  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  14,  p.  130. 

t  Petr.  Lomb.  cap.  12,  p.  Ill 

t  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Cormac-Ulfada. 

§  Ogyg-  part  3,  cap.  63. 


kept  his  history  and  genealogy ;  the  musi- 
cian amused  him  during  his  repasts,  and  in 
his  hours  of  recreation  ;  lastly,  the  stewards 
received  the  revenues  of  the  crown,  and 
managed  the  affairs  of  the  household.  These 
officers  continued  till  the  eleventh  century, 
in  the  reign  of  Brian  Boroimhe,  except  that 
in  the  time  of  Christianity,  in  the  place  of 
the  druid,  a  bishop  was  substituted,  and  was 
confessor  to  the  king. 

Giraldus  Cambrensis  bears  the  following 
testimony  to  the  Irish  music.  This  nation, 
says  he,  particularly  excels  and  surpasses 
all  others  in  musical  instruments,  on  which 
they  perform  with  precision  and  lightness, 
and  draw  even  from  discordance  the  most 
melodious  harmony.*  The  harp  was  their 
most  general  instrument,!  there  was  one  in 
every  house,  either  for  their  own  use,  or  for 
those  strange  musicians  who  passed  the  way. 

The  city  of  Tailton,  now  a  small  village, 
in  the  county  of  Meath,  was  renowned  not 
only  for  the  games  and  military  exercises 
which  were  celebrated  there,|  but  also  for 
the  assembly  which  was  held  every  year 
relating  to  marriages.^  The  fathers  and 
mothers  who  had  children  of  either  sex  to 
settle  in  life,  repaired  thither  from  the  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  kingdom.  The  young  men 
and  the  females  lodged  in  separate  quarters, 
and  the  parents  met  and  treated  together  in 
the  public  squares,  and  stipidated  for  the 
marriage  of  their  children. 

The  care  of  nursing  and  bringing  up 
children  of  rank  among  them  was  confided 
to  people  of  independence,  or  wealthy  farm- 
ers, whose  wives  suckled  them,  or  in  case 
of  any  obstacle,  had  them  suckled  by  others 
under  their  own  eye.  The  honor  of  nurs- 
ing a  child  of  rank,  joined  to  the  protection 
which  they  expected  from  them,  was  con- 
sidered as  ample  recompense.  They  took 
more  care  of  them  than  of  their  OAvn  child- 
ren, and  procured  them  every  thing  that 
could  flatter  their  good  or  evil  propensities. 
There  were  likewise  landlords  whose  title 
depended  on  nursing  one  or  more  of  the  child- 
ren of  the  lord  from  whom  they  held  the  land. 

The  descendants  of  Fiacho  Suidhe,  bro- 
ther of  the  monarch  Conn-Keadcahagh,  from 

*  "  I  discover  that  this  nation  (i.  e.  Ireland) 
pays  a  laudable  and  industrious  regard  to  their  mu- 
sical pursuits,  and  excel,  in  this  particular,  every 
other  people.  Their  movements  in  music  are  quick 
and  sweet,  their  melody  and  concord  are  in  com- 
plete harmony." — Girald.  Camhr.  Hist.  c.  19. 

t  "  They  (i.  e.  the  Irish)  are  devoted  to  music  and 
the  harp ;  they  strike  harmoniously  the  strings,  which 
are  of  brass,  with  their  nails." — Camd.  p.  714. 

X  Keating. 

§  Ogyg.  part  3,  p.  46. 


72 


HISTORY    OF   IRELAND. 


Avhom  the  O'Fallans  derive  their  origin,  be- 
ing lords  of  Dcasia,  a  territory  comprising 
ahnost  the  whole  county  of  Watcrford,  un- 
dertook in  the  beginning  of  the  third  century 
to  nurse  and  educate  Eithney-athach,  daugh- 
ter of  Eana-Kinsealach,  king  of  Leinster, 
lioping,  as  the  druids  had  prognosticated, 
that  the  marriage  of  that  princess  with  Aon- 
gus,  son  of  Madfroach,  king  of  Munster, 
would  tend  to  aggrandize  their  fortune. 
The  prediction  of  the  druids  came  to  pass 
accordingly  ;  Aongus  gave  them  an  exten- 
sive territory  to  the  north  of  the  river  Suir, 
extending  from  the  side  of  Clonmel  and 
Cashel,  called  "Deasia  Tuasgirt,"  or  north- 
ern Deasia. 

The  attachment  of  the  young  people  for 
those  who  had  nursed  them,  sufficiently- 
marked  their  gratitude ;  they  loaded  them 
with  favors,  considered  them  as  deserving 
implicit  confidence,  and  often  preferred  them 
to  their  near  relatives.*  The  nurses  gene- 
rally shared  the  love  of  their  children  with 
the  mothers.  They  were  received  by  them 
with  tenderness  and  respect,  and  sat  at  the 
table,  whatever  company  might  be  present. 
If  these  children  had  any  cause  of  discontent 
in  the  paternal  mansion,  they  sought  refuge 
with  their  nurses,  who  received  them  with 
open  arms  ;  the  latter  often  entered  with  too 
much  facility  into  their  ambitious  views,  and 
encouraged  them  sometimes  to  revolt,  not 
only  against  their  brothers,  but  also  against 
their  parents,  which  was  often  productive 
of  troubles  in  families,  and  civil  wars  in 
the  state. 

The  funeral  ceremonies  of  the  Milesians 
savored  of  the  barbarism  of  the  ancient 
times.  When  any  person  of  distinction  or 
a  chief  of  their  ancient  families  died,  they 
prepared  feasts,  and  kept  open  houses  for  all 
those  who  assisted  at  the  funeral. f  The 
wives  of  their  vassals,  who  were  much  at- 
tached to  them,  or  other  women  who  were 
professed  mourners  of  the  dead,;];  like  the 
"  Prajficae,"  mentioned  by  Servius,  came  in 
crowds,  and  entering  one  after  the  other,  with 
every  appearance  of  despair,  the  hall  where 
the  corpse  was  exposed,  they  uttered  loud 
cries  and  lamentations,  reciting  the  geneal- 
ogy,  and  singing  in  verse,  with  a  plaintive 
and  melancholy  voice,  the  virtues  and  ex- 
ploits of  the  deceased,  and  those  of  his  earli- 
est ancestors.  This  kind  of  elegy,  or  rhym- 
ing funeral  oration,  being  ended,  they  were 
brought  into  another  hall,  where  all  kinds  of 


*  Grat.  Luc.  c.  11. 

t  Staniliurst,  de  Rebus  Hib.  li 

I  Grat.  Luc.  c.  13,  p.  122. 


14,  p.  47. 


refreshments  were  prepared  ;  these  women, 
who  relieved  each  other  every  hour,  contin- 
ued this  ceremony  as  long  as  the  corpse  re- 
mained exposed.  The  day  being  appointed, 
and  every  thing  ready  for  the  interment,  the 
body  was  carried  to  the  place  of  burial,  ac- 
companied by  the  same  women,  making  the 
air  resound  with  their  cries.  This  custom, 
however  barbarous  it  may  appear,  not  being 
in  unison  with  the  present  taste,  was  not 
without  a  precedent.  Among  the  Jews, 
those  who  followed  a  funeral  bewailed  with 
a  loud  voice,  as  appears  by  the  burial  of 
Abner  :*  there  were  women  who  made  it  a 
profession  to  cry  on  those  occasions  ;  and 
hymns  were  composed  to  be  used  as  funeral 
orations  to  illustrious  persons,  such  as  David 
composed  for  Saul,  and  that  of  the  prophet 
Jeremiah  for  Joshua. f  The  ancient  Romans 
also  employed  professed  mourners  at  fune- 
rals, which  is  proved  by  its  being  prohibited 
in  the  laws  of  the  twelve  tables. | 

The  ancients  paid  particular  respect  to 
the  remains  of  their  deceased  relations  and 
friends.  The^Greeks  burned  them,  to  pre- 
serve their  ashes  in  urns.  The  Hebrews 
buried  the  lower  orders  of  the  people,  and 
embalmed  persons  of  rank,  to  place  them  in 
sepulchres  ;  they  sometimes  burned  per- 
fumes on  the  dead  bodies.  The  Egyptians 
embalmed  their  dead,  surrounding  the  body 
with  drugs  of  a  drying  quality  :  they  were 
then  placed  in  sepulchres  ;  they  sometimes 
covered  them  with  fine  linen  and  dissolved 
gum,  and  preserved  them  in  that  state  in  their 
houses. §  The  Romans,  Gauls,  Germans,  Bri- 
tons, and  people  of  the  north,  sometimes  burn- 
ed their  dead,  and  sometimes  buried  them. 
Pomponius  Mela  asserts  that  it  was  the  cus- 
tom among  the  druids,  who  Avere  the  priests 
and  legislators  of  most  of  these  nations. || 

A  number  of  caves  or  subterraneous 
vaults,  (called  by  the  Greeks  "  hypogae,"  by 
the  Latins  "  Conditoria"  or  "  requietoria,") 
which  have  been  discovered  within  a  few 
centuries  in  Ireland,  would  make  it  appear 
that  the  Milesians  anciently  burned  their 
dead.  These  caves  were  constructed  of  flat 
stones,  sometimes  of  marble,  some  of  which, 
raised  perpendicularly,  supported  the  others, 
which  were  placed  horizontally  over  them, 
forming  a  kind  of  centre,  without  plaster  or 
any  other  cement.  The  bodies  were  depos- 
ited in  those  vaults  ;  after  which  they  were 
covered  with  earth  in  the  form  of  Pyramids, 

*  Reg.  3,  ver.  31,  Jerem.  8,  v.  17. 
t  2  Reg.  1,  V.  17. 

I  War.  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  32. 
§  War.  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  32. 

II  Geograp.  lib.  3. 


CIVIL    AND    POLITICAL    GOVERNMENT    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


73 


which  were  sometimes  flattened  on  the  top 
like  a  Dutch  cheese,  and  are  called  "moats" 
by  the  people  of  the  country.  Ware  says, 
that  some  of  this  kind  are  still  to  be  seen  at 
Naas,  in  the  county  of  Kildare,  and  at  Clo- 
nard,  in  Meath  ;  so  that  those  vaults,  first 
constructed  on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  were 
in  course  of  time  completely  covered  with  it. 
Virgil  and  Lucan  alluded  to  those  pyramids 
in  speaking  of  the  heaps  of  earth  which 
were  raised  over  the  ashes  of  kings.* 

The  caves  enclosed  in  those  pyramids  dif- 
fered in  size  ;  some  were  six  feet  long,  others 
but  two.  Entire  skeletons,  and  urns  filled 
with  ashes,  were  sometimes  found  in  them. 
In  1646,  a  sepulchre  of  black  marble  was 
found  buried  in  a  hill  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Dublin ;  its  length  Avas  fourteen  feet  two 
inches  ;  and  its  breadth  two  feet  one  :  this 
sepulchre  contained  a  quantity  of  ashes  and 
bones.  Molyneux,  in  his  treatise  on  the 
"  Danish  mounts,"  describes  a  subterraneous 
vault  which  was  discovered  at  New-Grange 
in  the  county  of  Meath. f  This  vault,  which 
was  of  an  irregular  form,  was  nineteen  or 
twenty  feet  high,  and  ten  in  diameter.  There 
were  three  caves  or  niches  formed  in  the 
side  of  the  vault,  each  about  ten  feet  in 
length,  five  in  breadth,  and  the  same  in  depth. 
The  great  vault  contained  two  skeletons, 
which  were  found  lying  on  the  ground.  The 
entrance  was  through  a  small  hole,  in  a  kind 
of  gallery  or  conduit,  eighty  feet  long,  three 
feet  wide,  and  unequal  in  height,  as  far  as 
the  opening  of  the  vault,  where  it  was  ten 
feet  high.  The  whole,  that  is,  the  vault, 
cave,  and  gallery,  was  built  of  large  stones, 
covered  over  with  earth  in  the  form  of  a  hill. 
Many  others,  of  the  same  description,  have 
been  discovered  in  Ireland  within  the  last 
century.  Caves  of  different  sizes  have  been 
found,  some  six  feet  in  length,  others  but 
two.  The  former  were  intended  as  a  burial 
place  for  those  bodies  that  had  not  passed 
through  the  fire ;  the  latter  to  contain  the 
ashes  of  such  as  had  been  burned.  These 
monuments  were  only  built  for  people  of 
rank,  as  much  to  perpetuate  their  names,  as 
to  distinguish  them  from  the  lower  classes, 
who  were  buried  under  heaps  of  earth  and 
gravel.  But  these  customs  were  abolished 
some  time  before  the  birth  of  our  Saviour, 
by  Eocha  X.,|  surnamed  Airive,  who  estab- 

*  "  There  was  the  tomb  of  king  Dercennus  built, 
beneath  a  high  mountain,  with  a  mound  of  earth  ; 
it  was  covered  by  an  old  laurel  and  a  shading  oak." 
—Virgil,  ,E„eid,  b.  11. 

"  And  let  the  ashes  of  kings  repo.se  beneath  a 
raised  mound  of  earth." 

t  Page  197. 

\  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Eocha  Airive. 


lished  the  use  of  graves,  as  more  convenient, 
and  more  conformable  to  the  respect  due  to 
the  dead,  which  custom  has  been  since  fol- 
lowed.* 


CHAPTER    V. 

OF  THE   CIVIL  AND    POLITICAL   GOVERNMENT 
OF  THE   MILESIANS. 

Heber  and  Hercmon,  brothers,  and  chil- 
dren of  Milesius,  king  of  Gallicia,  having 
conquered  the  Tuatha  de  Danains,  reigned 
together  in  Ireland  for  the  space  of  one 
year,  but  some  differences  having  arisen 
between  them,  Heber  was  killed  at  the  battle 
of  Geisiol,  in  that  part  of  the  country  at 
present  called  the  King's  county,  and  left 
his  brother  sole  master  of  the  island,!  who 
established  a  monarchical  government,  which 
lasted,  with  scarcely  any  interruption,  till 
the  arrival  of  the  English  in  the  twelfth 
century,  that  is,  about  2200  years. 

The  government,  however,  experienced 
some  change  under  Eocha  IX.,  surnamed 
"  Felioch,"  or  the  "  melancholy .";{:  This 
monarch  was  the  first  who  established  the 
pentarchy,  and  erected  the  provinces  of  Ire- 
landinto  kingdoms,^  the  investiture  of  which 
he  conferred  on  the  chiefs  of  the  tribes, 
who  Avere  at  that  time  in  possession  of  them, 
on  condition  of  paying  an  annual  tribute. || 
In  his  time  the  Irians,  descendants  of  Ir, 
Avere  still  in  possession  of  Ulster. Tf  The 
Heberians,  descendants  of  Heber,  and  the 
Dergtines,  of  the  race  of  Lugadh,  son  of  Ith, 
were  possessed  of  the  two  Munsters,  which 
they  governed  alternately ;  but  their  pos- 
session had  been  disturbed  some  time  before 
the  reign  of  that  monarch,  by  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Deagades  of  Lough  Earn,  of 
the  race  of  Heremon.  Leinster  Avas  under 
the  dominion  of  the  Heremonians,  descend- 
ants of  Laogare  Lore,  son  of  Ugane  More  ; 
and  Connaught  belonged  to  the  Firdomnians, 
of  the  race  of  the  Firbolgs,  avIio  were  divided 
into  three  branches,  the  chiefs  of  which  Avere, 
at  that  time,  Fidhac,  Eocha  AUat,  and  Tin- 
ne.**  In  whatever  light  this  government 
of  the  Milesians  is  considered,  it  cannot  be 

*  Grat.  Luc.  page  8,  p.  65. 

+  A.  M.  2992. 

t  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Eocha  Felioch. 

§  A.  M.  3989. 

II  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  40. 

IT  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  8. 

**  Idem. 

10 


74 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


called  a  pontarchy,  as  Cambrensis  has  it. 
From  the  time  of  Ilcrcmon  till  the  reign  of 
Eocha  IX.,  a  thoiisai\d  years,  this  people 
were  governed  sometimes  by  one  king,  and 
sometimes,  but  seldom,  by  two  together,  af- 
ter the  manner  of  Sparta.  From  Eocha  IX., 
till  the  twelfth  century,  the  provincial  kings 
had,  to  a  certain  degree,  divided  the  govern- 
ment of  the  island  between  them  ;  but  their 
subordination  to,  and  dependence  on  the  mo- 
narch, completely  excluded  the  idea  of  apen- 
tarchv,  which  implies,  among  the  princes 
composing  it,  an  equality  and  independence  of 
one  another,  as  was  the  case  with  the  Saxon 
princes,  in  the  time  of  the  English  heptarchy. 

This  division  of  the  supreme  power  by 
Eocha,  contrary  to  all  rules  of  good  policy, 
by  increasing  the  discord  which  had  always 
reigned  among  the  Milesians,  weakened  con- 
siderably the  sovereign  power,  so  necessary 
to  keep  the  people  in  subjection.  The  link 
of  the  general  welfare  being  broken,  the 
interests  of  the  chiefs  who  ruled  in  the 
several  kingdoms  were  separated,  so  that 
they  often  took  up  arms  one  against  the 
other,  and  sometimes  against  their  general- 
in-chief. 

Cambrensis,  with  his  usual  confidence, 
asserts,  that  it  was  a  custom  with  the  kings 
of  Ireland  to  take  possession  of  the  govern- 
ment of  the  whole  island  by  force  of  arms, 
without  the  solemnity  of  coronation,  or  any 
right,  either  by  inheritance  or  succession. 
However,  we  may  judge  of  the  belief  which 
should  be  attached  to  this  author,  and  all 
those  who  have  imitated  him,  by  the  char- 
acter I  have  drawn  of  him  in  the  preliminary 
discourse  on  this  subject.  Harris  reproaches 
Ware,  whose  works  he  translated,  of  having 
given  but  a  very  imperfect  idea  of  the  an- 
cient government  of  Ireland,  and  of  having 
too  closely  copied  the  calumnies  of  Cam- 
brensis, without  sufficiently  fathoming  the 
truth.* 

The  crown  was  neither  absolutely  heredi- 
tary nor  purely  elective  among  the  Milesians. 
The  son  did  not  always  succeed  to  his  father's 
throne,  and  the  younger  often  reigned  to  the 
prejudice  of  the  elder  ;  in  case  of  the  chil- 
dren being  minors,  the  brother,  uncle,  or 
cousin  of  the  deceased  king  was  called  to  the 
throne,  or  the  nearest  relative  capable  of 
governing  alone,  and  commanding  the 
armies. t  The  same  laws  which  excluded 
minors,  excluded  also  from  the  throne  all 
those  who  were  not  descended  from  one  of 

*  Harris,  vol.  2,  cap.  10. 

t  Petr.  Lomb.  Comment,  de  Hibern.  cap.  3,  page 
45  et  46. 


the  three  sons  of  Milesius,  Heber,  Heremon, 
or  Ir.  A  successor  was  appointed  to  the 
crown  during  the  monarch's  lifetime,  as  the 
king  of  the  Romans  was  elected  in  the  em- 
pire ;  this  heir,  who  was  his  son,  brother, 
uncle,  or  his  nearest  relation  capable  of 
governing,  was  called  "  Tainiste,"  from  the 
name  of  the  ring  finger  ;  and,  as  this  finger 
by  its  place  and  length  is  next  to  the  middle 
one,  so  that  prince  was  next  to  the  monarch 
in  rank,  dignity,  and  power.  It  is  from 
thence  Davis  and  Ware  give  the  name  of 
"  Tanistry"  to  the  law  concerning  the  suc- 
cession of  the  crown  in  Ireland.* 

The  candidate  was  obliged  to  prove  his 
origin  by  the  registries  of  his  family,  and  the 
Psalter  of  Tara ;  which  induced  the  Milesians 
to  preserve  the  genealogies  of  their  families 
with  as  much  care  and  precision  as  the 
Hebrews.  The  family  of  Ith,  uncle  of  Mi- 
lesius, was  not  absolutely  excluded  from  the 
crown,  as  we  find  the  names  of  three  of  them 
in  the  list  of  the  Irish  kings.  Besides  his 
birth,  the  candidate  should  be  a  knight  of 
the  golden  chain,  called  in  their  language, 
"  niadh-niask,"  as  we  should  say,  "  Eques 
Torquatus,"  from  a  chain  of  gold  which  was 
worn  on  the  neck.f  This  order  was  insti- 
tuted by  king  Munemon,  and  was  the  only 
title  of  honor  used  by  the  Milesians  after 
that  of  king.  J  The  pompous  titles  of  duke, 
marquis,  earl,  and  baron,  introduced  within 
the  last  few  centuries,  to  flatter  the  am- 
bition of  men,  and  often  conferred  on  peo- 
ple whose  only  merit  consisted  in  being  the 
favorites  of  princes,  were  unknown  to  them, 
as  well  as  to  the  Greeks,  Romans,  and 
other  nations  of  antiquity. 

Notwithstanding  the  wise  precautions 
adopted  by  the  Milesians  in  the  election  of 
their  kings,  those  candidates  Avho  thought 
themselves  unjustly  excluded,  roused  by  the 
ambition  of  reigning,  and  supported  by  the 
factions  of  their  vassals,  (not,  however,  with- 
out any  right  to  the  succession,  as  Cam- 
brensis asserts,)  often,  at  the  expense  of  the 
public  peace,  decided  by  their  arms  what 
was,  in  their  opinion,  unjust  in  the  choice  of 
the  electors.^ 

We  do  not  discover  in  the  ancient  monu- 
ments of  the  Milesians  any  vestiges  of  the 
ceremonies  used  before  Christianity,  at  the 
coronation  of  their  monarchs,  whether  it  be 
that  the  registries  and  acts  in  which  these 
ceremonies  should  be  noted  have  been  lost, 
or  fallen  into  the  hands  of  those  who  wish 


*  Ogyg.  part  1,  page  57  et  58. 

t  A.M.  3271.  t  B.C.  729. 

§  Ogyg.  part  1,  p.  58. 


CIVIL    AND    POLITICAL    GOVERNMENT    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


75 


we  should  be  ignorant  of  them  :  however,  as 
their  liistorians  have  preserved  some  parti- 
culars of  the  inauguration  of  the  provincial 
kings,  it  is  probable  there  were  still  more 
august  ceremonies  for  the  coronation  of  their 
monarchs. 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  crowns  were  used 
by  the  Milesians,  of  which  frequent  mention 
is  made  in  their  annals :  we  discover  in  them 
that  the  Asion,  that  is,  the  crown  of  the 
queen  of  Cahire-More,  was  stolen  at  the 
assembly  of  Tara  ;*  that  Donogh  O'Brien, 
king  of  Munster,  and  partly  of  Ireland,!  had 
taken  the  crown  of  his  ancestors  with  him, 
when  he  made  a  voyage  to  Rome.  Ward, 
a  respectable  antiquarian,  says  that  the  Irish 
kings  appeared  in  all  solemnities,  even  at 
battle,  with  the  crown  on  their  heads.J  This 
mark  of  distinction  was  fatal,  according  to 
Marianus  Scotus,  to  the  monarch  Brian 
Boroimhe,  at  the  famous  battle  of  Clontarf, 
where  he  was  recognised  and  killed  by  some 
Danes  that  were  flying.^  According  to  Hec- 
tor Boetius,the  kings  of  Scotland,  from  Fer- 
gus I.  to  Achaius,  who  died  in  819,  wore  a 
crown  of  plain  gold,  in  the  form  of  a  palli 
sade  or  rampart,  "  Militaris  valli  forma. "| 
There  can  be  no  doubt  of  their  having  bor- 
rowed this  ensign  of  royalty  from  their  an- 
cestors the  Milesians,  as  they  were  descend- 
ed from  them.TI  The  following  fact  leaves 
no  doubt  on  this  subject.  In  1692,  a  crown 
of  gold,  in  the  form  of  a  cap,  was  found  ten 
feet  deep  in  the  earth,  by  some  laborers 
who  were  cutting  turf  in  a  bog  at  Barnanely, 
otherwise  "  the  Devil's  Bit,"  in  the  county 
of  Tipperary,  in  Ireland.  This  crown,  which 
weighs  five  ounces  of  gold,  is  tolerably  well 
wrought ;  it  resembles  the  crowns  of  the 
emperors  of  the  East,  composed  of  a  helmet 
and  diadem,  according  to  the  description 
Seldon  gives  of  it.**  It  has  neither  cross, 
nor  any  other  mark  of  Christianity,  which 
gives  rise  to  a  belief  that  it  was  made  in 
the  time  of  paganism.  This  curious  piece  of 
antiquity  was  sold  to  Joseph  Comerford,  and 
by  him  preserved  in  the  castle  of  Anglure,  in 
Champaign,  which  estate  he  purchased. 

It  does  not  appear  that  the  anointing, 
which  now  constitutes  part  of  the  coronation 
ceremony  of  the  European  princes,  had  been 
in  use  among  the  Milesians. ft  This  custom. 


*  Ogyg.  p.  46. 

t  Idem,  p.  47. 

t  Vit.  Rumoldi,  p.  170. 

§  In  the  year  1014. 

II  Lib.  2  et  10. 

IT   Keat.  preface. 

**  Tit.  Hon.  part  1,  chap.  8. 

■•"+  Ogyg.  part  1,  page  47. 


the  first  examples  of  which  we  discover 
among  the  Hebrews,  did  not  exist,  accord- 
ing to  Onuphrius  Panvinius,  among  the  em- 
perors of  the  East  before  the  time  of  Justinian, 
or  of  Justin  his  son,  about  the  year  565.* 
It  was  introduced,  according  to  that  author, 
into  the  west  by  Charlemagne,  in  800 : 
however,  we  discover  in  history,  that  Pepin, 
his  fathet,  had  been  consecratecl  and  anointed 
king  of  the  Franks,  by  Boniface,  Archbishop 
of  Mayence,  in  virtue  of  the  power  granted 
him  for  this  purpose  by  Pope  Stephen  II. 

In  the  first  ages  of  this  rising  monarchy, 
that  is,  till  the  reign  of  Ollave  Fola,  the 
Milesians,  like  many  other  people  in  those 
ancient  times,  followed  the  laws  dictated  by 
nature.!  Their  government  was  not  yet 
founded  on  fixed  laws,  or  their  laws  were 
too  general  to  embrace  private  cases  that 
might  arise  between  the  king  and  his  sub- 
jects, or  between  the  subjects  themselves. | 
The  Greeks  and  Romans  labored  for  a 
considerable  time  under  the  same  inconve- 
niences, for  the  Athenians  formed  a  nation 
long  before  the  time  of  Draco  and  Solon, 
their  first  legislators,  and  the  Roman  people 
had  existed  three  hundred  years,  before  they 
received  from  the  Athenians  the  laws  of  the 
Twelve  Tables. 

During  this  interval,  the  Milesians  la- 
bored with  emulation,  princes  as  well  as  the 
people,  in  cutting  down  the  forests  with 
which  the  island  Avas  covered,  in  cultivating 
the  land,  and  preparing  it  for  tillage  and 
pasture,  in  order  to  derive  from  it  every 
thing  necessary  for  their  subsistence. 

Ollave  Fola  directed  his  thoughts  to  ob- 
jects more  elevated  and  more  worthy  of  a 
king,  convinced  that  it  would  in  some  man- 
ner be  degrading  to  mankind,  to  think  only 
of  sustaining  life.^  He  knew  that  men  born 
for  society  had  need  of  laws  to  regulate 
their  morals,  and  to  exercise  distriljutive 
justice.  He  conceived  the  design  of  ac- 
complishing it,  and  after  having  collected, 
and  reduced  to  the  form  of  a  history,  all  the 
monuments  of  his  ancestors,  down  to  his 
own  time,  as  Eithrial,  one  of  his  predeces- 
sors, had  done  before  him,  he  convened  a 
triennial  and  general  assembly  of  all  the 
states,  in  form  of  a  parliament,  at  Tara,  in 
Meath,  which  afterwards  became  the  usual 
residence  of  the  monarchs. || 

This  assembly  was  called  in  their  lan- 

*  De  Comitiis  Imperatoriis,  cap.  2. 
t  A.  M.  3320.     B.  C.  680. 
X  Ogyg-  part  3,  cap.  30. 

§  Lecan,  after  Feirchirtne,  an  antiquarian  who 
lived  more  than  100  years  before  Jesus  Christ. 
II  Keat.  on  the  reign  of  Ollave  Fola. 


76 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


guage  Feis-Tcamrach,  signifying  the  assem- 
bly of  the  nobility,  druids,  historians,  and 
other  learned  men.  It  was  held  in  a  great 
hall  in  the  palace  of  Tara,  at  the  time  an- 
swering to  our  months  of  October  and  No- 
vember. The  most  perfect  order  was  pre- 
served, every  one  taking  his  place  according 
to  his  dignity.  It  was  on  this  occasion  the 
king  ordered  coats  of  arms  to  the  chief  of 
each  family,  according  to  his  rank,  to  dis- 
tinguish them  one  from  the  other,  and  to 
servo  as  a  rule  for  the  master  of  the  cere- 
monies, whose  office  was  to  mark  the  rank 
of  each  member  in  the  assembly ;  which  he 
performed  by  hanging  the  buckler  and  coat 
of  arms  of  each  person  on  the  wall  opposite 
to  the  place  intended  for  him.*  It  must  be 
observed  that,  until  then,  the  different  fam- 
ilies composing  the  colony  of  the  Milesians, 
had  no  arms  peculiar  to  them  ;  they  had 
only  a  banner  bearing  as  an  escutcheon  a 
dead  serpent  and  a  wand,  in  memory  of  the 
cure  of  Gaodhal  their  ancestor,  which  served 
as  an  ensign  to  the  whole  colony. f  The 
Gadelians  had  borrowed  this  custom  from 
the  Israelites,  whose  different  tribes  carried 
different  banners,  to  avoid  confusion  in  their 
march  in  the  desert,  as  our  regiments  march 
under  their  respective  colors. 

In  the  first  session  of  the  assembly  at  Tara, 
it  was  established  as  a  fundamental  law  of 
the  state,  that  every  three  years  the  king, 
nobility,  and  principal  men  in  the  kingdom 
should,  under  certain  penalties,  repair  in 
person,  or,  in  case  of  sickness  or  any  other 
obstacle,  send  deputies  to  Tara  at  the  time 
appointed,  to  deliberate  on  the  necessities 
of  the  state,  to  establish  laws,  and  confirm  or 
change  the  old  ones,  as  the  general  welfare 
might  require.  The  princes  and  other  lords 
were  then  confirmed  in  the  possession  of 
those  lands  and  lordships  which  they  had 
received  in  the  division  made  by  Heber  and 
Heremon,  after  the  conquest  of  the  island 
over  the  Tuatha  de  Danains.  It  was  after- 
wards decreed  by  the  assembly,  that  each 
lord  should  maintain,  at  his  own  expense, 
a  judge  and  historian,  to  whom  he  should 
assign  a  portion  of  land  sufficient  for  the 
maintenance  of  their  family,  so  that  being 
free  from  all  domestic  embarrassments,  they 
might  devote  their  time  exclusively  to  their 
employment.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  judge, 
called  in  Irish  "  brehon,"  to  watch  over  the 
observance  of  the  laws  in  his  lord's  posses- 
sions, and  to  administer  justice ;  in  some 
cases  an  appeal  against  his  decisions  was 


*  Kcat.  on  the  reign  of  Ollave  Fola. 
t  The  annals  of  Lcath-Cuin 


referred  to  the  triennial  assembly.  The 
historian's  office  was  to  preserve  in  writing, 
their  genealogies,  alliances,  and  noble  ac- 
tions ;  and  to  present  every  three  years  to  the 
general  assembly,  the  annals  and  anecdotes 
of  his  patron,  to  undergo  the  criticism  of  a 
committee  of  nine,  viz.,  three  princes,  three 
druids,  and  three  historians.  Those  acts  thus 
examined  and  corrected,  if  necessary,  Avere 
registered  in  the  great  book  generally  called 
the  Psalter  of  Teamor  or  Tara  ;  a  formality 
absolutely  necessary  to  give  them  validity. 
To  obviate  also  prevarication,  and  prevent 
the  errors  which  might  afterwards  be  intro- 
duced into  those  annals,  through  bribery  or 
seduction  on  the  part  of  the  lords  ;  through 
flattery  or  a  hope  of  reward,  on  that  of  the 
antiquarians,  the  delinquents  were  subjected 
to  heavy  penalties  :  so  that  if  one  of  them 
were  convicted  of  evasion,  either  by  con- 
cealing or  adding  any  fact  or  circumstance 
contrary  to  the  truth,  he  was  punished  in 
proportion  to  his  crime  ;  sometimes  by  the 
confiscation  of  his  property,  the  loss  of  his 
place,  or  a  shameful  expulsion  from  the 
assembly,  and  sometimes  by  death ;  so  that 
the  fear  of  those  penalties  was  an  effectual 
curb,  which  rendered  them  vigilant  and  at- 
tentive in  the  discharge  of  their  duties.  This 
custom  of  examining  the  annals  of  private 
families,  and  enrolling  them  in  the  Psalter 
of  Tara,  lasted  without  interruption  till  the 
twelfth  century  of  Christianity,  and  without 
any  change,  except  that  when  the  pagan 
priesthood  was  abolished  by  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel  in  the  fifth  century,  the  three 
druids  were  replaced  by  three  bishops  to 
examine  these  memoirs,  with  the  three 
princes  and  three  chronologists ;  so  that 
Saint  Patrick,  the  apostle  of  Ireland,  having 
assisted  as  judge,  with  otner  bishops,  at  one 
of  those  assemblies,  he  had  all  the  ancient 
books  of  the  Milesians  brought  before  him, 
and  having  examined  them,  he  approved  of 
the  Psalter  of  Tara,  with  several  other  his- 
tories, written  long  before  his  time,  and 
burned  180  volumes  filled  with  the  super- 
stitions of  the  pagan  and  idolatrous  religion, 
which  the  Milesians  had  till  then  professed  ; 
a  proof  that  they  knew  the  use  of  letters 
before  the  time  of  that  apostle.*  This  cus- 
tom of  keeping  public  registries  to  preserve 
their  history  was  not  confined  to  the  Mile- 
sians ;  it  was  common  to  the  Chaldeans  and 
Egyptians.  There  were  learned  men  in  those 
countries,  who  wrote  and  preserved  in  their 
archives  every  event.  Josephus,  in  his  first 
book  against  Appian,  assigns  it  as  the  cause 

*  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  30,  page  219. 


CIVIL    AND    POLITICAL    GOVERNMENT    OP    THE    MILESIANS. 


77 


of  the  antiquities  of  the  Chaldeans  and 
Egyptians  having  been  so  well  preserved, 
while,  from  a  contrary  cause,  few  vestiges 
of  antiquity  remain  among  the  Greeks. 

The  book  or  registry  of  Tara  is  called, 
in  the  Irish  language,  "  Psaltuir  Teavair," 
that  is,  the  Psalter  of  Teamor  or  Tara, 
being  written  in  verse,  or  a  kind  of  rhyming 
prose,  like  the  ancient  Arabs,  who  wrote 
their  histories  in  verse.  Measured  words 
are  always  the  most  easily  retained,  which 
reason  induced  the  Hebrews  to  compose 
hymns  on  all  considerable  events,  such  as 
the  hymns  of  Moses,  of  Deborah,  of  the 
mother  of  Samuel,  and  the  Psalms  of  David.* 
Since  the  time  of  Christianity,  several  copies 
of  them  were  taken  by  public  authority,  and 
deposited  in  different  cathedral  churches  in 
the  kingdom,  under  care  of  the  bishops, 
both  for  the  convenience  of  those  who  might 
want  to  consult  them,  and  in  case  any  acci- 
dents might  arise  either  from  fire  or  war. 
Those  copies  were  also  called  Psalters, 
after  the  original,  as  the  Psalter  of  Ardmagh, 
and  the  Psalter  of  Cluan-Mac-Noisk,  of 
which  some  copies  are  still  extant. 

Besides  the  public  offices,  created  in  the 
assembly  of  Tara,  every  lord  had  a  physi- 
cian, poet,  and  m^asician,  to  each  of  whom  he 
assigned  a  certain  portion  of  land.  These 
lands,  as  well  as  those  of  the  judges  and 
historians,  were  considered  sacred  and  ex- 
empt from  all  taxes  and  impositions,  even  in 
time  of  war,  like  those  of  the  pagan  priests 
in  Egypt.  These  offices,  and  the  lands  be- 
longing to  them,  were  confined  to  certain 
families.  We  see  an  example  of  the  same 
custom  in  the  fourth  chapter  of  Genesis. 
And  none  were  allowed  to  study  medicine 
among  the  Greeks,  but  those  belonging  to 
the  family  of  Esculapius.  Nevertheless, 
to  excite  emulation,  they  were  conferred  on 
merit,  without  regard  to  the  degree  of  rela- 
tionship, in  order  that  each  member  of  the 
same  family  should  endeavor  to  perfect  him- 
self in  his  profession  ;  a  convincing  proof 
of  the  taste  of  the  Milesians  for  the  arts  and 
sciences,  even  in  those  barbarous  times. f  In 
fine,  wise  laws  were  enacted  in  this  assem- 
bly, to  maintain  the  public  peace,  and  to  pre- 
serve to  the  subjects  the  secure  possession  of 
their  properties  and  liberty.  All  violence 
against  members  of  the  assembly  during  the 
sessions,  was  prohibited  under  pain  of  death ; 
the  same  sentence  was  pronounced  against 
those  guilty  of  robbery,  murder,  rape,  and 
other  similar  crimes,  without  the  monarch 


*  Exod.  15,  Deut.  32,  Jud.  5,  1  Reg.  2. 
t  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  3. 


having  the  power  of  pardoning  the  guilty, 
as  he  had  given  up,  in  favor  of  justice,  this 
portion  of  the  royal  prerogative.  Copies 
of  this  were  then  distributed,  by  order  of 
the  assembly,  among  all  the  private  judges 
in  the  kingdom,  to  serve  as  rules  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  justice. 

Such  was  then  the  civil  and  political 
government,  early  formed  among  the  Mile- 
sians, founded  on  laws  dictated  by  OUave 
Fola,  the  Solon  of  his  time.  Carthage  and 
Rome,  two  celebrated  rival  cities,  were,  at 
that  time,  but  coming  into  existence.  Sparta 
and  Athens  had  scarcely  seen  the  splendid 
days  of  Lycurgus  and  of  Solon.  It  was,  un- 
doubtedly, this  antiquity  which  made  Plu- 
tarch give  the  name  of  "  Ogygia"  to  Ireland. 

Ollave  Fola,  having  arranged  by  those 
wise  regulations  every  thing  concerning  the 
government  of  the  state,  turned  his  thoughts 
to  the  arts  and  sciences.  The  Milesians  had 
already  some  slight  knowledge  of  them, 
which  they  had  acquired  in  Egypt,  where  the 
Gadelians,  their  ancestors,  had  sojourned 
for  some  time.  During  the  voyage  which 
Milesius  afterwards  made  into  Egypt,  where 
he  remained  for  seven  years,  he  had  twelve 
young  men  of  his  suite  instructed  in  all  the 
sciences  of  the  Egyptians,  and  who  after- 
wards served  as  masters  to  such  of  the 
colony  as  he  had  left  in  Spain.  But  these 
first  impressions  were  soon  lost ;  the  Mile- 
sians, occupied  during  the  first  centuries  in 
cultivating  their  lands  and  new  inheritance, 
neglected  the  arts  and  sciences.  This  wise 
monarch,  wishing  to  remedy  that  neglect, 
founded  schools  of  philosophy,  astronomy, 
poetry,  medicine,  history,  &c.,  at  Teamor. 
Those  schools,  called  in  their  language 
Mur-Ollavan,  "  the  houses  of  the  learned," 
were  protected  by  the  monarchs  his  succes- 
sors, particularly  by  Cormac-Ulfada,  who 
had  their  foundations  enlarged. 

Tuathal-Teachtmair,*  having  ascended 
the  throne  which  his  father  had  lost  together 
with  his  life,  in  a  revolt  of  the  lower  orders,! 
convoked  the  assembly  of  Teamor,  as  his 
ancestors  were  accustomed  to  do,  on  their 
accession  to  the  throne  •,X  ^"^^  having  re- 
ceived the  faith  and  homage  of  his  subjects, 
he  convened  two  other  assemblies,  one  at 
Eamhain,  in  Ulster,  and  the  other  at  Cru- 
achan,  in  Connaught.§  In  these  assemblies 
the  decree  of  Ollave  Fola  was  renewed,  for 
the  continuance  of  the  triennial  assembly  at 
Tara,  with  the  investigation  and  registering 

*   In  the  year  of  our  Lord  95. 

t  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Tuathal-Teachtmair. 

t  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  8,  p.  68. 

§  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  56. 


78 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


the  annals,  which  had  been  interrupted  by 
the  usurpation  of  the  lower  ranks  of  the 
people.  A  celebrated  re<rulation  was  insti- 
tuted for  mechanics.  They  appointed  sixty 
of  each  trade  in  every  district  in  the  island, 
to  inspect  and  govern  the  others.*  No  one 
was  allowed  to  work  at  any  trade  without 
having  been  approved  of  by  these  commis- 
sioners, who  W(?re  called,  in  the  language 
of  the  country,  "  Jollanuidh,"  which  signi- 
fies, expert  in  their  art  or  profession.  Such 
was  the  first  plan  or  origin  of  the  bodies  of 
trades  and  mechanics  in  Ireland. 

About  the  time  of  our  Saviour,  the  learned 
in  the  jurisprudence  of  the  country  began 
to  make  collections  of  the  laws,  and  to  com- 
mit them  to  writing,  several  of  which  are 
mentioned  by  their  historians.!  In  the  time 
of  Conquovar,  king  of  Ulster,  who  began  to 


«  Grai.  Luc.  cap.  12,  p.  113. 

+  "  In  the  reign  of  Conchovar,  king  of  Ulster, 
there  were  two  poets  of  great  celebrity :  Forch- 
ermis,  son  of  Deagas,  (from  whom  the  Deagadce 
of  Munster  were  descended,)  and  Ncdius,  son  of 
Adnaus,  and  grandson  of  Uthirius,  composed  a 
dialogue  on  the  laws.  The  same  Forchernus  com- 
mitted to  writing,  at  the  palace  of  Emania,  in 
Ulster,  rules  on  poetry  and  various  kinds  of  verse. 
This  book,  called  Uriaceacth-na-Negio,  which  signi- 
fies precepts  for  poets,  Kenfoela,  the  son  of  Olillius, 
in  the  reign  of  Donald,  king  of  Ireland,  revised, 
after  several  centuries.  The  same  Forcliernus, 
also  Nedius,  and  likewise  Athneus,  chief  poet  of 
King  Conchovar,  inserted  among  authors  who  have 
•vritten  axioms  on  the  laws  which  are  termed 
'  Coelestia  .ludicia,'  as  among  the  Greeks,  the 
'  sayings  of  wise  men.'  Morannus,  son  of  Car- 
breus,  king  of  Ireland,  and  supreme  judge  under 
Feradachus,  king  also  of  Ireland,  produced  like- 
wise '  coelestia  judicia.'  Cormac,  king  of  Ireland, 
(whose  studies  on  the  law,  and  those  of  the  son  of 
Carbreus,  in  the  reign  of  his  succe.ssor,  are  still 
extant.)  Fithelus,  judge  of  King  Cormac,  and 
Finnus,  son  of  Coballus,  general  and  son-in-law  of 
the  same  Cormac.  Among  other  authors  of  '  celes- 
tial axioms,'  are  numbered  Factnaus,  son  of  Scn- 
chaus,  grandson  of  Coelclinius  ;  Serchaus,  son 
of  Olillius  ;  Ncreus,  son  of  Fincollaus  ;  Rognius 
Rosgadliach,  poet,  son  of  Hugonius,  king  of  Ire- 
land ;  Manius  Nilnessius,  poet  ;  and  Ethna,  daugh- 
ter of  Armalgadius. 

"  Similar  'judicia'  also  the  Christian  king,  Dub- 
thacus  O'Lugair,  who  had  been,  on  the  arrival  of 
St.  Patrick,  a  heathen,  practised.  Of  him  Jocelin 
makes  mention,  c.  45  ;  and  Sanchanus,  Torpes- 
tius,  in  the  time  of  Guarius,  king  of  Connaught. 
Kenfoela,  son  of  Olillius,  of  whom  we  made  men- 
tion above,  composed  together  a  work  from  the 
writings  of  the  ancients,  entitled  '  Celestia  Judicia.' 
These  were  three  brothers  of  O'Burechanus,  i.  e., 
Ferananus,  bishop  ;  Boethgalus,  judge  ;  and  Mal- 
tulius,  poet,  when  Cathaldus,  of  Fingunius,  was 
king  of  Munster. 

"  A  little  before  Conchovar,  when  Fergusius,  son 
of  Ledeus,  was  president  of  Ulster,  Seannus,  son 
of  Agius,  flourished  as  a  writer ;  he  composed 
'  Fonn  Seanchuismhoir.'    The  '  Celestia  Judicia'  of 


reign  some  years  before  the  Christian  era, 
Forchern  and  Ncid-Mac-Aidnha,  two  cele- 
brated poets,  composed  a  dialogue  on  the 
laws.*  The  same,  with  Athirne,  chief  poet 
of  Conquovar,  were  the  authors  of  the  axi- 
oms of  the  laws,  called  "judicia  Coelestia," 
as  the  axioms  of  the  sages  of  Greece  were 
called  "  Dicta  Sapientium."t  Fearadach, 
the  monarch,  and  Moran  his  judge,  were  cele- 
brated for  their  justice,  and  their  writings  on 
the  laws. I  Modain-Mac-Tolbain,  judge  im- 
der  Constantine,  surnamed  Keadeaha,  made 
a  collection  of  laws,  called  "  Meillbreatha."^ 
Fiothall,  or  Fithic  Fiorgothia,  one  of  the 
legislators  at  Tara,  under  Cormac,  surnamed 
Ulfada,  has  left  a  treatise  upon  laws  entitled 
Fiondsuith.  King  Cormac,  and  Cairbre  his 
son,  made  a  code  of  laws,  called  "  Dula," 
which  was  divided  into  three  parts,  and 
which  contained  regulations  on  various  mat- 
ters. || 

All  those  works  on  law,  with  many  others 
of  the  same  nature,  were  collected  in  the 
eighth  century,  and  formed  into  one  body  of 
laws,  by  three  brothers,  Faranan,  Boethgal, 
and  Moetul,  the  first  of  whom  was  a  bishop, 
the  second  a  judge,  and  the  third  a  poet  and 
antiquarian.  This  collection  was  called 
"  Brathaneimhadh,"  signifying  sacred  judg- 
ments. The  matter  it  contained  is  briefly 
explained  in  the  following  Irish  lines  : 

Eagluis,  flatha  Agus  filidh 
Breithcamb  Dhios  gacbdligh, 
Na  bruigh  fo  aidh  dar  linn, 
Na  saor  agus  na  gabhan. 

which  are  thus  translated  into  Latin  by 
Gratianus  Lucius  :T[ 

"  Quid  sit  jus  Cleri,  Satrapa5,  vatisque,  fabrique, 
Nee  non  agricolae,  liber  iste  docebit  abunde." 


Eugenius,  son  of  Darthactus,  have  been  celebrated. 
Those  of  Achaus,  son  of  Luctaus,  king  of  Mun. 
ster  ;  those  also  of  Carithniathus  and  Nemthenius, 
were  nearly  equal  to  Conchovar.  Feradachus,  king 
of  Hibernia,  under  whom  IMonannus  flourished. 
He  was  celebrated  for  his  writings  ;  Modanus,  son 
of  Sulbanus,  in  the  time  of  Quintus  Centimachus, 
king  of  Ireland,  composed  a  book  of  laws.  I  shall 
pass  over  Conlaus,  a  celebrated  judge  of  Connaught, 
who  contended  with  the  druids  in  his  writings  ; 
also  Senchaus,  son  of  Coelclinius,  father  of  Fact- 
naus, whom  we  mentioned  above  ;  and  Kinethus 
O  Commid,  and  other  pagans,  whose  names  and 
epochs  there  is  not  at  present  an  opportunity 
of  introducing." — Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  30,  pp.  217, 
218. 

*  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  30. 

t  In  the  year  of  Christ  70. 

I  Grat.  Luc.  c.  20,  p.  175. 
§  Anno  148. 

II  Anno  234.     Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  69 
^  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  20,  page  157. 


WARS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


79 


Gratianus  Lucius  mentions  his  having  seen 
several  large  volumes  on  Irish  laws,  written 
in  large  characters  on  parchment.  In  the 
space  between  the  lines,  there  were  words 
Avritten  in  small  characters  to  explain  what- 
ever might  be  obscure  in  the  text,  with  com- 
mentaries on  the  margin,  like  the  books  of 
civil  and  canon  laws.*. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    WARS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 

War  was  the  ruling  passion  of  this  people . 
We  see  by  their  histories,  that,  for  the  most 
trifling  cause,  they  declared  war  and  fought 
the  most  bloody  battles.  They  were  scarcely 
in  possession  of  their  new  conquest,  when 
the  two  brothers,  chiefs  of  the  colony,  de- 
clared war  against  each  other,  which  ended 
in  the  death  of  one  of  them  ;  and  it  may  be 
said,  that  of  the  great  number  of  kings  who 
governed  them  for  more  than  two  thousand 
years,  more  than  two-thirds  of  them  perished 
on  the  field  of  battle.  According  to  the  cus- 
tom of  ancient  times,  the  crown  of  the  van- 
quished was  the  prize  of  the  victor,  which 
was  a  proof  of  their  martial  and  warlike 
genius,  and  also  of  a  spirit  of  discord,  which 
was  finally  the  cause  of  the  destruction  of 
their  monarchy,  and  the  loss  of  their  liberty. 

The  same  disorders  prevailed  in  all  times 
and  in  all  countries,  particularly  where  the 
crown  was  elective.  Not  to  speak  of  the 
empires  of  Babylon,  of  the  Egyptians,  the 
Medes  and  the  Persians,  Rome,  that  eternal 
city,  was  founded  in  blood  ;  that  empire,  in 
other  respects  so  polished,  was  at  one  time 
torn  by  the  factions  of  the  Triumvirs,  and  at 
others  by  those  of  Caesar  and  Pompey,  of 
Octavius  and  Antony.  If,  among  the  Mi- 
lesians, he  who  imbrued  his  hands  in  the 
blood  of  his  king  succeeded  to  the  throne,  the 
same  thing  is  discoverable  among  the  As- 
syrians, and  the  kings  of  Israel.  We  see 
also  in  Rome,  that  Otho  having  killed  Gal- 
ba,  succeeded  him  in  the  government,  and 
Vitellius  succeeded  Otho,  the  former  of 
whom  fell  by  the  hands  of  Vespasian. 

In  more  recent  ages,  we  discover  many 


*  "  I  myself  have  seen  many  thick  volumes  of 
Irish  laws,  written  on  parchment,  and  among  them 
the  text  written  in  large  characters,  having  the 
lines  moderately  separated,  for  the  more  easy  in- 
terpretation  of  the  words  compressed  in  smaller  let- 
ters. We  see  more  copious  comments  introduced 
in  the  page,  having  the  text  the  same  as  in  books  of 
laws."  —Gratianus  Lucius,  c.  20. 


similar  examples  in  the  neighboring  coun- 
tries. In  Germany,  Rudolphus,  Albert, 
Henry  VII.,  Frederick  III.,  Louis  of  Ba- 
aria,  Charles,  nephew  of  Henry,  and  Gon- 
ther,  all  perished  either  by  conspiracy  or 
poison.*  Italy  was  long  torn  by  the  fac- 
tions of  the  Guelphs  and  Gibelins.  In  Spain, 
Alpho'nso  III.  and  Alphonso  IV.  deprived 
their  own  brothers  of  their  eye-sight.  Peter, 
the  legitimate  son  of  Alphonso  XL,  was  de- 
posed and  assassinated  by  Henry  his  natural 
brother;  Garzias  was  massacred  by  Sanctius, 
and  Sanctius  by  Vellidus  ;  finally,  all  Spain, 
under  Roderick,  saw  herself  betrayed  and 
given  up  to  the  Moors,  by  Count  Julian,  a 
Spaniard,  whom  Bodin  calls  prince  of  Celti- 
beria :  Avhich  treachery,  in  the  space  of 
fourteen  months,  caused  the  blood  of  seven 
hundred  thousand  Spaniards  to  flow.  Dur- 
ing the  heptarchy  in  England,  twenty-eight 
Saxon  kings  were  murdered,  the  most  of 
them  one  by  the  other,  not  to  mention  those 
who  were  deposed.  In  the  kingdom  of 
Northumberland  alone,  four  kings  were  as- 
sassinated, and  three  deposed,  within  the 
space  of  forty-one  years ;  so  that  this  peo- 
ple remained  without  a  king  for  thirty  years, 
no  one  daring  to  assume  the  title  or  the  reins 
of  government.!  What  dreadful  cruelties 
and  evils  were  committed  in  the  wars  of  the 
barons,  under  the  kings  John,  Henry  III., 
and  Edward  II. ;  the  last  of  whom  was  de- 
posed, and  then  assassinated,  by  order  of  his 
own  wife  and  son.  The  wars  between  the 
houses  of  York  and  Lancaster  were  not  less 
fatal.  The  assassination  of  Richard  IL,  and 
of  Henry  VI.,  with  several  thousand  men 
killed  on  both  sides,  Avere  the  fruits  of  these 
unhappy  broils.  It  would  be  endless  to  re- 
late all  the  atrocities  and  cruelties  of  which 
that  people  afford  an  example.  If,  as  is  but 
too  certain,  so  many  awful  excesses  have 
been  committed  in  England,  in  times  so  re- 
cent, not  to  add  the  catastrophes  of  a  simi- 
lar kind  which  occurred  in  other  countries, 
it  should  not  appear  astonishing  that  Ireland 
underwent  certain  revolutions,  the  dreadful 
effects  of  Avhich  were  but  partially  felt ;  it 
\yould  therefore  be  very  unjust  to  impute  to 
the  people  of  Ireland  alone,  tragical  events, 
of  which  so  many  other  nations  have  afforded 
such  dreadful  examples. 

From  the  time  of  Heremon,]:  the  first  ab- 
solute monarch  of  the  Milesian  race,  Ireland 
was  governed  by  kings  descended  from  one 
of  the  three  sons  of  Milesius,^  Heber,  Here- 

*  Bodin.  Meth.  Hist.  p.  450. 

t  Math.  Westmonas,  lib.  1,  cap.  3 

t  A.  M.  2996. 

§  B.  C.  1008. 


80 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


mon,  and  Ir,  and  somctimps  from  Ith,  son 
of  Brcotjan,  uncle  of  Milosius,  for  about  se- 
ven hundred  years,  till  the  construction  of 
the  palace  at  Eamhuin,  in  Latin  "  Emania," 
in  the  province  of  Ulster,  by  Kiniboth,  the 
monarch,  and  until  the  age  of  Ugane  More, 
who  reigned  a  short  time  after.* 

The  most  celebrated  princes  that  reigned 
in  Ireland  during  this  interval  of  time,  were, 
Tighernmas,  Avho,  according  to  the  book  of 
Lecan,  was  the  first  who  introduced  idolatry 
into  the  island  :  he  also  discovered  gold  and 
silver  mines  in  this  country,  and  established 
the  difference  of  rank  by  the  number  of  co- 
lors worn  in  the  clothes. f  By  this  decree, 
the  learned  men  held  a  distinguished  rank, 
being  next  to  that  of  king. 

Eocha  II.  led  some  troops  into  Albania, 
and  forced  the  Picts  to  renew  their  alliance, 
and  pay  the  tribute  stipulated  for  by  their 
ancestors  with  Heremon. 

Aongus  or  Eneas,  surnamed  011-Muccagh 
and  011-Buagagh,  on  account  of  the  success 
of  his  arms  against  his  enemies,  undertook 
an  expedition  into  Albania  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. He  won  thirty  battles  over  the  Picts 
and  Orcadians,  who,  notwithstanding  the 
alliance  concluded  with  Heremon,  wished  to 
shake  off*  the  yoke,  and  free  themselves  from 
the  tribute  they  were  obliged  to  pay  to  the 
kings  of  Ireland  ;  on  his  return,  he  defeated 
his  rebellious  subjects  in  four  different  ren- 
counters, and  was  at  last  killed  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Sliave-Cua,  in  Munster. 

Enna  I.,  surnamed  "  Airgeah,"  which 
signifies  rich  or  wealthy,  had  cuirasses,  or 
bucklers  of  silver  forged  at  Airgiodross, 
which  he  distributed  among  the  great  men 
of  the  kingdom,  and  those  officers  who  had 
distinguished  themselves  in  battle. 

Munemon,  the  monarch,  to  excite  emula- 
tion amonghis  subjects,  instituted  the  military 
order  of  the  Golden  Chain.  This  order  was 
the  only  title  of  honor  known  among  the 
Milesians,  after  that  of  king.  The  knights 
of  this  order,  like  the  Roman  knights,  wore 
chains  of  gold  on  their  necks.  They  were 
called  Niadh-Niask,  in  Latin  "  Eques-Tor- 
quatus."  To  be  received  into  this  order  the 
candidate  was  obliged,  besides  the  proofs  of 
his  nobility,  to  give  some,  also,  of  his  skill. 
A  buckler  was  tied  to  a  post  in  the  middle 
of  a  plain :  he  was  more  or  less  honored, 
according  to  the  number  of  lances  he  broke 
on  the  buckler  in  running,  and  admitted 
into  the  order,  or  rejected  if  the  number  was 
not  sufficient.     Froissart  mentions  the  same 


*  Ogyg.  part  2,  page  86. 
t  Fol.  290,  page  2,  col.  2. 


ceremony  to  have  been  observed  at  the  re- 
ception of  the  sons  of  the  king;  and  as  they 
were  sometimes  admitted  at  a  very  tender 
age,  the  size  of  the  lance  was  in  proportion 
to  their  strength.*  This  order  became 
illustrious  among  them,  as  none  but  members 
of  the  royal  family  could  aspire  to  it.  Al- 
dergode,  son  and  successor  of  Munemon, 
ordered  rings  of  gold  to  those  who  excelled 
in  the  arts  and  sciences. 

Ollave-Fola,  who  reigned  as  monarch 
about  seven  centuries  before  the  Christian 
era,  a.  m.  3324,  b.  c.  680,  was  the  father 
of  letters  ;  he  convoked  a  general  and  trien- 
nial assembly  of  the  states  at  Teamor,  or 
Tara,  in  Meath.  This  assembly  was  cele- 
brated for  the  wise  laws  enacted  there  for 
the  administration  of  justice,  and  the  general 
government  of  the  state.  This  may  be 
termed  the  epoch  and  beginning  of  a  polished 
and  steady  government,  founded  on  laws, 
among  the  Scoto-Milesians.  This  monarch 
loved  the  sciences,  and  protected  the  learned ; 
he  founded  a  college  at  Tara,  in  which  he 
established  antiquarians  and  professors  for 
the  instruction  of  youth.  To  this  prince 
was  given  the  name  of  Ollave  Fola,  which 
signifies  the  doctor  of  Ireland ;  "  Ollave" 
meaning  learned,  and  Fola  being  one  of  the 
ancient  names  of  this  island ;  the  college  was 
called  Mur-Ollavan  ;  "  Murus  su  habita- 
culum  doctorum,"  the  asylum  of  the  learned. 

Rotheact  II.  was  the  first  who  invented 
chariots,  to  hide  the  deformity  of  his  legs  ; 
as  Virgil  speaks  of  Ericthonius,t  fourth  king 
of  Athens,  although  the  poet  does  not  express 
the  motive. 

Seadna  II .,  who  was  succeeded  by  Simeon 
Breac,  established  the  payment  of  the  troops. 

Enna  II.  had  money  coined  at  Airgio- 
dross. 

The  reigns  of  Conang,  surnamed  Bog- 
Aglach,  signifying  the  fearless,  and  Duach 
II.,  surnamed  Laighrach,  are  celebrated  in 
the  annals  of  the  Scoto-Milesians,  a.  m. 
3753,  B.  c.  431.  The  former  was  renowned 
for  his  bravery,  justice,  and  the  moderation 
of  his  government,  which  gained  him  the 
love  and  affection  of  his  people  ;  the  latter 
for  his  promptitude  in  the  administration  of 
justice,  and  in  punishing  the  guilty;  so  that 
those  princes  carried  the  government  to  great 
perfection. 

The  relation  which  exists  between  war 
and  those  who  are  the  actors  in  it,  requires 
mention  to  be  made  of  the  militia,  and  arms 

*  Gratlanus  Lucius,  chap.  13,  p.  124. 

t  "  Ericthonius  was  the  first  who  ventured  to  join 
the  chariot  to  the  steed,  and  victoriously  display 
himself  on  the  rapid  wheel." — Virg.  Geor.  b.  3. 


WARS   OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


81 


of  the  Milesians,  before  I  speak  of  their 
wars.  Keating  attributes  to  Sedna  II.,  mon- 
arch of  Ireland  more  than  four  hundred 
years  before  Jesus  Christ,  the  formation  of 
a  corps  of  militia,  -which  was  always  ready 
to  defend  the  country  against  foreign  inva- 
sion, and  to  preserve  peace  and  tranquillity 
at  home.  The  same  prince  provided  for 
their  subsistence  by  allowing  them  pay  ;  he 
afterwards  regulated  their  discipline.*  This 
militia  was  composed,  in  time  of  peace,  of 
three  legions,  and  each  legion  of  three  thou- 
sand men  ;  but  in  time  of  war  the  numbers 
were  increased,  in  proportion  as  the  public 
welfare  required  it.f  Each  legion  had  a 
commander,  equal  nearly  in  rank  to  our 
colonel :  each  of  whom  had  captains,  lieu- 
tenants, and  other  subaltern  officers  under 
him,  and  the  three  legions  were  commanded 
by  one  general.  This  cohort  was  in  garrison 
during  the  winter,  visited  the  coasts  in  sum- 
mer, and  maintained  the  public  peace.  To 
be  received  into  it,  the  candidate  should  be 
of  an  honest  family,  irreproachable  in  his 
morals,  and  his  parents  were  obliged  to  be 
responsible  for  his  conduct ;  he  should  be 
of  a  certain  height,  strong,  robust,  supple  in 
body,  and  ready  to  die  rather  than  fly  before 
the  enemy.  In  order  to  prove  his  courage, 
he  was  placed  in  a  plain,  armed  with  a 
buckler  and  cimeter,  and  at  the  distance  of 
ten  paces  were  nine  men,  who  all  darted 
their  javelins  against  him  at  the  same  time 
if  he  had  the  skill  to  ward  off  the  blows  with 
his  arms,  he  was  reputed  worthy  of  being 
received  into  the  corps ;  but  if  he  had  the 
misfortune  to  let  himself  be  wounded,  he  was 
excluded  forever. 

This  militia  was  kept  up  for  a  long  time, 
and  was  called,  in  the  first  ages  of  Christiani- 
ty, Fionna  Erionn,  from  Fionn-Mac-Cumhal, 
a  descendant  of  Nuagha-Neaght,  king  of 
Leinster,  who  had  the  command  of  it.  The 
romances  of  the  ancient  bards  concerning 
this  militia,  have  afforded  to  some  late 
writers  an  opportunity  of  giving  of  it  ex 
travagant  and  absurd  accounts,  by  ascri 
bing  to  those  who  composed  it  a  gigantic 
stature  of  fifteen  cubits,  Avhile  they  were 
but  ordinary  men,  distinguished  indeed  from 
others  by  their  acknowledged  bravery,  and 
an  inviolable  attachment  to  the  service  of 
the  state.  Romances  and  fables  have  been 
composed  at  all  times  and  in  all  countries 
to  amuse  the  credulous  and  the  ignorant. 
An  author  who  introduces  them  into  a  seri- 
ous history,  is  only  casting  ridicule  upon 

*  O&yg-  part  3,  cap.  33. 

t  Walsh,  Prosp.  of  Ireland,  sect.  2,  p.  51. 


the  nation,  the  history  of  which  he  is 
writing,  and  thus  diminishes  the  authority 
of  his  most  authentic  monuments.  Ware 
mentions  that  there  had  been,  among  the 
Milesians,  two  kinds  of  foot-soldiers,  differ- 
ently armed  ;*  the  first  was  called  the  Gal- 
loglasses  ;  they  wore  helmets,  and  coats  of 
mail  which  covered  their  bodies  :t  their 
arms  were  the  pike,  sabre,  and  axe,  like  the 
ancient  Gauls  of  whom  Marcellin  speaks .;{: 
The  others,  called  Kearns,  were  light-armed 
troops,  with  javelins,  lances,  or  cutlasses, 
called  in  Irish,  "  skeynes,"  and  slings  for 
throwing  stones,  which  they  used  with  as- 
tonishing skill.  They  had  also  some  cav- 
alry ;  they  used  no  saddles,  like  the  ancient 
Gauls,  Romans,  and  Numidians,  whose  cav- 
alry was  formerly  so  much  esteemed.  Their 
arms  were  lances  and  arrows.  They  had 
foot-soldiers  in  their  suite  called  Daltines, 
who  were  armed  with  darts,  and  whose  duty 
it  was  to  mind  the  horses  of  the  cavalry. 
There  was  also  light  cavalry,  called  by 
Ware,  "  Hobellarii,"  or  light -horse. §  They 
used  chariots,  not  only  in  travelling,  but 
also  in  war,  of  which  their  history  gives  many 
instances.il  Thadeus,  the  ally  of  Cormac- 
Ulfada,  and  who  assisted  to  place  him  on  the 
throne,  was  seated  in  a  chariot  at  the  battle 
of  Crionn-Chincomar  :  he  received  as  much 
land  as  he  could  drive  over  in  his  chariot  in 
one  day  as  a  reward  for  his  services.  In  the 
sixth  century  Diarmod  the  monarch,  wish- 
ing to  take  revenge  on  the  family  of  Saint 
Columb,  for  the  threats  and  freedom  of 
manner  in  which  that  saint  had  spoken  to 
him,  assembled  a  considerable  army,  com- 
posed of  chariots,  cavalry,  and  infantry.^ 
"  CoUecto  grandi  exercitu  in  curribus,  et 
equitibus,  et  pedestribus,"  &c. 

The  arms  of  the  Milesians  were  made  of 
brass,  like  those  of  the  ancient  Greeks.** 
They  took  particular  pride,  says  Solinus,  in 
the  neatness  of  them :  the  handles  of  their 
swords  were  made  of  the  teeth  of  marine 
animals,  which  they  rendered  as  white  as 
ivory. ft  Their  bucklers  of  osier,  their  bows 
and  small  arrows,  showed  their  connection 
with  the  Scythians  from  whom  they  had 
derived  their  origin.     Like  them  they  used 

*  Antiq.  Hibern.  cap.  12. 

t  Camd.  Brit.  edit.  Lond.  page  718. 

t  Stanihurst  de  Rebus  Hib.  lib.  1,  p.  40  et  41. 

§  Antiq.  Hibern.  cap.  7. 

II   Id.  cap.  12. 

IT  Usser.  Primord.  Eccl.  page  902. 

**  Grat.  Luc.  c.  13,  p.  113  et  114. 

tt  "  Those  who  study  neatness  indent  the  hafts 
of  their  swords  with  the  teeth  of  marine  animals, 
for  they  approach  to  the  whiteness  of  ivory;  men 
glory  in  the  use  of  arms." — Solinus,  c.  24. 
11 


82 


HISTORY    OF   IRELAND. 


a  martial  cry,  which  was,  farah,  farah,  as 
we  should  say,  take  care.  'Those  kinds  of 
cries  wore  used  by  the  Greeks  and  Romans ; 
the  former,  aocordini>'  to  Plutarch  and  Suidas, 
used  the  word  eleleu  :  Marcellinus  tells  us, 
that  "  Barritus"  was  the  cry  of  the  Roman 
soldiers  going  to  battle.  The  god  Pan,  it 
is  said,  was  the  author  of  this  military  cry, 
which,  having  caused  the  precipitate  flight 
of  the  enemy  in  the  middle  of  the  night  in 
the  expedition  of  Bacchus  into  India,  gave 
rise  to  the  saying  of  panic  terror*  Instead 
of  drums  and  cymbals,  the  Milesians,  like 
the  Lacedemonians,  made  use  of  the  flute 
and  pipe  in  their  armies. f 

As  the  Picts  were  the  first  enemies  whom 
the  Scoto-Milesians  had  to  encounter,  it  is 
necessary  first  to  investigate  their  origin  and 
establishment  in  the  north  of  Britain.  Kea- 
ting, O'Flaherty,  and  most  Irish  authors, 
after  the  Psalter  of  Cashel,  fix  the  arrival 
of  the  Picts  in  Ireland,  and  their  passage  in- 
to the  north  of  Britain,  in  the  reign  of  Here- 
mon.J  We  find  the  following  narrative 
concerning  that  people,  in  the  ecclesiastical 
history  of  the  venerable  Bede. 

"  The  Britons,  having  taken  possession  of 
the  greater  part  of  that  island,  (Britain,)  the 
Picts,  who  came  originally,  it  is  said,  from 
Scythia,  had  embarked  in  long  vessels  on 
the  ocean,  and  having  been  driven  by  the 
winds  beyond  the  coasts  of  Britain,  found 
themselves  on  those  of  Ireland.  Having 
landed  in  the  northern  part,  they  asked  per- 
mission of  the  Scots  to  settle  among  them  ; 
which  was  refused — the  Scots  saying  it  was 
impracticable,  the  island  being  too  small  to 
contain  both ;  however,  said  they,  take  this 
salutary  advice  which  we  give  you ;  not  far 
hence  is  an  island  lying  to  the  east,  which  we 
can  discover  in  fine  weather ;  go  and  settle 
there  ;  if  any  one  oppose  j^ou,  you  may  rely 
on  succor  from  us.  Thereupon  the  Picts 
sailed  towards  Britain,  and  began  to  inhabit 
the  northern  parts,  the  Britons  being  in 
possession  of  the  south.  The  Picts  having 
no  women,  determined  to  ask  some  from  the 
Scots,  who  consented  to  grant  their  request 
on  condition,  that  in  case  any  doubt  should 
arise  to  which  of  the  descendants,  male  or 
female,  of  the  royal  family,  the  crown 
should  belong,  he  who  established  a  claim 
by  the  female  line  should  be  preferred. 
This  condition  was  accepted  by  the  Picts, 
which  custom  still  prevails  among  them."§ 

*  O&yg-  part  3,  page  47. 
t  Aulus  Gaelius,  lib.  1,  cap.  11. 
t  Ogyg.  part  2,  page  86. 

§  "  It  happened  tliat  a  race  of  Picts  from  Scy- 
thia, having  entered  on  the  ocean  with  a  few  long 


Usher,  in  his  treatise  on  the  antiquities 
of  the  churches  in  Britain,  gives  different 
opinions  on  the  origin  of  the  Picts.*  He 
says  that  the  north  of  Europe,  namely,  the 
Cimbrian  Chersonesus,  and  Scandinavia,  in- 
habited by  the  Danes,  Goths,  and  Vandals, 
and  known  to  the  ancients  by  the  name  of 
Germanic  Scythia,  was  called  by  Proco- 
pius  of  Cffisarea,  "  Thule,"  and  inhabited 
by  the  Picts,  according  to  Claudian  in  his 
panegyric  on  the  fourth  consulship  of  Hono- 
rius,t  which  has  made  many  believe  that 
the  Picts  of  Albania  derived  their  origin 
from  them.  But  Usher  himself  seems  to 
douVit  if  it  Avere  Scandinavia  or  some  of  the 
northern  isles  that  was  called  "  Thule,";]: 
which  doubt  appears  the  better  founded,  as, 
according  to  the  map  of  the  Atlantic  Island, 
drawn  by  the  Sampsons,  eminent  geographers 
of  the  last  century,  Thule  is  an  island  situ- 
ated in  the  arctic  circle,  in  the  same  latitude, 
but  to  the  west  of  Scandinavia,  now  known 
by  the  name  of  Iceland.  However,  were  we 
to  suppose  with  Procopius,that  Scandinavia 
was  called  "  Thule,"  and  say  with  Claudian 
that  it  was  inhabited  by  Picts,  colonies  per- 
haps of  the  Scandinavians  and  the  Dacians, 
who  painted  their  bodies  by  making  incisions, 
and  introducing  colored  substances  between 
the  skin  and  the  flesh,  with  which  they  formed 


ships,  the  force  of  the  winds  driving  them  around, 
arrived  in  Ireland,  after  passing  every  coast  of 
Britain  ;  they  landed  on  the  northern  coast,  and 
having  discovered  there  a  nation  of  Scots,  sought 
likewise  for  themselves  permission  to  settle  in  those 
parts,  but  being  unable  to  obtain  it,  the  Scots 
replied  that  the  island  would  not  contain  both  ;  how- 
ever,  we  may  give  you  a  wholesome  counsel  which 
you  can  pursue  ;  we  know  another  island  which  is 
near  to  ours,  it  lies  to  the  east ;  we  are  accustomed 
to  see  it  in  bright  days.  If  you  wish  to  go  thither, 
you  can  make  it  habitable  for  yourselves,  and  if 
j'ou  meet  with  opposition  apply  to  us  for  aid.  The 
Picts  after  this  began  to  inhabit  Britain  in  the 
northern  parts,  whereas  the  southern  were  in  pos- 
session of  the  Britons.  When  the  Picts  applied  to 
the  Scots  for  wives,  because  they  had  no  women, 
they  granted  them  their  request,  on  the  following 
conditions,  viz.,  if  any  doubt  should  arise  to  which 
descendant,  male  or  female,  (being  of  royal  lineage,) 
the  crown  should  belong,  the  decision  should  be 
made  in  favor  of  the  latter;  such  is  the  custom  to 
this  day  among  the  Picts." — Bede's  Church  Hist. 
b.  l,c.  1. 

*  Cap.  15,  p.  578. 

t  "  The  Orkneys  were  moistened  with  the  blood 
of  the  routed  Saxon,  and  Thule  was  heated  by  that 
of  the  Picts."— c.  15,  p.  578. 

I  "  He  implies  by  obvious  and  explicit  remarks, 
that  pirates  of  the  Sa.vons  possessed  the  Orkneys, 
as  the  Picts  did  Thule,  whether  that  were  Scandi- 
navia, or  whether  it  might  have  been  another  of  the 
northern  islands,  as  the  Scots  were  in 
of  lerna."' — Usher,  c.  15,  p.  579. 


WARS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


83 


all  kinds  of  figures  ;  it  does  not  follov/  that 
a  colony  of  Scythians  established  in  the 
north  of  Britain,  and  called,  long  after,  Picts 
by  the  Latins,  are  descended  from  those  of 
Scandinavia,  particularly  as  this  custom  of 
painting  the  body  was  common  to  different 
nations.*  Itmusthoweverbe  acknoAvledged, 
that  the  situation  of  Scandinavia  with  re- 
spect to  the  north  of  Ireland,  where  it  is 
said  that  people  had  landed,  is  favorable  to 
this  opinion,  and  renders  it  more  probable 
than  that  of  Keating,  who  says  they  came 
from  Asiatic  Scythia,  by  traversing  the  vast 
countries  which  separate  it  from  the  west- 
ern coast  of  Gaul. 

Usher  also  gives  the  opinion  of  several 
others  concerning  the  time  of  the  arrival  of 
the  Picts  in  Britain  ;  he  does  not,  however, 
seem  to  adopt  them :  he  mentions,  among 
others,  that  of  Meevinus,  or  Melkinus  Acal- 
lonius,  and  of  Harding,  who  say  that  Gadela, 
and  Scota  his  wife,  had  come  into  Albania, 
with  the  Picts,  in  the  year  of  Jesus  Christ 
seventy-five. t  But  these  authors  differ  from 
Eumeneus  the  Rhetorician,  who,  in  his  pan- 
egyric on  Constantius  Chlorus,  mentions 
the  Picts  and  Irish  as  the  common  enemies 
of  the  Britons,  before  the  time  of  Julius 
Caesar :  "  Pictis  et  Hibernis  assuetos  hos- 
tibus."J  Others,  not  having  well  understood 
the  opinion  of  Gildas  and  Bede,  place  the 
first  settlement  of  the  Picts  in  Britain  in  the 
fifth  century,  under  Theodosius  the  younger ; 
as  Bede,  having  spoken  of  the  dreadful 
ravages  committed  by  the  Scots  and  Picts 
in  Britain,  adds  that  the  latter  had  stopped  to 
recruit  themselves  for  the  first  time  in  the 
extremity  of  the  island.  "  Picti  in  extrema 
insulae  parte  tunc  primum  et  deinceps  requi- 
everunt."^  However,  those  words,  in  the 
natural  sense  of  the  author,  only  represent 
a  cessation  of  hostilities,  and  a  truce  on  the 
part  of  those  barbarians,  "  cessante  vasta- 
tione  hostili,"  and  by  no  means  their  first  set- 
tlement in  the  island,  as  those  authors  assert.  || 
It  is  also  possible,  that  when  the  Romans 
had  increased  their  power  in  Britain,  the 
Picts  might  have  been  forced  to  confine 
themselves  to  the  inaccessible  parts  of  Cale- 
donia, and  sometimes  to  withdraw  them- 
selves to  the  Orkneys,  the  Hebrides,  the  Isle 


*  Plin.  lib.  22,  cap.  1. 

+  "  If  we  attach  belief  to  the  words  of  John  Har- 
dinge,  who  says  that  Gadela  and  his  wife  Scota, 
the  illegitimate  daughter  of  king  Pharo,  came  with 
the  Picts  into  Albania,  in  the  year  of  Christ  75."— 
Usher's  Church  Hist.  c.  15,  p.  180. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  18. 

§  Ward,  Vita  in  Sancti  Romuldi.  p.  369  et  370. 

il  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  18. 


of  Man,  or  of  "  Thule,"  to  which  the  expe- 
ditions of  Agricola,  Severus,  and  others, 
might  have  contributed  :  and  that  the  return 
to  their  country  might  have  been  confound- 
ed with  their  first  settlement,  a.  m.  3149. 

Eocha  II.  was  the  first  of  the  kings  of 
Ireland,  as  I  have  already  remarked,  who 
crossed  over  to  Albania  with  his  troops,  and 
obliged  the  Picts  to  renew  their  alliance  with 
him,  and  pay  the  tribute  stipulated  between 
their  ancestors  and  Heremon,  b.  c.  851. 
But  Fiacha  I.,  successor  of  Eocha,  sent  over 
Angus,  surnamed  Ollbuagach,  his  son,  a 
warlike  prince,  who  defeated  them  in  several 
rencounters,  and  obliged  them  to  acknow- 
ledge their  dependence  on  the  Irish  crown.* 
Finally,  Angus  I.  completed  their  defeat, 
having  routed  them  in  thirty  battles,  with 
their  allies  the  inhabitants  of  the  Orkneys 
and  other  islands.  This  expedition  of  Angus 
was  followed  by  a  peace  that  lasted  near  five 
hundred  years  between  those  two  nations, 
which  was  at  length  interrupted  by  the  inva- 
sions and  hostilities  committed  by  Reactha, 
surnamed  Righdearg,  in  the  north  of  Britain. f 

The  palace  of  Eamhuin,  so  celebrated  in 
the  history  of  Ireland,  was  built  by  order  of 
Kimboaththe  monarch,  or  his  queen  Macha, 
in  the  barony  of  Oneland,  county  of  Ard- 
mach,  in  the  year  of  the  world,  3654,  to 
serve  as  a  place  of  residence  for  the  princes 
of  the  race  of  Ir,  who  commanded  at  that 
time  in  the  province  of  Ulster. |  From  the 
wars  of  the  Milesians  Avith  the  Picts,  till 
the  foundation  of  this  palace  and  the  reign 
of  Ugane  More,  I  discover  but  little  worth 
relating ;  the  monuments  of  the  Irish  before 
that  period  are  both  uncertain  and  doubtful ; 
the  plan  which  I  have  proposed  to  myself  to 
follow  not  allowing  me  to  enter  into  an 
exact  detail  of  all  their  private  wars,  I  leave 
it  to  those  who  have  it  better  in  their  power 
than  I,  to  examine  the  ancient  monuments 
of  the  country. §  Besides,  as  objects  viewed 
at  too  great  a  distance  become  almost  in- 
visible, it  is  nearly  the  same  with  facts 
relating  to  such  distant  times  ;  their  great 
antiquity  renders  them  at  least  obscure : 
objects  should  be  brought  near,  the  better 
to  distinguish  them. 


■  "  Herein  it  must  be  noticed,  that  the  Picts  had 
settled  then,  for  the  first  time,  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  island,  and  continued  afterwards  in  that 
country,  after  the  devastations  and  cruel  subjection 
(as  Gildas  had  already  described)  had  ceased  in 
I3ritain." — Usher,  p.  G09. 

t  Walsh.  Prosp.  d'Irl.  part  1,  sect.  1. 

\  Ogyg.  part  3,  cup.  37. 

§  Tigernachus  Cluanensis,  aulor  XI.  srccd', 
apud  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  86. 


84 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Ugano  More,  tlescendod  from  Ilercnion 
in  the  twentieth  degree,  reigned  in  Ireland 
about  three  hundred  years  before  Jesus 
Christ,  A.M.  3700.  On  his  accession  to  the 
throne,  he  convoked  the  assembly  at  Tara,* 
in  which  he  received  hostages  and  the  oath 
of  allegiance  from  his  subjects,  who  con- 
firmed his  election,!  and  enacted  a  law  by 
which  the  crown  was  declared  hereditary  in 
his  fiimily,  in  order  to  prevent  the  disorders 
caused  by  elections,  and  too  great  a  number 
of  pretenders  to  the  throne. |  This  monarch 
was  surnamed  More,  or  the  Great,  from  his 
having  conquered  a  number  of  islands  lying 
to  the  west  of  Europe.  He  had  several 
children  by  Keasair,  his  wife,  daughter  of  a 
king  of  Gaul ;  among  others,  Laogare  Lore, 
and  Cobtagh,  Coel  Breag,  who  reigned  suc- 
cessively. These  two  princes  were  the 
ancestors  of  all  the  kings  of  the  branch  of 
Heremon,  who  afterwards  reigned,  and  of 
all  the  illustrious  families  of  that  race.^ 
Laogare  Lore  having  been  murdered  by  his 
brother  Cobtagh, ||  who  seized  on  the  crown, 
Maion,  afterwards  called  Lavra-Loinseach, 
son  of  OilioU  Aine,  and  grandson  of  Lao- 
gare, fled  from  Corcaduibhne,  now  Corca- 
guin,  in  the  county  of  Kerry,!"  where  he 
had  been  spending  some  time  with  Scoriat, 
king  of  that  country,  and  took  refuge  in 
Gaul,  with  the  relations  of  Keasair,  his 
grandmother ;  he  was  honorably  received 
there  by  the  king,  who  gave  him  the  com- 
mand of  his  troops.  He  acquitted  himself 
of  this  commission  with  so  much  bravery, 
that,  as  a  reward  for  his  services,  the  king 
granted  him  two  thousand  two  hundred  men, 
to  enable  him  to  lay  claim  to  the  crown  of 
his  ancestors  ;  with  this  succor  he  embarked, 
and  having  arrived  in  the  bay  of  Lough- 
garm,  now  Wexford,  he  was  informed  that 
the  usurper  was  holding  his  court  at  Dion- 
riogh,  near  the  river  Barrow,  in  the  county 
of  Carlow ;  he  marched  thither  with  all 
possible  diligence,  and  having  surprised  and 
defeated  his  rival,  he  ascended  the  throne. 
.  While  the  children  of  Ugane  More  divided 
the  sovereignty  of  the  island,  sometimes 
between  themselves  and  sometimes  with  the 
descendants  of  Heber,  the  princes  of  the 
race  of  Ir  governed  in  Ulster  without  inter- 
ruption, from  the  founding  of  the  palace  of 
Eamhuin,  to  the  time  of  Rory  the  Great, 
the   chief  of  that  tribe,  who,  from  being 

*  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Ugane. 

+  Grat.  Luc.  .3,  8,  p.  63. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  38. 

§  Keating  on  tlie  reign  of  Laogare. 

II  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  8,  p.  64. 

IT  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  39. 


prince  of  Ulster,  succeeded  to  the  monarchy 

A.  M.  3913,  D.  c.  87.  It  was  from  him  this 
tribe  took  the  name  of  Clanna-Rory,  that  is, 
children  of  Rory.  They  were  again  con- 
firmed in  the  possession  of  this  province  by 
the  monarch  Eocha  IX.,  when  he  created 
the  provinces  into  kingdoms,  and  gave  to 
the  chief  of  each  tribe  who  had  till  then 
possessed  it,  the  title  of  king,  a.  m.  3986.  By 
this  new  regulation,  the  first  king  of  Ulster 
was  Fergus,  son  of  Leighe,  and  grandson 
of  Rory  the  Great.*  He  was  succeeded 
by  Fergus  Boigh,  son  of  Rossa-Ruah,  son 
of  Rory,  who,  having  been  dispossessed  by 
Conquovar,  otherwise  Connor,  surnamed 
Nessan,  son  of  Facthna,  and  grandson  of 
Rory,  took  refuge  in  the  province  of  Con- 
naught,  then  governed  by  Queen  Maude, 
where  he  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the 
Connaughtmen  and  those  malecontents  who 
had  followed  his  fortune,  and  waged  war 
against  his  province,  which  lasted  for  seven 
years. t  During  his  stay  in  Connaught,  he 
had  three  sons  by  Maude,  namely,  Kiar, 
Core,  and  Cormac,  of  whom  we  shall  here- 
after have  occasion  to  speak. |  The  empire 
of  the  Clanna  Rorys  in  Ulster  was  at  length 
shaken  by  the  war  which  Colla-Huais  and 
his  brothers  carried  on  against  them  in  the 
fourth  century. 

Munster  was  governed  alternately  by  the 
descendants  of  Heber  and  Ith,  who  formed 
two  tribes,  called  Deirghtine  and  Dairine, 
from  the  settlement  of  the  Milesians  in  Ire- 
land, to  the  time  of  Duach-Dalta-Deagadh, 
who  introduced  into  this  province  the  Ear- 
nochs  of  the  race  of  Heremon,^  a.  m.  3950. 

B.  c.  50.  Deaga,  and  Tigernach-Teadban- 
nach,  his  brother  or  cousin,  chiefs  of  the 
colony  of  the  Earnochs,  having  usurped  the 
government  of  the  province  after  Duach, 
were  confirmed  in  their  possessions,  with 
the  title  of  kings,  by  the  monarch  Eocha 
IX.,  which  interrupted  the  succession  of  the 
legitimate  princes  for  some  generations,  till 
Modha-Nuagadh,  chief  of  the  Heberians, 
put  an  end  to  their  usurpation,  in  the  reign 
of  the  monarch  Con  Keadcaha,  towards  the 
end  of  the  second  century. 

Leinster  was  always  governed  by  princes 
descended  from  Laogare-Lorc,  son  of  Ugane 
More  of  the  race  of  Heremon.  Its  first 
king,  by  the  regulation  of  Eocha  IX.,  was 
Rossa-Ruah,  son  of  Feargns-Fairge. 

Connaught  was  in  the  possession  of  the 
Firdomnians,  the    remains  of  the  ancient 

*  Ogyg.  part  2,  p.  127,  128. 
t  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  45,  46. 
t  Ibid.  cap.  46. 
§  Ibid,  part  2,  p.  122. 


WARS    OF    THE  MILESIANS. 


85 


Firbolgs,  to  whom  the  Milesians  had  given 
some  lands,  in  gratitude  for  the  services  they 
had  received  from  them  in  the  conquest  of  the 
island  over  the  Tuatha  de  Danains.*  O'Fla- 
herty  distinguishes  three  different  branches 
of  this  race  who  governed  Connaught  in  the 
time  of  Eocha  IX.,  namely:  the  Fircraibs, 
who  were  in  possession  of  the  southern 
part  of  the  province,  on  the  side  of  Limer- 
ick, the  chief  of  Avhom  was  Fiodhach,  son 
of  Feigh  ;  the  Gamanrads,  who  inhabited 
Irras  in  the  west,  now  Galway,  as  far  as 
the  confines  of  Ulster,  governed  by  Eocha- 
AUet ;  the  Tuatha-Taidheans,  who  possess- 
ed the  rest  of  the  province  on  the  side  of 
Leinster,  had  Tinne,  son  of  Conrath,  for 
their  chief.  These  three  chiefs  were  called 
kings  by  Eocha  IX.,  each  in  his  own  ter- 
ritory ;  the  triumvirate  lasted  but  a  short 
time.  Tinne  having  married  Mew  or  Maude, 
daughter  of  the  monarch,  was  created  sole 
king  of  the  province.  After  the  death  of 
Tinne,  Maude,  queen  of  Connaught,  mar- 
ried Oilioll  More,  son  of  Rossa  Ruah,  king 
of  Leinster,  by  whom  she  had  seven  sons, 
called  the  seven  Maines.f  Oilioll  was  at 
length  killed  by  Conall  Kearnagh,  son  of 
Amergin,  a  prince  of  the  race  of  Ir,  and 
descended  in  the  fourth  degree  from  Rory 
the  Great.  Maude  having  reigned  98  years 
in  Connaught,  sometimes  a  widow,  and  some- 
times under  the  power  of  a  husband,  died  at 
an  advanced  age,  leaving  the  crown  to  Maine 
Aithreamhuil,  one  of  the  seven  sons  she  had 
by  Oilioll  More.  The  latter  was  succeeded 
by  Sanbus,  of  the  race  of  the  Firdomnians, 
who  long  after  lost  his  life  in  a  battle  against 
the  monarch  Tuathal.| 

After  the  death  of  Eocha  IX.,  Eocha- 
Airive  succeeded  to  the  monarchy,  and  af- 
ter ten  years  was  replaced  by  Ederskeol,  of 
the  race  of  Heremon,  and  of  the  tribe  of  the 
Earnochs,  who,  from  being  king  of  Munster, 
was  raised  to  the  dignity  of  monarch  of  the 
whole  island.  The  book  of  Lecan  fixes 
the  birth  of  our  Saviour  in  the  reign  of  this 
monarch  :  "  Ederscolio  regnante  Christus 
natus  in  Bethlehem  Juda  :"^  but  Flannus  de 
Monasterio  places  it  in  the  reign  of  Conare 
the  Great.  O'Flaherty  discovers  the  means 
of  making  them  agree,  by  supposing  that  the 
real  birth  of  our  Saviour  took  place  in  the 
last  year  of  the  reign  of  Ederskeol,  and  by 
commencing  the  general  Christian  era  with 
the  reign  of  Conare  the  Great,  his  son.|l 

*  Ogyg-  part  3,  cap.  11,  et  43. 

■•"  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  47. 

t  Idem,  part  2,  p.  139.     Idem,  part  3,  cap.  46. 

§  Fol.  295,  vorso. 

II  Ogyg.  part  2,  p.  129. 


The  birth  of  Jesus  Christ  preceded  the 
death  of  Herod,  as  the  edict  of  death  pro- 
nounced by  that  tyrant  against  infants,  was 
the  cause  of  the  flight  of  Saint  Joseph,  with 
the  child  Jesus,  into  Egypt.  Herod  died  in 
the  month  of  March,  before  Easter,  and  his 
death  Avas  preceded,  according  to  the  calcu- 
lations of  astronomers,  by  an  eclipse  of  the 
moon  on  the  night  of  Friday  to  Saturday, 
that  is,  from  the  ninth  to  the  tenth  of  Janu- 
ary, of  the  Julian  year  4713  :  the  year  of 
Rome,  according  to  Varro,  753,  and  the  third 
of  the  194th  olympiad.*  The  epoch  of  the 
Christian  era  was  fixed  by  Dionysius  the 
Lesser  on  the  calends  of  the  succeeding 
month  of  January,  after  the  Julian  year 
4714. t  This  period  is  at  least  two  years 
later  than  the  real  birth  of  our  Saviour, 
which,  according  to  O'Flaherty,  is  sufficient 
to  reconcile  the  opinions  of  the  book  of  Le- 
can and  of  Flannus  de  Monasterio,  concern- 
ing the  king  who  reigned  in  Ireland  at  the 
time  of  the  nativity. 

In  the  reign  of  Conare  the  Great,  the 
provincial  kings  were  :  Conquovar-Nessan, 
son  of  Feachna-Fatagh,  and  grandson  of 
Rory  the  Great,  of  the  race  of  Ir,  in  Ul- 
ster ;'\  Carbre-Nia-Ferr,  son  of  Rossa-Ruah, 
and  grandson  of  Feargus-Fairge,  of  the  race 
of  Heremon,  in  Leinster  ;^  Oilioll-More, 
brother  of  Carbre,  with  Maude  his  wife, 
daughter  of  the  monarch  Eocha-Felioch,  in 
Connaught ;  Eocha-Abraruah,  in  southern 
Munster,  and  Cury-Mac-Daire,  grandson  of 
Deaga,  chief  of  a  branch  of  the  Earnochs  in 
northern  Munster.  Angus-Ossory,  whose 
patrimony  is  still  called  Ossory,  from  his 
name,  married  Kingit,  daughter  of  Cury- 
Mac-Daire. || 

The  reign  of  Conare  was  long  and  happy, 
peace  and  abundance  were  universal ;  it  was 
the  Augustan  age  of  Ireland.  He  was,  in 
fact,  contemporary  of  Augustus,  Tiberius, 
&c.*I[  The  only  war  in  which  he  was  en- 
gaged during  his  reign,  was  against  the 
Leinster  people,  to  revenge  the  death  of 
Ederskeol,  his  father,  who  was  killed  at 
Allen,  by  Naud-Neacht,  prince  of  that  prov- 
ince, who  succeeded  him  for  six  months.** 
He  defeated  them  at  the  battle  of  Cliach, 
imposed  an  annual  tribute  on  them,  and  de- 
creed the  separation  of  Ossory  from  Lein- 

*  Joseph.  Antiq.  Judaior.  lib.  17,  c.  8,  pp.  9 
and  10. 

t  Ogyg.  proloq.  p.  39,  ct  part  2,  p.  131 

X  Ogvg.  part  2,  131. 

§  Id. 'part  3,  c.  45. 

II  Kennedy,  p.  71. 

H  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  44. 

**  Idem.  cap.  45. 


86 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


stor,  to  bo  forever  annexed  to  Mimster.* 
This  nionarcli,  havin<r  reif^iied  thirty  years, 
unfortunately  ended  his  days  by  lire,  in  his 
castle  of  Bruighean-da-Dhearg,  in  Meath, 
which  was  set  on  fire  by  robbers,  a.  d.  35. f 
His  successor,  after  an  interregnum  of  five 
years,  was  Lugha-Riadearg,  grandson  of 
Eocha  Feliogh,  who  killed  himself  in  a  fit  of 
despair,  by  falling  on  the  point  of  his  sword, 
A.D.  58.  He  was  succeeded  by  Conquovar- 
Abraruah,  grandson  of  Rossa-Ruah,  king 
of  Leinster  ;  the  latter  was  succeeded  by 
Crimthan-Nianair,  son  of  Lugha-Riadearg, 
A.  D.  39. 

The  Milesians  began  already  to  be  known 
in  Britain  by  the  name  of  Scots.|  Gildas 
Britannicus,  an  author  in  the  sixth  century, 
and  after  him  Bede,  mention  their  incur- 
sions into  Britain,  conjointly  with  the  Picts  ; 
"  Scotorum  a  circio,  Pictorum  ab  aquilone."^ 

Crintham,on  his  return  from  an  expedition 
into  Britain,  from  whence  he  brought  im- 
mense riches,  died  of  a  fall  from  his  horse,  a. 
D.  56,  having  reigned  sixteen  years,  and  left 
his  crown  to  Fearadach,  his  son,  who  after- 
wards died  a  natural  death  at  Tara,  a.d.  70. 

Fearadach  was  succeeded  by  Fiatagh 
Fin,  of  the  race  of  the  Earnochs,  from 
whom  the  tribe  of  the  Dal-Fiatachs  derived 
their  name  ;  the  latter  was  killed  in  battle 
by  Fiacha  V.,  surnamed  Finola,  son  of 
Fearadach,  of  the  race  of  Heremon,  who 
succeeded  to  the  throne,  a.  d.  73. 

The  first  remarkable  civil  war  broke  out 
among  the  Milesians  at  this  time  ;  it  was 
caused  by  the  revolt  of  the  plebeians,  and 
had  almost  proved  fatal  to  the  ancient  con- 
stitution of  the  state.  They  were  the  de- 
scendants of  the  soldiers,  mechanics,  and 
laborers  of  every  kind,  who  had  accompa- 


nied the  children  of  Milesius  from  S 


pain 


Ireland,  and  who  had  shared  their  fatigues 
in  the  conquest  of  the  island.  The  remains 
of  the  Firbolgs  and  the  Tuatha  de  Danains, 
who  had  escaped  the  sword  of  the  Milesians, 
and  who  had  been  permitted  to  remain  by 
submitting  to  the  conquerors,  joined  the  ple- 
beians. After  the  island  had  been  subdued, 
they  received  no  share  in  the  lands,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  families  of  the  Firbolgs, 
who  were  established  in  Connaught.  They 
always  remained  a  body  of  people,  and  a 
distinct  tribe  of  inferior  rank  to  the  Mile- 
sians, and  were  not  allowed  to  intermarry 
with  them.  They  were  not  suffered  to 
emerge  from  a  state  of  vassalage,  nor  aspire 

*  Kennedy,  p.  81. 

t  Ogyg.  part  2,  cap.  38. 

t  Idem,  part  3,  cap.  52. 

§  Bede,  cap.  12. 


to-  any  office  imder  the  government — chil- 
dren were  obliged  to  follow  the  profession  of 
their  fathers,  which  was  that  of  the  servile 
and  mechanic  arts  ;  the  liberal  arts,  such  as 
history,  judicature,  music,  and  the  profession 
of  arms,  medicine,  &c.,  being  reserved  for 
the  inferior  branches  of  the  Milesians.  They 
were  excluded  from  all  share  in  the  supreme 
power,  which  was  confined  exclusively  to 
the  descendants  of  Milesius.  In  fine,  the 
nobility  never  degraded  themselves  by  low 
and  shameful  alliances  ;  and  people  of  the 
lower  order  never  attained  the  first  dignities 
of  the  state,  as  is  but  too  often  the  case  at 
present.  The  plebeians  groaned  for  many 
ages  vmder  the  weight  of  their  vassalage  ; 
but  at  length,  weary  of  servitude,  they  made 
an  effort  to  free  themselves,  and  shake  off 
the  yoke  which  appeared  to  them  insupport- 
able. As  they  required  a  chief,  they  fixed 
upon  Carbre,  surnamed  Kin- C  ait,  which  sig- 
nifies the  head  of  a  cat,  as  it  is  said  he  had 
the  ears  of  one,  to  head  them  in  the  rebellion. 
This  man  was  a  descendant  of  the  Firbolgs, 
a  decided  enemy  to  royalty  and  nobility,  in- 
triguing, and  capable  of  great  enterprises. 
(One  Cromwell  is  able  to  overthrow  the 
best-established  government.)  The  rebellion 
broke  out  in  the  reign  of  Fiacha  V.  The  ple- 
beians, not  daring  to  raise  openly  the  stand- 
ard of  revolt,  had,  by  the  advice  of  Carbre, 
their  chief,  recourse  to  treachery,  in  order  to 
accomplish  more  securely  their  perfidious 
design.  For  this  purpose  they  prepared  a 
magnificent  banquet  at  Moy-Cru,  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Connaught,  to  which  they  invited  the 
monarch,  princes,  and  all  the  nobility  in  the 
kingdom.*  This  banquet,  which  lasted  nine 
days,  terminated  tragically  for  the  guests, 
who  were  all  murderedt  in  the  banqueting- 
hall,  by  armed  men  whom  the  conspirators 
had  engaged  for  that  barbarous  purpose, 
contrary  to  public  faith,  as  it  occurred  some 
centuries  after  to  the  Britons,  who  were  mas- 
sacred by  the  perfidious  Saxons  on  the  plains 
of  Salisbury.  The  rebels  being  delivered  of 
their  tyrants,  (as  they  termed  the  monarch 
and  nobility,)  chose  for  their  king  the  mon- 
ster who  had  so  well  abetted  them  in  their 
rebellion.  Carbre  did  not  long  enjoy  his  re- 
gicide— he  reigned  but  five  years.  Moran, 
his  son,  too  just  a  man  to  continue  the  usurp- 
ation, having  abdicated  the  throne,  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Elim,  who  reigned  twenty  years. 
O'Flaherty  does  not  agree  with  Keating 
concerning  the  order  and  succession  of  the 
monarchy  from  Crimthen-Nianair,  to  Tua- 


*  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  8,  p.  66. 
t  Anno.  80. 


WARS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


87 


thal-Teachtmar  ;  but  they  are  in  accordance 
as  to  the  number  and  names  of  the  monarchs 
who  occupied  the  throne  during  that  interval  .* 
O'Flaherty  seems  also  to  insinuate,  on  the 
authority  of  the  annals  of  Tigernach,  that 
the  monarch  Fiacha  V.  was  put  to  death  by 
the  provincial  kings  of  Tara.  However  this 
be,  Tuathal,  son  and  heir  of  Fiacha,  to 
save  himself  from  the  fury  of  the  plebeians, 
withdrew  into  Albania,  to  the  king  of  the 
Picts,  his  grandfather,  by  Eithne  his  mother, 
till,  like  a  second  Demetrius,  he  was  re- 
established on  the  throne  of  his  ancestors. 

Agricola  was  sent  about  this  time  to  Bri- 
tain, in  the  capacity  of  prefect ;  he  fortified 
the  isthmus  formed  by  the  two  seas,  from 
Edinburgh  in  the  east  to  Dunbarton  in  the 
west.  "  Praesidio  firmavit,"  says  Tacitus, 
"  summotis  velut  in  aliam  insulam  hostibus." 
Some  time  after  he  sailed  round  Britain 
with  a  fleet,  discovered  it  to  be  an  island, 
and  conquered  the  inhabitants  of  the  Ork- 
neys. 

During  this  usurpation  Ireland  was  torn 
by  opposite  factions.  On  one  side,  the  ple- 
beians being  in  possession  of  the  supreme 
power,  practised  unheard-of  cruelties  against 
the  nobility ;  on  the  other,  a  few  nobles,  at 
the  head  of  their  troops,  ravaged  the  country, 
destroying  all  by  fire  and  sword,  and  in  their 
pursuit  of  the  plebeians  gave  them  no  quarter. 
The  most  dreadful  consequences  ensued ; 
mechanics  gave  up  their  work  to  run  to 
arms  ;  laborers  abandoned  their  fields  and 
leftthem  uncultivated :  famine  was  the  result. 
In  this  confusion,  the  people  began  at  length 
to  open  their  eyes  to  the  misfortunes  of  the 
state  :  they  considered  that  the  only  remedy 
was  to  recall  the  legitimate  heir,  and  place 
him  upon  the  throne  of  his  fathers.  A  depu- 
tation was  sent  to  Tuathal,  who  was  attended 
by  a  number  of  faithful  subjects,  the  fol- 
lowers of  his  misfortune.  He  received  the 
embassy  with  kindness,  and  embarked  for 
Ireland,  with  the  generous  resolution  of  de- 
livering his  country  from  tyranny  and  re- 
storing peace,  whereof  little  remained  but 
a  slender  remembrance  and  a  deceitful  sha- 
dow. Having  landed  at  Irras  Domnoin,  in 
Connaught,t  a  considerable  body  of  troops, 
commanded  by  Fiacha  Caisin,  joined  him, 
with  whom  he  marched  directly  to  Tara, 
where  he  was  received  by  the  nobility,  de- 
nominated the  saviour  and  liberator  of  ^  his 
country,  and  proclaimed  king,  with  the 
usual  ceremonies,  by  the  name  of  Tuathal- 
Teachtmar,  in  Latin,  Tuathalius  Bonoven- 


*  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  55. 
+  Ogygia,  part  3,  cap.  55. 


tura.*  The  law,  enacted  some  centuries 
before,  in  favor  of  Ugane-More,  one  of  his 
ancestors,  was  renewed  to  perpetuate  the 
crown  in  his  family. 

Nothing  less  than  the  total  annihilation  of 
the  chief  could  quell  the  rebellion.  Elim 
kept  the  field  with  an  army  determined  to 
support  his  claims.  Tuathal  immediately 
collected  what  troops  he  could,  and  marched 
forward  to  meet  the  enemy,  whom  he  came 
up  with  at  Acaill,  near  Tara.  The  two 
armies  being  in  sight  of  each  other,  the 
signal  was  given  and  the  action  began.  The 
rebels  were  unable  to  make  a  long  resistance. 
The  presence  of  the  legitimate  prince  in- 
spired the  royal  troops  with  courage,  as 
much  as  it  depressed  that  of  the  enemy,  who 
could  not  withstand  the  first  onset ;  they 
abandoned  the  field  to  the  conquerors, 
having  lost  several  men,  with  their  chief. 
Tuathal,  elated  at  this  success,  pursued  the 
rebels  everywhere  ;  and  having  gained  sev- 
eral victories  over  them,  (to  the  number,  it 
is  said,  of  eighty-five,)  crushed  a  rebellion 
which  had  lasted  twenty-five  years.  Being 
then  in  peaceable  possession  of  the  kingdom, 
and  having  no  longer  any  thing  to  fear  from 
the  rebels,  he  convened  the  general  assembly 
at  Tara,  in  order  to  revive  the  old  constitu- 
tion of  the  state.  He  began  by  restoring 
the  ancient  proprietors,  particularly  those 
who  had  been  the  companions  of  his  misfor- 
tunes, to  the  possession  of  those  lands  from 
which  they  had  been  expelled,  and  with 
which  the  tyrants  had  rewarded  the  rebels 
who  had  supported  them  in  their  usurpation. 
This  prince,  although  a  pagan,  did  not  think 
that  the  estates  of  his  faithful  subjects  should 
become  the  pay  of  iniquity  or  the  reward  of 
regicide,  as  has  been  the  case  in  the  same 
country  within  the  last  century. 

The  reign  of  Tuathal  was  long,  and  filled 
with  troubles  and  disorders.  He  had  several 
children  by  Bann,  his  queen,  daughter  of  the 
king  of  Finland,  and  among  others  two 
daughters,  Dairine  and  Fithir,  the  former  of 
whom  was  married  to  Eocha  Ainchean,  king 
of  Leinster.  This  barbarous  prince,  either 
tired  of  his  wife,  or  the  younger  sister  having 
more  attractions  for  him,  confined  the  former 
in  a  castle,  put  on  mourning,  as  if  she  had 
been  dead  ;  and  having  repaired  to  the  court 
of  his  father-in-law,  Tuathal,  at  Tara,  ap- 
peared inconsolable  for  the  pretended  loss  of 
his  wife,  and  acted  his  part  so  well  with  the 
credulous  monarch,  that  he  obtained  from 
him  the  other  sister,  to  console  him  for  the 
loss  of  the  deceased.    The  marriage  having 

*  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  56. 


88 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


been  concluded  to  the  satisfaction  of  all 
parties,  Eocha  took  leave  of  his  father-in-law 
and  the  whole  court,  and  returned  to  his 
province  with  his  new  queen.  However,  his 
joy  was  soon  changed  into  sorrow.  The  two 
sisters  were  much  surprised  to  see  each  other 
rivals  ;  and  having  discovered  the  treachery 
of  Eocha,  they  died  a  short  time  after  of 
grief,  without  the  slightest  anger  towards 
each  other.  Tuathal  having  learned  the  tra- 
gical end  of  his  daughters,  resolved  to  punish 
the  perfidy  of  Eocha,  and  published  mani- 
festoes throughout  the  island,  to  show  the 
justice  of  the  war  he  was  going  to  undertake 
against  the  king  of  Leinstcr,  to  avenge  the 
affront  he  had  received  in  the  person  of  his 
daughters.  The  provincial  auxiliary  troops 
havingjoined  him,  he  entered  Leinster,laying 
waste  the  comitry  as  he  passed.  Eocha,  not 
finding  himself  able  to  defend  his  country, 
nor  face  an  army  so  superior  to  his  own,  had 
recourse  to  negotiation,  which  succeeded, 
after  many  humiliations  on  his  part.  The 
monarch,  naturally  disposed  to  peace,  and 
wishing  to  spare  the  people,  Avho  suffered 
so  much  by  war,  listened  to  his  proposals  and 
consented  to  grant  him  peace,  on  condition 
of  a  tribute,  payable  every  two  years  to  him 
and  his  successors  on  the  throne  of  Ireland. 
The  king  and  people  of  Leinster  submitted 
joyfully  to  the  conditions,  and  peace  was 
restored.  This  tribute,  called  in  their  lan- 
guage "  Boroimhe  Laighcan,"  and  which 
consisted  of  six  thousand  ounces  of  silver, 
with  a  certain  number  of  oxen,  sheep,  &;c., 
having  caused  many  wars  between  the 
monarchs  who  required  the  payment  of  it, 
and  the  people  of  Leinster,  who  wished  to 
shake  off  the  burden,  was  abolished  in  the 
seventh  century  by  the  monarch  Fionnach 
II.,  at  the  request  of  Saint  Moling.* 

In  the  reign  of  Tuathal,  the  emperor 
Adrian  had  a  wall  built  in  Britain,  with 
stakes  fixed  in  the  earth  and  sods  of  green 
turf,  which  extended  from  Newcastle  and 
the  mouth  of  the  river  Tyne  in  the  east,  to 
near  Carlisle  in  the  west,  in  order  to  check 
the  irruptions  of  the  Scots  and  Picts. 
This  wall,  which  was  eighty-two  miles  in 
length,  was  eighty  miles  south  of  the  limits 
fixed  by  Agricola,  by  which  the  empire  lost 
eighty  square  miles  of  territory.  But  as 
the  adherents  of  the  Scoto-Milesians,  not- 
withstanding the  intestine  wars  so  frequent 
in  the  reign  of  Tuathal,  continued  to  make 
irruptions  from  time  to  time  into  Britain,  the 
Romans  were  obliged  to  keep  troops  there 
to  repress  them,  as  well  as  the   Picts  and 

*  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  56 


Britons,  who  had  revolted.  The  emperor 
Antoninus,  having  harassed  them,  removed 
the  wall  of  Adrian  as  far  back  as  the  Forth, 
which  Agricola  had  fortified  some  years  be- 
fore, and  by  this  means  extended  the  fron- 
tiers of  the  empire. 

After  a  reign  of  thirty  years  Tuathal  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Moyline,  in  Dalradie, 
a  part  of  the  province  of  Ulster,  by  Mai, 
king  of  that  province,  who,  by  this  victory, 
succeeded  him  in  the  monarchy.  In  the  life 
of  Agricola,  by  Tacitus,  we  find  an  account 
which  throws  considerable  light  on  the  his- 
tory of  Ireland  of  that  time,  fixes  its  period, 
and  deserves  to  be  investigated.  "  In  the 
fifth  year  of  the  campaigns  of  Agricola," 
says  Tacitus,  "  one  of  the  kings  of  Ireland, 
expelled  by  an  intestine  commotion,  fell  into 
his  hands  ;  the  general  detained  him  in  his 
camp  under  the  guise  of  friendship ;  but 
watched  him  closely,  as  one  who  might,  on 
the  first  opportunity,  become  a  useful  in- 
strument in  the  design  he  had  formed  of 
attempting  the  conquest  of  Ireland."*  Taci- 
tus adds,  "  that  he  saw  this  prince  in  Rome, 
and  heard  him  say,  that  with  one  legion 
and  a  i'ew  auxiliary  troops  he  could  reduce 
the  whole  country  to  subjection."! 

By  some  reflection  we  may  discover  the 
relation  that  exists  between  the  account  of 
Tacitus,  and  the  history  of  that  period.  This 
prince  of  whom  Tacitus  speaks,  was  an  un- 
fortunate king  exiled  by  a  civil  commotion. 
The  history  of  Ireland  of  that  period  only 
mentions  Tuathal  to  whom  this  account  can 
relate,  and  chronology  also  favors  it ;  the 
expedition  of  Agricola  into  Britain  is  fixed 
in  the  year  82,  and  the  massacre  of  the 
monarch  and  nobility  by  the  plebeians  in 
Ireland,  about  a  year  before  this  period. 
Agricola,  says  Tacitus,  posted  troops  along 
the  coast  of  Britain,  next  to  Ireland.  Tuathal 
was  obliged  to  conceal  himself  from  the 
plebeians,  to  take  refuge  with  the  king  of 
the  Picts,  his  grandfather.  It  was  undoubt- 
edly in  this  flight  that  he  was  taken  by  the 
vanguard  of  Agricola,  and  carried  off  by 
force  in  irons  by  this  Roman  general.  In 
effect  the  word  exceperat  means  as  much 
that  he  was  taken  by  surprise,  as  that  he 

*  "  In  the  fifth  year  of  Agricola's  expeditions,  he 
received  one  of  the  princes  of  the  country  who  had 
been  driven  out  by  an  insurrection  of  the  people, 
and  retained  him  under  a  show  of  friendship.  That 
part  of  Britain  which  lies  opposite  to  Ireland,  he 
furnished  with  troops  more  from  hope  than  alarm." 
—  Tacitus'  Life  of  Agricola,  p.  499. 

t  "  I  have  often  heard  him  say,  that  with  one 
legion  and  a  few  auxiliaries,  the  country  (i.  e.  Ire- 
land) might  be  subdued." — Tacitus'  Life  of  Agri- 
cola, p.  499. 


WARS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


89 


went  of  himself  to  implore  the  assistance  of 
Agricola.  The  massacre  of  the  monarch 
and  nobility  of  Ireland  was  committed,  ac- 
cording to  Gratianus  Lucius,  in  the  year 
65  ;  and  should  we  suppose,  as  he  does,  that 
Tuathal  was  not  then  born,  but  that  the 
queen  Eithne,his  mother,  who  was  then  with 
child,  had  fled  to  Albania,  to  the  king  of  the 
Picts,  her  father,  where  she  was  delivered  of 
that  prince,  it  would  nearly  agree  with  our 
calculation,  as  the  prince  would  be  then  26 
years  of  age,  at  the  time  of  the  expedition 
of  Agricola  into  Britain.  As  it  was  not 
without  some  design  on  Ireland,  that  Agri- 
cola had  posted  troops  along  the  coast  of 
Britain,  opposite  to  this  island,  it  is  probable 
that  he  offered  to  serve  the  captive  prince, 
by  proposing  to  re-establish  him  on  the 
throne  of  his  ancestor,  and  that  Tuathal, 
seeing  the  unhappy  state  of  his  affairs,  had 
listened  to  him  with  eagerness  ;  but  the  pro- 
ject failed.  Agricola  was  recalled  in  85, 
and  brought  his  captive  with  him  to  Rome  : 
it  was  there,  according  to  the  testimony  of 
Tacitus,  that  this  prince  had  said,  that  with 
one  legion  and  a  few  auxiliary  troops  he 
could  easily  reduce  Ireland.  It  may  be 
observed,  that  at  this  same  time,  Agricola 
sent  against  the  Caledonians  three  legions, 
8000  Britons,  and  3000  horsemen,  making  in 
all  about  thirty  thousand  men  ;  Ireland  is 
larger  than  Caledonia,  better  peopled,  and 
more  warlike.  How  then  could  one  legion 
reduce  it  to  subjection?  It  is  not  difficult 
to  explain  the  paradox,  if  we  suppose  that 
there  was  an  understanding  formed  to  second 
foreign  forces.  What  understanding  could 
be  more  powerful  than  the  just  obedience 
which  a  lawful  prince  would  require  from 
his  old  subjects,  the  cries  of  those  always 
ready  to  submit  to  their  legitimate  sovereign, 
the  striking  image  of  a  virtuous  prince  in- 
voking the  rights  of  justice,  compassion, 
nature,  and  his  throne  ?  And  who  but  the 
lawful  heir  to  the  crown  could  flatter  himself 
with  conquering  a  powerful  kingdom  with  a 
single  legion  ?  We  may  readily  imagine 
that  a  prince  dethroned  by  the  intrigues  of 
a  usurper,  and  the  cabals  of  a  few  rebel 
subjects,  always  has  a  number  of  faithful 
people  attached  to  his  interests.  Those  are 
certainly  the  circumstances  which  made  the 
king,  expelled  from  Ireland  by  a  domestic 
sedition,  mentioned  by  Tacitus,  say,  that  one 
legion  and  a  few  auxiliary  troops  would 
suffice  to  reduce  the  whole  country  to  sub- 
mission ;  and  those  circumstances  naturally 
indicate  Tuathal,  who  was  reinstated  a  short 
time  after  in  the  kingdom  of  his  ancestors,  by 
his  own  subjects,  without  any  foreign  aid. 


The  merit  of  Tuathal  conspires  also  to 
favor  our  conjectures.  We  see  that  on  his 
return,  he  displayed  not  only  that  courage 
and  valor  which  characterized  his  nation, 
but  in  all  his  actions,  the  prudence,  discipline, 
and  successful  designs  that  distinguish  a 
man  formed  in  the  best  schools,  which  were 
those  of  the  Romans  at  that  time.  It  was 
only  at  Rome  that  he  could  have  received 
the  happy  education  which  the  histories  of 
the  country  ascribe  to  him,  and  acquire  that 
intelligence  which  made  him  a  consummate 
general,  from  his  first  entrance  into  the 
career  of  arms.  Thus  every  thing  leads  us 
to  believe,  that  the  king  mentioned  by  Ta- 
citus was  Tuathal,  and  never  did  conjecture 
more  closely  resemble  the  truth.  According 
to  this  calculation,  he  ascended  the  throne 
towards  the  end  of  the  first  century.  He 
reigned  thirty  years,  and  died  in  125,  so  it  is 
in  this  year  we  should  fix  the  beginning  of 
the  reign  of  Mai,  his  successor.* 

Mai  was  descended  from  Rory  the  Great, 
of  the  race  of  Ir  ;  he  reigned  but  four  years, 
and  was  killed  by  Feilim,  surnamed  Reacht- 
mar,  son  of  Tuathal,  who  thus  revenged  on 
him  the  death  of  his  father.  Feilim  governed 
Ireland  in  peace  for  the  space  of  nine  years, 
and  was  commended  for  his  great  justice. 
He  established  the  law  of  Talion,  of  which 
an  example  is  found  in  the  book  of  Kings. 
This  penalty,  which  generally  consisted  of 
money,  and  was  proportioned  to  the  crime, 
was  called  "  Eruic"  by  the  Irish.  Feilim 
died  a  natural  death,  leaving  several  children, 
who  were  Fiacha-Suidhe,the  ancestorof  the 
Deasies;  Conn,  surnamed  Keadcaha,  who 
afterwards  became  monarch  ;  Eocha-Fionn, 
father  of  the  Fotharts  ;  the  three  Conalls, 
and  Luagne. 

About  this  time  the  Munster  people  in- 
vaded Leinster,  and  the  king  of  that  province, 
called  Cuchorb,  assembled  all  his  forces,  of 
which  he  gave  the  command  to  Lugadh- 
Laighis,  son  of  Laoighseach-Kean-More, 
and  grandson  of  Conall  Kearnach,  who  was 
the  most  skilful  captain  of  his  age.f 

Lugadh,  to  prove  himself  worthy  of  the 
confidence  of  the  king  of  Leinster,  began  his 
march,  and  coming  up  with  the  Munster 
army  at  Athrodain,  now  Athy,  in  the  county 
Kildare,  he  made  a  dreadful  slaughter  of 
them,  and  obliged  them  to  repass  the  Barrow. 
The  enemy  having  rallied  at  Cainthine, 
afterwards  calledLaoighise,  Lugadh  attacked 
them  again,  with  the  same  success  as  before ; 
but  they  were  completely  defeated  at  Slighe- 

*  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  57. 
t  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Cormac  Ulfada. 
12 


90 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


Dhala,  now  Bcalach-Morc-Ossory,  and  ren- 
(lorod  iucapahlc  offontimiing  the  campaign. 
The  king  of  Leiaster,  in  gratitude  for  the 
services  of  Lugadh,  conferred  on  him  the 
country  called  after  him,  Laoighise,  Leix, 
or  Leis,  of  which  Maryborough,  in  the 
Queen's  county,  is  now  the  capital.*  This 
territory  was  in  the  possession  of  the  O'Mor- 
dhais,  in  English  Moore,  his  descendants, 
till  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth. 

Cathire  More,t  of  the  branch  of  the  Here- 
monians,  who  governed  Leinster,  succeeded 
Feilim ;  he  had  thirty  sons,  ten  of  whom, 
that  left  posterity,  were  the  ancestors  of  the 
kings  who  reigned  in  Leinster  till  the  twelfth 
century,  and  of  many  other  families  of  that 
province. 

The  will  of  Cathire  More,  cited  by  O'Fla- 
hcrty ,  who  mentions  to  have  seen  it  in  writing, 
and  to  which  Rossa  Failge,  his  eldest  son, 
was  executor,  is  the  only  thing  curious  m  the 
reign  of  this  monarch.  I  merely  introduce 
it  here  to  show  the  singular  taste  of  those 
ancient  times :  this  will  contains  the  different 
legacies  he  had  left  to  his  children,  and  the 
nobility  of  Leinster.;]:  To  Breasal-Eineach- 
glass,  his  son,  he  left  five  ships  of  burden ; 
fifty  embossed  bucklers,  ornamented  with  a 
border  of  gold  and  silver  ;  five  swords  with 
golden  handles,  and  five  chariots  drawn  by 
horses.  To  Fiacha-Baikeada,  another  son, 
he  left  fifty  drinking-cups  ;  fifty  barrels  made 
of  yew-tree  :  fifty  piebald  horses,  with  the 
bits  of  the  bridles  made  of  brass.  He  left  to 
Tuathal-Tigech,  son  of  Main,  his  brother, 
ten  chariots  drawn  by  horses  ;  five  play 
tables  ;  five  chess-boards  ;  thirty  bucklers, 
bordered  Avith  gold  and  silver,  and  fifty 
polished  swords.  To  Daire-Barrach,  another 
of  his  sons,  he  left  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pikes,  the  wood  of  which  was  covered  with 
plates  of  silver ;  fifty  swords  of  exquisite 
workmanship  ;  five  rings  of  pure  gold  ;  one 
hundred  and  fifty  great-coats  of  fine  texture, 
and  seven  military  colors.  To  Crimothan 
he  bequeathed  fifty  billiard-balls  of  brass, 
with  the  pools  and  cues  of  the  same  material ; 
ten  tric-tracs  of  exquisite  workmanship ; 
twelve  chess-boards  with  chess  men.  To 
Mogcorf,  son  of  Laogare  Birnbuadhach,  he 
left  a  hundred  cows  spotted  with  white,  with 
their  calves,  coupled  together  with  yokes  of 
brass  ;  a  hundred  bucklers  ;  a  hundred  red 
javelins  ;  a  hundred  brilliant  lances  ;  fifty 
saffron-colored  great-coats  ;  a  hundred  dif- 
ferent colored  horses  ;  a  hundred  drinking 
cups  curiously  wrought ;  a  hundred  barrels 


*  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap 

t  Anno.  144. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  59 


made  of  yew-tree  ;  fifty  chariots  of  exquisite 
workmanship  ;  fifty  chess-boards ;  fifty 
tables  used  by  wrestlers  ;  fifty  trumpets  ; 
fifty  large  copper  boilers,  and  fifty  standards, 
with  the  right  of  being  a  member  of  the  coun- 
cil of  state  of  the  king  of  Leinster.  Lastly,  he 
bequeathed  to  the  king  of  Leix,  a  hundred 
cows ;  a  hundred  bucklers ;  a  hundred  swords  ; 
a  hundred  pikes,  and  seven  standards.  Ca- 
thire, having  reigned  thirty  years,  was  killed 
at  the  battle  of  Moyacha,  near  Tailton,  in 
Meath. 

Conn-Keadcaha,  son  of  Feilim-Reachtmar, 
and  of  Ughna,  daughter  of  the  king  of  Den- 
mark, succeeded  Cathire-More,  in  the  year 
148  :  he  was  surnamed  Keadcaha,  from  the 
hundred  victories  he  had  gained  over  his 
enemies.  Gratianus  Lucius  calls  him,  in 
Latin,  Constantius  Centimachus  ;*  he  is 
calledby  0'Flaherty,t  Quintus  Centimachus, 
and  by  others  Centibellis.  The  reign  of 
this  monarch  presents  a  scene  of  blood  and 
carnage.  I  shall  not  relate  the  great  number 
of  battles  by  Avhich  he  acquired  the  surname 
of  Keadcaha,  but  confine  myself  to  the  prin- 
cipal war  which  he  waged  with  Modha- 
Nuagat,  king  of  the  province  of  Munster, 
and  in  which  he  had  least  success.  To 
understand  the  cause  of  this  war,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  refer  to  earlier  times.  The  Deagades, 
a  branch  of  the  Earnochs,  of  the  province 
of  Ulster,  having  been  expelled  by  the 
Clanna-Rorys,  were  kindly  received  by 
Duach,  one  of  the  ancestors  of  Modha.  These 
new-comers,  not  content  with  the  lands  and 
possessions  which  they  had  received  from 
the  liberality  of  that  prince,  usurped  the 
sovereignty  of  the  province  after  his  death. 
Modha  Nuagat,  a  prince  of  the  race  of  He- 
ber,  and  true  heir  to  the  crown  of  Munster, 
seeing  with  regret  three  princes  of  the  tribe 
of  the  Deagades  established  in  this  province, 
disputed  the  sovereignty  of  it  with  them ; 
and  not  being  of  himself  able  to  support  his 
claims,  he  had  recourse  to  Daire-Barrach, 
son  of  Cathire-More,  and  prince  of  Leinster, 
whose  friend  he  was,  they  having  been 
brought  up  together.  Daire,  who  knew  the 
justice  of  his  cause,  made  an  alliance  with 
him,  and  gave  him  a  body  of  troops  to  enable 
him  to  establish  his  right.  With  this  succor, 
Modha  returned  to  his  province,  and  meeting 
the  enemy,  commanded  by  Angus,  brother 
of  Luigh-Allatach,  at  Vibh-Liathain,  in  the 
county  of  Kerry,  he  gave  him  battle  ;  the 
action  was  very  brisk,  but  at  length  victory 
declared  in  favor   of  Modha,   who   cut  a 

*  Cap.  8. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  60. 


WARS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


91 


number  of  the  enemy  to  pieces,  and  put  the 
rest  to  flight.  In  this  extremity,  Angus 
implored  the  assistance  of  the  monarch, 
who  sent  him  fifteen  thousand  men.  With 
this  reinforcement  he  endeavored  to  retrieve 
his  affairs,  but  his  fate  was  the  same  as  be- 
fore, being  defeated  at  Crioch-Liathain,  in 
I  the  county  of  Kerry,  by  Modha,  who  after 
I  those  two  victories  made  himself  master  of 
the  province,  and  ordered  all  the  Earnochs 
who  would  not  submit  to  his  government  to 
leave  it. 

This  war  was  followed  by  another  still 
more  bloody  and  more  obstinate.  The  as- 
sistance which  the  monarch  had  afforded 
the  Earnochs,  excited  the  anger  of  the  king 
of  Munster  to  such  a  degree,  that  he  re- 
solved upon  taking  revenge  by  force  of  arms. 
Hostilities  began  on  both  sides  ;  but  the 
king  of  Munster  not  feeling  himself'  in  a 
condition  to  make  head  against  the  superior 
forces  of  the  monarch,  wisely  withdrew  from 
the  contest,  and  retired  to  Spain,  where  he 
remained  for  nine  years,  and  married  Beara, 
daughter  of  Heber-More,  king  of  that  coun- 
try.* This  alliance  procured  him  assist- 
ance ;  he  returned  to  his  country  with  foreign 
troops,  and  began  hostilities  anew  against 
the  monarch.  During  the  many  years 
which  this  war  lasted,  the  devastation  was 
dreadful  ;  the  consequence  of  which  was, 
the  division  of  the  island  between  the  con- 
tending parties  ;  and  the  monarch,  after 
losing  the  battles  of  Broisne  and  Sampaite, 
in  the  King's  county  ;  of  Greine,  in  the 
county  of  Waterford  ;  Athlone,  in  the  county 
of  Roscommon  ;  Gabhran  and  U^nigh,  in 
east  and  west  Meath,  and  some  others,  was 
obliged  to  submit.  This  division  Avas 
called  by  the  Irish  "  Leath-Cuin,"  and 
"  Leath-Modha,"  which  signifies  the  half,  or 
portion  of  Conn,  which  was  the  northern  part 
of  the  island,  and  the  half  of  Modha,  which 
was  the  southern.!  After  this  division, 
Modha  raised  some  fresh  cause  of  conten- 
tion, which  gave  rise  to  another  war,  and 
showed  that  nothing  but  the  government  of 
the  whole  island  could  satisfy  his  ambition. 
The  two  armies  met  in  the  plains  of  Moylena, 
in  the  country  of  Ferakeall.  Before  the 
engagement  began,  the  king  of  Munster  was 
murdered,  in  the  morning,  in  his  bed,  by  Golle, 
son  of  Morn,  a  descendant  of  Sanbus,  king 
of  Connaught.  Conn,  delivered  from  so  for- 
midable a  rival,  resumed  the  title  of  monarch 
of  the  whole  island,  without  respect  to  the 
divisions,  which  never  afterwards  took  place. 


*  ^SYS-  part  3, 
t  Grat.  Luc.  c.  i 


During  the  reign  of  Modha-Nuagat,  in 
Munster,  a  general  famine  prevailed  through- 
out Ireland  :  this  king  was  warned  of  it 
some  time  before  by  a  famous  druid  belong- 
ing to  his  court.  To  obviate  this  disaster, 
he  appointed  stewards  and  economists  to 
prevent  too  great  a  consumption  of  grain. 
His  subjects  were  compelled  to  limit  their 
expenses  ;  and  a  certain  portion  of  the  pro- 
ductions of  each  year  was,  by  order  of  the 
king,  collected  into  granaries.  The  time 
of  the  calamity  having  come,  Modha  availed 
himself  of  the  opportunity  to  make  the  other 
provinces  tributary  to  him.  He  sold  his 
grain  at  an  advanced  price  ;  and  histead  of 
ready  money,  he  required  of  the  purchasers 
an  annual  tribute  for  assisting  them  in  their 
wants  ;  by  which  means  he  increased  his 
power  considerably.  During  the  wars  of 
Conn-Keadcaha  with  the  king  of  Munster, 
the  Deagades  or  Earnochs  still  formed  a 
considerable  tribe,  commanded  by  Mogalama, 
whose  son,  named  Connare,  married  Saraid 
or  Sara,  daughter  of  Conn.  The  monarch 
formed  this  alliance  with  Mogalama  in  order 
to  raise  friends,  and  create  a  kind  of  diver- 
sion in  the  province  of  Modha,  his  enemy. 
He  afterwards  gave  Sabia,  his  second  daugh- 
ter, widow  of  Mac-Niad,  of  the  race  of  Ith, 
(by  whom  she  had  a  son  called  Lughaidh, 
otherwise  Mac-Conn,)  in  marriage  to  Oilioll- 
Olum,  only  son  and  heir  of  Modha.  By  this 
double  alliance  he  reconciled  the  Deagades 
with  the  Heberians,  and  smoothed  for  Conare, 
his  son-in-law,  the  way  to  the  monarchy,  his 
own  son  being  yet  a  minor,  and  consequent- 
ly, according  to  the  fundamental  laws  of 
the  state,  incapable  of  reigning.  The  third 
daughter  of  this  monarch  was  Maoin,  wife 
of  Inchade,  son  of  Fionn-Chada,  grandson 
of  Ogamain,  king  of  Ulster,  and  mother  of 
the  three  Ferguses,  one  of  whom,  surnamed 
Dovededagh,  was  afterwards  monarch. 

After  the  arrival  of  the  Milesians  in  Ire- 
land, the  form  of  government  in  Munster  un- 
derwent many  changes.  It  was  sometimes 
governed  alternately  by  the  two  tribes  of 
Deirghthine,  and  Dairine  :  the  former  of  the 
race  of  Heber  Fionn,  the  latter  of  that  of 
Ith.  While  one  coannanded  as  sovereign, 
the  other  filled  the  office  of  chief  justice,  or 
supreme  judge.  It  was  sometimes  divided 
into  two  parts,  forming  two  kingdoms  ; 
namely,  northern  and  southern  Munster. 
This  government  was  interrupted  by  the 
Deagades  for  more  than  two  centuries  ;  that 
is,  from  the  death  of  Duach-Dalta-Deagha, 
till  the  time  of   Modha-Nuagut,*  and  the 

*  Keat.  on  the  reign  of  Art-Aonhir. 


92 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


reign  of  OilioU-Olimi,  his  son,  wlio  was  the 
first  absohitc  kw^  of  the  whole  province, 
and  of  the  race  of  lleber.*  This  king  had 
three  sons  by  Sabia,  daughter  of  Conn- 
Kcadcaha  :  Eogan-More,  Cormac-Cas,  and 
Kiann.  The  first  was  killed  at  the  battle 
of  IMoy-JMuchruinie,  and  left  a  son  called 
Fiacha-INIulleathan,  who  was  ancestor  of  the 
Mac-Cartys,  and  other  collateral  branches. 
Cormac-Cas  was  chief  of  the  O'Briens,  and 
other  branches,  which  derive  their  origin 
from  them.  From  Kiann  are  descended 
the  O'CarroUs,  of  Ely,  and  others.  Oilioll- 
Olum,  having  secured  the  crown  in  his 
family,  made  a  law  whereby  the  succession 
was  rendered  alternate  between  the  descend- 
ants of  Eogan-More  and  those  of  Cormac- 
Cas,  which  law  was  religiously  observed  for 
many  centuries.f  In  the  reign  of  Conn,  the 
emperor  Severus  built  a  wall  in  Britain,  to 
check  the  irruptions  of  the  barbarians. 

This  monarch,  after  a  long  reign,  filled 
with  troubles,  was  betrayed  by  Eocha-Fionn- 
Fothart,  and  Fiacha-Suidhe,  his  brothers 
and  assassinated  near  Tara,  by  fifty  robbers 
disguised  as  women,  whom  Teobraide-Ti- 
reach,  son  of  Breasal,  and  king  of  Ulster, 
had  employed  for  this  purpose. |  He  was 
succeeded  by  his  son-in-law,  Conare  11. 

Conare  II.  was  son  of  Mogalama,  of  the 
tribe  of  the  Deagades  of  Munster,!^  de- 
scended, in  the  sixth  degree,  from  Conare 
the  Great,  monarch  of  Ireland  at  the  time 
of  the  birth  of  our  Saviour.  His  mother 
was  Eithne,  daughter  of  Lughaidh,  son  of 
Daire,  of  the  tribe  of  the  Coreolugaidhs, 
of  the  race  of  Ith,  and  paternal  aunt  of 
Lugaidhe-Mac-Conn,  who  succeeded  to  the 
monarchy  some  time  after.  || 

Conare  had  by  Sara,  daughter  of  Conn- 
Keadcaha,  three  sons,  called  the  three  Car- 
bres  ;T[  namely,  Carbre-Musc,  whose  de- 
scendants, as  well  as  the  country  they  had 
possessed  in  the  county  of  Tipperary,  from 
Ballaigh-More-an-Ossory,  as  far  as  Carrick, 
on  the  river  Suire,  now  known  by  the  name 
of  Ormond,  took  the  name  of  Muscraighe, 
or  Muskerry  ;**  Carbre  Baskin,  to  whose 
descendants  Corca-Baskin,  in  the  Avestern 
part  of  the  county  of  Clare,  anciently  be- 
longed ;  and  Carbre-Riogh-Fada,  otherwise 
Riada,  who  was  chief  of  the  tribe  of  the 
Dalreudini  of  Ireland  and   Scotland,  men- 


tioned by  the  venerable  Bede.*  His  de- 
scendants, who  had  not  gone  over  to  Albania, 
first  settled  in  Kiery-Luachra,  and  in  Orcry, 
near  Muskerry,!  from  whence  they  after- 
wards went  to  Ulster,:]:  and  formed  a  new 
establishment  in  the  county  of  Antrim,  which 
was  called  Dalrieda,  at  present  Route. ^ 

In  the  reign  of  Conare,  Ogaman,  of  the 
tribe  of  the  Dalfiatachs,  of  the  race  of  Ilere- 
mon,  succeeded  Teobraide-Tireach  in  the 
government  of  Ulster,  which  till  then  had 
been  governed  by  princes  of  the  race  of  Ir. 

Conare  II.  having  been  killed  in  the 
seventh  year  of  his  reign  by  Neivy-Mac- 
Straivetine,  his  brother-in-law,  Art,  sur- 
named  Anofhir,  son  of  Conn-Keadcaha,  be- 
ing of  age,  laid  claim  to  the  crown  of  his 
ancestors,  and  was  proclaimed  king  without 
opposition.  His  first  care  was  to  banish  his 
paternal  uncle,  Eocha-Fionn-Fothart,  and 
his  whole  race  from  Meath,  to  punish  them 
for  the  death  of  Conla  and  Crinna,  his  bro- 
thers, and  for  their  perfidy  to  Conn-Keadcaha 
his  father,  whom  they  had  betrayed  to  the 
assassins  employed  by  the  king  of  Ulster.  || 
Eocha,  being  stripped  of  his  possessions 
near  Tara,  took  refuge  with  his  family  in 
Leinster,  where  he  was  kindly  received  by 
the  kinsmen  of  his  wife,  grand-daughter  of 
Cathire-More  ;  they  gave  him  estates  on 
both  banks  of  the  river  Slaney,  in  the  county 
of  Wexford,  which  were  called,  from  his 
name,  "  the  Fotharts,"  and  remained  for 
several  centuries  in  possession  of  his  de- 
scendants, the  O'Nuallans.TI 

In  the  reign  of  Art,  his  nephew,  Lughaidhe- 
Mac-Conn,  of  the  tribe  of  Dairine,  race  of 
Ith,  and  son  of  Saive  (afterwards  wife  of 
OilioU-Olum)  by  her  first  husband,  being 
judge  of  the  province  of  Ulster,  was  deprived 
of  office,  and  afterwards  driven  into  exile  by 
Oilioll-Olum,  as  well  for  some  injustice  he 
committed  in  the  fulfilment  of  his  duty,  as 
for  having  (notwithstanding  his  prohibition) 
espoused  the  quarrel  of  Neivy  against  the 
three  Carbres,  who  wished  to  revenge  the 
death  of  their  father.  Mac-Conn  withdrew 
into  Albania,  where  he  established  a  colony, 
the  command  of  which  he  gave  to  his  son 
Faha-Canan.**  The  ambition  of  reigning, 
and  a  desire  of  taking  revenge  for  the  dis- 
grace of  being  driven  into  exile,  induced  him 


*  Ogyg.  part  2,  p.  174. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  65. 

t  Idem.  cap.  62. 

§  Anno.  183. 

II  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  63. 

IT   Grat.  Luc.  c.  8.    Walsh,  Prosp.  of  Irel.  sec.  6. 

**  Keat.  p.  115,  Lend.  edit. 


*  Lib.  1,  cap.  1. 

t  Kennedy,   p.    107,   after  the    book   of 
fol.  112. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  63. 

§  Usser.  Primord.  cap.  15,  p.  611. 

II   Anno.  194. 

IT   Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  64. 

**  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  67. 


Lecal, 


WARS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


93 


to  form  an  alliance  with  a  British  prince, 
who  supplied  him  Avith  troops  to  execute  his 
design.  With  this  succor  he  embarked,  and 
after  a  few  days'  sailing  reached  the  bay  of 
Galway,  where  he  disembarked  his  forces, 
and  was  there  joined  by  several  of  his  adhe- 
rents. After  resting  his  troops  for  seven 
days,  he  began  his  march  and  came  up  with 
the  monarch  Art,  accompanied  by  the  nine- 
teen sons  of  Oilioll-Olum,  and  an  army 
ready  to  meet  him,  at  Moymucroimhe,  near 
Athenry,  eight  miles  from  Galway.  The 
action  was  bloody,  and  the  resistance  obsti- 
nate on  both  sides  ;  but  the  monarch  having 
been  killed,  with  Forgo,  king  of  Connaught, 
and  seven  sons  of  the  king  of  Munster,  the 
royal  army  was  defeated.  The  king  of 
Connaught  was  succeeded  by  Kedgin-Cru- 
achna,  his  paternal  uncle.  After  this  vic- 
tory, Lugaidhe-Mac-Conn  had  himself  pro- 
claimed monarch  of  Ireland.* 

During  the  reign  of  this  monarch,  Cormac, 
surnamed  Ulfada,  son  of  Art,  wishing  to 
secure  to  himself  the  crown  which  Mac- 
Connhad  wrested  from  his  father,  endeavored 
to  attach  friends  to  his  cause  .f  With  this  view 
he  invited  Fergus,  surnamed  Dovededagh, 
of  the  tribe  of  the  Earnochs,  king  of  Ulster, 
to  a  feast  at  Breagh,  on  the  river  Boyne,  in 
Meath,  near  the  frontiers  of  Ulster.  But 
Fergus,  jealous  of  the  merit  of  this  young 
prince,  or  rather  of  his  right  to  the  monarchy, 
to  which  he  himself  aspired,  made  his  ser- 
vants insult  him  by  setting  fire  to  his  beard 
with  a  torch. I  Cormac  seeing  plainly  his 
life  was  in  danger,  sought  shelter  by  flight, 
and  withdrew  into  Connaught.  It  is  assert- 
ed by  O'Flaherty,^  after  the  book  of  Lecan,|| 
and  other  ancient  monuments,  Avhich  he 
quotes,  that  Lugaidh  was  already  deposed 
and  expelled  from  Tara  by  Cormac,  and  had 
retired  to  Munster ;  and  that  he  was  after- 
wards assassinated  by  a  druid,  called  Comain- 
Eigis,  in  a  place  named  Gort-Anoir,  near 
Dearg-Rath,  in  the  plain  of  Magh-Feimhin. 
However  this  be,  the  result  proved  the 
ambition  of  Fergus.  After  the  retreat  of 
Cormac,  he  marched  with  an  army  towards 
Tara,  and  having  gained  two  victories  over 
Kiann  and  Eocha,  both  sons  of  Oilioll-Olum, 
who  opposed  his  claims,  he  was  declared 
monaTchjbut  did  not  long  enjoy  his  elevation. 
Cormac  being  still  a  fugitive,  had  recourse 
to  Thadee,  son  of  Kiann,  to  whom  he  rep- 
resented the  dreadful  situation  of  his  affairs, 
and  implored  his  protection  and  assistance 

*  Ann.  224. 

t  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Fergus. 

t  Ogyg-  part  3,  c.  68.     Grat.  Luc.  c.  8. 

§  Ogyg.  part  2.  ||  Ad.  an.  254. 


against  the  usurper.  Thadee  was  a  very 
powerful  prince,  lord  of  the  vast  domains  of 
Ely,  on  the  frontiers  of  Leinster  and  Mun- 
ster. He  received  this  persecuted  prince 
with  all  the  distinction  due  to  his  birth,  and 
the  tenderness  of  a  near  relation.  He  fur- 
nished him  with  troops  to  support  his  right 
to  the  throne,  which  Fergus  possessed  so 
unjustly,  and  to  take  revenge,  at  the  same 
time,  for  the  death  of  his  father.  Every 
thing  being  prepared,  the  two  princes 
marched  at  the  head  of  the  army  towards 
the  frontiers  of  Ulster,  and  came  up  with  the 
monarch  and  his  two  brothers,  also  called 
Fergus,  who  were  waiting  for  them  with 
considerable  forces,  at  Crionn-Chin-Comar, 
in  the  territory  of  Breigia,  (Breagh,)  in 
Meath.  Both  sides  fought  for  some  time 
with  equal  success,  and  victory  appeared 
doubtful,  till  Thadee,  with  a  body  of  reserve, 
by  one  effort  decided  the  fate  of  the  day. 
The  loss  of  the  enemy  was  considerable  : 
Fergus  and  his  two  brothers  were  found 
among  the  number  of  the  slain.  After  this 
battle,  Cormac  was  universally  acknow- 
ledged monarch  of  the  whole  island ;  and  to 
requite  his  kinsman  and  ally  for  the  services 
he  had  rendered  him  in  this  war,  he  granted 
him  large  possessions,  extending  from  Dam- 
liagh,  now  Duleek,  as  far  as  the  river  Liff'ey. 
This  territory,  which  remained  for  a  consid- 
erable time  in  the  possession  of  his  descend- 
ants, called  the  Keniads,  from  Kiann  his  fa- 
ther, was  known  by  the  name  of  Kiennacte.* 

Fergus  was  succeeded  in  the  government 
of  Ulster  by  Rosse,  son  of  Inchad,  of  the 
race  of  Ir,  a.  d.  234,  who  was  succeeded 
the  following  year  by  Aongus-Finn,  son  of 
Fergus-Dovededagh.  Fergus-Fodha,  of 
the  race  of  Ir,  succeeded  Aongus  two  years 
after,  who  reigned  seventy-five  years,  and 
was  the  last  king  of  that  race  who  reigned 
at  Eamhain.f 

In  the  reign  of  Cormac,  the  descendants 
of  Fiacha-Suidhe,  son  of  Feilim-Reachtmar, 
one  of  the  brothers  of  Conn-Keadcaha,  still 
possessed  an  extensive  territory  near  Tara, 
called  Deasie-Teamrach,  now  the  barony  of 
Deasie.;}:  Those  princes,  though  nearly  allied 
to  the  monarch,  declared  war  against  him 
on  some  feigned  cause  of  dissatisfaction. 
The  monarch  was  unfortunate  in  the  first 
battle,  having  lost  an  eye,  and  Keallach,  his 
son,  being  killed ;  but  in  the  second  the  rebels 
were  cut  to  pieces,  and  forced  to  abandon 
Deasie.^     They  sought  refuge  in  Mimster, 

t  Ogy^.  part  2,  p.  152. 

+  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Cormac. 

§  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  69. 


94 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


where  Oilioll-Olum,  king  of  lliat  province, 
who  was  still  living,  rcccivetl  them  favor- 
ably, atul  gave  them  a  territory  in  the  coun- 
ty of  Waterford,  which  thoy  called  Dcasie, 
after  that  which  they  had  lost  near  Tara  by 
their  revolt.  This  territory  was  in  the 
possession  of  the  O'Fallons,  their  descend- 
ants, till  the  twelfth  century. 

About  a  century  after  their  first  establish- 
ment in  this  country,  they  extended  their 
dominion,  through  the  liberality  of  Aongus, 
son  of  Nadfraoch,  king  of  INIunster,  who 
gave  them  the  plain  of  Moy-Femen,  or 
Machair-Caissil,  on  the  side  of  Cashel  and 
Clonmel,  which  was  called  North  Deasie. 

Aidhe,  grandson  of  Conall-Cruachan.who 
had  succeeded  Kedgin-Cruachan,  on  the 
throne  of  Connaught,  having  incurred  the 
resentment  of  Cormac,  was  vanquished  at 
the  battle  of  Moy-Ai  in  the  county  of  Ros- 
common, and  afterwards  deprived  of  his 
crown  by  tiie  monarch,  who  nominated 
Niamor,  son  of  Lugne,  his  brother,  in  his 
stead ;  but  the  latter  having  been  assassi- 
nated a  short  time  after  by  Aidhe,  whom  he 
had  succeeded,  the  monarch  was  so  highly 
incensed,  that  he  nearly  annihilated  the 
race  of  the  Firdomnians,  and  placed  Lu- 
gadh,  brother  of  Niamor,  on  the  throne  of 
Connaught.* 

Cormac  had  several  wars  to  maintain 
against  the  provincial  kings.  Gratianus  Lu- 
cius, after  the  annals  of  Tighernmach,  saysf 
he  defeated  them  in  thirty-six  battles,  con- 
quered the  Ulster  people  twice  near  Granard; 
killed  a  considerable  number  of  them,  with 
their  king,  Aongus-Finn,  son  of  Fergus 
Dovededagh,  at  the  battle  of  Crinn-Fre- 
gabhail ;  banished  several  to  the  Isle  of 
!\Ian  and  the  Hebrides ;  punished  the  Lein- 
ster  people  for  some  crimes  they  were  guilty 
of,  and  renewed  the  Boroime,  or  tribute, 
which  Tuathal  had  imposed  on  them  some 
years  before .  He  defeated  the  Munster  peo- 
ple in  several  engagements,  but  was  repulsed 
by  Fiacha-MuUeahan,  successor  to  Oilioll- 
Olum.,  who  died  in  250,  and  Cormac-C 
his  paternal  uncle.  He  was  also  obliged  to 
repair  the  losses  caused  by  his  army  in  that 
province.  This  prhice  was  great  and  magnl 
ficent  both  in  peace  and  war :  "  Vir  tarn 
marte  quam  arte,  tarn  bello  quam  eruditione 
clarus."!  During  the  wars  in  which  he  was 
engaged,  he  was  not  forgetful  of  literature, 
and  enlarged  the  establishment  founded  at 
Tara  by  OUave  Fola,  instituted  academies 
for  military  discipline,  history,  and  jurispru- 

*  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  69. 
t  Grat.  Luc.  c.  8,  p.  70. 
t  Grat.  Luc.  c.  8,  p.  70. 


dence,  and  renewed  the  laws  concerning 
the  Psalter  of  Tara,  and  the  registering  of 
the  history  of  individuals.  Finally,  he  sent 
a  considerable  fleet  to  Albania,  which  rav- 
aged that  country  during  three  years.* 

Eocha-Gunnait,  grandson  of  Fergus  Dove- 
dedagh, of  the  tribe  of  Dalfiataghs,  race 
of  Heremon,  succeeded  Cormac,  a.  d.  258  ; 
he  reigned  but  one  year. 

Carbre  Liffeachair,  son  of  Cormac-Ul- 
fada,  succeeded  Eocha,  a.  d.  264.  During 
the  reign  of  this  monarch,  Aidhe,  son  of 
Garadh,  succeeded  Lugadh-Niamor,  on  the 
throne  of  Connaught.  He  was  the  last  of 
the  race  of  the  Firdomnians  who  reigned  in 
this  province. 

The  Irish  militia  having  revolted  against 
the  monarch,!  after  the  death  of  Fionn-Mac- 
Cumhail,  their  chief,  he  took  Connaught 
troops  into  his  service,:|:  with  whom  he 
defeated  his  rebel  subjects  in  seven  different 
engagements. §  But  at  length  Modh-Corb, 
son  of  Cormac-Cas,  and  grandson  of  Fion- 
Mac-Cumhail,by  Samuir,  his  mother,  being 
then  king  of  Munster  and  chief  of  the  Dal- 
caiss,  put  himself  at  the  head  of  the  rebels, 
and  marched  to  Tara,  Avhere  the  monarch, 
and  Aidhe,  king  of  Connaught,  were  ready 
to  receive  him.  The  battle  was  fought  at 
Gabhra,  near  Tara,  in  Meath,  in  which  the 
monarch,  after  defeating  in  single  combat 
Osgar,  son  of  Ossine,  and  grandson  of  Fionn, 
who  was  then  commander  of  the  militia,  was 
killed  by  Simeon,  son  of  Keirb,  of  the  tribe 
of  the  Fotharts.  The  king  of  Connaught 
having  survived  this  engagement,  gave  bat- 
tle a  second  time  to  the  king  of  Munster  at 
Spaltrach,  in  Muscry,  and  by  the  death  of 
Modh-Corb,  revenged  that  of  the  monarch. 

During  the  reign  of  Carbre,  Carausius,  a 
native,  it  is  said,  of  Menapia,  in  Ireland, |1 
assumed  the  regal  dignity  in  Britain.^  He 
was  a  man  of  low  birth,  but  warlike,  and  an 
experienced  mariner.**  "  Vir  rei  militaris 
peritissimus,"  says  Eutropius,  whom  the  em- 
perors Dioclesian  and  Maximian  had  ap- 
pointed to  defend  the  maritime  parts  of  Gaul 
against  the  incursions  of  the  Franks  and 
Saxons  ;tt  but  his  love  for  wealth  having 
instigated  him  to  act  contrary  to  the  public 
welfare,  he  was  declared  an  enemy  to  the 
state,  and  condemned  to  death  ;  whereupon 


*  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  69. 

t  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Carbre. 

t  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  8. 

§  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  70. 

II  Canid.  Brit.  edit.  Lond.  p.  748. 

II  Usser.  p.  584. 

**  Wareus,  c.  10. 

tt  Ogygia,  part  3,  cap.  71. 


WARS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


95 


he  got  himself  proclaimed  emperor  of  Britain, 
and,  in  spite  of  the  Roman  power,  supported 
himself  in  this  rank  for  seven  years,  till  he 
was  killed  by  Alectus,  who,  after  acting  the 
same  part  for  the  space  of  three  years,  was 
defeated  by  Constantius  Chlorus. 

Faha-Airgeach,  and  Faha-Cairpeach,  bro- 
thers, and  children  of  Mac-Conn,  reigned 
together  for  one  year  after  Carbre  :  the  for- 
mer having  murdered  the  latter,  he  shared 
the  same  fate  himself,  as  he  was  killed  by 
the  militia  at  the  battle  of  Ollarbha,  a  river 
at  Moylinne,  in  the  county  of  Antrim,  a.d. 
284. 

Fiacha-Streabthuine,  son  of  Carbre  Lif- 
feachair,  succeeded  those  two  unfortunate 
princes,  a.  d.  285.*  He  was  surnamed 
Streabthuine,from  Dun-Streabthuine,  where 
he  was  nursed. f  He  had  one  son,  Muirad- 
hach-Tireach,  and  a  brother,  Eocha-Dubh- 
lein  :  this  brother  had  three  sons  by  Glean, 
daughter  of  the  king  of  the  Picts,  called 
Cairioll,  Muireadhach,  and  Aodh ;  better 
known  by  the  name  of  the  three  Collas, 
namely,  CoUa-Vias,  Colla-Da-Crioch,  and 
Colla-Meann.  In  the  reign  of  Fiacha, 
Conde,  of  the  tribe  of  the  Corcofirtres,  suc- 
ceeded Aidhe,  in  Connaught,  after  Avhose 
death  the  sceptre  of  this  province  devolved 
on  Muireadhach-Tireach,  and  remained  in 
his  posterity  till  the  twelfth  century. 

While  Muireadhach-Tireach,  son  of 
Fiacha,  fought  with  great  success  against 
the  king  of  Munster,  from  whom  he  carried 
off  both  ca])tives  and  booty,  his  father  had 
encamped  with  another  army  at  Dubhcho- 
mair,  near  Tailton,  in  Meath.  The  three 
Collas,  jealous  of  the  reputation  of  Muiread- 
hach-Tireach, their  cousin,  and  fearing  lest, 
if  he  became  monarch,  he  should  resent  an 
injury  they  had  done  him,  took  advantage  of 
his  absence  to  make  war  against  his  father 
and  thus  secure  the  crown  for  themselves 
With  this  view,  they  collected  what  forces 
they  were  able  ;  and  having  bribed  some 
officers  of  the  monarch's  army,  they  gave 
him  battle,  in  which  he  unfortunately 
perished.  Colla-Vais,  the  eldest  of  the  three 
brothers,  was  then  proclaimed  monarch, 
A.  D.  315.  Muireadhaeh-Tireach  being  in- 
formed of  this  sudden  revolution,  marched 
with  a  considerable  body  of  troops  towards 
Tara,  where  he  gave  the  usurper  battle,  the 
success  of  which  equalled  the  justice  of  his 
cause.  After  a  reign  of  four  years,  Colla- 
Vais  was  dethroned ;  and  dreading  the 
punishment  which  his  crime  deserved,  he 

*  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Fiocha. 
t  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  73,  75,  et  76. 


left  the  kingdom  with  his  two  brothers,  and 
about  three  hundred  men  who  followed  his 
fortune,  and  took  refuge  in  Albania,  with  the 
king  of  the  Picts,  his  kinsman,  who  received 
him  honorably. 

Muireadhach-Tireach,  son  of  Fiacha- 
Streabthuine,  already  king  of  Connaught, 
became,  by  the  flight  of  Colla-Vais,  monarch 
of  the  whole  island,  a.  d.  320.  His  mother 
was  Aife,  of  the  tribe  of  the  Gallgaodhals  or 
Gadelians  of  the  Hebrides.  He  married 
Muirion,  daughter  of  Fiacha,  king  of  Kin- 
neal-Eoguin,  now  Tyrone. 

Notwithstanding  the  kind  reception  the 
three  Collas  had  met  with  from  the  kingof  the 
Picts,  they  considered  their  separation  from 
their  native  country  as  a  most  insupportable 
exile  :  so  that,  hearing  of  a  general  amnesty, 
granted  by  the  monarch  of  Ireland  to  all 
those  Avho  had  been  concerned  in  the  late 
revolution,  they  embarked  for  their  country, 
accompanied  by  but  twenty-seven  men  of 
the  three  hundred  they  had  brought  to 
Albania,  leaving  the  rest  after  them.  On 
their  arrival  in  Ireland,  they  appeared  before 
the  monarch  with  every  mark  of  sorrow  for 
their  crime,  and  easily  moved  a  prince,  who 
was  naturally  inclined  to  clemency,  to  forgive 
them.  As  those  princes  had  no  possessions 
to  support  their  rank  or  the  dignity  of  their 
birth,  the  monarch  advised  them  to  make  an 
establishment  in  some  part  of  the  country, 
either  by  right  of  conquest  or  otherwise.  He 
told  them  that  the  insult  sustained  by  Cor- 
mac-Ulfada,  one  of  their  ancestors,  from 
the  people  of  Ulster,  and  the  murder  of 
Conn-Keadcaha  by  the  orders  of  Teobraide- 
Tireafh,  had  never  been  revenged  ;  that  it 
would  be  a  specious  pretext  for  them  to 
enter  this  province  sword  in  hand,  and  es- 
tablish themselves  by  right  of  conquest,  and 
that  he  would  furnish  them  with  troops.  The 
three  brothers,  filled  with  gratitude,  accepted 
the  proposal,  and  set  out  for  Ulster  at  the 
head  of  a  body  of  troops  furnished  them  by 
the  monarch.  On  their  arrival  they  were 
joined  by  malecontents  to  the  number  of 
seven  thousand  men,  headed  by  a  few  nobles. 
With  this  help,  which  sufficiently  proved 
the  disposition  of  the  people,  and  was  a 
happy  omen  of  their  success,  they  marched 
to  meet  the  enemy,  Avho  were  at  Carn- 
Eocha-Leath-Dearg,  in  the  territory  of  Fear- 
moy,  in  Monaghan.  The  action  began,  and 
the  resistance  was  so  obstinate  on  both  sides, 
that  they  fought  for  seven  successive  days. 
At  length  the  king,  Fergus-Fodha,  being 
killed,  and  his  army  cut  to  pieces,  the  field 
remained  in-possession  of  the  conquerors  :  it 
cost  Colla-Meann,  one  of  the  three  brothers, 


96   . 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


his  life.  The  victorious  army  then  pillaged 
the  palace  of  Eamhain,  the  residence  of  the 
kings  of  Ulster.*  Thus  ended  the  reign  of 
the  Clanna-Rorys  in  this  province.  The 
Collas  banished  the  people  of  Ulster  to  the 
north  of  lake  Neagh,  and  took  possession 
of  a  large  tract  of  country,  which  they  called 
Orgiell,  named  by  the  English  Uriel,  or 
Oriel ;  it  has  since  been  divided  into  counties, 
namely,  Louth,  Armagh,  Monaghan,  and 
part  of  the  counties  of  Down  and  Antrim, 
peopled  by  their  numerous  posterity.  Mui- 
readhach-Tireach  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Portriogh,  near  lake  Dabhal,  in  the  twenty- 
sixth  year  of  his  reign.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Caolvach,  the  last  monarch  of  the  race  of 
Ir.  The  first  year  of  his  reign  was  the  last 
of  his  life,  having  been  assassinated.  He 
was  succeeded  by  his  murderer,  a.d.  350. 

Eocha  XII.,  surnamed  Moy-Veagon,  son 
ofMuireadhach-Tireach,tkingofConnaught, 
succeeded  to  the  monarchy .|  He  had  four 
sons  by  Mung-Fionn,  daughter  of  Fiodhuig, 
descended  in  the  sixth  degree  from  Oilioll- 
Olum,  by  Eogan-More  ;  namely,  Brian,  Fi- 
achra,  Fergus,  and  OilioU.  The  succeeding 
kings  of  Connaught  were  descended  from 
Brian  and  Fiachra.  Eocha  had  a  fifth  son, 
called  Niall,  well  known  in  history,  by 
Carthan-Cas-Dubh,  daughter  of  a  king  of 
Britain. §  This  monarch  was  continually  at 
war  with  Eana-Kinsealach,  king  of  Leinster, 
and  son  of  Laurade,  great-grandson  of  Ca- 
thire-More.  After  being  defeated  in  thirteen 
battles,  the  monarch  died  at  Tara,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Crimthan,  his  brother-in-law, 
son  of  Fiodhuig,  and  brother  of  Mung-Fionn 
of  the  race  of  Heber,  a.d.  360. 

The  throne  of  Munster  havingbeen  vacant 
in  the  reign  of  this  monarch,  he  gave  pos- 
session of  it  to  Connol-Eachluat,  of  the 
branch  of  Cormac-Cas,  contrary  to  the  re 
gulation  made  by  OilioU-Olum,  concerning 
the  succession  to  the  crown  of  that  province,! 
which  incensed  the  princes  of  the  branch  of 
Fiacha-MuUeahan.  They  represented  to 
Connol,  that  it  was  their  turn  to  reign,  ac- 
cording to  the  regulation  of  OilioU -Olum, 
who  decided  that  the  two  branches  of  Cor- 
mac-Cas, and  Fiacha-Mulleahan,  should 
reign  aUernately,  and  that,  therefore,  Core 
was  real  heir  to  the  throne.  Connol,  as  a 
just  and  disinterested  man,  left  the  affair  to 
arbitrators,  who  having  decided  in  favor  of 
Core,  Connol  abdicated  a  throne  which  he 


*  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  75. 

t  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Eoclia. 

t  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  8. 

§  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  79. 

II  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Crimthan. 


might  have  retained.  This  generosity  in- 
creased considerably  the  esteem  in  which 
the  monarch  held  him  ;  and  Core  having 
died  some  time  after,  Connol  reascended 
the  throne. 

After  an  expedition  which  Crimthan  had 
made  into  Albania,  Britain,  and  Gaul,  from 
whence  he  had  brought  immense  booty,  he 
was  poisoned  by  Mung-Fiona,  his  sister,  at 
Inis-Dorn-Glasse,  an  island  in  the  river 
Muade,*  who  hoped  by  that  means  to  place 
Brian,  her  son,  whom  she  loved  tenderly,  on 
the  throne  in  his  stead  ;  but  she  was  dis- 
appointed in  her  expectations  ;  for  having 
tasted  of  the  poisoned  cup  before  she  pre- 
sented it  to  her  brother,  she  died  the  first  ; 
so  that  the  whole  race  of  Brian  was  excluded 
from  the  monarchy,  except  Roderick  O'Con- 
nor, and  Terdelach,  his  father. f 

Niall  the  Great,  son  of  Eocha-Moy-Vea- 
gon  and  Carthan-Cas-Dubh,|  succeeded 
Crimthan  on  the  throne  of  Ireland,  a.d.  379. 
He  was  surnamed  Noygiollach,'^  as  we 
should  say  in  Latin,  "  Noviobses,"  from  the 
nine  hostages  which  he  had  forced  his  ene- 
mies to  give  him.  He  had  one  son  named 
Fiacha,  by  Inne,  his  first  wife,  who  was  de- 
scended, in  the  sixth  degree,  from  Fergus- 
Dovededagh,  the  monarch :  and  seven  by 
his  second  wife,  Roigneach  ;  namely,  Lao- 
gare,  Eogan,  Eanna,  Cairbre,  Maine,  Con- 
all-Gulban,  and  Conall-Creamthine. 

The  monarch  was  a  valiant  and  experi- 
enced warrior,  as  appears  by  the  number  of 
captives  he  had  taken  from  the  Picts,  Bri- 
tons, and  Gauls,  and  the  immense  booty  he 
carried  away.||  We  must,  however,  examine 
the  origin  of  the  Scots,  or  Scotch,  before  we 
speak  of  his  expeditions  beyond  sea  ;  the 
relation  which  exists  between  them  and  the 
Irish  making  this  investigation  necessary. 

The  histories  of  the  Milesians  mention 
several  colonies  which  they  had  sent  at  dif- 
ferent times  to  Albania,  in  the  first  ages  of 
Christianity  ;  from  which  the  Scots  of  Alba- 
nia, at  present  the  Scotchjderive  their  origin. 
They  are  descended  from  the  colonies  which 
went  from  Ireland  to  Britain,  and  settled 
with  the  Picts  in  the  northern  parts  of  that 
island,  which  was  at  that  time  called  Albania. 
The  first  colony  of  the  Scoto-Milesians, 


*  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  8. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  8L 

t  Keat.  on  the  reign  of  Niall. 

§  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  85. 

II  "  He  was  a  man  very  valiant,  most  skilled  in 
war.  He  overcame  in  several  engagements  the 
Albanians,  Picts,  and  Gauls,  and  carried  off  great 
numbers  of  prisoners  and  of  cattle." — Gratianus 
Lucius,  c.  8,  on  the  reign  of  Nellius. 


WARS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


97 


which  was  established  in  Albania,  was  com- 
manded, in  the  beginning  of  the  third  cen- 
tury, by  Cairbre,  otherwise  Eocha-Riada, 
sonofConare  II.,  monarch  of  Ireland.*  The 
emigration  of  this  colony  could  not  have 
taken  place  before  the  year  211;  as  the 
territory  inhabited  by  this  colony  on  its  first 
settlement  in  Albania,  was,  at  the  time  of 
the  expedition  of  Severus  into  the  north  of 
Britain,  (which  Usher  fixes  in  the  year  208, )t 
in  possession  of  the  Dicaledonians,  a  tribe  of 
the  Picts,  so  called  from  their  proximity  to 
the  wall  of  Adrian,  which  divided  them  from 
the  Meaths  in  the  south,  as  the  Grampian 
or  Drum-Albin  hills  (called  by  Fordonius 
"  dorsi-Britannici")  divided  them  from  the 
Vecturians,  another  tribe  of  the  Picts,  occu- 
pying the  north.;}: 

In  this  expedition,  in  which  Severus  lost 
fifty  thousand  men,  he  extended  his  conquests 
to  the  northern  extremity  of  the  country  ; 
however,  it  is  not  said  he  had  any  other 
enemies  to  contend  with  than  the  Meaths, 
Caledonians,  and  Vecturians.  He  died  three 
years  afterwards  at  York,  as  he  was  pre- 
paring for  a  second  expedition  against  the 
Meaths  and  Caledonians,  who  revolted. i^i 

Eumenes  the  Rhetorician  is  the  first  who, 
in  the  panegyric  he  delivered  a  century  after 
at  Treves,  in  presence  and  in  honor  of 
Constantine,  spoke  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Albania  by  the  name  of  Picts,  whom  he 
divides,  with  Ammianus  Marcellinus,  into 
Caledonians  and  Vecturians,  after  comparing 
the  state  of  affairs  in  Britain,  under  Julius 
Caesar  and  Constantius  Chlorus;||  so  that 
in  the  whole  of  this  history,  given  by  Usher, 
after  Herodian  and  Dio,  no  mention  is  made 
of  a  nation  of  Scots  established  in  Britain. 
We  must  therefore  fix  their  arrival  in  Alba- 
nia later  than  the  year  211,  which  agrees 
with  the  time  of  Conare  II.,  father  of  Riada, 
whose  reign  began  in  Ireland  in  212. 

Usher  and  O'Flaherty  assert,  that  the 
colony  of  Cairbre-Riada  had  first  settled  in 
the  north  of  Ireland,  and  it  was  not  till  the 
beginning  of  the  sixth  century  that  they 
went  to  Albania  with  Fergus,  three  hundred 
years  after  the  death  of  Riada ;  but  the 
former  opinion  seems  more  in  conformity 
with  Bede,  who  says  that  Riada  went  in  per- 
son. The  following  are  his  own  expressions : 

*  Kennedy,  pp.  105  and  106. 

t  Index.  Chronol.  p.  1079. 

t  Usser.  appendix,  pp.  1021  et  1022. 

§  Usserius,  Index  Chronol.  p.  1080. 

II  "  I  do  not  allude,  among  his  other  numerous 
exploits,  to  his  conquests  over  the  Caledonians  and 
Picts,  hesides  whom  there  were  others  of  that  name 
as  well  as  Vecturians." — Usher,  c.  15,  p.  586. 


— "  Besides  the  Britons  and  Picts,  a  colony 
of  Scots  having  left  Ireland  under  the  com- 
mand of  Reuda,  from  whom  they  were  called 
Dalreudini,  settled  in  Britain  with  the  Picts, 
either  peaceably  or  by  force."*  The  second 
opinion  is  true,  if  we  mean  thereby  the  per- 
fect establishment  of  the  Scots  in  Albania, 
forming  a  people  governed  by  kings. 

Riada,  with  his  colony,  having  taken  pos- 
session of  a  territory  to  the  north  of  the  gulf 
of  Dumbarton,  which  was  in  the  possession 
of  the  Dicaledonians  in  the  time  of  Severus, 
and  ceded  to  him  by  the  Picts  in  considera- 
tion of  his  aid  against  the  Britons,  gave 
the  command  of  it  to  Kinta,  his  son ;  after 
which  he  returned  to  Ireland,  where  he  died. 
This  commencement  of  the  Scotch  nation  in 
Albania,  though  weak  at  first,  became  after- 
wards very  powerful. 

To  throw  more  light  on  this  history,  we 
must  trace  it  back  to  its  source,  and  examine 
the  origin  of  Eocha-Riada,  mentioned  by 
Bede,  under  the  name  of  Reuda. 

iEngus III., (called iEneas  by  O'Flaherty,) 
surnamed  Turmeach,  monarch  of  Ireland, 
had  two  sons,  namely,  Ennius,  Enna,  Eadna 
or  Eanda,  surnamed  Aighmach  ;  and  Flacha, 
A.  M.  3870,  B.  c.  130.t  By  the  former,  who 
was  legitimate,  he  was  ancestor  of  all  the 
kings  of  Ireland  who  succeeded  him. J:  By 
the  latter,  the  fruit  of  the  incest  he  committed 
with  his  own  daughter,  or  sister,  in  a  state 
of  intoxication,^  he  was  ancestor  of  the  Ear- 
nochsjll  Dalfiatachs,  Deagades,  Dalriads,  and 
consequently  of  the  Scotch,  as  we  shall  here- 
after see.TI 

iEngus  was  surnamed  Turmeach,  signifying 
shame,  for,  although  a  pagan,  he  was  always 
so  much  ashamed  of  the  infamous  action  he 
had  committed,  that  he  endeavored  to  con- 
ceal it  from  the  knowledge  of  the  world,  by 
committing  the  child,  Avhich  was  the  fruit  of 
his  crime,  in  a  little  boat,  to  the  mercy  of  the 
winds  and  waves,  in  hopes  of  its  perishing. 
But  like  another  Moses,  the  innocent  child 
was  preserved  by  some  fishermen,  who  gave 
him  the  surname  of  Fearmara.  Fiacha-Fear- 
mara  had  a  son  called  OilioU-Earn,  who, 

*  "  In  the  course  of  time  Britain,  after  the 
Britons  and  Picts,  admitted  a  third  nation,  the  Scots, 
among  the  Picts,  who  under  the  guidance  of  Reuda, 
left  Ireland,  and  claimed,  from  either  friendship  or 
by  the  sword,  a  settlement  among  them,  which  they 
thus  far  hold ;  from  that  leader  they  retain  to  this 
day  the  name  of  Dalreudini." — Bede's  Church 
Hist.  b.  l,c.  1. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  40. 

t  Lecan,  fol.  294,  p.  8,  col.  3. 

§  Keating  on  the  reign  of  JEngua. 

II  Grat.  Luc.  c  8,  p.  64. 

IT  Kennedy,  p.  44. 

13 


98 


HISTORY   OF    IRELAND. 


with  the  consent  of  the  tribe  of  Ir,  which 
then  possesscil  Ulster,  settled  it  with  his  vas- 
sals near  lake  Earn,  from  whence  his  de- 
scendants, forming  a  considerable  tribe,  were 
called  Earnochs."  After  Oilioll  Earn,  the 
tribe  was  successively  governed  by  Feara- 
dach,  his  son,  and  Forgo,  his  grandson. 

Sir  George  M'Kenzie,  in  the  preface  to 
the  reader,  which  he  has  affixed  to  his  De- 
fence of  the  Royal  Lineage  of  Scotland, 
mentions  having  seen  an  ancient  manuscript 
belonging  to  the  monastery  of  Hy,  in  which 
it  was  said  that  .Eugns-Turteampher  (the 
same  undoubtedly  as  our  ^Engus-Turmeach) 
reigned  in  Ireland  five  generations  before 
their  Fergus  I.,  and  that  it  was  under  him 
the  separation  of  the  Scots  of  Ireland  from 
those  of  Albania  took  place.  This  manuscript 
agrees  perfectly  w-ith  the  genealogy  of  Forgo, 
who,  according  to  the  ancient  momunents  of 
the  Milesians,  is  the  fifth  descendant  in  a 
direct  line  from  iEngais  III.,  surnamed  Tur- 
meach.  Would  the  conjecture  be  rash,  were 

I  we  to  say  that  this  Forgo,  son  of  Fearadach, 
is  the  same  as  Fergus,  son  of  Ferchard,  who, 

I  according  to  Buchanan,  was  first  king  of 
Scotland  ?    The  names  are  very  nearly  alike ; 

i|  and  the  only  difference  arises  from  the  Latin 
termination  which  Buchanan  gives  them,  or 
from  this  author's  ignorance  of  the  ancient 
language  of  his  country,  in  which  those 
names  were  originally  written.  However, 
Forgo  never  left  his  country,  but  became, 
after  his  father,  chief  of  the  tribe  of  the 
Earnochs  of  lake  Earn.  In  this  rank  he  was 
perhaps  called  king,  through  courtesy,  as  it 
was  general  among  the  Milesians  to  give  that 
title  to  princes,  and  lords  of  extensive  pos- 
sessions. This  conjecture  will  be  much 
strengthened,  if  we  compare  the  descendants 
of  Forgo,  down  to  Eocha-Riada  inclusively, 
forming  twenty  generations,  with  the  gene- 
alogy of  the  kings  of  Scotland,  delivered  by 
a  Scotch  antiquarian,  at  the  coronation  of 
Alexander  II..  and  quoted  by  John  Major, 
in  his  history  :*  it  will  be  seen  that  those 
genealogies  correspond  exactly,in  the  names, 
pronunciation,  and  manner  of  writing  them, 
in  their  order  and  number  ;  except  that  the 
Scotch  antiquary,  or  perhaps  the  author  who 
published  it,  adds  one  more. 

These  two  genealogies  are  represented  in 
the  two  following  columns :  the  left  gives 
the  genealogy  of  Forgo,  according  to  the 
Milesians,  and  the  right  that  of  the  kings  of 
Scotland,  according  to  the  antiquary  above 
mentioned. 


«  De  Gest.  Scot. 


Forgo. 
Main. 

Forgso. 
Man. 

Earndail. 

Arindil. 

Rowein. 

Rothrer. 

Redher. 

Threr. 

Ther. 

Rosin. 

Rosin. 

Sin. 

Deaga. 

Kiar. 

Syn. 

Dechach 

Jair. 

Olill. 

Eliala. 

Eogan. 

Ewan. 

Ederskeol,  monarch 

of  Ireland.  Edherskeol 

Conar-^Tore,  monarch 

of  Ireland.  Conere-More. 

Carbre-Fin-More.        Carbre-Find-More. 
Dare-Dorn-More.        Dara-Deomore. 
Corbre-Crom-Chion.  Corbre-Edancrum. 
Luigh- Allatach.  Lughtach-Elholac . 

Mogalama.  Mogalama. 

Conare  II.,  monarch 

of  Ireland.  Conare. 

Eocha-Riada.  Ethad-Riad. 

It  is  evident,  that  in  these  two  columns 
the  names  are  fundamentally  the  same,  and 
that  if  there  are  a  few  letters,  more  or  less, 
or  any  transposition  of  letters,  it  creates  no 
essential  difference,  and  the  error  should 
only  be  attributed  to  the  copyists.  The 
addition  of  the  name  Rowein,  which  is  in 
the  catalogue  of  the  Scotch  antiquarian,  is 
probably  derived  from  "  Roghein,"  which 
signifies  "  to  be  born  of ;"  and  the  antiquary 
having  found  it  between  the  names  Earndail 
and  Rothrer,  to  show  that  Rothrer  was  son 
of  Earndail,  he  took  it  for  a  proper  name, 
thus  adding  a  generation. 

By  special  privilege,  or  rather  by  a  license 
belonging  only  to  poets,  Buchanan  deviates, 
in  this  catalogue  of  the  kings  of  Scotland, 
from  the  genealogy  left  by  this  antiquarian. 
He  has  obscured  and  disfigured  the  names 
of  the  kings,  so  that  very  few  of  them  agree 
with  it,  although  the  antiquarian  lived  -three 
hundred  years  before  him,  and  consulted  the 
ancient  monuments,  unknown  perhaps  to 
Buchanan,  for  this  genealogy;  but  the  latter 
made  up  the  deficiency  by  fiction.  May  we 
not  reproach  him  as  Camden  has  done  in  a 
like  case,  that  he  preferred  deliberating  w^ith 
the  subtlety  of  his  wit,  to  tliinking  justly  with 
others?  "Maluit  cum  suo  acumine  delirare, 
quam  cum  recepta  lectione  rectc  sentire."* 

With  regard  to  the  separation  of  the  two 
people,  mentioned  in  the  manuscript  of 
M'Kenzie,  and  from  which  this  author  claims 

*   Brit,  page  62. 


WAKS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


99 


some  advantage  in  favor  of  his  system,  it 
should  be  considered  less  a  local  than  a 
genealogical  separation  of  the  two  branches, 
the  chiefs  of  which  were  Ennius  and  Fiacha, 
without  either  of  them  having  gone  to  Al 
bania. 

Deaga,  the  ninth  descendant  in  a  direct 
line  from  OilioU-Earn,  was  chief  of  the  tribe 
of  the  Earnochs.  The  Clanna-Rorys,  who 
had  granted  them  an  asylum,  some  time  be 
fore,  in  their  kingdom,  taking  umbrage  at 
their  growing  power,  declared  war  against 
them,  forced  them  to  quit  their  establish- 
ment at  Lake  Earn,  and  seek  their  fortunes 
elsewhere. 

Deaga  led  them  into  the  province  of 
Munster,  where  Duach  III.,  then  monarch 
of  the  island,  surnamed  Dalta-Deagaigh, 
being  the  adopted  son  of  Deaga,  granted 
them  a  retreat  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
province,  now  called  the  county  of  Kerry, 
A.  M.  3950,  B.  c.  50.  This  territory  was 
called  after  their  chief,  Luaghair-Deag- 
haigh.* 

After  the  death  of  Duach,  Deaga  suc- 
ceeded to  the  monarch  of  the  whole  island  ; 
he  had  three  sons,  Hiar,  Dair,  and  Conal, 
to  distinguish  them  from  another  tribe  of 
the  Earnochs,  who  descended  from  Eocha, 
i  brother  of  Deaga,  and  took  the  name  of 
jl  Daltiatachs,  from  Fiatach,  monarch  in  the 
first  century  ;  it  was  called  the  tribe  of  the 
Deagades,  from  the  name  of  their  chief, 
which,  according  as  they  increased,  were 
subdivided  into  other  branches,  as  the  Clan- 
Chonaires,  Muskrys,  Baskins,  and  Dalriads. 
The  Deagades  became  so  powerful  in 
Munster,  that  they  frequently  disputed  the 
sovereignty  of  it  with  the  ancient  proprietors, 
the  Heberians.  They  governed  sometimes 
alternately  with  them,  and  sometimes  alone, 
till  their  power  was  limited  by  Modha- 
Nuagaid.  Though  this  king  had  humbled 
them  in  war,  their  chiefs  always  preserved 
the  rank  and  dignity  of  princes,  till  the 
marriage  of  Conare,  son  of  Mogalama,  with 
Saraid,  daughter  of  Conn-Keadcaha.  This 
marriage,  by  which  Conare  became  son-in- 
law  to  the  monarch,  and  brother-in-law  of 
Oilioll-Olum,  heir  of  Modha-Nuagaid,  king 
of  Munster,  Avho  had  married  Sabia,  sister 
of  Saraid,  revived  the  expiring  glory  of  the 
Deagades.  Art,  son  of  Conn-Keadcaha, 
was  a  minor  at  the  death  of  his  father  ;  and 
[  being  incapable  of  reigning,  according  to  the 
fundamental  laws  of  the  state,  Conare,  his 
brother-in-law,  was  raised  to  the  monarchy, 
by  the  name  of  Conare  11,     He   had   by 

*  ^gyg-  part  3,  cap.  42. 


Saraid  three  sons,  who  became  chiefs  of 
three  considerable  tribes  ;  namely,  Carbre- 
Musc,  Carbre-Baskin,  and  Carbre-Riada. 
According  to  the  book  of  Lecan,  those  three 
brothers  were  also  known  by  the  name  of 
Angus,  Oilioll,  and  Eocha.* 

The  tribe  of  Carbre-Musc  were  called 
the  Muscrys  ;  and  their  possessions,  in  the 
county  of  Cork,  are  still  known  by  the  name 
of  Muskerry.  Dal-Baskin,  that  is  to  say, 
the  tribe  of  Cabre-Baskin,  possessed  Corca- 
Baskin  in  the  county  of  Clare  ;  and  the  part 
of  the  tribe  of  Riada  who  remained  in  Ire- 
land, settled  in  Kiery-Luachra  and  Orrery,  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Muskerry.  Some  com- 
motions which  afterwards  arose  in  Ulster, 
between  the  Clanna-Rorys  and  the  three 
brothers,  called  the  three  CoUas,  the  latter 
having  invaded  a  part  of  this  province,  which 
they  erected  into  a  principality  or  kingdom 
under  the  name  of  Uriel,  was  a  favorable 
opportunity  taken  advantage  of  by  this  demi- 
tribe  of  Riada,  then  commanded  by  Fergus- 
Ulidian  their  chief,  and  fifth  descendant,  in 
a  direct  line,  of  Carbre,  to  form  a  new  es- 
tablishment in  the  north  of  the  island,  which, 
according  to  Usher,t  was  called  Dalrieda  ; 
at  present  Route,  in  the  county  of  Antrim. 

Eocha-Riada,  as  we  have  already  seen, 
having  established  his  son  at  the  head  of  a 
colony  in  Albania,  called  also  the  Dalriads, 
there  always  existed  between  them  and  the 
Dalriads  in  Ulster  a  league  of  friendship, 
and  close  connection  ;  although  separated  by 
a  small  portion  of  the  sea,  they  were  always 
considered  as  the  same  tribe,  and  were  long 
governed  by  the  same  chiefs.  Encouraged 
by  the  success  of  the  Dalriads,  several  others 
went  to  Albania,  in  the  same  and  succeeding 
centuries,  either  to  settle  there,  or  to  second 
the  Dalriads  in  the  incursions  they  made  from 
time  to  time  into  Britain.  The  principal 
chiefs  of  those  first  colonies  were  Mac-Conn, 
who,  having  succeeded  to  the  monarchy  of 
Ireland,  left  the  command  of  the  colony  to 
his  son,  Caha-Fanan,  ancestor  of  the  Mac- 
Allans,  Campbells,  &c.,  and  Colla-Vais, 
from 'whom  the  Mac-Donnels,  and  many 
other  illustrious  families,  both  in  Ireland 
and  Scotland,  derive  their  origin.  Criom- 
than,  son  of  Fiacha  VII.,  and  many  others, 
brought  colonies  there.  Such  was  the  state 
of  affairs  of  the  Dalriads  of  Albania.  They 
possessed  a  small  portion  of  the  country, 
wliich  served  as  an  arsenal  and  a  retreat  for 
their  friends  in  Ireland,  who  came  to  join 
them.     They  did  not  yet  form  a  kingdom  or 

*  Fol.  200,  p.  A.  Fol.  112,  p.  B.  col.  1,  2,  3.        | 
t  Prim.  cap.  15,  p.  611.  | 


100 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


state  iiulependent  of  Irelaiul  ;  their  little 
territory  was  nearly  like  Calais,  which  did 
not  form  a  state  independent  of  England. 
When  this  place  was  in  the  power  of  the 
English,  the  inhabitants  were  looked  upon 
as  English,  and  subjects  of  England — even 
the  children  born  there.  The  Dalriads  of 
Albania  received  from  those  of  Ulster  as- 
sistance both  in  men  and  money  ;  they 
enriched  themselves  with  the  spoils  of  the 
Britons,  and  began  to  live  independent  of 
the  Picts,  which  excited  the  jealousy  of  the 
latter  against  them,  and  made  them  deliberate 
on  some  means  of  checking  their  increasing 
power.* 

The  Dalriads,  justly  alarmed  at  the  storm 
which  threatened  them,  implored  the  protec- 
tion and  aid  of  the  monarch  of  Ireland,  whom 
they  still  considered  as  their  sovereign.! 

Niall,  being  anxious  to  preserve  this  por- 
tion of  his  empire  in  Albania,  crossed  the 
sea  at  the  head  of  his  army,  and  having 
reduced  the  Picts  to  reason,  forced  them  to 
give  up  the  territories  of  Cantire  and  Argyle 
to  the  Dalriads,  and  to  live  in  peace  with 
them. I  Having  appeased  the  troubles  in 
Albania,  he  entered  Britain  with  his  forces, 
and  ravaged  the  whole  country,  a.  d.  388. 
He  then  embarked  for  Armorica,  from 
whence  he  brought  considerable  booty,  with 
several  captives,  in  the  number  of  whom  was 
Patrick,  afterwards  apostle  of  Ireland,  who 
was  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  his  two  sisters, 
Lupidia  and  Darerca.^ 

The  first  of  the  three  devastations  com- 
mitted by  the  Scots  and  Picts  in  Britain, 
mentioned  by  Gildas  Britannicus,  began  in 
the  reign  of  Niall,  ||  who,  encouraged  by  his 
former  success,  and  by  the  retreat  of  Maxi- 
i  mus  the  tyrant,T[  who  abandoned  this  island, 
by  removing  not  only  the  Roman  troops,** 
but  also  all  the  youth  capable  of  bearing 
arms,tt  whom  he  had  taken  with  him  into 
Gaul,  (of  which  Gildas  liimself  complains, )Jt 

*  Petr.  Lombard.  Comment,  de  Hibeni.  cap.  2, 
p.  31  et  32. 

t  Keat.  on  the  reign  of  Niall. 

I  Walsh.  Prosp.  of  Irel.  part  1,  sect.  1. 

§  "  At  this  time,  a  fleet  from  Ireland  was  ravag- 
>'■  ing  the  country  in  which  St.  Patrick  was  tarrying, 
and,  according  to  a  custom  among  the  Irish,  many 
were  led  into  captivity,  and  among  them  Patrick, 
who  was  then  in  his  si.xteenth  year  ;  also  his  two 
sisters,  Lupida  and  Darerca.  St.  Patrick  was 
carried  prisoner  into  Ireland  in  the  ninth  year  of 
JS'iall's  reign,  who  ruled  Ireland  during  27  years, 
and  laid  waste  Britain  and  Gaul." — Usher  on  the 
Life  of  St.  Patrick,  c.  17,  p.  828. 

II  A.  D.  393. 

^   Usser.  Primord.  Eccles.  c.  15,  p.  59.5. 

**  Grat.  Luc.  o.  8.         t+  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  85. 

tt  "  After  this,   Britain    being    stripped  of   her 


raised  a  powerful  army  and  led  it  into  Bri- 
tain. It  was  to  those  preparations,  and  to 
this  armament  of  Niall,  that  Claudion  al- 
luded in  the  subjoined  verses,  by  introducing 
Britain  as  speaking  for  herself.* 

Niall,  discovering  that  the  Britons  lived 
without  apprehension,  and  placed  too  much 
confidence  in  the  defence  of  the  wall  and 
intrenchments  which  Scverus  had  built  to 
protect  them  from  the  insults  of  the  barba- 
rians, ravaged  their  lands  and  possessions, 
in  conjunction  with  the  Picts,  and  continued 
the  devastation  for  several  years. f  It  was  at 
this  tinre  that  the  Britons  sent  a  deputation 
to  Stilico,  a  Roman  general,  who  granted 
them  one  legion  ;  but  this  succor  proved 
ineffectual  against  the  barbarians,  who  ha- 
rassed the  Romans  by  frequent  skirmishing. 
Even  this  legion  was  recalled  to  Rome,| 
where  Alaric,  king  of  the  Goths,  was  wag- 
ing war  in  the  centre  of  the  empire,  having 
given  them  battle  at  Pollens,  and  afterwards 
laid  siege  to  their  capital. 

The  fleet  of  Niall  coasted  along  Britain 
during  the  time  of  this  expedition,^  and 
afterwards  sailed  with  him  to  Armorica,  || 
where  he  was  killed,  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  Loire,Tf  by  an  arrow  discharged  by 
Eocha,  son  of  Eana-Kinseallach,  king  of 
Leinster,**  who  thus  took  revenge  for  some 
affront  he  had  received  from  the  monarch. 
It  was  in  the  reign  of  Niall,  that  the  six 
sons  of  Muredus,  king  of  Ulster,  with  a 
considerable  fleet,  took  possession  of  the 
northern  part  of  Britain,  where  they  found- 
ed a  nation  called  Scotia. ft 


forces  and  rulers,  (though  great,)  and  a  number  of 
her  youth,  (who,  after  accompanying  the  footsteps 
of  the  tyrant,  never  returned,)  she  was  unskilled 
altogether  in  the  practices  of  war,  and  was  now 
trampled  upon  by  two  nations  from  beyond  the 
seas — the  Scots  from  the  west,  and  the  Picts  from 
the  north.  In  this  state  of  stupor  and  suffering  has 
she  continued  for  many  years." — Usher  on  Gildas, 
c.  15,  page  593. 

■  "  Stylicho,  she  says,  hath  fortified  me  when 
perishing  by  neighboring  nations  :  when  the  Scots 
put  all  lerna  into  motion,  and  the  sea  foamed  with 
the  oar  of  the  enemy." — Usher. 

t  "  The  British  people,  living  unguardedly  on 
account  of  the  security  of  the  wall  which  was  built 
by  Severus  CiBsar,  were  attacked  by  two  nations, 
viz.,  the  Picts  from  the  north,  and  Scots  from  the 
west,  who  laid  their  country  waste,  and  over- 
whelmed them  with  misery,  for  many  years." — 
Usher,  c.  15,  p.  594. 

t  Usser.  c.  15,  p.  595. 

§  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Niall. 

II  Graf.  Luc.  cap.  8. 

IT   Ogyg.  part  2,  p.  159.       **  lb.  part  3,  c.  85. 

tt  "  When  Niellus  the  Great  was  monarch  of 
Ireland,  the  six  sons  of  King  Muredus  of  Ulster, 
seized,  with  a  powerful  fleet,  upon    the   northern 


WARS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


101 


Dathy,  son  of  Fiachra,  brother  of  Niall, 
succeeded  him,  and  was  the  last  pagan 
monarch  of  Ireland,  after  being  king  of 
Connaught,  the  throne  of  which  he  gave  to 
his  brother  Amalgad,  who  gave  his  name  to 
Ter-Amalgad,  otherwise  Tyrawly,  a  terri- 
tory in  the  county  of  Mayo.  In  the  time 
of  this  monarch,  Nedfraoch,  of  the  race 
of  OiUoU-Oknn,  by  Eogan  More,  governed 
Munster,  having  succeeded  Cork,  his  father. 
The  king  who  reigned  in  Leinster  at  that 
time,  was  Eocha,  son  of  Eana-Kinseallach, 
who  had  killed  Niall-Noygiollagh  in^Armo- 
rica  ;  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Ran- 
dubh. 

During  the  reign  of  Dathy  in  Ireland, 
the  Roman  empire  was  torn  on  all  sides.  In 
Britain,  Gratian  had  himself  acknowledged 
emperor  ;*  however,  his  reign  lasted  but  for 
a  short  time,t  for,  at  the  end  of  four  months 
he  was  killed  by  the  militia,  and  Constan- 
tine  put  in  his  place.  The  latter  drew  with 
him  into  Gaid  the  few  troops  that  the  tyrant 
Maximus  had  left  in  Britain,  and  by  this 
means  the  island  was  abandoned  to  the  fury 
of  the  barbarians.  The  Burgundians  and 
Franks  made  their  irruptions  into  Gaul 
Rome  Avas  besieged  by  Alaric  ;  the  Vandals, 
Swedes,  and  Alani,  fell  upon  Spain  ;  the 
Goths,  with  Attains  and  Atulphus  at  their 
head,  entered  Gaul,  so  that  the  empire  be- 
came the  prey  of  all  these  barbarous  nations. 

The  Scots  and  Picts,  always  the  impla- 
cable enemies  of  the  Britons,  availed  them- 
selves of  these  disorders  to  make  their  usual 
incursions  into  Britain.  It  was  at  that  time 
that  the  second  dreadful  devastation  men- 
tioned by  Gildas  (and  which  Usher  speaks 
of,  to  have  occurred  in  426)  took- place,  and 
caused  the  Britons  to  send  deputies  to  Rome 
in  order  to  implore  relief,  that  their  country, 
so  long  a  Roman  province,  might  not  be  to- 
tally destroyed  and  efTaced.l 

parts  of  Britain,  and  a  people  who  were  descended 
from  tlieni  were  called  Scotch." — Cambrensis  in 
Topography. 

*  Beda,  lib.  1,  c.  11. 

+  Ogyg-  part  3,  cap.  87. 

t  "  From  these  things  we  have  collected  the  sec- 
ond devastation,  and  the  second  persecution,  which 
Gildas  remarks  to  have  happened  in  Britain  about 
the  year  426.  8abellicus  thus  briefly  describes  the 
history  of  these  events:  'When  the  Burgundians 
were  ravaging  Gaul,  jEtius  was  forced  to  recall  his 
troops  from  the  island.  He  put  all  his  forces  into 
motion  against  the  Burgundii,  except  one  legion, 
which  was  left  to  guard  the  Parisians  and  their 
neighbors  to  the  south  of  them.'  The  Scots,  after 
the  departure  of  the  legions,  rise  up,  together  with 
the  people  of  Albania,  and  make  their  attacks  with 
fire  and  sword,  upon  the  maritime  towns  of  Bri- 
tain."—Z7«Acr,  0.  15,  p.  603. 


Valentinian  III.,  now  emperor,  sent  to 
their  relief  the  legion  which  .^tius  had  left 
at  Paris.  This  cohort  of  disciplined  troops 
repulsed  the  barbarians,  and  killed  many  of 
them.  The  Romans  after  this  announced  to 
the  Britons  that  they  could  no  longer  under- 
take such  distant  and  fatiguing  expeditions  ; 
that  they  themselves  should  learn  the  use  of 
arms  and  military  discipline,  in  order  to  de- 
fend themselves  against  their  enemies.  The 
Romans,  before  their  departure,  had  a  wall 
built  of  stone,  eight  feet  in  thickness  and 
twelve  in  height,  to  check,  if  possible,  the 
incursions  of  the  barbarians.  This  wall 
was  raised  upon  the  same  foundation  as  that 
which  the  emperor  Severus  had  constructed 
of  earth  two  centuries  before.  Towers  were 
placed  at  regular  distances,  on  the  south  side 
of  Britain,  to  defend  it  against  the  incur- 
sions of  the  Scots,  who  were  generally 
hovering  around  the  coast  with  their  fleet. 
The  Romans  having  regidated  the  aflfairs  of 
Britain,  took  their  last  leave  of  the  island.* 
In  this  interval,  Dathy,  monarch  of  Ire- 
land, and  a  warlike  prince,  who  followed  the 
footsteps  of  Niall,  his  predecessor,  entered 
Britain  in  person,  at  the  head  of  a  large 
army  ;t  from  thence  he  went  to  Gaul,  and 
taking  advantage  of  the  consternation  in 
which  the  Romans  were,|  on  account  of  the 
number  of  enemies  they  had  to  encounter, 
he  extended  his  conquests  to  the  Alps,§ 
where  he  was  killed  by  lightning,  after  hav- 
ing gained  several  battles  over  those  who 
disputed    his    passage. ||      His    body   was 


"  When  their  former  enemies  discovered  that  the 
Roman  forces  were  withdrawn,  they,  aided  with 
their  fleet,  invade  the  country,  and  put  all  to  the 
sword  ;  they  mow  down  and  trample  upon  every 
thing  in  their  march.  The  Britons  dispatch  am- 
bassadors to  Rome,  supplicating  aid  with  tears  and 
lamentations,  saying,  not  to  suffer  their  unhappy 
country  to  be  entirely  blotted  out,  nor  that  which 
had  so  long  borne  the  name  of  a  Roman  province 
to  be  extinguished  by  wicked  nations." — Bedels 
History  of  the  Church,  b.  1,  c.  12. 

*  "  The  Romans  then  announced  to  the  Britons  j 
that  they  could  no  longer  undertake  painful  expedi- 
tions for  their  defence :  they  advised  them  to  run 
to  arms,  and  attack  the  enemy  with  eagerness  ;  be-  j 
sides,  they  considered  (as  they  were  now  forced  to 
abandon  them  as  allies)  that  this  would  benefit 
them,  viz.,  to  construct  a  wall  from  sea  to  sea,  to 
be  built  of  solid  stone,  where  Severus  formerly 
made  a  rampart.  On  the  southern  parts  adjoining 
I  the  ocean,  where  their  ships  were  kept  to  watch 
'  the  enemy,  lliey  built  towers  at  proper  intervals, 
.towards  the  sea,  and  thus  bid  adieu  to  their  allies, 
'  intending  never  to  return." — Bede's  Church  Hist. 
lb.  1,  c.  12. 

t  Keating  on  the  reign  of  Dathy 
I      t  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  8. 

§  Ogyg.  part  2,  cap.  160. 
1      II  Ogyg.  part  5,  cap.  87. 


102 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


brought  to  Ireland,  and  interred  at  Cruaclian, 
the  burial-phico  of  the  kings  of  Connaught. 

It  is  not  astonishing  that  foreign  anthers 
have  not  mentioned  those  rapid  (expeditions, 
the  only  fruit  of  whieh  was  the  devastation 
of  the  provinces,  without  leaving  any  colo- 
ny who  might  be  interested  in  preserving 
to  posterity  the  remembrance  of  the  deeds 
of  their  ancestors,  like  the  Burgundians, 
Franks,  and  others,  who  profited  by  their 
conquests.  There  w^ere  also  but  few  wri- 
ters in  those  ages  of  trouble  and  darkness  ; 
and  the  name  of  Pharamond  would  pei-haps 
have  remained  unknown,  were  it  not  for  the 
colony  which  he  established  in  Gaul. 

The  relation  of  this  expedition  of  Dathy, 
mentioned  in  all  the  Irish  writings,*  agrees 
with  the  Piedmontese  tradition,  and  a  very 
ancient  registry  in  the  archives  of  the  house 
of  Sales,  in  which  it  is  said  that  the  king  of 
Ireland  remained  some  time  in  the  castle  of 
Sales.  I  received  this  account  from  Daniel 
OWIulryan,  a  captain  in  the  regiment  of 
Mount  Cashel,  who  assured  me  he  was  told 
it  by  the  Marquis  de  Sales,  at  the  table  of 
!  Lord  Mount  Cashel,  who  had  taken  him 
prisoner  at  the  battle  of  Marsaille.  The 
army  of  Dathy,  Avhich  w^as  composed  of  se- 
lect troops  of  the  Scots  from  Ireland,  and 
I  Dalriads  from  Albania,  were  obliged  (when 
they  lost  their  chief)  to  disperse,  and  seek 
safety  in  flight  and  disorder. 

The  Christian  religion  was  not  altogether 
unknown  in  Ireland  in  the  reign  of  Dathy. 
The  first  sound  of  the  Christian  name  spread 
itself,  it  is  said,  in  the  island  in  the  time  of 
Conquovar  Nessan,t  king  of  Ulster,  through 
Conal  Kearnach,  a  celebrated  wrestler,;}: 
who,  travelling  for  many  years  in  foreign 
countries,  arrived  at  Jerusalem  at  the  time 
of  the  passion  of  our  Lord.  O'Flaherty 
relates  that  this  account  accords  with  a  tra- 
dition frequently  mentioned  by  the  antiqua- 
rians of  that  country  ;^  but  he  appears  to 
doubt  it  himself,  as  well  as  the  prophecy  of 
Bacrach  the  druid,  who  foretold,  as  the 
sybils  had  done,  the  miraculous  birth  and 
shameful  death  of  a  divine  person,  who  was 
to  be  the  Saviour  of  the  human  race. 

Indeed,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  gospel 
should  have  been  introduced  at  an  early  pe- 
riod into  this  island.  The  Scoto-Milesians 
were  much  inclined  to  travel  ;  and  the 
apostles  had  preached  the  gospel  freely  to 
all  nations,  from  India  as  far  as  Britain, ||  in 

*  Kennedy,  p.  137. 

t  Keatinor  on  the  reign  of  Conquovar. 

t  Usser.  Primord.  cap.  16,  p.  739. 

§  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  48. 

11  "  Where  men  from  every  part  of  the  world, 


the  time  of  the  emperors  Tiberius,  Cali- 
gula, Claudius,  and  till  the  tenth  year  of 
Nero. 

The  progress  of  Christianity  was  so 
rapid,  that  there  was  no  nation  from  east  to 
west,  not  only  on  the  continent  but  also  in 
the  islands  in  the  middle  of  the  sea,  in 
which  the  gospel  was  unknown  after  thirty 
or  thirty-five  years.* 

Grave  authors  assert,  that  the  gospel  had 
been  preached  in  the  Britannic  isles  by 
some  of  the  apostles  ;  they  do  not  agree, 
however,  respecting  the  names  of  these 
apostoKcal  missionaries.  Nicephorus  in 
his  ecclesiastical  history,!  says  that  "  Si- 
mon Zelotus  had  carried  the  gospel  as  far 
as  the  Western  Ocean  and  the  British  isles, 
and  that  this  apostle  was  crucified  in  Bri- 
tain."! This  opinion  is  supported  by  the 
Greek  menologists,  but  is  contradicted  by 
the  Roman  Breviary  and  martyrology,  and 
by  Bede,  Usserius,  and  Ado,  who  fix  the 
martyrdom  of  that  apostle  in  Persia,  on  the 
28th  of  October."^ 

Simon,  the  Metaphrast,||  after  Eusebius, 
says,  that  St.  Peter  undertook  that  mission, 
who,  according  to  him,  had  been  a  long  time 
in  Britain,  "  where  he  drew  many  to  the 
faith  of  Jesus  Christ,  founded  churches, 
ordained  bishops,  priests,  and  deacons. "T[ 
Others  assert  that  it  was  St.  Paul,  and  oth- 
ers St.  James,  son  of  Zebedee,  who,  accord- 
ing to  Vincent  of  Beauvais,  had  preached 


from  India  to  Britain,  were  ;  even  from  the  cold 
regions  of  the  north  and  the  south  Atlantic  ;  so 
great  were  the  multitudes  of  men  from  all  nations." 
— St.  Jerome. 

*  "  Not  islands,  nor  a  continent,  nor  three  parts 
which  nature  hath  assigned  to  men." — Usher. 

"  The  word  of  God  has  been  preaclied  not  only 
on  the  continent,  but  even  in  those  islands  lying  in 
the  midst  of  the  sea  ;  they  are  full  of  Christians,  and 
of  the  servants  of  God.  The  sea  does  not  separate 
him  who  has  made  it.  Cannot  the  words  of  God 
approach  where  ships  approach  ?" — St.  Augiistin. 

"  So  great  was  the  progress  in  virtue,  that  the 
Romans,  the  Persians,  the  Medcs,  the  Scythians, 
the  Ethiopians,  Sarmatians,  Saracens,  and  every 
race  of  men  embraced  the  yoke  of  truth  in  a  space 
of  30  years." — Usher  on  St.  Paul,  p.  1053. 

"  Being  made  preacher  of  the  word  of  God,  he 
gained  the  reputation  of  his  faith,  teaching  both  in 
the  east  and  in  the  west.  Coming  to  the  bounda- 
ries of  the  west,  and  undergoing  martyrdopi,  decreed 
by  princes  against  him,  he  thus  passed  from  the 
world." — St.  Clemens,  disciple  of  Paul,  according 
to  Usher. 

t  Lib.  2,  cap.  40,  apud  Usser.  primord,  cap.  1, 
p.  7. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  48. 

§  Tom.  2,  Antig.  Lect.  Henr.  apud  Usser.  ibid. 

II  Metaphrast,  Comment,  de  Petro  et  Paulo,  ad 
diem  29  Junii. 

If  Baron.  Annal.  vol.  1,  art.  61,  Usser.  ibid. 


WARS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


103 


the  gospel  in  Ireland  :*  according  to  others, 
it  was  there  that  the  canonical  epistle  was 
written,  of  which,  in  the  general  and  more 
probable  opinion,  James  the  younger,  who 
was  bishop  of  Jerusalem,  was  the  author. f 
All  the  history  of  his  preaching  in  Ireland 
and  in  Spain  will  fall  of  itself,  if,  as  the 
critics  say,  he  had  been  put  to  death  by 
Herod,  before  the  separation  of  the  apostles. 
Although  it  be,  among  so  many  different 
opinions,  difficult  to  discover  the  truth,  it  is 
probable  that  the  gospel  had  been  preached 
at  an  early  period  in  those  islands  :|  Gildas 
Britannicus  bears  testimony  for  his  own 
nation,  and  the  Christians  whom  Ireland 
produced  in  the  first  ages  of  Christianity  are 
a  proof  in  fav^or  of  this  island.  But  as  the 
divine  word  had  fallen  in  a  barren  and  un- 
grateful soil,  and  that  it  did  not  please  God 
to  give  strength  to  it,  those  nations  soon  re- 

j  turned  to  their  former  worship. 

I  Among  the  number  of  the  first  Christians 
in  Ireland,  is  St.  Mansuy,  in  Latin,  Man- 
suetus,  a  disciple,  it  is  said,  of  St.  Peter, 
who  having  preached  the  gospel  in  Lorraine, 
by  order  of  this  apostle,  became  first  bishop 
of  Toul,  where  he  is  honored  as  first  patron. 
According  to  the  present  critics,  the  inhab- 
itants of  Toul  were  not  converted  till  the 
third  or  fourth  century,  in  which  case  this 
saint  could  not  have  been  a  disciple  of  St. 
Peter.  However  this  be,  St.  Mansuy  is 
always  acknowledged  first  bishop  of  Toul, 
and  was  canonized  in  the  eleventh  century 
by  Pope  Leo  IX.,  who  was  before  bishop  of 
this  see. 

Several  ancient  writers  mention  the  sanc- 
tity and  country  of  St.  Mansuy,^  extracts 
from  whose  works  are  to  be  foimd  in  the 
history  of  the  Galilean  church,  written  by 
Francis  Bosquet,  pretor  of  Narbonne,  and 
published  in  Paris  in  1636.    The  most  cele- 

j  brated  of  those  writers  is  Adso,  abbot  of 
Montiers-en-Derf,  who  wrote,  in  the  tenth 
century,  the  life  of  this  holy  saint,  by  order 
of  Gerrard,  who  was  then  bishop  of  Toul  ;|| 
but  the  verses  which  were  placed  at  the  head 
of  his  work,  in  which  he  sings  the  praises  of 
the  saint,  are  omitted  in  the  Bosquet  edition. 


*  In  gpec.  Hist.  lib.  8,  c.  7.  Usser.  p.  5. 

t  Hug.  Archipresbyter  Toletanus  in  Chronic, 
apud  Usser.  primord.  cap.  16,  p.  743. 

t  Britannorum  inaccess  Romanis  loca,  Christo 
vero  subdita,  Tertull.  contra  Jud.  cap.  7. 

§  "  From  the  annals  of  the  Tullenses,  St.  Man- 
suetus  was  bishop  and  a  disciple  of  St.  Peter :  he 
was  from  the  nation  of  Scotia." — Usher. 

II  "  Of  Toul  in  Gaul,  St.  Mansuetus,  a  native  of 
Scotia,  was  bishop  and  a  disciple  of  St.  Peter." — 
Usher 


Dempster,  always  eager  for  the  glory  of  his 
country,  and  desirous  that  it  should  have  the 
honor  of  giving  birth  to  this  saint,  quotes 
the  first  line  of  Adso,  in  which  he  is  simply 
called  a  Scot,  "  protulerat  quemdam  gene- 
rosum  Scotia  natum,  Mansuetum,"  but  sup- 
presses the  following  stanza,*  which  plainly 
indicates  his  country  to  have  been  Ireland, 
anciently  called  Scotia,  and  implies,  that,  in 
the  time  of  this  saint,  his  country  abounded 
with  true  worshippers.  Dempster  possesses, 
in  an  admirable  way,  the  talent  of  appro- 
priating to  himself  what  does  not  belong  to 
him,t  like  the  bird  in  the  fable  which  decks 
itself  with  borrowed  plumes  ;  and  by  means 
of  the  analogy  of  the  names  Scotia  and  Scoti, 
claims,  says  Usher,  every  character  cele- 
brated for  learning  or  piety  mentioned  by 
the  ancients  under  the  name  of  Scots,  at  a 
time  when  the  Scoto-Britons  were  confined 
to  the  narrow  limits  of  Dalriada,  forming 
but  an  inconsiderable  canton  in  Albania. | 

The  modern  Scotch  follow  the  example  of 
Dempster,  and  load  the  Irish  with  those  re- 
proaches which  they  themselves  have  reason 
to  expect  from  this  nation.  Abercromby, 
one  of  their  authors,  says  gravely,  "  that  he 
is  sorry  to  reproach  Ireland  with  the  rob- 
bery not  only  of  flocks  and  cattle^  but  also 
of  a  number  of  great  men.  He  must  be 
poor  indeed,"  adds  he,  "  who  boasts  of  what 
does  not  belong  to  him." 

These  are  high-sounding  words,  which 
prove  nothing ;  Abercromby  should  have 
begun  with  the  source,  by  laying  it  down  as 
an  indisputable  principle,  and  proving  by 
authentic  monuments,  that  the  Scotch  mon- 
archy had  been  founded  previous  to  the 
year  503  :  that  this  people  alone  were  known 
by  the  name  of  Scots,  before  and  after  this 
period,  till  the  ninth  century,  and  the  re- 
duction of  the  Picts  ;  and  lastly,  that  mod- 
ern Scotland  had  been  celebrated  in  the 
first  ages  of  Christianity  for  piety  and  learn- 
ing, while  ignorance  and  irreligion  pre- 
vailed in    Ireland  ;    but,    unfortunately  for 

*  Inclyta  Manusueli  Claris  natalibus  orti 
Progenies  titulis  fulget  in  orbe  suis, 
Insula  Christicolas  gestabet  Hibernia  gentes. 
Unde  genus  traxit  et  stratus  unde  fuit. 

t  "  The  origin  of  Mansuetis  descended  of  illus- 
trious parentage,  shines  in  the  world  ;  the  island  of 
Hibernia  has  borne  a  Christian  people,  and  hath  also 
borne  him." — Ware. 

\  "  And  from  thence,  as  many  of  the  Scoti  as  he 
had  discovered  of  celebrity  among  writers  (when 
the  Scoto-Britanni  were  confined  within  the  narrow 
boundaries  of  Dalrieda)  to  be  drawn  in  crowds :  he 
transfers  them  to  the  lesser  Scotia,  confines  them 
to  an  angle,  and  confounds  all  in  amass." — Usher, 
c.  16,  page  738. 


104 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


him,  the  contrary  has  been  frequently  proved. 
The  judicious  reader  may  infer  what  degree 
of  belief  the  Scotch  authors,  after  Fordun, 
merit*  (who  was  the  first  to  forge  their  chi- 
merical antiquity,  in  tlie  fourteenth  century) 
in  comparison  with  Bede,  Giraldus  Cam- 
brensis,  Luddus,  Camden,  the  bishop  of 
St.  Asaph,  Stillingflcet,  Usher,  Ware,  and 
so  many  others,  who  were  foreigners,  and  not 
interested  in  this  dispute.  The  learned  El- 
finstone,  bishop  and  chancellor  of  Scotland 
imder  James  the  IV.,  was  so  little  pleased 
with  the  historical  chimeras  of  his  country- 
men respecting  ancient  times,  that  he  re- 
fers the  curious  to  the  ancient  monuments 
of  the  Irish,  to  acquire  a  more  ample  know- 
ledge of  them.f  Buchanan  himself  was  so 
diffident  of  this,  that  he  confessed  it  v.^as 
with  difficulty  he  had  determined  on  writing 
the  history  of  his  country .;{:  But  what  should 
confound  those  plagiarists,  and  prove  the 
vanity  of  their  pretensions  respecting  the 
missionaries  and  learned  men  mentioned  by 
foreign  authors,  under  the  name  of  Scots, 
is  the  obscurity  of  that  people  before  the 
ninth  century,  and  their  neglect  in  those 
early  days,  as  Innes,  one  of  their  modern 
historians,  allows.  Camden,  who  describes 
Scotland  and  Ireland  in  his  Britannia,  says 
nothing  of  the  religion  of  the  Scotch,  while 
he  gives  the  highest  praise  to  the  Irish,  both 
for  their  piety  and  learning :  he  says  that 
Ireland  was  called  the  Island  of  Saints,  on 
account  of  the  rapid  progress  Christianity 
had  made  in  it,  and  that  it  supplied  all  Eu- 
rope with  swarms  of  missionaries. 

Usher,  Colgan,^  Ware,  and  others,  mention 
four  holy  bishops,  called  by  Usher  the  pre- 
cursors of  St.  Patrick,  as  they  had  preached 
the  gospel  in  Ireland |1  some  years  before 
Pope  Celestine  had  sent  him  to  convert  this 
island. T[  Those  saints  were  Declan,  Ailbeus, 
Kieran,  and  Ibar.**  Usher  gives  an  abridged 


*  See  Chapters  VI.  and  VII.  of  the  first  part  of 
this  history. 

t  See  the  Preface  of  Stillingfleet,  p.  53. 

t  "  Therefore  I  have  long  withheld  myself  from 
becoming  one  of  that  body,  lest  by  admiring  fables, 
as  others,  I  should  become  puerile." — Buchanan  in 
Camd.,  p.  85. 

§  Colg.  Triad.  Thaum,  append.  5,  cap.  15. 

II  Ware  de  Praesul.  et  Antiq.  cap.  29. 

^  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  85. 

**  "  Before  St.  Patrick,  four  very  holy  bishops 
came  to  Ireland  and  preached  the  doctrine  of  Christ. 
— Ailbeus,  Declanus,  Ibarus,  and  Kieranus  ;  who 
drew,  in  the  net  of  the  gospel,  many  to  Christ.  In 
the  meanwhile  the  Christian  faith  was  advanced  in 
Ireland,  by  the  preaching  of  three  other  holy  bish- 
ops, (besides  Kiaranus.)  before  the  arrival  of  St. 
Patrick  :  Bishop  Ailbeus  preached  in  various  places, 
also   St.   Ibarus,  who  was   bishop,   and  that  most 


history  of  the  life,  country,  and  mission  of 
these  holy  men.  Declan,  he  says,  son  of 
Ere,  prince  of  Nandesi,  of  the  royal  race  of 
the  kings  of  Tara,  (who  was  apparently  of 
the  race  of  Fiacha-Suidne,  brother  of  Con- 
Keadcaha,whose  descendants  were  banished 
from  Meath  by  the  monarch  Cormac  Ulfa- 
da,  on  account  of  their  revolt,)  having  been 
baptized  by  Colman,  a  priest  distinguished 
for  his  sanctity,  and  afterwards,  appointed 
bishop,  was  instructed  in  the  Christian  reli- 
gion by  Dymma,  who  had  lately  returned  to 
the  country,  of  which  he  was  a  native.  The 
young  proselyte  made  so  rapid  a  progress  in 
the  doctrine,  that  he  drew  after  him  a  great 
number  of  disciples  ;  among  others,  Mochel- 
loc.  Bean,  Colman,  Lachnin,  Mob,  Pind- 
lugue,  and  Caminan,  each  of  whom  built  a 
cell  or  chapel  in  the  environs  of  Mag-Scethih, 
otherwise  "  Campus-Scuti,"  in  the  territory 
of  Nandesi  and  county  of  Waterford,  which 
was  the  place  where  St.  Declan  resided. 

The  desire  of  becoming  perfect  induced  oiir 
saint  to  go  to  Rome,  with  some  of  his  disci- 
ples. He  wished  to  take,  from  the  source 
itself,  the  spirit  and  morals  becoming  his 
station,  and  to  receive  from  the  Vicar  of 
Jesus  Christ,  the  orders  and  mission  neces- 
sary to  preach  the  gospel.  On  his  arrival 
at  Rome,  he  was  received  with  distinction 
by  the  pope,  St.  Cyricius ;  and  his  noble, 
mild,  and  affable  deportment  rendered  him 
the  admiration  of  the  Roman  people.  After 
remaining  some  time  at  Rome,  St.  Declan 
was  ordained  bishop  by  the  pope,  and  sent 
back  to  his  own  country,  with  full  power  to 
preach  the  gospel. 

We  discover  in  the  life  of  St.  Declan  that 
he  met  St.  Ailbeus  at  Rome.*  The  latter 
was  a  native  of  the  territory  of  Eliach,  other- 
wise Ely-6-Carroll,  in  the  province  of  Mun- 
ster,  but  now  in  Leinster.  His  father  and 
mother  were  Olenais  and  Sandith.  In  his 
youth  he  was  instructed  and  baptized  by  a 
Christian  priest,  sent  by  the  holy  see  as  mis- 
sionary to  Ireland. 

After  some  time  St.  Ailbeus  went  to 
Rome,  where  he  perfected  himself  in  the 
holy  Scriptures,  under  the  guidance  of  bishop 
Hilarius,  who  having  witnessed  the  sanctity 
of  his  life,  and  purity  of  his  doctrine,  sent 
him  to  receive  orders  from  the  hands,  of  the 
pope.  The  sovereign  pontiff  received  him 
with  joy,  and  after  keeping  him  for  some 
time  with  him,  consecrated  him  bishop  for 
the  mission  of  Ireland,  his  country,  where 

holy  prelate   Declanus,  in  his  own   district,  called 
Nandesi."— I/sAec,  Church  Hist.,  c.  16,  p.  781. 
*  Usser.  Ind.  Chronol.  ad  ann.  397. 


WARS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


105 


he  found  an  abundant  harvest.  It  is  said 
that  he  wrote  rules  for  the  monks. 

St.  Kieran  was  born  in  Ireland,  of  noble 
parents,  about  the  year  352,  according  to 
the  calculation  of  Usher.*  His  father  was 
Lugny,  descended  in  the  ninth  degree  from 
Aongus-Osraige,  who  had  given  his  name 
to  the  territory  of  Ossory,  and  was  chief  of 
the  Fitzpatricks.f  Liedan,  his  mother,  de- 
rived her  origin  from  Lugaidge-Mac-Ithy,:}: 
whose  descendants  were  the  O'Driscols, 
lords  of  Corco-Luidhe,  a  maritime  district 
in  southern  Munster,  comprising  the  barony 
of  Carbery,  in  the  county  of  Cork,  with  the 
adjacent  isles. 

The  authors  of  the  life  of  this  saint  do 
not  agree  concerning  the  place  of  his  birth  : 
some  say  he  was  born  in  Osraige,  and  others 
in  the  territory  of  Corco-Luidhe,  the  country 
of  his  mother.  However  this  be,  Kieran 
dedicated  the  first  thirty  years  of  his  life  to 
God  in  Clere  island,  called,  in  the  Irish  lan- 
guage, "  Innis-Clere,"  on  the  borders  of  Cor- 
co-Luidhe, in  practices  of  abstinence  and 
every  moral  virtue,  without  having  been  as 
yet  baptized.  Having  thus  performed  his 
novitiate,  and  the  name  of  Christianity  hav- 
ing reached  him,  he  left  his  retreat  with  the 
intention  of  seeking,  in  the  Christian  reli- 
gion, what  was  wanting  to  his  perfection. 
For  this  purpose  he  went  to  Rome,  where 
he  received  baptism,  and  devoted  twenty 
years  of  his  life  to  the  meditation  of  holy 
books.  He  was  ordained  bishop  by  Pope 
Anastasius,  and  set  out  on  his  return  to 
Ireland,  accompanied  by  five  ecclesiastics 
of  his  own  country,  who  were,  Lugaid, 
Columban,  Meldan,  Lugace,  and  Cassan, 
about  the  year  402. 

Before  Kieran  left  Italy,  he  met  St. 
Patrick  going  to  Rome,  and  the  saints  of  God 
were  rejoiced,  says  the  author  of  his  life.^ 
At  that  time  St.  Patrick  was  not  bishop,  nor 
nominated  apostle  of  Ireland.  Colgan,  ac- 
cording to  an  old  manuscript  of  Kilkenny, 
says  that  St.  Patrick  had  on  that  occasion 
spoken  to  St.  Kieran  in  these  words  : — 
"  Continue  your  journey  to  Ireland  ;  in  the 
middle  of  that  country  you  will  discover  a 
fountain,  called  Fuaran ;  you  will  there 
cause  a  monastery  to  be  built,  and  in  thirty 
years  I  shall  visit  you  there."  After  this 
the  two  saints  blessed  each  other  with  the 
kiss  of  peace,  and  then  parted. 

St.  Kieran's  first  care,  after  his  return 
to  Ireland,  was  to  seek  the  fountain  pointed 

*  Usser.  primord.  Eccles.  Britan.  cap.  16,  p.  788. 

+  War.  de  Praesul-Hib. 

t  Colgan,  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  p.  458 

§  Usser.  primord.  cap.  16,  p.  791. 


out  to  him  by  St.  Patrick,  and  having  dis- 
covered it  on  the  confines  of  Munster  and 
Leinster,  in  the  country  of  Heli,  at  present 
the  barony  of  Ballybrit,  he  had  a  small  cell 
built  there,  and  led  in  it  the  life  of  a  hermit. 
This  cell  became  afterwards  enlarged,  and 
was  surrounded  by  a  town :  it  was  then 
converted  into  a  monastery,  and  an  episco- 
pal see,  of  which  St.  Kieran  was  first  bishop ; 
it  was  called  Sayghir,  otherwise  Seir-Kieran. 
This  see  was  probably  transferred  to  Agha- 
voe,  in  Upper  Ossory  ;  whereas  in  the  an- 
nals of  Leinster,  on  the  year  1052,  a  church 
is  mentioned  to  have  been  built  at  Aghavoe, 
where  the  shrine  of  St.  Canice  was  depos- 
ited. "  Templum  Aghavoe  constructum 
est,  et  Cannici  scrinium  ibi  collocatum." 
Canice,  son  of  Laidec,  a  celebrated  poet, 
was  the  founder  and  first  abbot  of  the  ab- 
bey of  Aghavoe,  where  he  died  the  fifth  of 
the  ides  of  October,  in  the  year  599  or  600. 
The  episcopal  see  was  at  length  removed 
from  Aghavoe  to  Kilkenny,  towards  the  end 
of  the  12th  century,  by  Felix  O'Didlany, 
then  bishop. 

The  talent  which  the  Lord  confided  to 
Kieran  produced  good  profit;  he  drew  many 
from  the  darkness  of  paganism  and  idolatry, 
particularly  in  the  country  of  Ossory.  His 
doctrine  was  confirmed  by  a  great  number 
of  miracles,  as  related  by  Colgan.*  Ware 
says,  "  He  was  a  man  greatly  celebrated 
for  his  sanctity  and  his  learning.  I  cannot, 
however,  (continues  he,)  assert  for  truth  that 
he  was  the  Quirinus  to  whom,  as  to  other 
bishops  of  Albania,  Pope  Gregory  I.  ad- 
dressed his  61st  epistle,!  which  is  still  in 
the  ninth  book  of  the  registry  of  that  pope, 
although  the  great  celebrity  of  Kieran,  the 
long  life  he  enjoyed,  and  the  analogy  of  the 
name,  induce  us  to  believe  it.| 

Indeed,  the  old  Irish  did  not  make  use 
of  K  and  Q  ;  the  C  among  them  was  pro- 
nounced like  those  letters  :  as  Ciaran  (it  is 
thus  the  Irish  write  this  name)  was  pro- 
nounced Kieran  or  Quiaran,  as  Cicero  was 
among  the  Romans,  Kikero :  in  the  same 
manner  Ciaranus,  Kiaranus,  and  Quiaranus, 
bear  a  strong  analogy  to  Quirinus  ;  this  adds 
strength  to  the  conjecture  of  Ware.  But 
chronology  is  opposed  to  him  ;  for  by  sup- 


*  In  vita  Kiarani.     t  Usser.  Vet.  Epis.  Syl.  epis.  2. 

I  "  He  was  a  man  of  great  influence,  on  account 
of  his  sanctity  and  doctrine.  I  do  not,  however, 
venture  to  affirm  that  Quirinus  was  the  same  as 
he  to  whom  the  61st  letter  of  Gregory  I.  was  writ- 
ten, as  well  as  to  other  bishops  in  Ireland.  The 
letter  is  still  extant  in  the  registry  of  Gregory  ; 
though  the  name  of  Kiaranus,  his  great  age,  and 
eminent  sanctity,  would  incline  us  to  it." — Ware. 
34 


106 


HISTORY   OF    IRELAND. 


;  posing  that  Saint  Kicran  died  in  5  19,  we 
1  should  also  suppose  that  St.  Gregory  had 
I  written  this  epistle  in  his  youth,  and  long 
I  before  his  elevation  to  the  pontilieate,  which 
I  did  not  happen  till  590. 
I       Saint  Kierau  ended  at  length  his  mortal 
'  career,  at  an  advanced  age,  the  5th  of  March, 
j  549  ;  so  that  we  do  not  confound  him  with 
I  Saint  Kiernan,  abbot  of  Cluan-Mac-Noisk, 
who  died  this  same  year.     The  place  of  his 
death  is  uncertain  ;  according  to  some  Eng- 
lish martyrologists,  it  was  in  the  county  of 
Cornwall  in  England  ;  and  Dempster,  with 
his  accustomed  license,  places  him  in  the 
calendar  of  the  Scottish  saints. 

The  five  companions  of  St.  Kieran,  who 
followed  him  from  Rome,  were  ordained 
bishops,  and  labored  with  great  zeal  for  the 
conversion  of  souls,  particularly  in  Leinster, 
where  they  founded  churches,  viz.,  those 
of  Cill-Airthir,  Cluaiu-Ernain,  Cluano-Cre- 
ma,  Ferdrum,  and  Domnach-Mor  in  the 
plain  of  JNIagh-Echnach.*  Lastly,  St.  Ibar, 
called  in  the  Irish  language  Ibuir,  a  native 
of  the  province  of  Ulster,  preached  the 
gospel  with  success  in  different  parts  of 
Ireland,  particularly  in  the  territory  of  Gei- 
siol  He  there  founded  a  celebrated  monas- 
tery in  an  island  called  Beg-Erinn,  which 
means  little  Ireland,  on  the  borders  of  Hua- 
I  Kinseallagh,  at  present  the  county  of  Wex- 
ford, where  he  ended  his  days  with  a  high 
reputation  of  sanctity.  This  place  was 
much  frequented  in  succeeding  ages  by  a 
great  concourse  of  the  faithful,  who  went 
j  thither  for  their  devotion. 

About  this  time  is  recorded  the  martyr- 

I  dom  of  St.  Eliph,  whose  acts  are  written  at 

j  full  length  by  Rupert,  abbot  of  the  abbey  of 

Duitz,  near  Cologne,  and  briefly  mentioned 

by  Mersoeus  Cratepolius,  in  a  small  treatise 

on  the  saints  of  Germany. 

Saint  Eliph,  says  he,  son  of  the  king  of 
Scotia,  (Ireland,)  having  given  up  vast  pos- 
sessions in  his  own  country,  persuaded  that 
it  was  delightful  to  serve  God  in  poverty, 
came  to  Toul,  followed  by  thirty-three  dis- 
ciples, where  he  was  cast  into  prison  as  a 
traitor  to  the  country  ;  but  he  was  delivered 
that  night  by  the  grace  of  God,  and  in  a 
miraculous  manner  :  after  this  he  preached 
everywhere'  with  zeal  the  word  of  God, 
and  converted  in  a  short  time  more  than 
four  hundred  persons,  whom  he  baptized  ; 
this  irritated  the  emperor  Julian  the  Apos- 
tate (an  avowed  enemy  to  the  Christian 
name)  so  powerfully  against  him,  that  he 
had  him  seized  and  beheaded.f     This  event 


*  Usser.  Vet.  Epist.  Syllog.  cpist.  2. 

t  "  Saint  Eliphius,  son  of  the  king  of 


Scotia, 


happened,  according  to  the  catalogue  of  the 
archbishop  of  Cologne,  in  the  year  393  ;  but 
as  that  was  the  year  in  which  Julian  died 
in  Persia,  it  is  better  to  place  the  martyrdom 
of  the  saint  in  360,  when  that  emperor  went 
into  Gaul  and  was  declared  Augustus  by  the 
army,  particularly  as  he  suffered,  according 
to  Rupert,  in  conformity  with  the  martyro- 
logies  of  Bede,  of  Ado,  and  the  Roman,  the 
6th  of  October,  in  presence  of  the  emperor 
himself,  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Vere, 
between  the  cities  of  Toul  on  the  north,  and 
Grands,  an  ancient  city  of  southern  Lorraine. 

The  body  of  the  saint  was  buried  upon  a 
mountain  at  some  distance  from  the  place 
of  his  martyrdom,  called  after  him.  Mount 
St.  Eliph,  from  whence  it  was  transferred  by 
Bruno  I.,  archbishop  of  Cologne,  and  depos- 
ited in  the  church  of  St.  Martin  Major, 
which  formerly  belonged  to  the  nation  of 
the  Scots.  Rupert  also  mentions  Euchar, 
bishop  and  martyr,  brother  of  St.  Eliph,  and 
his  three  sisters,  Menna,  Libaria,  and  Susana, 
who  suffered  for  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ. 

According  to  the  Roman  martyrology,  the 
festival  of  St.  Gunifort,  martyr,  is  kept  at 
Pavia,  the  twenty-second  of  August.  The 
acts  of  this  saint's  life  are  found  in  Mom- 
britius,  tom.  1 ;  in  the  catalogue  of  the  saints 
of  Italy,  by  Philip  Ferrarius  ;  and  in  the 
Sanctuary  of  Pavia,  by  Guallas.  This  saint 
was  descended  of  noble  parents  in  Scotia, 
where  he  was  converted  to  the  Christian 
religion.  Although  persecution  against  the 
Christians  was  strong  in  his  own  country, 
still,  being  under  the  care  of  powerful  pa- 
rents, he  had  not  the  opportunity  to  indulge 
the  desire  he  had  of  martyrdom  :  it  was  this 
that  made  him  undertake  to  leave  his  coun- 
try with  his  brother  Gunibald  and  his  two 
sisters,  and  come  into  Germany,  where  his 
sisters  gave  a  glorious  testimony  of  their 
faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  by  their  sufferings. 

It  is  difficult  to  determine  the  time  in 
which  these  saints  lived.  The  persecution 
which  Ireland  underwent  in  their  time  would 
induce  us  to  suppose  that  it  was  before  St. 
Patrick,  and  the  complete  conversion  of  the 

iiaving  abandoned  vast  possessions,  was  delighted 
to  serve  Christ  the  Lord  God  in  poverty.  In  the 
city  of  Toul,  together  with  thirty-three  of  his 
faithful  companions,  being  betrayed,  he  was  thrown 
with  them  into  prison,  but,  by  the  goodness  of  God, 
was  miraculously  delivered  in  the  night.  After 
this,  he  himself  preached  with  constancy  and  fer- 
vor, and  made  a  great  harvest  in  the  vineyard  of 
the  Lord  :  he  converted  in  a  short  time  and  baptized 
400  persons.  But  the  emperor  Julian  the  Apostate, 
being  incensed  against  him  because  he  boldly  pro- 
claimed the  glory  of  Christ,  of  whom  he  was 
envious,  caused  him  to  be  arrested,  and  had  him 
beheaded,  A.  d.  350."— Usher,  c.  16,  p.  785. 


WARS    OF    THE  MILESIANS. 


107 


island.  The  place  of  their  martyrdom  is 
likewise  uncertain. 

Dempster,  who,  in  his  doubtful  acceptation 
of  the  name  Scot,  wishes  to  make  them  his 
countrymen,  falls  into  strang-e  contradictions 
on  these  two  points.  He  first  says,  in  book  I. 
of  his  Ecclesiastical  History,  that  the  two 
sisters  of  these  saints  suffered  martyrdom  a 
year  before  their  brothers,  that  is,  m  419  ; 
but  he  appears  to  forget  himself  when  he 
says,  in  his  fourth  book,  that  St.  Dardaluch, 
one  of  the  sisters,  whose  festival  is  observed 
at  Pressing  in  Bavaria,  on  the  'calends  of 
February,  and  whom  he  imagines  to  have 
been  Scotch,  had  gone  with  her  brothers 
from  Scotland  in  420,  a  time  when  a  Scotch 
kingdom  had  not  been  yet  known  to  be 
founded  in  Britain.  The  contradiction  is 
still  more  obvious  when  he  says,  in  the 
seventh  book,  that  the  two  brothers  had 
suffered  martyrdom  in  417,  one  at  Como, 
and  the  other  at  Milan,  in  the  time  of  the 
emperor  Theodosius,  as  if  the  Christians 
had  been  persecuted  at  Milan,  or  in  any 
part  of  Italy,  in  the  time  of  that  emperor.* 

On  the  calends  of  December,  the  festival 
of  St.  Florentinus,  priest  and  confessor,  and 
a  native  of  Ireland,  whose  life  is  taken  from 
the  ancient  monuments  of  the  church  in  the 
city  of  Amboise,  according  to  the  martyrol- 
ogy  of  Usuard,  is  kept.f  That  saint  after 
leaving  his  country,  made  a  voyage  to  Rome, 
and  was  thrown  into  prison  by  order  of  the 
emperor  Claudius.  During  his  imprison- 
ment, he  baptized  lanety-six  persons,  both 
men  and  women,  in  the  number  of  whom 
was  iVsterius,  the  jailer  ;  he  then  sent  them 
to  pope  Calixtus  to  be  confirmed.  Although 
this  event  be  considered  to  have  occurred  in 
the  third  century,  it  is  not  easy  to  determine 
the  epoch  with  precision,  on  account  of  the 
difference  of  about  fifty  years,  discoverable 
between  the  pontificate  of  Calixtus  and  the 
reign  of  Claudius.  A  farther  difficulty 
arises  by  supposing  that,  according  to  the 
subsequent  part  of  this  saint's  life,  he  had 

*  "  That  these  thuigs  had  been  divided  into  pe- 
riods without  distinction  of  time,  the  arrangement 
of  the  years,  which  is  incongruous  and  discordant, 
proves ;  but  this  it  confirms,  that  Cunibaldns  was 
put  to  death  at  Canara  or  Comi,  for  Clirist ;  but 
Gunifortus  was  said  to  be  put  to  death  at  Milan  by 
the  arrows  of  unbeHevers ;  as  if  Theodosius,  wlio 
ruled  as  emperor  at  Milan,  rendered  the  times  pa- 
gan and  not  Christian." — Ush'er's  Church  History, 
c.  16,  p.  795. 

t  "  Florentinus,  a  glorious  confessor  of  Christ, 
was  born  in  Ireland,  and  being  brought  up  under 
the  care  and  solicitude  of  his  parents,  Theophilus 
and  Benigna,  became  worthy  of  the  grace  of  God 
from  his  earliest  youth." — Usher's  Church  History, 
p.  760. 


been  contemporary  of  Theodebert,  and  Clo- 
thaire,  who  reigned  in  Gaul  at  the  beginning 
of  the  sixth  century. 

Laogare,  son  of  Niall-NoygioUach,  and 
cousin-german  to  Dathy,  was  his  successor 
in  the  supreme  government  of  Ireland,  a.  d. 
428. 

According  to  Usher,  the  third  devastation 
of  the  Britons  happened  in  the  year  431, 
and  consequently  in  the  reign  of  Laogare. 
The  Scots  and  Picts  having  learned  that  the 
Romans  refused  assistance  to  the  Britons, 
assembled  all  their  force,  and  advanced  to 
the  side  of  the  famous  wall  which  the  Romans 
caused  to  be  built,  extending  from  sea  to 
sea,  with  the  towers  at  proper  distances,  in 
which  sentinels  and  armed  men  were  placed 
for  its  defence.  This  barrier,  defended  by 
the  undisciplined  Britons,  held  out  but  for  a 
short  time.  The  sentinels  were  dragged  by 
the  barbarians  from  the  walls  by  means  of 
hooks.*  *  A  breach  being  afterwards  made, 
they  entered  the  country,  and  committed 
every  species  of  cruelty,  forcing  the  poor 
Britons  who  escaped  the  sword,  to  seek  for 
safety  in  caverns  and  other  hiding-places,  to 
conceal  themselves  from  their  fury.f  It  was 
on  this  occasion  that  the  Britons  wrote  to 
iEtius,  the  Roman  consul,  to  represent  to  him 
the  deplorable  state  of  their  affairs,  and  to 
seek  for  some  assistance  from  him.  They 
mentioned  among  other  things,  "  that  the 
barbarians  drove  them  into  the  sea,  and  that 
the  sea  drove  them  back  on  the  barbarians ; 
so  that  they  had  only  the  choice  remaining, 
of  being  either  put  to  the  sword,  or  drowned. "J 
This  letter  did  not  produce  the  effect  the 
Britons  expected :  the  Romans  had  to  defend 


*  "  The  hooked  weapons  of  the  enemy  cease 
not ;  the  undisciplined  defenders  being  miserably 
dragged  from  the  walls,  were  dashed  against  the 
ground." — Be.de,  b.  1,  c.  12. 

t  "  The  Romans  having  withdrawn  themselves 
from  Britain,  the  Scots  sally  forth  from  their  cur- 
raghs,  in  which  they  were  carried  over  the  Scythian 
valley,  these  foul  flocks  united  with  the  Picts, 
though  differing  in  custom,  were  agreed  in  a  similar 
thirst  for  blood  ;  in  the  8th  year  of  Theodosius,  the 
Roman  army  being  taken  out  of  Britain,  and  their 
denial  to  return  having  become  known  to  the  Scots 
and  Picts,  these  return  and  attack  the  whole  coun- 
I  try  from  the  north  as  far  as  the  wall.  The  guards 
'  being  either  slain  or  entirely  routed,  and  the  wall 
partly  broken  down,  the  cruel  robbers  triumph  in 
their  career." — Bede  and  Usher. 

"  In  the  8th  year  of  the  Emperor  Theodosius, 
the  Roman  army  being  withdrawn  from  Britain,  the 
Scots  and  Picts  return  and  attack  the  entire  country 
from  the  north  to  the  wall." — Chronicles  of  Usher. 

t  "  The  barbarians  drive  us  into  the  sea,  the  sea 
drives  us  back  upon  the  barbarians,  so  that  between 
this  two-fold  destruction,  we  are  either  drowned  or 
put  to  the  sword." — Bede's  Church  Hist.  b.  1,  c.  13. 


108 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


their  own  frontiers  against  the  Ilnns,  and 
could  not  send  them  the  succor  which  they 
sought.  But  (hey  (bund  a  remedy  for  their 
misfortunes  in  one  nol)le  ellbrt,  often  the 
result  of  despair.  Seeing  themselves  aban- 
doned by  their  old  protectors,  the  Romans, 
and  on  the  eve  of  perishing  with  famine,  or 
falling  into  the  hands  of  the  barbarians,  they 
formed  the  bold  resolution  of  leaving  their 
retreats,  and  to  risk  their  lives  in  order  to 
deliver  themselves  from  slavery :  they  at- 
tacked the  Scots  and  Picts  unawares,  and 
made  a  dreadful  carnage  among  them.  The 
Scots  or  Dalriads,  alarmed  at  this  resolution 
of  the  Britons,  and  not  being  supported  as 
hitherto  by  the  Scots  of  Ireland,  abandoned 
their  settlement  in  Albania,  and  withdrew  to 
Ireland,  having  Eocha,  surnamed  Munraver, 
for  their  chief,  and  the  Picts  took  refuge 
among  the  mountains  of  Albania.*  It  was 
on  this  occasion  that  Bede,  after  Gildas, 
said,  that  those  daring  robbers,  the  Irish, 
returned  home,  intending  to  go  back  in  a 
short  time.f  Is  not  the  dissolution  of  their 
pretended  monarchy,  mentioned  by  the 
Scotch,  contained  in  the  above  account  ? 
May  it  not  be  supposed  that  Eocha,  who 
commanded  the  Dalriads  in  this  shameful 
flight,  Ere,  his  son,  who  led  them  back  from 
Ireland  to  Albania  some  years  afterwards, 
and  Fergus,  son  of  the  latter,  who  became 
their  king,  are  the  same  as  Ethac  or  Echo- 
dius,  who,  according  to  Fordon,  withdrew 
with  his  son  Erth  to  Ireland,  at  the  time  of 
the  edict  of  Maximus,  and  Fergus,  son  of 
Erth,  who  re-established  the  monarchy  ? 

Although  these  refugees  were  well  re- 
ceived by  the  Dalriads  of  Ulster,  their  kins- 
men and  allies,  they  did  not  relinquish  the 
desire  of  recovering  their  patrimony  in  Alba- 
nia. They  returned  after  some  time,  com- 
manded by  Ere,  son  of  Eocha,  their  last  chief, 
whom  Usher  calls  the  father  of  the  Scotch 
kings : "  Qui  Scotiae  regibus  dedit  originem."t 
They  were  soon  followed  by  Maine-Leavna 
son  of  Core,  king  of  Munster,  who  settled 
with  his  colony  in  a  territory,  called  after  his 
name,  Mor-Mor-Leavna,  now  the  duchy  of 
Lenox.  The  six  sons  of  Muireadh,  son  of 
Eogan,  and  grandson  of  Niall,  namely,  the 
two  Lodains,  the  two  Aonguses,  and  the  two 
Ferguses,  with  their  vassals,  followed  the 
example  and  fortune  of  their  countrymen 
the  more  willingly,  as  Erca,  their  mother 
was  of  the  family  of  Ere,  then  chief  of  the 
Dalriads,  by  Loarne,  his  eldest  son,  whose 

*  Kennedy,  p.  138. 

t  "  These  daring  robbers,  the  Irish,  return  home, 
purposing  to  come  back  after  a  short  time." — Bede, 
b.  1,  c.  14.         X  Primord.  cap.  15,  p.  689. 


grand-daughter  she  was.*  All  those  tribes, 
united  by  the  ties  of  a  common  origin,  after- 
wards formed  a  numerous  and  powerful 
people.  Besides  Cantyre  and  Argyle,  the 
residence  of  their  fathers  before  their  retreat, 
they  possessed  the  territories  of  Knapdal, 
Lorn,  Brunalbain,  and  Lenox,  with  all  the 
islands  on  the  western  coast  of  Albania  ;t 
but  still  something  was  wanting  to  the  per- 
fection of  this  colony.  The  Dalriads  had 
till  that  time  been  divided  into  tribes,  without 
laws,  or  any  other  form  of  government, 
commanded  only  by  a  chief,  whose  attention 
was  divided  between  them  and  the  Dalriads 
of  Ulster.  To  obviate  the  disadvantages 
arising  from  so  imperfect  an  administration, 
they  thought  on  electing  a  king  :  the  lot  fell 
on  Fergus,  son  of  Ere,  descended  in  the 
ninth  degree  from  Eocha  Riada.  Fergus  was 
in  Ulster  at  the  time  of  this  election  ;  he 
departed  immediately  with  a  new  colony, 
accompanied  by  his  brothers,  to  take  pos- 
session of  his  kingdom,  where  he  was  sol- 
emnly crowned  on  the  superstitious  stone, 
which  Mortagh-Mac-Earca,  his  grand  ne- 
phew, had  sent  him  for  this  purpose. j:  Ki- 
nal-Loarn  derived  his  name  from  Loarn. 
eldest  brother  of  Fergus,  from  whom  are 
descended,  by  Ferguard-Fada,  the  Mac 
Lanes,  the  Mac  Kenseys,  and  several  other 
distinguished  families  in  Scotland. 

Usher  says  that  the  Scots  had  returned 
to  Ireland,  their  country,  after  the  third 
consulship  of  iEtius,  that  is,  in  446  ;  that 
they  soon  afterwards  returned,  and  settled 
again  in  the  north  of  Britain,  which  was,  he 
says,  effected  by  Fergus,  whose  reign,  ac-  | 
cording  to  the  Scots  of  Ireland,  agreeably  to 
the  argimients  of  Gildas  and  Bede,  was  sub- 
sequent to  the  consulship  of  ^tius.i^i  In 
his  chronological  table,  he  fixes  the  passage 
of  Fergus  and  his  brothers  from  Ireland  to 
Albania,  in  the  year  503.  He  afterwards 
refers  to  the  life  of  St.  Patrick,  written  in 
the  twelfth  century  by  Joeelin,  an  English 
monk,  in  which  it  is  said  that  Ere,  a  prince 
of  the  Dalriads  in  Ulster,  dying,  had  left 
twelve  sons,  of  whom  Fergus  was  the  young- 
est ;  that  the  latter,  seeing  himself  despised 
by  ins  brothers,  and  excluded  from  partici- 
pating the  right  to  succeed  his  father,  had 

*  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  39. 

t  Usser.  Primord.  c.  15,  p.  612. 

t  Lecan.  fol.  119,  p.  A.  col.  2. 

§  "  After  the  third  consulship  of  JEtius,  in  the 
year  446,  the  Scots  returned  into  their  own  coun- 
try, (Ireland,)  and  after  a  short  time  fixed  a  settle- 
ment in  North  Britain.  This,  it  is  thought,  was 
effected  through  means  of  Fergusius:  his  reign, 
according  to  the  Scots  of  Ireland,  as  Bede  has  it, 
was  later  than  the  consulship  of  iEtius." — Usher's 
Church  Hist.  c.  15,  p.  609. 


WARS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


109 


recourse  to  St.  Patrick,  and  entreated  him  to 
make  them  do  him  justice  ;  that  the  saint, 
knowing  the  justice  of  his  claims,  inter- 
ceded with  his  brothers,  and  made  them  re- 
store to  him  the  portion  which  belonged  to 
him  by  right  ;  that  having  given  him  his 
benediction,  he  foretold  that,  although  he 
then  appeared  humble  and  despised  by  his 
brothers,  he  would  soon  be  their  prince  ; 
that  his  descendants  would  be  powerful  kings 
who  would  reign  not  only  in  Ireland,  but 
also  in  a  distant  region.*  The  prophecy, 
says  Jocelin,  was  literally  fulfilled,  Fergus 
obtaining  the  sovereignty  in  Albania,  where 
his  posterity  have  since  reigned.  Usher  again 
quotes  the  annals  of  Tigernach,  which  fix 
the  reign  of  Fergus  in  the  beginning  of  the 
pontificate  of  St.  Symmachus,  about  the  year 
498 ;  according  to  these  annals,  Fergus- 
More-Mac-Erca,  which  signifies  Fergus  the 
Great,  son  of  Erca,  with  the  Dalriads,  pos- 
sessed a  part  of  Britain,  where  he  died.f 
Speaking  afterwards  of  Ethach  or  Eocha- 
Munravar,  father  of  Ere,  who,  the  modern 
Scotch  historians  say,  was  brother  of  king 
Ugene,  and  who  was  killed  according  to 
them  by  Maximus  ;  he  says  that  Camden, 
after  a  more  ancient  author,  afiirms  him  to 
be  descended  from  Chonarus,  and  not  from 
a  doubtful  line  of  the  preceding  kings. :j: 
"  Fergus,"  says  Camden,  "was  the  first  that 
reigned  in  Albania,  from  Brun-Albain  as  far 
as  the  Irish  sea  and  Inch-Gall,  and  from  that 
time,  the  kings  of  the  race  of  Fergus  reigned 
in  Brun-Albain,  until  the  time  of  Alpine, 
son  of  Eoclial."^  This  kingdom,  which  did 
not  comprise  one-fourth  of  the  present  Scot- 
land, remained  in  this  state,  governed  by 
kings  who  were  the  descendants  of  Fergus. 
The  Picts,  who  possessed  the  rest  of  Albania, 
had  also  their  kings  until  the  ninth  century, 
when  the  Dalriads  overthrew  their  monarchy, 
made  themselves  masters  of  all  Albania,  and 
suppressed  even  the  name  of  Picts  ;  but  the 

*  "  Though  you  may  appear  humble  and  despised 
now  by  your  brothers,  you  will  be  in  a  short  time 
their  prince.  From  thee  the  best  kings  will  come 
forth,  who  will  rule  not  only  in  their  own,  but  also 
in  a  distant  and  foreign  land." — Usher's  Church 
Hist.  c.  15,  p.  609. 

t  •'  Fergus-More-Mac-Erca,  with  the  people  of 
Dalriada,  held  a  part  of  Britain,  and  died  in  it." — 
Usher's  Church  Hist.  p.  610,  c.  15. 

t  Camd.  Brit.  edit.  Lond.  c.  15,  p.  610. 

§  "  But  a  more  ancient  author,  cited  by  Camden, 
mentions  the  descent  of  Fergus  not  from  that  doubt- 
ful .race  of  preceding  kings,  but  from  another 
stock.  Fergus,  he  says,  the  son  of  Eric,  was  the 
first  who,  from  the  seed  of  Chronarus,  ruled  over 
Albania,  as  far  as  the  Irish  sea  and  Inch-Gall,  (the 
Hebrides)  and  from  thence  were  kings  of  the  seed 
of  Fergus,  who  ruled  over  Brun-Albain,  till  Alpinus 
son  of  Eochal." — Usher,  c.  15,  pp.  610,  611. 


country  was  not  yet  called  Scotland  :  "  as 
neither  Dalriada,"  says  Usher,  "  which  Avas 
the  seat  of  the  British  Scots  until  840,  nor 
even  all  Albania  after  the  defeat  of  the  Picts, 
had  taken  the  name  of  Scotland,  which  did 
not  take  place  until  the  eleventh  century, 
when  those  two  people,  united  together, 
formed  but  one  and  the  same  nation.  There 
cannot  be  produced  (continues  Usher)  any 
author  who  has  described*  Albania  under 
the  name  of  Scotland,  before  that  period."! 
When  the  English  had  given  the  name  of 
Irish  (in  Latin  Iri  or  Irenses)  to  the  Scots 
of  Ireland,  and  that  of  Ireland  to  their  isle, 
this  name  was  then  adopted  by  the  Germans, 
the  French,  the  Spaniards,  the  Italians,  and 
the  Arabians,  (which  did  not  happen  at  first, 
for  the  name,  Ireland,  was  not  yet  generally 
used  among  strangers,;}:  as  Adam  de  Breme, 
who  lived  in  the  eleventh  century,  and  Nubi- 
gensis,  in  the  twelfth,  were  the  first  who 
mentioned  it  ;)^  the  name  of  Scotland  was 
by  degrees  appropriated  to  Albania,  ||  which 
was  for  some  time  called  Scotia  Minor,  to 
distinguish  it  from  Ireland,  which  was  called 
Scotia  Major,T[  the  inhabitants  of  which  did 
not  lose,  all  of  a  sudden,  the  name  of  Scots  ; 
they  are  so  called,  in  the  eleventh  century, 
by  Hermann,  in  the  first  book  of  his  chro- 
nicle, and  by  Marianus  Scotus,  whom  Flo- 
rentius  Wigorniensis  mentions  in  his  annals ; 
when  speaking  of  1028,  he  says,  "in  this 
year  was  born  Marianus,  probably  a  Scot 
from  Ireland,  by  whose  care  this  excellent 
chronicle  has  been  compiled  from  several 
histories."**  We  discover  the  same  thing  in 
a  chronicle  in  the  Cottonian  library. ff  Theo- 

*  "  Dalrieda  had  not  been,  in  the  year  840,  the 
scat  of  the  British  Scots,  neither  had  it  the  name 
of  Scotia  ;  nor  did  Albania  itself,  after  the  defeat  of 
the  Picts,  and  until  the  two  people  formed  but  one 
body,  receive  the  name  of  Scotia,  wiiich  happened 
in  the  eleventh  century  after  the  nativity  of  Christ." 
—  Usher,  c.  16,  p.  734. 

t  "  Thus  we  think,  that  no  one  can  be  named 
among  those  who  have  written  in  former  years,  that 
ever  gave  to  Albania  the  name  of  Scotia." — Usher. 

t  Hist.  Eccles.  cap.  217. 

§  Geograp.  Arab  part  2,  Climatis  7. 

II  Petr.  Lombard.  Comment.  Hib.  cap.  2,  p.  34, 
cap.  13,  p.  116. 

IT  "  It  appears  there  were  two  Scotias,  the  great- 
er and  the  lesser.  Ireland  is  designated  by  the 
name  of  '  Scotia  Major,'  and  that  part  of  Britain 
called  by  some  Albania,  and  now  in  common, '  Sco- 
tia,' was  known  by  the  name  of  Minor.  So  that 
the  Albanian  Scots  flowed  as  it  were  from  a  river, 
out  of  Ireland,  to  the  land  which  they  now  inhab- 
it."— Stanihvrst,  b.  1,  p.  17. 

**  "  In  this  year  was  born  Marianus,  an  Irishman ; 

he  was  probably  a  Scot ;  by  his  labors  and  study, 

these    excellent     chronicles    were    condensed    and 

formed  from  diiTerent  works." — Usher,  c.  16,  p.  735. 

ft "  Marianus  the  chronographer,  a  Scot,  was  born 


no 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


doric,  abbot  of  the  monastery  of  St.  Trutlon, 
in  the  neii;"hboHu)0(l  of  Lie<ie,  who  wrote, 
in  the  begiimiiig  of  the  twelfth  century,  the 
life  of  St.  RumoUl,*  mentions  this  saint  to 
have  been  from  the  island  of  Scotia,  "  Scotia? 
insulam,"  separated  from  Britain  by  the  sea, 
which  can  oidy  have  reference  to  Ireland. 
St.  Bernard,  in  his  life  of  St.  Malachy,  dis- 
tinguishes this  island  from  British  Scotland, 
by  calling  it  "  Ulterior  Scotia  ;"t  and  when 
St.  Malachy  wished  to  build  an  oratory  of 
stone,  in  the  monastery  of  Benchuin,  in  Ul- 
ster, St.  Bernard  alludes  to  some  envious 
person  who  said  to  the  saint,  "  Oh,  good 
man,  why  do  you  think  of  introducing  nov- 
elties amongst  us  ?  We  are  Scots,  and  not 
Gauls. "J 

According  to  Bede,  the  building  of  stone 
churches  was  at  that  time  unknown  not  only 
in  Ireland  but  also  in  Britain.*^  Lastly,  we 
have  thetestimony  of  C2esarius  d'Heisterbach 
in  the  thirteenth  century,  who  makes  use  of 
the  name  "  Scotia,"  to  designate  Ireland, || 
saying  that  if  any  one  doubted  the  existence 
of  purgatory,  he  need  only  go  to  Scotia, 
where  he  would  find  the  purgatory  of  St. 
Patrick. 

The  claims  of  the  Milesians  respecting  the 
migrations  of  their  colonies,  which  gave  rise 
to  the  Scotch  nation,  are  supported  by  the 
authority  of  a  number  of  celebrated  authors. 
Bede  says,  that  besides  the  Britons  and  Picts, 
there  was  a  third  nation  of  Scots  in  Britain, 
who  having  left  Ireland  under  the  conduct  of 
Reuda,  their  chief,  took  possession,  either 
by  force  or  peaceably,  of  the  habitations 
Avhich  they  had  till  then  preserved,  and  were 
called  from  his  name,  Dalreudini.TI 

Giraldus,  surnamed  Cambrensis,**  says, 
that  in  the  reign  of  Niall  the  Great  in  Ire- 
land, the  six  sons  of  Muredus,  king  of 
Ulster,  with  a  considerable  fleet,  seized  on 


in  Ireland  ;  he  composed  the  chronicle  of  clironi- 
cles." — Usher,  c.  16,  p.  735, 

*  Vit.  Rumold.  lib.  7. 

t  "  From  the  further  Scotia,  he  continued  till  he 
died."— [/s/ver,  c.  16,  p.  376. 

t  "  O  good  man,  what  hath  induced  thee  to 
introduce  into  our  country  this  novelty  ?  We  are 
Scots  and  not  Gauls."'— L^s^cc,  c.  16,  pp.  736,  737. 

§  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  3,  cap.  25.  Hlb.  3,  cap.  4. 
Dialog,  lib.  12,  c.  38. 

II  "  He  who  doubts  of  purgatory,  let  him  go  to 
Ireland  and  enter  the  purgatory  of  St.  Patrick." — 
Usher. 

^  "  Britain,  after  receiving  the  Britons  and  Plots, 
received  among  the  Picts  a  third  nation,  the  Scots, 
who,  after  leaving  Ireland,  secured  for  themselves, 
either  by  friendship  or  the  sword,  those  parts  which 
they  still  possess,  and  arc  from  their  leader  Reuda, 
called  Dalreudini."— BcfZe's  Christ.  Hist.h.  1,  c.  1. 

**  Topog.  Hib.  dist.  3,  cap.  16. 


the  northern  part  of  Britain,  and  founded  a 
nation  called  Scotia.* 

"  It  is  certain,"  says  Camden,  "  that  the 
Scots  went  from  Ireland  into  Britain ;  for 
Isidorus  calls  that  island  Scotia,  from  a 
nation  of  Scots  who  inhabited  it."  Orosius, 
Bede,  and  Eginard,  bear  indisputable  testi- 
mony, that  Ireland  was  inhabited  by  the 
Scots.f  Besides,  he  calls  the  Irish  the  an- 
cestors of  the  Scotch.  "  Hiberni  Scotorum 
atavi."! 

The  same  author  again  expresses  himself 
in  a  manner  which  leaves  no  doubt  on  this 
subject.  If  all  history  were  lost,  and  that 
there  remained  no  possibility  to  prove  by 
writing,  that  the  Scotch  are  descended  from 
the  Irish,  the  unity  of  the  two  languages 
common  to  these  people  w^ould  convince  us 
of  it  more  easily  than  the  authority  of  the 
greatest  historians.!^ 

However,  it  is  not  necessary  to  have  re- 
course to  the  English  to  prove  what  is 
allowed  by  the  Scotch  themselves.  "  It  is 
proved  by  many  arguments,"  says  John 
Major,  "that  we  have  derived  our  origin 
from  the  Irish.  We  are  told  it  by  Bede, 
and  our  very  language  proves  it ;  nearly 
half  the  Scotch  speak  Irish,  and  it  is  not  long 
since  a  still  greater  number  spoke  it."  Im- 
mediately after  this,  when  speaking  of  the 
Irish :  "  they  have  conveyed,"  says  he, "  their 
language  from  Ireland  to  Britain,  which 
appears  by  our  annals,  and  which  authors 
have  not  omitted  to  observe,  on  this  head. 
Thus,  I  say,"  continues  this  author,  "  that 
the  Scotch  derive  their  origin  froiu  the  same 
source  as  the  Irish,  though  in  an  indirect 
line."|| 

*  "  Scotia  is  called  the  northern  part  of  the 
British  island,  because  that  nation  was  originally 
propagated  by  them,  and  are  known  to  inhabit  that 
country.  The  analogy  of  their  dress  and  arms,  as 
well  as  of  their  habits,  proves  it  to  this  day." — 
Giraldus  Cam.  in  Stanihurst,  and  in  Usher,  c.  17, 
p.  245,  c.  16,  p.  725. 

t  "  It  appears  indeed  that  they  passed  from  Ire- 
land into  Britain,  for  Isidorus  calls  Hibernia  '  Sco- 
tia,' from  the  nation  of  the  Scots.  And  that  the 
Scots  inhabited  Hibernia,  the  testimony  of  Bede 
and  Eginarius  is  above  all  disputation." — Camd. 
p.  36. 

t  Camd.  Brit.  edit.  Franco,  p.  59. 

§  "  Who  are  indeed  allied  by  a  similarity  of 
language,  and  that  they  have  been  of  one  origin,  I 
tliink  no  one  will  deny.  Even  if  every  history  had 
failed,  and  that  no  one  had  committed  to  writing 
that  the  true  Scot.s  had  been  produced  from  Ireland, 
their  language  being  one  and  the  same,  would  prove 
it  more  ably  than  the  authority  of  the  most  grave 
historians." — Camden. 

II  "  From  various  arguments  it  is  admitted,  that 
we  have  drawn  our  origin  from  the  Irish,  and  this 
we  liave  learned  from   Bede,  an  Englishman.     A 


WARS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


Ill 


Buchanan  is  not  less  decisive  on  this  sub- 
ject :  saying,  as  Orosius,  that  all  the  inhab- 
itants of  Ireland  were  called  Scots  in  the 
beginning  :  he  adds,  "  Our  annals  make 
frequent  mention  of  the  transmigration  of 
the  Scots  from  Ireland  to  Albania."*  Im- 
mediately after,  he  refers  to  the  distinction 
made  between  these  two  people,  both  called 
Scots.  "  Formerly,"  says  he,  "  when  both, 
that  is,  the  inhabitants  of  Ireland  and  the 
colonies  which  they  had  sent  to  Albania, 
were  called  Scots,  the  former  were  called 
the  Scots  of  Ireland,  and  the  latter  the 
Scots  of  Albania,  to  distinguish  one  from 
the  other  ;"t  and  in  another  place,  speaking 
of  the  Scots  of  Albania,  he  says,  "  at  the 
time  that  they  were  called  Albini  or  Albains, 
their  neighbors  gave  them  the  name  of  Scots, 
a  name  which  denotes  that  they  derived  their 
origin  from  the  Irish."]: 

Although  the  Scotch  agree  with  the 
Milesians  or  Scots  of  Ireland,  concerning 
their  origin  ;  they,  however,  differ  widely 
as  to  the  time  of  the  transmigration  of  the 
first  colonies  from  Ireland  to  Albania. 

As  a  modern  origin  is  not  flattering  to 
pride,  and  as  every  nation  desires  to  be  con- 
sidered ancient,  the  Scotch  authors  of  latter 
times  have  formed  a  system  of  antiquity  for 
themselves,  by  fixing  their  migration,  and 
the  beginning  of  their  monarchy,  a  few 
centuries  too  early,  avid  by  multiplying  the 
number  of  their  kings. 

"  Fame  has  given  us  to  understand,"  says 
Buchanan,^  "  that  a  great  number  of  Span- 
iards, either  forced  to  quit  their  country,  or 
leaving  it  of  their  own  accord  in  order  to 
relieve  the  state,  which  was  already  over- 
burdened with  inhabitants,  came  and  settled 

simllaritj'  of  dialect  proves  it.  A  great  part  of 
Scotland  speak  the  Irish  language,  and  lately  the 
greater  portion  of  Scotch  spoke  Irish  ;  from  Ireland 
they  carried  their  dialect  into  Britain  ;  this  is 
manifest  by  our  annals,  in  which  our  writers  were 
not  remiss.  I  say,  therefore,  that  from  whomsoever 
the  Irish  have  taken  their  origin,  the  Scotch  have 
received  from  them  their  beginning,  as  a  grand- 
son derives  his  from  a  grandfather."  —  Joannes 
Major. 

*  "  Nor  is  it  only  once  that,  as  our  annals  say, 
the  Scots  passed  from  Ireland  to  Albania." — Buck. 
b.  2,  p.  55. 

t  "  But  when  both  in  the  commencement,  i.  e. 
the  inhabitants  of  Ireland  and  their  colonics  who 
had  been  sent  into  Albania,  might  be  distinguished 
by  some  mark,  one  from  the  other,  they  began  to 
be  called  Irish  Scotch,  and  the  A, banian  Scotch." 
— Buchanan,  b.  2,  p.  55. 

X  "  Though  they  call  themselves  Albanians,  their 
neiglibors  the  Irish  call  them  Scotch,  by  which 
name  their  descent  fi-om  the  Irish  is  implied." — 
Buchanan,  p.  64,  b.  2. 

§  Lib.  4,  Rev.  Scot,  page  97,  ct  seq. 


in  Ireland,  where  they  became  extremely 
numerous,  under  the  name  of  Scots  :  from 
hence  many  spread  themselves  through  the 
neighboring  islands,  without  a  king,  or  any 
form  of  government.  In  the  interval,  a  fleet 
of  Germans,  or  Scythians,  according  to 
Bede,  without  either  women  or  children,  was 
cast  by  a  tempest  on  the  coast  of  Ireland. 
Those  new-comers,  after  a  long  voyage, 
being  destitute  of  every  thing  except  their 
arms,  sent  to  ask  permission  of  the  Scots  to 
settle  among  them.  The  answer  given  them 
was,  that  their  own  numbers  were  already 
too  great  for  the  island,  from  which,  in  con- 
sequence of  its  numerous  population,  they 
had  been  obliged  to  send  colonies  to  the 
neighboring  isles.  However,  being  struck 
with  compassion  fof  the  deplorable  state  of 
those  strangers,  they  advised  them  to  go  to 
Albania,  where  they  might  easily  make  a 
settlement  among  a  people  disunited  by  civil 
war,  and  the  opposite  factions  of  several 
petty  princes  who  commanded  them.  Pleased 
with  the  advice,  and  promises  of  aid  from 
the  Scots  in  case  they  met  with  resistance, 
they  set  out  for  Albania,  where,  after  some 
battles  in  which  they  were  victorious,  a 
considerable  part  of  the  eastern  coast  of 
Albania  was  surrendered  to  them,  and  the}^ 
were  long  after  called  Picts,  by  the  Romans 
and  other  neighboring  people. 

"  The  Picts,  confiding  in  the  happy  omen 
of  future  friendship  from  the  Scots,  obtained 
wives  from  them,  and  thereby  contracted  so 
close  an  alliance,  that  they  seemed  to  form 
but  one  people  ;  so  that  the  passage  between 
the  two  countries  being  free,  a  number  of 
Scots  came  and  settled  among  the  Picts, 
who  received  them  with  joy.  The  pleasure, 
however,  at  first  produced  by  the  arrival  of 
these  new  guests,  soon  gave  way  to  jealousy ; 
they  saw,  with  pain,  that  they  were  becoming 
powerful  ;  and  began  to  dread  their  future 
aggrandizement ;  so  that  distrust  was  soon 
productive  of  quarrels,  which  ended  in  the 
separation  of  the  two  people  that  were 
friends  so  recently.  The  Scots  withdrew 
to  the  mountains,  and  the  Picts  remained  in 
possession  of  the  fertile  lands  on  the  coast 
of  the  German  Ocean. 

"  The  .Britons,  equally  hostile  to  both 
parties,  beheld  their  separation  with  plea- 
sure, and  being  desirous  to  take  advantage 
of  it,  did  all  in  their  power  to  increase  the 
discord  which  had  already  prevailed  among 
thein  :  they  even  offered  to  assist  the  Picts 
against  their  enemies.  The  Scots  seeing  the 
danger  which  threatened  them,  and  fearing 
they  should  be  crushed  by  the  united  power 
of  the  Picts  and  the  Britons,  thought  of  de- 


112 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


fending  themselves ;  but  as  their  chiefs  could 
not  agree  about  the  command,  each  thinking 
himself  as  well  qualified  as  his  neighbor, 
they  sent  to  Ireland  for  a  considerable  body 
of  troops,  under  the  command  of  Fergus, 
son  of  Ferchard,  an  experienced  general ; 
and  to  interest  him  still  more,  he  was  de- 
clared king  with  unanimous  consent.  Being 
invested  with  this  dignity,  and  to  justify  the 
high  opinion  entertained  of  him,  Fergus  col- 
lected his  troops  with  all  possible  diligence, 
to  march  against  the  enemy.  Both  armies 
being  come  in  view  of  each  other,  a  rumor 
was  spread  in  both  camps  among  the  Scots 
and  Picts,  which  prevented  them  coming  to 
an  engagement.  It  was  reported  that  the 
Britons  were  equally  opposed  to  both  ;  that 
they  excited  discord  among  them  for  the 
purpose  of  weakening  and  subsequently  over- 
throwing them.  The  Scots  and  Picts  being 
justly  alarmed,  hostilities  ceased  on  both 
sides,  and  they  began  to  treat  of  peace,  that 
they  might  unite  against  their  common  ene- 
my. The  Britons  being  thus  disappointed, 
resolved  to  take  immediate  revenge.  They 
assembled  all  the  troops  that  they  were  able, 
and  invaded  the  territory  of  the  Scots, 
spreading  terror  everywhere  they  marched  ; 
but  they  were  soon  checked  by  the  Scots 
and  Picts,  who  attacked  them  by  surprise 
during  the  night,  and  made  a  dreadful  car- 
nage among  them.  The  greater  part  of  the 
British  troops,  with  their  king,  Coilus,  per- 
ished on  this  occasion,  which  prevented  the 
Britons  from  disturbing  the  Scots  and  Picts, 
after  this,  in  their  possessions.  After  this 
victory,  Fergus  again  received  the  homage 
of  his  subjects,  who  confirmed,  by  oath,  the 
succession  of  the  crown  to  his  descendants. 
He  then  returned  to  Ireland,  to  allay  some 
troubles  which  had  arisen  during  his  ab- 
sence ;  but  being  desirous  of  going  back  to 
his  new  kingdom,  he  imfortunately  perished, 
in  the  twenty-fifth  year  of  his  reign,  having 
been  shipwrecked  on  a  rock,  called,  from 
his  name,  Carrig-Fergus.  The  arrival  of 
Fergus  in  Albania,  is  fixed  in  the  time  that 
Alexander  the  Great  took  Babylon  ;  that  is, 
about  three  hundred  and  thirty  years  before 
Jesus  Christ."* 


*  "  In  the  first  place  a  story  incessantly  prevails, 
strengthened  by  numerous  discoveries,  that  a  num. 
ber  of  Spaniards,  whether  driven  from  the  country 
by  their  more  powerful  inasters,  or  from  a  redun- 
dancy of  population,  went  of  their  own  accord, 
passed  over  to  Ireland,  and  seized  upon  the  adjoin- 
ing parts  of  that  island.  To  Fergusius,  who  was 
victorious,  and  to  his  posterity,  the  Scots,  on  his 
return,  confirmed  by  an  oath  his  title  to  that  king. 
doni.     After  this,  having  brought  matters  in  Scotia 


Such  is  the  account  which  Buchanan,  and 
nearly  all  of  the  historians  of  his  country, 
give  of  the  origin  of  the  Scotch,  and  the 
foundation  of  their  monarchy  in  Albania,  by 
Fergus,  son  of  Ferchard,  which  leaves  no 
doubt  concerning  it  ;  they  almost  agree  on 
this  point  with  the  Milesians.  The  greatest 
difficulty  respects  the  time,  and  the  real  or 
affected  error  of  the  Scotch  concerning 
Fergus  I. 

They  assert  that  their  monarchy  began 
under  Fergus,  son  of  Ferchard,  three  hun- 
dred years  before  Jesus  Christ  ;*  that  it 
lasted  under  thirty-nine  kings,  till  the  year 
360  ;  that  Eugene,  who  was  at  that  time 
king,  was  killed  in  a  battle  by  Maxiraus,  a 
Roman  general,f  who,  at  the  instigation  of 
his  allies,  the  Picts,  pronoimced  sentence 
of  banishment  against  all  those  who  had 
escaped  in  the  battle,  and  that  in  obedience 
to  this  edict,  Etach,  brother  of  the  deceased 
king,  with  Erth,  his  son,  and  many  others 
of  the  same  nation,  took  refuge  in  Ireland, 
and  some  in  Norway,  and  the  neighboring 
islands. I 

John  Major  fixes  this  event  in  353, §  Bu- 
chanan in  377,  Hector  Boetius  in  the  se- 
cond year  of  the  reign  of  Julian  the  Apos- 
tate, ||  that  is,  in  the  year  of  Christ  362  or 
363.  After  this  dispersion,  which,  accord- 
ing to  Fordon,^  lasted  about  forty-three 
years,  the  Scots  regained  the  patrimony  of 
their  ancestors  in  Albania,  in  403,  through 
the  valor  of  Fergus  II.,  son  of  Erth,  and 
grandson  of  Etach,  brother  of  Eugene,  their 
last  king. 

The  Milesians,  on  the  other  hand,  take 
off  a  few  centuries  from  this  antiquity  of  the 
Scotch  ;  they  maintain  that  Fergus,  son  of 
Earcha,  (who  was,  we  are  sure,  the  same 
as  Fergus,  second  son  of  Erth,  mentioned 
by  Fordon,)  who  is  only  the  fortieth  in  the 
catalogue  of  kings,  according  to  Buchanan, 
was  first  king  and  founder  of  the  Scotch  mon- 
archy, towards  the  end  of  the  fifth,  or   be- 


under  subjection,  he  passed  over  to  Ireland,  to  sup- 
press by  his  influence,  an  insurrection,  and  this 
being  accomplished,  after  sailing  out  of  the  harbor, 
for  the  purpose  of  returning,  he  was  overtaken  by 
a  storm,  and  perished  on  a  rock,  which  was  thence 
called  Fergusium  ;  this  happened  in  the  25th  year 
of  his  reign.  His  arrival  in  Albania  is  placed  in 
the  same  year  that  Alexander,  of  Macedonia,  took 
Babylon,  almost  330  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ." 
— Buchanan,  b.  4,  p.  97. 

*  Walsh,  Prosp.  of  Irel.  sect.  6. 

t  Usser.  prim.  Eccles.  c.  25,  p,  592. 

\  Fordon.  Scoti.  Chronic,  lib.  2,  p.  45. 

§  Buchan.  Degest.  Scot.  lib.  2,  c.  1. 

II   Rev.  Scotie.  lib.  5. 

If   Scot.  Hist. 


WARS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


113 


ginning  of  the  sixth  century;  that  the  thirty- 
nine  kings  who  had  preceded  Fergus,  son 
of  Erth,  in  the  government  of  Scotland,  ac- 
cording to  the  catalogue  of  Buchanan,  were 
indeed  his  ancestors  in  genealogical  o-rder, 
without  having  ever  been  kings  of  Scotland 
or  elsewhere,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
who  reigned  in  Ireland.  I  could  quote 
many  Irish  books  in  support  of  this  state- 
ment ;  but  the  authority  of  Camden  and 
Usher,  two  celebrated  authors,  who  have 
thoroughly  investigated  this  subject,  is  suf- 
ficient ;  the  former,  an  Englishman,  and 
incapable  of  resorting  to  a  falsehood  for 
the  purpose  of  heightening  the  glory  of  the 
Irish  nation  ;  the  latter,  though  born  in  Ire- 
land, was  of  English  origin,  -and  being  nei- 
ther a  Milesian  nor  a  Scotchman,  quite 
disinterested  in  the  dispute. 

Camden,  after  refuting  these  two  misera- 
ble arguments,  (it  is  thus  he  describes  them,) 
one  drawn  from  a  panegyric,  the  other  sup- 
ported only  by  mere  conjectures,  which 
Buchanan,  an  excellent  poet,  advances  in 
favor  of  the  pretended  antiquity  of  his  coun- 
try in  opposition  to  Humphry  Lhuid,  a  good 
antiquarian,  says,  that  the  name  of  Scotch 
is  not  discoverable  in  any  author  before  the 
time  of  Constantine  the  Great.*  He  adds, 
that  the  accounts  in  which  it  is  said  the 
name  and  kingdom  of  the  Scotch  already 
made  a  figure  in  Britain,  many  centuries  be- 
fore Jesus  Christ,  are  all  fabulous. f  "  Let 
us  then  learn,"  continues  he,  "  the  time  of 
their  first  settlement  in  Britain,  a.  d.  379, 
from  Giraldus  Cambrensis,  who  says,  that 
in  the  reign  of  Niall  the  Great,  king  of  the 
province  of  Ulster,  the  six  sons  of  Muredus 
came  to  settle  in  the  North  of  Britain,  where 
they  founded  a  nation  under  the  name  of 
Scotia.  These  people,  who  till  then  led 
a  wandering  life,  according  to  Ammianus, 
'  cum  antea  per  incerta  vagantes,'  settled  in 
Britain,  which  happened,  says  Camden,  at 
the  time  of  the  decline  of  the  Roman  em- 
pire under  Ilonorius." 

The  number  of  authors  quoted  by  Usher, 
in  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  chapters  of  his 
treatise  on  the  antiquities  of  the  British 
churches,  to  prove  that  the  name  of  Scots, 


*  "  He  will  never  remove  from  writers  the  name 
of  Scots,  before  the  time  of  Constantine  the  Great, 
which  because  Lhuidus  asserts,  he  rushes  on  the 
man,  attacks  him,  and  endeavors  to  stab  him  with 
two  miserable  arguments,  the  one  a  panegyric,  the 
other  a  conjecture." — Camden,  p.  61. 

t  "  These  are  trifles  which  are  written  by  the 
Scots,  viz.,  that  the  name  and  kingdom  of  the  Scots 
flourished  in  Britain  many  centuries  before  Christ." 
— Camd.  p.  62 


and  Hibernians  or  Irish,  were  synonymous 
till  the  eleventh  century,  and  designated  but 
one  and  the  same  people,  leave  no  doubt  as 
to  the  opinion  of  this  learned  man  on  the 
subject.  Although  those  authors  had  fre- 
quent occasion  of  mentioning  the  Scots, 
respecting  their  exploits  and  enterprises 
against  the  Romans  and  Britons,  they  all 
describe  them  as  a  wandering  people,  hav- 
ing no  settled  residence  in  Britain.  No 
mention  is  made,  in  any  of  their  writings, 
of  any  people  called  Scots  but  those  who 
came  from  Ireland.  They  knew  no  Scotch 
nation  established  in  Albania  before  the 
Dalriads,  or  Dalreudini,  as  Bede  calls  them ; 
which  is  evident  from  the  distinction  made 
by  Gildas  Britannicus,  an  author  of  the  sixth 
century,  (who  had  an  opportunity  of  know- 
ing his  neighbors,)  between  the  two  enemies 
of  the  Britons.  First,  at  the  time  of  their 
attack  on  Britain,  he  calls  them  Scots  and 
Picts ;  then,  speaking  of  the  retreat  of  these 
barbarians,  he  says  that  the  daring  robbers, 
the  Irish,  had  returned  home  to  Ireland  with 
the  intention  of  coming  back  in  a  short  time, 
and  that  the  Picts  had  remained  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  Britain.*  Usher  observes  three 
things  in  this  passage  of  Gildas  :t  first,  that 
the  Picts  had  rested,  for  the  first  time,  in  the 
north  of  Britain  ;  that  is,  they  had  for  the 
first  time  ceased  to  ravage  Britain ;  secondly, 
that  the  Scots  were  the  inhabitants  of  Ireland, 
as  observed,  says  he,  by  Polidore  Virgil  ;| 
and  thirdly,  that  the  return  of  the  Hibernians 
to  Albania  from  Ireland,  and  their  establish- 
ment in  that  country,  were  subsequent  to  the 
consulship  of  iEtius,  and  in  the  year  446. 

It  appears  that  Le  Nain  de  Tillemont 
was  not  well  acquainted  with  this  history, 
whereas  he,  as  well  as  BoUandus,  insinu- 
ates that  all  the  Scots  had  passed  into  the 
north  of  England,  to  establish  the  kingdom 
of  Scotland,  and  that  they  were  distinguished 
from  the  Hibernians,  and  raised  above  them, 
&c.  It  was,  it  seems,  reserved  for  Tille- 
mont to  make  observations  not  known  to  an- 
cient or  modern  authors  who  have  treated  on 
this  subject;  those  authors  speak,  not  of  the 

*  "  From  two  very  cruel  nations  beyond  seas — the 
Scots  from  the  west,  and  Picts  from  the  north — 
Britain  suffers  and  sighs  during  many  years.  The 
daring  robbers,  the  Irish,  return  home,  intending  to 
come  back  in  a  short  time.  The  Picts  then  settled, 
for  the  first  time,  in  the  north  of  the  island." — 
Usher,  c.  15,  pp.  593-609. 

t  Usser.  Prim.  Eccles.  c.  15,  p.  609. 

\  "  This  being  known,  the  Scots,  influenced 
either  from  a  hope  of  booty  or  an  eagerness  for  a 
revolution,  flew  from  Ireland,  as  Gildas  relates, 
with  precipitancy  against  the  island." — Virgil,  b. 
3,  p.  122. 

15 


114 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


whole  nation,  but  of  some  colonies  of  Scots, 
who  had  gone  to  Albania  ;  they  make  use 
indiscriminately  of  the  names  Hibernians 
and  Scots,  to  signify  the  same  people. 

A  foreigner,  writing  of  a  people  with 
whom  he  is  unacquainted,  is  often  liable  to 
mistakes,  and  easily  falls  into  error,  when 
he  follows  his  own  ideas  in  preference  to 
authority  ;  aiming  at  being  a  critic,  he  has 
sometimes  need  of  being  set  to  rights 
himself. 

The  Scotch  writers  of  our  days  artfully 
circxdate  their  doubts  about  their  origin, 
and  affect  to  render  it  uncertain.  They 
dill'er  not  only  from  the  authority  of  all  for- 
eign writers  on  this  subject,  but  even  from 
that  of  their  ancestors.* 

Abercromby,  who  published  in  Edin- 
burgh, in  1711,  "The  Military  Exploits 
of  the  Scotch,"  says,  that  according  to 
most  antiquarians  of  his  country — among 
others,  Fordon,  Boetius,  and  Buchanan — 
the  Scots,  or  Scotch,  having  derived  their 
origin  from  Greece  and  Egypt,  and  having 
passed  through  Spain  to  Ireland,  came  from 
thence  to  Albania.  But  the  conjectures  of 
Sir  W.  Temple  appear  to  flatter  him  still 
more.f  He  confidently  decides,  that  the 
Scotch  have  their  origin  from  the  Scythians 
of  Norway,  from  a  pretended  conformity  of 
manners,  and  a  similarity  which  he  supposes 
to  have  discovered  in  their  customs.  This 
supposition,  says  Abercromby,  is  supported 
by  many  observations  and  arguments  taken 
from  ancient  and  modern  authors,  which 
make  it  a  problem  whether  the  Scots  of 
Ireland  derived  their  origin  from  those  of 
Albania,  or  the  latter  from  the  former. 
However,  the  testimony  of  Orosius,  Isido- 
rus,  Bede,  Eginardus,  Henry  of  Hunting- 
don, Cambrensis,  Camden,  Usher,  and  so 
many  others,  who  assert  that  the  first  Scoto- 
Britons  derived  their  origin  from  the  Irish, 
ought  to  outweigh  the  surmises  of  a  few  in- 
dividuals. Abercromby  was  so  well  aware 
of  this  difficulty,  notwithstanding  his  incli- 
ning to  the  contrary  opinion,  he  is  forced  to 
acknowledge  that  history  and  tradition  are 
on  one  side,  and  mere  conjecture  on  the 
other. I 

Our  author  complains  of  the  antiquarians 

*  "  When  I  speak  of  the  Scotch,  either  here,  or 
in  any  subsequent  part  of  this  history,  I  do  not  pre. 
tend  to  attack  that  nation,  rendered  respectable 
by  the  many  rare  qualities  with  which  they  are  en- 
dowed ;  and  whose  origin  is  common  with  that  of 
the  people  of  whom  I  write  ;  I  only  complain  of  the 
injustice  of  some  of  their  authors." — Abbe  3I'G. 

V  Pages  2,  3,  and  fol. 

t  Abercromby  on  the  life  of  Fergus  I.,  b.  1,  e.  1, 
p.  28. 


who  reject  the  history  of  Fergus  I.,  and  the 
foundation  of  the  Scotch  monarchy  in  the 
time  of  Alexander  the  Great  ;  and  who,  as 
well  as  Luddus,  Camden,  the  bishop  of  St. 
Asaph,  Usher,  Stillingflcet,  Du  Chene,  le 
Pore  Labb'',  Thomas  Rose,  and  others,  fix 
this  event  in  the  year  of  Jesus  Christ,  503 ; 
but  his  spleen  is  more  strongly  excited 
against  Kennedy,  who  maintains  this  opin- 
ion in  his  genealogical  dissertation,  in  which 
he  proves  that  the  royal  family  of  the  Stu- 
arts are  descended  from  the  Scots  of  Ireland. 
He  gives  a  brief  sketch  of  some  principles, 
or  rather  some  circumstances  quoted  by 
Kennedy,  to  support  the  authority  of  the 
ancient  monuments  or  manuscripts  of  his 
country  ;  but  ke  displays  his  insincerity, 
by  giving  those  principles  in  a  mutilated 
sense,  and  quite  different  from  what  they 
are  in  the  writings  of  Kennedy,  in  order  to 
make  them  appear  ridiculous,  and  thereby 
apply  to  them  this  verse  from  Horace  : 

"  Spectatum  admissi,  risum  teneatis  amici." 

"  Sir  George  M'Kenzie  has  (says  our 
author)  already,  in  a  gi-eat  measure,  prov- 
ed from  Irish  manuscripts  ;  and  the  Right 
Honorable  the  Earl  of  Cromarty  promises 
(and  what  one  of  his  lordship's  high  rank, 
and  still  more  eminent  qualities,  is  pleased 
to  promise,  will,  no  doubt,  be  performed)  to 
show  from  records  and  writers  of  the  same 
nation,  that  the  Scots  were  settled  in  Alba- 
nia long  before  the  birth  of  our  Saviour."* 

But  will  a  system  established  on  such 
proofs  be  received  ?  Mouldy  and  con- 
temptible manuscripts,!  (it  is  thus  Aber- 
cromby describes  those  cited  by  Kenne- 
dy,) constitute  the  basis  and  proofs  which 
M'Kenzie  gives  us  of  the  antiquity  of  his 
country.  Still  the  proofs  are  imperfect : 
and  the  promise  of  the  earl  of  Cromarty 
should  be  considered  as  real  and  unanswer- 
able proofs.  Might  we  not  rather  apply 
here  the  words  of  Horace  ? — 

"  Risum  teneatis  amici." 

In  order  to  judge  of  the  strength  of 
M'Kenzie's  testimony,  we  should  examine 
the  link  of  the  tradition  and  history  of  the 
Scotch,  according  to  Abercromby  ;  "  there 
were,"  he  says,  "  both  priests  and  druids  in 
Britain  4  they  have  probably  written  the 
history  of  their  own  times  ;  and  even  if 
they  did  not,  men  lived  then  to  so  advanced 
an  age,  that  twelve  generations  could  perpet- 
uate from  father  to  son  the  tradition  of  eight 


»  Page  5. 

t  Aber.  Life  of  Fergus  II. 

t  Pages  5,  6. 


1,  0.  2,  p.  92. 


WARS   OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


115 


hundred  years ;  namely,  from  Fergus  I., 
who  lived  three  hundred  years  before  Jesus 
Christ,  till  503  of  the  Christian  era  ;  which, 
according  to  the  opposite  party,  was  the 
time  the  monarchy  had  been  founded.  Be- 
sides, until  Fergus  I.,  the  antiquarians  were 
accustomed  to  deliver  the  genealogy  of  kings 
at  their  coronation. 

"  The  first  monks  succeeded  the  druids. 
The  monastery  of  Hy,  or  Icolm-Kill,  Avas 
founded  in  560,  and  was  the  burial-place  of 
the  kings  of  Scotland  till  the  reign  of  Mal- 
colm-Can-More .  The  monks  of  this  monas- 
tery, as  well  as  those  of  Paislyscoon,  Plus- 
cardin,  Abercorn,  &c.,  always  wrote  and 
preserved  the  history  of  Scotland,  and  the 
lives  and  history  of  her  kings.  Verimond, 
a  Spanish  priest,  and  archdeacon  of  St. 
Andrews,  composed,  in  1076,  his  history  of 
Scotland,  which  he  copies  from  those  of  the 
druids  and  monks.  Verimond  was  copied 
in  the  fourteenth  century  by  Fordon,  and 
P^ordon  by  Boetius,  Lesley,  Buchanan,  &c." 
Such  is  the  link  and  order  of  the  Scotch 
history  according  to  Abercromby.  It  ap- 
pears that  we  have  no  proof  but  the  author- 
ity of  Verimond,  for  all  that  happened  in 
that  country  before  the  eleventh  century ; 
it  is  the  spring  on  which  the  whole  of  their 
history  is  supported,  and  the  only  means 
whereby  M'Kenzie  can  fathom  the  antiqui- 
ties of  his  country. 

But  besides  that  this  history  is  not  at  pre- 
sent in  being,  and  the  existence  of  the  author 
is  doubted  by  many  learned  men — a  circum- 
stance well  known  to  Abercromby,  from  his 
having  appealed  to  Chambers  of  Ormond, 
and  others,  to  support,  by  their  testimony,  that 
the  author  and  his  works  have  existed,  how 
could  a  Spaniard  read  and  understand  the 
manuscripts  of  a  language  so  difficult  and  lit- 
tle known,  that  the  natives  themselves  could 
scarcely  decipher  it  ?  How  could  a  stranger 
be  judged  more  capable  of  this  undertaking 
than  the  inhabitants,  who  had  the  advantage 
of  possessing  the  language  in  which  those 
ancient  monuments  were  written  ? 

Abercromby  discovering,  as  is  seen,  the 
insufficiency  of  the  tradition  of  his  country,* 
has  recourse  to  Gildas,  Nennius,  and  Bede. 
Gildas,  who  wrote  in  540,  "  acknowledges," 
he  says,  "  that  he  knew  nothing  concerning 
the  Scots,  except  what  he  had  borrowed  from 
strangers."  He  thence  infers,  that  if  the 
Scots  had  not  been  established  in  Britain 
before  the  year  503,  Gildas  would  have  had 
some  knowledge  of  them.  It  seems,  however, 
that  the  inference  would  have  been  more  just 

»  Page  7 


to  say,  that  if  the  Scots  had  formed  a  nation, 
governed  by  kings  for  the  space  of  eight 
centuries,  till  the  time  of  Gildas,  as  asserted 
by  the  modern  Scotch,  that  author  would 
have  known  them,  and  not  have  been  obliged, 
in  order  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  their  his- 
tory, to  have  recourse  to  the  Scots  of  Ire- 
land, or  to  the  Romans,  who  are  probably 
those  strangers  to  whom  he  alludes.  But  it 
is  not  surprising  that  this  inconsiderable  king- 
dom, which  was  only  beginning  to  emerge 
from  obscurity  in  the  time  of  Gildas,  and 
the  extent  of  which  was  confined  to  three  or 
four  small  territories  in  the  western  part  of 
Albania,  had  been  unknown  to  Gildas,  at  a 
time  when  there  was  so  little  trade  and  in- 
tercourse between  the  different  nations. 

Abercromby  derives  but  little  advantage 
from  Nennius  in  favor  of  his  system.  "'  This 
author,"  says  he,  "  who  lived  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  eighth  century,  had  composed  his 
history  partly  from  that  of  the  Scots.  The 
Scots,  therefore,  had  historians  at  that  time." 
Who  doubts  it  ?  Before  he  proclaims  vic- 
tory, he  should  remove  all  ambiguity,  and 
prove,  that  in  the  ages  which  preceded  the 
time  of  Nennius,  his  ancestors  alone  were 
called  Scots,  even  exclusive  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Ireland,  known  by  the  ancients  as  the  true 
Scots.  He  then  says,  that  Nennius  affirms 
that  the  nation  of  the  Scots  is  as  ancient  in 
Britain  as  the  supposed  king  Brutus.  Such 
far-fetched  proofs,  however,  avail  but  little, 
whereas,  according  to  Baker,*  this  Brutus 
lived  a  thousand  years  before  Julius  Caesar, 
that  is,  about  seven  hundred  years  before 
the  period  in  which  the  Scotch  fix  the  foun- 
dation of  their  monarchy  by  Fergus  I . :  it 
also  appears  that  this  passage  in  Nennius 
is  obscure,  as  Usher  thinks  Brutus  to  have 
been  the  first  Roman  consul. f 

After  Gildas  and  Nennius,  he  calls  the 
venerable  Bede  to  his  aid,  and  uses  all  his 
subtlety  to  serve  his  interest.  He  confounds 
the  facts  related  by  this  respectable  author, 
and  inverts  the  chronology  and  order  of  his 
history.  "  Bede,"  says  he,  "  reckons  the 
Scots  among  the  most  ancient  inhabitants 
of  Britain:"  he  says,  "that  the  Britons 
having  at  first  possessed  the  southern  parts 
of  the  island,  the  Picts  afterwards  settled  in 
the  northern,  and  that  after  the  latter,  thi; 
Scots,  under  "Reuda,  their  chief,  founded  a 
tliird  nation  with  the  Britons  and  Picts. ' 
He  then  introduced  the  Romans  as  a  fourth 
colony,  notwithstanding  that  Britain  was  not 
known  to  them  till  the  time  of  Julius  Caesar. 


*  Chron.  p.  1. 

t  Primord.  cap.  15,  p.  612. 


116 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


'•  The  Scots  therefore  were  settled  in  Brit- 
ain," says  Abercroniby,  "  before  the  inva- 
sion of  the  ishuul  by  that  conqueror." 

But,  with  his  permission,  the  order  of 
events  does  not  always  follow  the  order  of 
the  chapters  in  which  tliw  are  related ;  an 
historian  is  sometimes  obliged,  according  to 
the  matter  he  treats  of  in  a  chapter,  to 
derange  facts,  and  extend  his  narrative  be- 
yond what  is  contained  in  the  chapter  which 
"follows.  It  is  thus  that  Bede,  speaking  of 
the  colonies  which  had  settled  in  Britain, 
mentions  the  Scots  after  the  Picts,  and  before 
the  Romans,  although  Usher  and  others  fix 
their  establishment  in  the  island  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  third  century.  He  indeed  in- 
troduces the  Scots  after  the  Picts,  not  imme- 
diately, as  Abercromby  insinuates,  but  long 
at'ter,  and  in  succession  of  time,  "  procedente 
autem  tempore."  His  naming  them  imme- 
diately after  the  Britons  and  Picts,  arises 
from  his  having  considered  them  as  a  colony, 
which  had,  like  them,  made  Britain  their 
country,  and  whose  posterity  still  existed  in 
his  time,  and  formed  a  body  of  people.  It 
is  not  so  with  the  Romans,  whom  he  con- 
siders less  as  a  colony  than  as  conquerors. 
It  was  not  customary  with  this  people  to  settle 
colonies  in  conquered  provinces,  nor  to  dis- 
possess the  old  proprietors,  but  were  satisfied 
with  their  submission,  and  a  tribute  which 
they  levied  to  defray  the  expenses  of  a  pre- 
fect or  legate,  and  of  the  troops  wJiich  they 
maintained  in  them  to  keep  the  people  in 
obedience,  and  defend  them  against  the  in- 
cursions of  their  enemies.  Abercromby  has 
an  admirable  turn  for  bringing  facts  together, 
when  his  interest  is  concerned  ;  and  applies 
to  the  second  century  what  belongs  to  the 
fifth.  "  Severus,"  says  he,  still  quoting  Bede, 
"  caused  a  wall  to  be  built,  to  serve  as  a 
rampart  against  the  unsubdued  nations, 
namely,  the  Scots  and  Picts,  two  foreign 
nations,  thus  called,  not  that  they  were  es- 
tablished out  of  Britain,  but  because  they 
were  separated,  by  two  arms  of  the  sea,  from 
that  part  which  was  subject  to  the  Romans." 

It  is  true  that  Bede  says  all  this,  but  at 
different  times,  and  under  different  circum- 
stances. He  says,  in  the  fifth  chapter,  that 
Severus,  who  lived  in  the  second  century, 
constructed,  not  a  wall,  as  Abercromby  af- 
firms, but  a  ditch,  with  pallisades,  to  check 
the  unsubdued  nations,*  which  he  does  not 
name  ;  but  we  may  suppose  that  they  were 

*  "  Where  after  many  severe  baties,  the  part  of 
the  island  which  he  had  recovered,  he  thouj,rht  should 
be  distinguished  from  the  other  unconquered  parts, 
not  by  a  wall  but  by  a  rampart." — Bede's  Church 
Hist.  b.  I.e.  5. 


the  Scots  and  Picts,  the  former  of  whom 
were  a  wandering  people,  having  no  settled 
residence  in  Britain,*  or,  perhaps,  some  can- 
tons of  the  Britons,  who,  dissatisfied  with 
the  yoke  of  the  Romans,  sometimes  revolted 
against  them.  But  when  Bede,  after  Gildas, 
speaks,  in  the  twelfth  chapter,  of  the  trans- 
marine or  foreign  nations,  and  adds  the  fol- 
lowing reflection,  which  is  not  in  Gildas, 
namely,  that  those  nations  were  not  so  called 
on  account  of  having  been  established  out  of 
Britain,  but  only  because  they  were  separ- 
ated from  it  by  two  arms  of  the  sea  ;  he 
speaks  only  with  respect  to  the  situation  of 
the  affairs  of  the  Britons  with  the  Scots  and 
Picts  in  the  fifth  century,  when  the  Roman 
power  began  to  decline  in  Britain,  and  in 
other  parts,  under  Honorius,  as  he  says  in 
the  preceding  chapter  :  "  Ex  quo  tempore 
Romani  in  Britannia  regnare  cessarunt." 
Then  Bede's  remark  on  the  epithet,  "  trans- 
marine," which  Gildas  gives  to  the  Scots 
and  Picts,  is  applicable  to  the  former,  who 
began,  in  the  third  century,  to  form  settle- 
ments in  Britain,  without,  however,  consti- 
tuting a  kingdom  or  making  a  state  distinct 
from  that  of  Ireland.  Gildas  and  Bede  speak 
of  those  foreign  nations  when  mentioning  the 
dreadful  ravages  committed  by  those  bar- 
barians in  Britain,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
fifth  century.  They  first  call  them  Scots 
and  Picts,  and  particularize  the  countries 
from  which  they  came.  They  say,  "  the 
Picts  came  from  the  north,  and  the  Scots 
from  the  west" — "  Scotorum  a  circio,"  or, 
according  to  Fabius  Ethelwerdus,  "  Scoti  ab 
occidentali  plaga,"  that  is,  from  the  west ; 
which  can  only  refer  to  Ireland,  and  by  no 
means  to  Scotland,  which  is  immediately  in 
the  north  of  Britain,  or,  to  speak  more 
plainly,  constitutes  the  northern  part  of  the 
island.  Those  Scots  who  came  from  the 
west,  are  called  by  the  same  authors,  at  the 
time  of  their  retreat,  Irish,  "  revertuntur 
impudentes  grassatores  Hiberni  domum." 

This  account  agrees  with  the  comment 
affixed  to  the  manuscript  of  Gildas,  in  the 
library  of  Cambridge,  in  which  it  is  said 
that  the  passage  in  Gildas,  "  a  duabus  genti- 
bus  transmarinis,"t  should  be  rather  applied 
to  the  Scots,  whose  love  of  pillage  made 
them  come  every  year  from  Ireland  to  Brit- 
ain,  than  to  those   already  established  by 

*  "  As  it  may  appear,  that  these  times  were  in 
the  reign  of  Honorius  Augustus  :  whereas  then,  ac- 
cording to  Ammianus,  they  had  no  settled  abode, 
that  they  had  long  harassed  Britain  and  the  parts 
designated  by  limits,  but  they  appear  to  have  settled 
in  Britain." — Crimd.  p.  63. 

t  Petr.  Lombard.  Comment,  cap.  15,  pp.  27,  28. 


WARS    OF    THE    MILESIANS. 


17 


Reuda,  according  to  Bede,  in  Albania,  "quia 
Scoti  tunc  temporis  in  Hibernia  habitabant, 
et  Picti  in  Scotia,  id  est,  ab  aquilone."* 

It  would  still  be  repeating  the  same  things 
were  we  to  follow  and  repeat  the  proofs 
which  Abercromby  advances  in  favor  of  his 
system.  All  that  he  can  say  on  this  sub- 
ject has  been  as  often  refuted  as  proposed. 
His  arguments  are  generally  founded  on 
sophisms  and  false  principles.  He  always 
supposes  that  the  ancients  who  spoke  of 
Scotia,  or  the  Scots,  plainly  indicated  his 
country,  though  most  of  those  authors  ex- 
press themselves  differently  on  that  head. 
He  often  contends  with  phantoms,  by  sup- 
posing that  they  dispute  with  him  the  exist- 
ence of  the  Scots  in  Albania  before  the 
foundation  of  their  monarchy  in  503,  though 
Bede,  Cambrensis,  Camden,  and  Usher,  to- 
gether with  historians  of  Ireland,  repeatedly 
mention  that  the  Dalreudini,  and  many  other 
colonies  from  the  same  country,  had  settled 
in  Albania  in  the  third  and  fourth  centuries. 
It  is  also  known  that  their  adherents  and 
vassals,  allured  either  through  their  alliance 
with  the  Picts,  or  by  the  hopes  of  plunder, 
crossed  the  sea  to  attack  the  Britons  in  their 
own  country,  even  before  the  time  of  the 
Romans,  as  appears  by  the  panegyric  deliv- 
ered by  Eumonius  on  the  emperor  Con- 
stantius,t  in  which  he  says,  that  when  the 
Britons  were  conquered  by  Julius  Caesar, 
they  were  rude  and  ignorant  in  the  art  of 
war,  having  till  that  time  contended  only 
with  the  Picts  and  Irish.  Hegesippus,t  in 
his  treatise  on  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem, 
says  that  Joseph  Ben-Gorion,  wishing  to 
divert  the  Jews  from  going  to  war  with  the 
Romans,^  the  conquerors  of  the  world,  tells 
them  that  even  Scotia  trembles  at  the  ap- 
proach of  their  arms  :  "  Tremit  hos  Scotia 
quae  terris  nihil  debet."  But,  says  Aber- 
cromby, this  passage  cannot,  as  Camden 
asserts,  relate  to  Ireland,  which  was  never 
invaded  by  the  Romans  ;  as  if  a  conqueror, 
who  had  already  entered  the  neighboring 
country,  was  not  to  be  feared :  "  When  a 
neighbor's  house  is  on  fire,  we  become 
alarmed  for  our  own  safety."  Besides,  these 
words, II  "  quae  terris  nihil  debet,"  naturally 
indicate  an  island  separated  from  the  rest  of 
the  world. TI     The  Scots  of  Ireland  dreaded 


*  Usser.  Primord.  Eccles.  c.  15,  p.  593. 

t  Pago  258.  t  Camb.  Brit.  edit.  Lon.  p.  89. 

§  Usser.  Prim.  c.  16,  p.  726. 

II  Petr.  Lombard,  c.  2,  p.  19. 

^  "  By  the  name  Scotia,  he  obviously  means 
Ireland,  which  he  makes  an  island,  neither  joined 
nor  connected  with  any  other  land,  which  Camden 
himself  admits." — Usher,  c.  16,  p.  726. 


the  fate  of  the  Britons,  Gauls,  and  so  many 
other  nations  conquered  by  the  Romans. 
Their  fear,  according  to  Peter  Lombard, 
was  one  of  the  motives  which  induced  them 
to  make  war  against  the  Britons  and  Ro- 
mans, plundering  the  former,  whom  they  re- 
garded as  enemies  to  the  Picts,  their  allies  ; 
and  forcing  the  latter  to  stop  in  Britain,  in 
order  to  divert  them  from  the  idea  of  wish- 
ing to  reduce  Ireland  into  a  Roman  pro- 
vince, as  they  intended.*  Accordingly, 
they  ceased  hostilities  against  the  Britons, 
as  soon  as  they  had  nothing  to  fear  from 
the  Romans  ;  "  Cessavit  vastatio  hostilis."! 
The  great  reputation  of  Bede,  Luddus, 
Camden,  Usher,  and  others,  whom  Aber- 
cromby would  have  here  to  contend  with, 
intimidate,  and  prevent  him  from  underta- 
king to  refute  them.  He  attaches  the  blame 
solely  to  Kennedy,  who  is  not,  however, 
more  criminal  than  they  are  ;  invectives  are 
the  strongest  arguments  which  he  uses 
against  him  and  his  nation — arguments  which 
generally  supply  the  place  of  reasoning  with 
ignorant  and  hasty  men.j:  He  reproaches 
them  with  the  obscurity  of  their  origin,  of 
which,  notwithstanding,  they  have  no  rea- 
son to  be  ashamed,  says  he,  no  more  than 
their  neighbors  ;  their  savage  customs,  un- 
til the  reign  of  James  VI.  of  Scotland,  and 
I.  of  England;  the  instability  of  their  go- 
vernment ;  the  multiplicity  of  their  kings, 
always  at  war  with  each  other  ;  their  want 
of  commerce  Avith  foreign  nations  ;  their  ill 
success  against  the  superior  forces  of  the 
Danes  ;  their  submission  to  the  English ; 
their  idleness,  and  the  poverty  which  is  in- 
separable from  it;  in  fine,  the  negligence  in 
the  cultivation  of  their  lands,  and  in  build- 
ing Avith  stone  and  cement.  Such  are  the 
calumnies  which  Abercromby  has  published 
•against  the  Irish  nation,  (not  sparing  even  a 
number  of  ancient  English  families,  who 
have  constituted  part  of  it  for  more  than  five 
centuries:)  these  aspersions  deserve  rather 
to  be  despised  than  refuted ;  he  attacks  a 
whole  nation  for  the  supposed  error  of  an 
individual.  Kennedy  proves,  by  the  most 
authentic  monuments,  that  the  Scotch  are 
the  descendants  of  colonies  which  went  at 
different  periods  from  Ireland  to  Albania ; 
that  their  monarchy  was  not  founded  till  the 

*  "  That  they  might  restrain  the  Romans,  and 
keep  them  from  passing  over  to  Ireland." — Peter 
Lombard,  c.  2,  p.  22. 

"  They  had  a  hope,  and  if  opportunity  presented 
itself,  to  conquer  it." — Tacitus  in  his  Life  of  Agri- 
cola. 

t  Bede,  lib.  1,  cap.  14. 

\  Abercromby,  vol.  1,  c.  I,  p.  14. 


118 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


sixth  century,  as  hatl  already  been  affirmed 
by  Bede,  Camden,  Usher,  and  others.  He 
mentions  that  the  Stuarts  derive  their  origin 
from  IreUvnd,  I)y  those  same  colonics  ;  is 
there  any  thing  in  that  dishonorable  or  ex- 
traordinary for  the  Scotch  nation,  of  which 
this  author  otherwise  speaks  with  respect  ? 
It  appears  that  the  assertions  of  Kennedy 
should  not  have  drawn  on  his  nation  those 
bitter  invectives  with  which  Abercromby  as- 
sails it,  and  which  were  only  heightened  by 
a  foolish  apology  on  his  part.  He  says 
"  that  he  is  sorry  to  be  obliged  to  expose  a 
people  whom  he  esteems  on  account  of  their 
acknowledged  bravery,  particularly  in  for- 
eign countries,  their  inviolable  attachment 
to  justice,  and  so  many  other  good  qualities, 
which  are  too  numerous  to  mention  here." 
Would  it  not  appear  that  he  makes  allusion, 
in  this  tirade,  to  the  fidelity  of  the  Irish  to 
their  legitimate  princes  and  their  religion, 
in  which  he  does  them  more  justice  than  he 
intended  ?  In  fine,  since  the  union  of  the 
ancient  and  modern  Irish,  and  their  submis- 
sion to  the  kings  of  England,  until  the  ac- 
cession of  James  I.  to  the  throne,  (a  fatal 
period  for  them,)  so  far  from  betraying  their 
lawful  prince,  they  sacrificed  all  they  pos- 
sessed to  preserve  his  crown.  The  loss  of 
their  property  and  liberty  is  a  decided  proof 
of  their  loyaltj^,  and  the  number  of  those 
who  retained  the  Catholic  faith,  after  a  per- 
secution of  two  centuries,  pleads  strongly  in 
favor  of  their  attachment  to  religion.  Aber- 
cromby appeals  to  the  testimony  of  Ware 
for  all  he  advances  against  the  Irish  ;*  and 
after  flattering  this  author  highly,  he  quar- 
rels with  him,  and  says  he  dishonored  him- 
self, to  the  great  astonishment  of  the  learned, 
(of  Scotland  apparently,)  by  affirming  that 
the  most  celebrated  writers,  missionaries, 
and  saints,  that  Scotland  had  produced  from 
the  fifth  to  the  sixteenth  century,  were  Irish, 
solely  on  account  of  their  being  called  Scoti, 
or  Scots.  But  why  have  all  authors,  even 
the  ancients,  who  have  treated  upon  this 
subject — except  the  Scots  of  latter  times, 
whose  evidence  should  not  be  admitted  in 
their  own  cause — fallen  into  the  same  error 
as  Ware,  and  deserved  the  same  censure 
from  Abercromby  ?  It  would  seem  that  this 
author  wished  to  anticipate  the  reproaches 
he  deserves  himself.  Usher,  having  tho- 
roughly investigated  this  matter,!  declares 
that  all  he  has  said  was  necessary  to  repress 
the  insolent  audacity  of  Thomas  Dempster,]; 

»  Pages  12,  13,  14. 

t  Usser.  Primord.  c,  16,  p.  737. 
-  I  "  That  the  insolent  audacity  of  Tliomas  Demp. 
stei  might  be  repressed."' 


who,  he  says,  was  not  ashamed  to  affirm,  in 
his  letter  to  Cardinal  Barberini,  (who  was 
afterwards  Pope,  under  the  name  of  Urban 
VIII.,)  that  Ireland  was  never  called  Scotia, 
"  Iliberniam  nunquam  Scotia?  nomen  habu- 
isse  asseverare  non  puduit ;"  though  he  him- 
self acknowledges  that,  according  to  Isido- 
rus  and  Bede,  Ireland  was  the  country  of 
the  Scots:  and  to.  deprive  Scotia  Major, 
that  is,  Ireland,  of  every  character  cele- 
brated for  learning  and  piety,  mentioned  by 
the  authors  under  the  name  Scots,  even 
those  who  had  preceded  the  year  840,  when 
the  Scoto-Britains  were  confined  to  the  nar- 
row limits  of  Dalrieda,  which  constituted 
but  a  small  part  of  Albania.*  "  When 
Dempster,"  continues  Usher,  "  endeavored 
to  deceive  Philip  Ferrarius,  who  Avas  com- 
posing a  supplement  to  the  Roman  martyr- 
ology,  and  to  make  him  an  accomplice  in  his 
plagiarism,  by  giving  him  a  list  of  the  saints 
of  Scotland  to  enrich  the  martyrology,  this 
learned  Italian  having  discovered  the  fraud, 
added  an  advertisement  to  his  work,  in  which 
he  says  that,  having  followed  certain  authors, 
he  attributed  some  Irish  saints  to  Scotland, 
because,  according  to  the  ancients,  Ireland 
was  formerly  called  Scotia,  and  the  inhabit- 
ants Scots,  and  that  he  thought  fit  to  ap- 
prize the  public  of  it,  on  account  of  certain 
authors  who  have  robbed  that  island  of  her 
saints."  It  is  thus  he  speaks  of  Dempster 
and  his  partisans.! 

But  what  can  be  the  advantages  which 
Abercromby  derives  from  the  history  of 
Ware  to  authorize  his  calumnies  1  This 
learned  man  begins  his  history  of  Ireland 
with  Laogare,  son  of  Niall  the  Great,  and 
monarch  of  Ireland  in  the  beginning  of  the 
fifth  century.  He  says  that  he  does  not 
mention  the  predecessors  of  this  monarch, 
as  almost  all  that  has  been  said  of  them  is 


*  "  After  this  he  transfers,  in  crowds,  from  our 
Scotia  Major  into  Scotia  Minor,  and  shoves  and 
confines  ihcm  also  in  an  angle,  all  Scots  whom  he 
discovered  celebrated  by  writers  for  tlieir  piety  and 
learning,  even  those  who  flourished  in  tlie  year  840. 
The  Scoto-Britanni  Dalriads  were  confined  to  very 
narrow  limits." — Usher,  c.  16,  p.  738. 

t  "  Of  this  plagiarism,  while  Dempster  was 
endeavoring  to  make  Philippus  Ferrarius  an  Italian 
a  participator,  the  discovery  of  the  Irish  saints  being 
made  known  to  him  ;  this  learned  man,  having  at 
length  discovered  the  fraud,  took  care  to  prefix  for 
his  readers  the  following  admonition : — '  I  have 
thought  fit  to  apprize  you,  that  copying  after  other 
writers,  I  have  attributed  to  Scotland  or  England 
some  Irish  saints,  which  it  was  the  more  necessary 
to  inform  you,  in  order  to  be  guarded  against  rob- 
bers :'  such  was  the  name  he  affixed  to  Dempster 
and  his  confederates,  pointing  them  out  as  robbers 
of  the  saints." — Usher,  c.  16,  p.  738. 


DIFFERENT    NAMES    OF    IRELAND. 


119 


fabulous,  or,  at  least,  mixed  witli  fable. 
There  were,  then,  from  the  acknowledgment 
of  Ware  himself,  kings  in  Ireland  before 
Laogare,  and  histories  which  make  mention 
of  them  ;  and  though  they  were  intermixed 
with  the  fabulous,  as  he  asserts,  he  would  have 
dated  his  history  much  farther  back  than 
Laogare,  if  the  undertaking  had  not  been 
too  difficult  for  a  man,  who,  not  knowing  the 
language  of  the  country,  was  unable  to 
fathom  its  antiquities  sufficiently.  Besides, 
this  mixture  of  truth  and  fable  is  a  vice  com- 
mon to  the  ancient  historians  of  every  coun- 
try. Ware  also  says,  that  they  considered 
it  praiseworthy  to  seize  on  the  property  of 
strangers,  as  it  tended  to  the  public  welfare  ; 
but  he  also  adds,  that  they  imitated  therein 
the  Gauls  and  Spartans.  He  says  that  their 
judges,  called  "  Brehons,"  distributed  justice 
and  decided  lawsuits  in  the  open  air,  and  on 
high  mountains,  and  that  bastards  frequently 
succeeded  to  the  property  of  the  father  with 
the  legitimate  children.  It  would  be  indulg- 
ing in  trifles  to  reproach  a  people  with  the 
ridiculous  customs  of  their  pagan  ancestors, 
at  a  time  when  all  nations  were  barbarous. 
Lastly,  he  says,  they  had  no  walled  cities  ; 
that  their  houses  were  built  of  wood,  and 
covered  with  thatch,  or  straw.  Those  people 
who  always  fought  in  the  open  field,  needed 
no  fortified  cities,  and  would  have  considered 
it  as  cowardice  to  conceal  themselves  behind 
walls  in  order  to  defend  themselves  against 
the  enemy.  With  respect  to  their  houses,  it 
is  unfit  to  reproach  them  with  a  custom 
common  to  all  other  nations.  Cambrensis 
speaks  of  the  castle  of  Pembroke*  to  have 
been  built  in  the  time  of  Henry  I.,  with 
branches  of  trees  and  green  turf,  by  Arnulph 
de  Montgomery.  The  Britons,  says  Caesar, 
gave  the  appellation  of  "  a  city,"  to  a  wood 
surrounded  with  a  ditch  and  a  hedge. f 
There  are  still  to  be  seen  in  France,  (which 
surpasses  every  other  nation  in  refinement 
and  good  taste,)  whole  towns  built  of  wood, 
and  covered  with  thatch  and  straw. 

We  easily  discover  the  bad  faith  of  Aber- 
cromby,  who  ascribes  to  Ware  sentiments 
very  foreign  to  him,  concerning  the  succes- 
sion to  the  monarchy,  and  the  inauguration 
of  the  kings  of  Tyrone  and  Tirconnel,  which 
he  only  relates  historically,  after  Cambrensis, 
as  an  imposition  strange  and  incredible, 
"  mirum  videatur,  et  vix  credibile  quod 
tradit  Giraldus,"J  and  not  an  historical  fact 
taken  from  the  registries  of  the  country,  or 


*  Itim  Cambriae,  lib.  1,  cap.  12. 
t  De  Bello  Gall.  lib.  5. 
t  Cap.  4,  p.  17. 


from  any  respectable  author  ;  particularly 
as  he  suggests,  in  the  twenty-third  chapter, 
that  the  Topography  of  Cambrensis  should 
be  read  with  caution,  and  expresses  his  sur- 
prise, that  men  in  his  time,  otherwise  grave 
and  learned,  could  have  imposed  on  the 
public,  by  giving  for  truth  the  fictions  -of 
Cambrensis.* 

Abercromby  draws  inferences  injurious 
to  the  authenticity  of  the  histories  of  the 
ancient  Irish,  from  those  barbarous  customs, 
so  called  from  not  being  conformable  to  the 
customs  of  the  present  day.  He  thinks  to 
annihilate  thereby  the  authority  of  manu- 
scripts, which  are  made  use  of  to  combat  the 
assumed  antiquity  of  his  monarchy  :  he  has 
not,  however,  gained  his  cause,  having  to 
contend  with  enemies,  who  being  better 
known  are  the  more  formidable.  Suc*h  are 
the  authors  whom  I  have  already  quoted, 
and  whose  authority  is  so  respectable.  I 
might  here  add  very  many  remarks  on  the 
means  which  Abercromby  makes  use  of  in 
favor  of  his  system.  I  do  not  pretend  that 
this  subject  has  been  exhausted;  but,  as  that 
is  not  the  chief  object  in  view,  I  leave  the 
matter  to  others. 


CHAPTER  VII.- 

ON  THE   DIFFERENT  NAMES  OF  IRELAND. 

Ireland  was  not  unknown  to  the  Phoeni- 
cians nor  Greeks.  Orpheus  of  Crotona,  con- 
temporary, according  to  Suidas,  of  Pisis- 
tratus  the  tyrant,!  who  died  in  the  sixty- 
third  olympiad,  and  of  Cyrus  the  Great, 
about  543  years  before  Christ,  in  his  poem 
on  the  Argonauts,  and  Aristotle,  in  his  Book 
of  the  AVorld  to  Alexander,  mention  it  under 
the  name  of  "  lerna,"  whence  Usher  says 
that  the  Roman  people  could  produce  no 
testimony  so  authentic  for  the  antiquity  of 
their  name.;}: 

Juvenal,  Pomponius  Mela,  and  Solinus, 
call  this  island  "  Juverna  -"^  Ptolemy,  "  Ju- 
ernia  ;"  and  Diodorus  Siculus,  "Iris."  It 
is  called  "  Iren,"  in  the  life  of  Gildas  Bado- 
nicus,||  who  went,  says  the  author,  to  Iren 

*  "  I  cannot  but  wonder,  how  men  otherwise 
grave  and  learned,  could  have  imposed  upon  the 
world  for  truths,  the  fictions  of  Giraldus." — Ware's 
Ayitiquities,  c.  23. 

+  Osyg-  part  2,  page  95 

I  "  Of  a  similar  antiquity,  neither  the  Romans 
themselves  could  produce  a  testimony." — Usher, 
p.  724. 

§  Peter  Lombard,  Comment,  cap.  1 

II  Lib.  5,  p.  309,  cap.  6. 


120 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


(Irt'Liiul)  to  consult  the  doctors  in  philosophy 
and  thcolofiy  ;*  whence  it  arises,  that  we  call 
the    Milesians,    or    Irish,  "  Irenscs,"    and 

"Iri."t 

Claudianus,  Strabo,  and  Stephen  of  By- 
zantium, call  it  "  lerne." 

Rufus-Festus  Avienus,  in  his  book  entitled 
"  Orffi  Maritime,"  Maritime  Coasts,  which 
he  composed  after  the  most  ancient  Greek 
geographers,  calls  it  the  Sacred  Island, 
"  Insula  Sacra  ;":t  so  that  this  island,  which 
was  one  day  to  become,  and  bear  the  name 
of  "  the  island  of  saints,"  in  the  time  of 
Christianky,  was  called  in  the  times  of 
paganism,  by  the  heathen  themselves,  "  the 
sacred  island,"  which,  perhaps,  originated 
from  its  nurturing  no  venomous  reptile.^ 

Plutarch,  in  his  book  "  De  facie  in  orbe 
lunae,''  calls  Ireland  "  Ogygia."  The  poets, 
says  Rhodogonus,  call  every  thing  that  is 
ancient  "  Ogygium,"  from  Ogyges,  an  an- 
cient king  of  Thebes. II  Egypt  was  also 
called  "  Ogygia"!!  for  the  same  reason,  the 
Egyptians  having  been  considered  the  most 
ancient  people,  and  the  inventors  of  most  of 
the  arts  and  sciences,  from  whom  the  Greeks 
themselves  had  borrowed  them. 

Csesar,  Pliny,  Tacitus,  Orosius,  and  gener- 
ally all  the  Latins  call  it  "  Hibernia."  The 
derivation  of  this  name  is  unknown.  Some 
assert  that  it  is  derived  from  the  Iberians,** 
a  people  of  Spain  who  inhabited  this  island, 
or  from  Iberus,  a  river  in  that  country,  or 
from  Iberia,  which  was  sometimes  the  name 
of  it.  Others  say  that  the  name  of  Hiber- 
nia is  derived  from  Heber,  one  of  the  sons 
of  Milesius,  or  from  Heremon,  his  brother. 

Lastly,  this  island  was  called  by  the  Eng- 
lish, within  the  last  six  or  seven  centuries, 
Ireland. ft  The  derivation  of  this  word  is 
manifest,  as  it  is  evident  that  the  word  Ire- 
land has  been  composed  of  "  Iris,"  or  "  Fea- 


*  "  He  went  to  Ireland  that  he  might  find  out 
the  opinions  of  other  doctors  of  philosophy  and 
divine  learning." — Life  of  Gildas,  c.  6. 

t  Odericus  vitalis,  ann.  1098.  Hist.  Eccles. 
lib.  10.     Elnothus  Cantur  vita  Canuti,  cap.  10. 

X  "  From  this  the  ancients  have  given  it  the 
name  of  Sacred  Island  ;  it  possesses  a  deep  soil 
amidst  the  waters.  The  Hibernians  (Irish)  are  its 
most  extended  possessors ;  an  island  of  the  Albions 
lies  near  and  open." — Feslus  Avienus  in  Camden. 

§  "  Which  name,  on  account  of  its  happy  soil, 
has  been  given  it ;  likewise  because  no  venomous 
reptile  lives  in  it." — Ogyg.  part  1,  pp.  21,  22. 

II  "  The  poets  call  that  '  Ogygia,'  which  is  sig- 
nified to  be  most  ancient." — Rhodogonus,  b.  15, 
0.  33. 

IT  Ogyg.  part  1,  p.  22. 

**  Peter  Lombard,  Comment,  c.  1,  p.  9. 

tt  Philip  O'Sullevan,  lib.  1,  cap.  1. 


ron  Ire,"  signifying  the  land  of  Ire,  and  the 
English  word  "  Land." 

It  is  absurd  to  seek  the  derivation  of  pro- 
per names  among  foreigners.*  Every  one 
should  know  the  name  of  his  own  land  or 
patrimony,  better  than  his  neighbors. 

Pliny  informs  us,t  that  we  should  seek 
the  proper  and  natural  name  of  a  country, 
among  the  learned  in  the  language  of  the 
country  itself.  The  natural  name  of  a 
country  is  that  which  is  acknowledged  and 
adopted  by  the  inhabitants,  and  which  has 
its  root  in  their  language,  and  not  that  which 
the  caprice  of  strangers  may  give  it.  The 
following  are  the  observations  of  the  histo- 
rians of  the  country  on  this  subject : — 

Keating,!  copying  after  the  ancient  monu- 
ments of  this  nation,  says,  that  at  the  time 
of  the  first  colonies,  Ireland  was  sometimes 
called  "  Inis  Alga,"  signifying  the  noble 
island  ;>^  sometimes  "  Inisfail,"i|  that  is,  the 
island  of  Fail,  from  an  enchanted  stone  called 
in  them  "  Lia-Fail ;"  and  "  Saxum  Fatale," 
by  Hector  Boetius,  which  the  Tuatha  de 
Danains  had  brought  thither. TT 

This  island  was  afterwards,  and  imme- 
diately before  the  arrival  of  the  Milesians, 
called  sometimes  Eire,  sometimes  Fodla,  and 
sometimes  Banba,  the  names  of  three  queens, 
sisters,  that  married  three  brothers  who 
governed  this  island  alternately  ;  but  Eire 
was  at  all  times,  and  still  is,  the  most  general 
name,  and  the  inhabitants  are  yet  called  in 
their  language  "  Eirinachs,"  signifying  na- 
tives of  Eire,  in  Latin  "  Erigena."  It  was 
in  this  acceptation  of  the  word  that  John 
Scot,  an  author  of  the  ninth  century,  was 
generally  called  "  Scotus  Erigena." 

Camden  agrees,  that  Erin  (which  is  the 
same  as  Eire)  is  the  real  name  of  this  island ; 
he  says,  that  the  names  lerna,  Juverna, 
Juernia,  Iris,  Hibernia,  and  Ireland,  are  de- 
rived from  it.  "  Ab  Erin  ergo  gentis  voca- 
bulo  originatio  pretenda."**  But  he  is  mis- 
taken in  his  conjectures  concerning  the  deri- 
vation of  the  word  Erin,  which  he  supposes 
to  have  discovered  in  the  Irish  word  "  Hiar," 
signifying  the  west,  as  Ireland  is  the  most 
westerly  country  in  Europe.  The  name  of 
Erin  was  given  to  this  island  by  the  inhab- 
itants themselves :  if  we  derived  it  from 
"  Hiar,"  it  would  be  giving  the  island  a  name 

*  "  It  is  vain  to  deduce  the  cause  of  its  name 
from  any  other  language." — Camden. 
t  Hist.  Nat.  lib.  1. 
X  Book  of  Emigrations. 
(j  Psalter  of  Cashel. 
II  Lecan  and  others. 
IT   War,  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  1. 
**  Page  677. 


DIFFERENT    NAMES    OF    IRELAND. 


121 


which  implies,  that  it  lies  to  the  west  of 
itself.  Besides,  O'Flaherty,  a  man  learned 
and  ably  conversant  in  the  language  of  the 
country,  rejects  this  conjecture  of  Camden 
as  an  absurdity.* 

This  island  was  also  called  by  the  Mile- 
sians "  Scotie,or  Scuitte,"  in  Latin  Scotia,! 
and  the  inhabitants  Kinneadh-Scuitte,  or 
Clanna-Scoitte,  from  Scota,  daughter  of 
Pharaoh,  king  of  Egypt,  wife  of  Milesius, 
and  mother  of  the  Milesians  ;  or,  according 
to  others,  from  the  word  Scythia  or  Scythe, 
(Scythians,)  of  whom  this  people  were  a 
colony. 

Whatever  be  the  derivation  of  this  name, 
it  is  certain  that  the  island  was  known  to 
foreigners  by  the  name  of  Scotia,|  and  the 
inhabitants  by  that  of  Scoti  or  Scots,  from 
the  third  till  the  eleventh  century. §  The 
number  of  authors  quoted  by  Usher,  to  sup- 
port the  truth  of  this  statement,  forms  a  link 
which  nothing  can  sever. || 

Porphyrins,  the  philosopher,  whose  words 
St.  Jerome  quotes,  in  his  epistle  to  Ctesi- 
phon,  against  Pelagius,  a  Briton,  and  Celes- 
tinus,  a  Scot,  makes  mention,  in  the  third 
century,  of  Britain,  a  province  fruitful  in 
I  tyrants,  and  of  the  Scotic  nations,  which, 
he  says,  were  unacquainted  with  Moses 
and  the  prophets.  "  Neque  enim  Britannia 
fertilis   provincia   tyrannorum,   et    Scoticae 

gentes Moysen  Prophetasque  cogno- 

verant."  Usher  here  corrects  Erasmus, 
who  affirms,  that  in  some  copies  he  had 
read  "  Scythicae  gentes,"  instead  of  Scoticae. 

The  Picts  and  Irish,  called  by  Eumenius 
the  Rhetorician,  towards  the  end  of  the 
same  century,  in  his  eulogium  on  Constan- 
tius,  the  general  enemies  of  the  Britons,  are 
designated  by  Ammian  and  Claudian,  in  the 
following  century,  by  the  names  of  Scots  and 
Picts  ;  which  proves,  according  to  Usher, 
that  Ireland  should  be  acknowledged  as  the 
country  of  the  ancient  Scots  ;  in  confirmation 
of  which,  he  quotes  the  lines  of  Claudian, 
wherein  this  poet  represents  the  Scots  as 
the  inhabitants  of  the  country  called  lerne.^I 

*  "  As  much  as  the  east  is  distant  from  the 
west,  so  much  does  Ere,  Hiar  in  the  Irish  lan- 
guage, which  imphes  westerly,  differ  in  its  mean- 
ing."— Ogyg.  p.  20,  part  1. 

t  Philip  O'Sullevan,  Hist.  Cathol.  compend.  cap.  2. 

X  Petr.  Lombard,  Comment,  cap.  1,  p.  5. 

§  Idem.  cap.  2,  p.  15. 

II  Usser.  Prim.  Eccles.  cap.  16,  p.  728,  et  Ogygia, 
part  3,  cap.  72. 

IT  "  It  proves  that  Hibernia  was  the  country  of 
the  ancient  Scots,  as  is  confirmed  by  the  following 
lines  from  Clodianus  :  '  The  icy  lerne  bewailed  the 
heaps  of  the  Scots  ;  when  Scotia  and  all  lerne 
were  moved,  and  the  sea  foamed  from  the  hostile 
oar.'  " — Usher. 


We  have  the  testimony  of  Paulus  Orosius, 
in  the  fifth  century,  who  says,  in  his  descrip- 
tion of  this  island,  that  it  was  inhabited  by 
the  Scots  ;  "  a  Scotorum  gentibus  colitur."* 
St.  Prosper,  speaking  of  the  pastoral  soli- 
citude of  Pope  Celestine  for  the  British 
isles,t  in  destroying  the  heresy  of  Pelagius 
in  Britain,  and  causing  the  gospel  to  be 
preached  among  the  Scots  by  Palladius,| 
distinguishes  the  island  of  Scots,  by  the 
appellation  of  barbarous,  from  Britain,  which 
he  calls  the  Roman  Isle.'^  The  island  of 
Scots,  in  the  acceptation  of  the  word  by 
Prosper,  can  only  refer,  says  Usher,  to  Sco- 
tia Major,  that  is  Ireland,  and  by  no  means 
to  Albania,  which  was  not  then  called  Sco- 
tia, and  is  not  an  island,  as  it  forms  a  part 
of  that  of  Great  Britain. || 

In  the  sixth  century  we  have  the  authority 
of  Gildas,  a  British  author,  who,  after  say- 
ing that  Britain  had  been  trampled  on  by  two 
barbarous  nations,  namely,  the  Scots,  who 
came  from  the  west,  and  the  Picts,  from  the 
north,  adds  that  the  daring  robbers  (the 
Irish)  had  returned  home,  with  the  design 
of  returning  in  a  short  time,  and  that  the 
Picts  had  settled  in  the  northern  extremity 
of  the  island. T[  It  is  manifest  that  Gildas 
here  mentions  the  Scots  and  Irish  as  the  same 
people  ;  which  is  the  inference  that  Usher 
draws  from  it,  adding  that  Cogitosus,  in  the 
life  of  St.  Bridget,  agrees  with  Gildas.** 

In  the  seventh  century,  Isidorus  Hispa- 
lensis  says,  that  Scotia  is  the  same  as  Ire- 


*  Hist.  hb.  1,  c.  2. 

t  Petr.  Lomb.  Comment,  c.  2,  p.  16. 

t  Grat.  Luc.  c.  25,  p.  213. 

§  "  Nor  with  less  care  has  he  rescued  the  British 
isles  from  the  same  distemper,  when  he  secretly 
excluded  some  who  occupied  the  soil  of  their  birth, 
from  that  part  of  the  ocean,  and  a  bishop  being  or- 
dained for  the  Scots,  while  he  labors  to  keep  the 
Roman  isle  Catholic,  he  made  that  which  was 
Christian,  barbarous." — St.  Prosper  in  Usher,  c. 
16,  p.  797. 

II  "  And  Prosper  distinguishing  eloquently  this 
island  of  the  Scots  from  the  Britons,  must  be  neces- 
sarily understood  to  mean  Scotia  Major  to  be  Ire- 
land, and  not  the  Minor  Scotia,  which  is  Albania, 
(which  was  not  Scotland  at  that  period,  neither  is 
it  an  island,  but  forms  a  part  of  Great  Britain.") — 
Usher's  Church  Hist.  c.  16,  p.  798. 

IT  "  From  two  very  cruel  nations  beyond  seas — 
the  Scots  from  the  west,  and  Picts  from  the  north 
— Britain  suffers  and  sighs  during  many  years. 
The  daring  robbers,  the  Irish,  return  home,  intend- 
ing to  come  back  in  a  short  time  ;  the  Picts  then 
settled,  for  the  first  time,  in  the  north  of  the  island." 
—Usher,  c.  15,  p.  593-609.- 

**  "  Where  he  takes  the  Scots  and  Irish  for 
one  and  the  same  people  ;  this  is  also  observed  by 
Cogitosus,  as  well  in  his  prologue  as  in  his  epi- 
logue upon  the  life  of  St.  Bridget." — Usher,  c.  16, 
p.  729. 


122 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


land  ;  "  Scotia  cailom  ct  Hibcrnia."*  The 
abbot  Jonas  aflirms,  in  the  life  of  St.  Coluin- 
banus,  that  the  saint  was  born  in  the  island 
of  Ireland  ;  which  island  was  inhabited  by  a 
nation  of  Scots  ;  that  this  nation,  thongh  not 
governed  by  the  same  laws  as  others,  was 
remarkable  for  its  fervor  in  Christianity, 
and  snrpasscd  all  the  neighboring  countries 
in  its  faith.f  We  may  add  the  authority  of 
Aldhelm,  abbot  of  Malmesbury,  in  his  epis- 
tle to  Ealfrid,  and  that  of  Adamnanus,  abbot 
of  Ily,  in  the  Life  of  St.  Columb.  Those 
holy  men  always  make  use  of  the  names 
of  Irish  and  Scots,  Ireland  and  Scotia,  as 
sjTiony  mous  .| 

The  venerable  Bede,  who  lived  in  the 
eighth  century,  and  whose  authority  is  so 
respectable,  bears  testimony  to  the  truth  of 
this  statement ;  to  be  convinced  of  which,  it 
is  only  necessary  to  read,  with  attention,  his 
Ecclesiastical  History.  According  to  the 
title  of  his  first  chapter,  he  proposes  to  treat 
of  the  situation  and  ancient  inhabitants  of 
Britain  and  Ireland,  "  de  situ  Britanniae,  vel 
Hiberniae,  et  priscis  earura  incolis  ;"  and  in 
the  same  chapter  introduces  the  Scots  as 
the  inhabitants  of  Ireland,  without  mention- 
ing the  name  of  Irish.  We  discover,  in  the 
sequel  of  his  history,  the  distinction  he 
makes  between  the  Scots  of  Ireland  and 
those  of  Albania.  He  frequently  mentions  the 
former,  whom  he  simply  calls  Scots  ;  and 
designates  their  country  by  the  names,  Sco 
tia  and  Ireland.  He  says  that  the  Picts  had 
discovered  the  nation  of  the  Scots  in  Ire 
land,§  "  inventa  ibi  gente  Scotorum,"  and  that 
Ireland  was  their  country,  "  haic  autem  pro- 
pria patria  Scotorum  est."||  He  distinctly 
characterizes  them  in  the  second  chapter  of 
his  second  book,  when  speaking  of  the  pas 
toral  solicitude  of  Lawrence,  archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  for  the  churches  of  the  Britons 
English,  and  Scots,  who  inhabited  Ireland 
which  he  points  out  as  an  island  bordering 


*  Origin,  lib.  14,  cap.  6. 

t  "Columbanus  was  born  in  Ireland,  an  island 
of  the  sea  :  this  is  inhabited  by  the  Scots,  a  people 
though  dilTering  in  their  laws  from  every  other  na- 
tion, are  strong  and  flourishing  in  the  doctrine  of 
Christ,  agreeing  herein  with  the  neighboring  na- 
tions."—  Usher,  c.  16,  p.  729. 

t  "  From  this  cause,  we  discover  in  Aldhelm, 
abbot  of  Malmesbury,  in  the  epistle  to  Ealfrid,  that 
the  Irish  and  Scots,  Ireland  and  Scotia,  are  sy- 
nonymous terms,  and  in  Adamnanus,  abbot  of  Hy, 
wiio  writes  of  St.  Columb.  He  makes  use  of  the 
words,  Scotia  and  Hihernia,  (Ireland,)  signifying 
that  they  are  one  and  the  same." — Usher,  c.  16,  p. 
729. 

§  Lib.  1,  cap.  1. 

II  Grat.  Luc.  c.  14,  pages  126  et  127. 


pon  Britain  ;  "  necnon  Scotorum  qui  Hi- 
berniam  insulam  Britannia;  proximam  inco- 
unt :"  he  says  that  this  prelate  knowing  that 
the  Scots  were  in  error  concerning  the  ob- 
servance of  the  Easter,  had  written  a  letter 
to  them,  exhorting  them  to  preserve  unity 
with  the  Church  of  Rome  ;  this  letter  was 
entitled  "  Dominis  charissimis,  fratribus 
Episcopis  vel  Abbatibns  per  universam  Sco- 
tiam."  It  is  remarkable  that  in  the  title,  he 
uses  the  word  Scotia  to  indicate  the  same 
country  which  he  had  shortly  before  named 
Hibernia.  Bede  says  elsewere,*  "that  Pope 
Honorius  sent  letters  to  the  Scots,  who  were 
in  error  concerning  the  celebration  of  Easter, 
as  mentioned  above,  exhorting  them  not  to 
think  themselves  more  enlightened  than 
every  other  church  in  the  Avorld,  particu- 
larly as  they  formed  but  a  small  nation, 
situated  at  the  extremity  of  the  earth." 

"  Misit  Papa  Honorius  litteras  genti  Sco- 
torum, quas  in  observatione  sancti  paschee 
errare  compererat  juxta  quod  supra  docui- 
mus."  It  is  plain  from  these  words  of  Bede, 
"juxta  quod  supra  docuimus,"  'and  which 
are  an  incontestable  proof  of  it,  that  the  let- 
ters of  Pope  Honorius,  and  that  of  Lawrence 
of  Canterbury,  were  intended  for  the  same 
people,  that  is,  for  the  Scots  of  Ireland,  who 
were  in  error  concerning  the  Easter,  which 
they  celebrated  from  the  fourteenth  to  the 
twentieth  of  the  moon.  In  speaking  of 
Oswald,  king  of  Northuml)erland,t  he  says, 
that  "  this  prince,  seeing  himself  in  peace- 
ful possession  of  his  kingdom,  and  eager 
for  the  conversion  of  his  subjects,  sent  to  the 
Scots,  (among  whom  he  and  his  attendants 
had  received  the  grace  of  baptism,)  to  re- 
quest that  they  would  send  him  a  prelate 
capable  of  instructing  his  subjects.  The 
Scots  attended  immediately  to  the  pious  re- 
quest of  Oswald,  and  sent  over  Aidan,  a 
man  remarkable  for  his  mildness,  piety,  and 
zeal  in  the  cause  of  God,  but  not  better  in- 
structed than  his  countrymen  in  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  Easter,  which,  as  I  have  often 
mentioned,  (continues  our  author,)  was  from 
the  fourteenth  to  the  twentieth  of  the  moon. 
It  was  thus,  says  Bede,  that  the  northern 
Scots  and  the  whole  nation  of  the  Picts, 
celebrated  the  Easter  ;  but  the  Scots  of  the 
southern  provinces  of  Ireland,  he  says,  had 
already,  by  the  admonition  of  the  apostolic 
See,  conformed  to  the  canonical  rite."|  To- 

*  Lib.  2,  cap.  19. 

t  Idem.  lib.  3,  cap.  3. 

t  "  In  this  way  the  northern  Scots  and  the  whole 
nation  of  the  Picts  celebrated  the  Easter  at  that 
time.  Besides  this,  the  Scots  who  inhabited  the 
southern  parts  of  Ireland,  had  listened  to  the  admo- 


DIFFERENT    NAMES    OF    IRELAND. 


123 


wards  the  end  of  the  same  chapter,  he  men- 
tions "  that  Aidan  was  a  monk  and  bishop  ; 
that  he   came  from  the   monastery  of  the 
island  of  Hy,  and  that  this  island  had  been 
given  to  the  Scots  by  the  Picts,  in  gratitude 
for  their  having  preached  the  gospel  among 
them."*     In  the  beginning  of  the  following 
chapter,  he  plainly  indicates  the  country  of 
the  Scots,  by  saying,  "  that  there  came  from 
Ireland  a  monk  called  Columbanus,t  emi- 
nent for  the  austerity  of  his  life  ;  that  he 
preached  the  gospel  to  the  northern  Picts, 
and  that  they  granted  him  the  island  of  Hy, 
I  where  he  built  a  monastery."     The  venera- 
ble Bode  expresses  himself  otherwise  about 
the  country  of  St.  Columbanus.    In  his  chro- 
nological table,   he   says   "  that  this  great 
man  came  from  Scotia  to  Britain  to  instruct 
the  Picts."!     We  should  then  misinterpret 
the  history  of  Bede,  if  we  did  not  discover 
that,    according  to   this    author,  the  terms 
Scotia  and  Ireland,  Scots  and  Irish,  are  sy- 
I  nonymous,  and  signify  the  same  nation  and 
the  same  people  ;  that  St.  Columbanus,  the 
apostle  of  the  Picts,  and  founder  of  the  mo- 
nastery of  Hy,  was  a  Scot  from  Ireland  ; 
that  Aidan,   the   apostle   of  the  Northum- 
brians, and  first  bishop  of  Landisfarn,  was 
from  the  same  country,  namely,  from  the 
province  of  the  northern  Scots,  who  were 
j  involved  in  the  error  of  the  Quartodecimans, 
i  among  whom  Oswald  had  received  baptism; 
j  that  this  northern  province  which  Bede  dis- 
!  tinguishes  from  the  southern  Scots,  on  ac- 
I  count  of  their  difference  in  opinion  respect- 
}  ing  their  observance  of  the  Easter,^  is  the 
I  north  of  Ireland,  comprising  the  neighbor- 
ing islands,  among  others  that  of  Hy  :  were 
j  it  otherwise,    there   would  be   a  want  of 

I  precision  in  the  account  which  he  gives  ; 
■  besides,  it  is  obvious,  according  to  the  plan 

and  thread  of  his  history,  that  he  always 
mentions  those  Scots  as  inhabitants  of  Ire- 
land, to  whom    Lawrence,    archbishop  of 

I 

j  nition  of  the  Holy  See,  and  conformed  to  the  ca- 
'  nonical  observance  of  the  Easter." — Bede,  b.  3,  c.  3. 
*  "  Aiden  was  monk  and  bishop,  and  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  island  of  Hy  :  as  a  present  from  those 
Picts  who  inhabit  these  tracts  of  Britain,  Hy  was 
given  to  the  monks  who  had  preached  among  them 
the  faith  of  Christ." 

t  'i  There  came  from  Ireland,  in  the  year  of  our 

I I  Lord  565,  the  lioly  monk  Columbanus,  about  to 
j  preach  the  word  of  God  to  the  northern  Picts,  from 
I  whom  he  received  the  island,  and  permission  to 
1    found  a  monastery." — Bede,  b.  3,  c.  3,  4. 

i        X  "  The    presbyter,    saint    Columb,   came  from 
I    Scotia  into  Britain,  to  instruct  the   Picts,  and  in 
j    tiie  island  of  Hy  he  founded  a  monastery." — Epito- 
me, p.  244. 
i       §  Peter  Lombard,  c.  15,  p.  185. 


Canterbury,  had  addressed  a  pastoral  letter 
respecting  their  observance  of  the  Easter, 
"  which  I  have  often  mentioned,"  says  Bede. 
"  Cujus  sajpius  mentionem  fecimus."  "  The 
Picts  (continues  this  author)  labored  un- 
der the  same  error  as  the  Scots."  Besides 
the  proximity  of  those  nations,  separated  by 
an  arm  of  the  sea  but  fifteen  miles  in  breadth, 
and  besides  the  commerce  which  had  always 
existed  between  them,  the  Picts  received 
from  tliem  the  light  of  the  gospel ;  so  that  it 
is  not  surprising  that  they  inhaled  the  ven- 
om of  the  error  with  which  their  apostles  had 
been  infected.  "  There  came  from  Ireland 
(continues  Bede)  a  holy  man  named  Fursy, 
(and  resuming  the  narrative  towards  the  end 
ofthesamechapter,)  who,  after  preaching  the 
word  of  God  for  many  years  in  Scotia,  quit- 
ted this  island,  of  which  he  was  a  native."* 
Finally,  Bede  tells  us  that  Ecgfrid,  king  of 
the  Northumbrians,  had  sent  an  army  into 
Ireland,  under  the  command  of  Berte,  to 
destroy  an  unoffending  people.  In  the  same 
chapter,  he  again  quotes  this  passage  of  his- 
tory, where  he  again  makes  use  of  the  word 
Scotia,  instead  of  Hibernia,  which  he  had 
used  in  the  beginning.!  With  respect  to 
the  Scots  of  Albania,  this  author  having 
ranked  them  with  the  Picts,  as  forming,  long- 
afterwards,  a  third  colony  in  Britain,  "  pro- 
cedente  autem  tempore, "|  they  are  seldom 
mentioned  by  him  ;  and  he  carefully  distin- 
guishes them  from  those  of  Ireland,  by  call- 
ing them  sometimes  Dalreudini,  sometimes 
the  Scots,  who  possessed,  together  with  the 
Picts,  the  north  of  Britain,  "  Pictorum  quo- 
que  ac  Scotorum  gentes  quae  septentrionales 
Britannia^  fines  tenent  ;"§  and  frequently  the 
Scots  who  inhabited  Britain  ;  "  Scoti  qui 
Britanniam  incolunt."||  Pie  also  speaks  of 
Edan,  king  of  the  Scots,  who  inhabited  Brit- 
ain, without  alluding  to  a  kingdom  of  Scot- 
land in  that  island  ;  "  Edan,  rex  Scotorum, 
(\ui  Britanniam  inhabitant.''''^  Although  Bede 


*  "  A  holy  man  named  Fursius  came  from  Ire- 
land, and  (to  resume  the  narrative)  he  preached, 
for  many  years  afterwards,  the  word  of  God  in 
Scotia,  and  left  the  island  of  which  he  was  a  na- 
tive."—jBerfe,  b.  3,  c.  19. 

t  "  In  the  year  of  the  Redemption  684,  Ecgfri- 
dus,  king  of  the  Northumbrians,  sent  an  army  to 
Ireland,  under  the  command  of  Bertus.  He  devas- 
tated the  country,  and  inflicted  great  miseries  on  a 
people,  who  were  innocent  and  most  friendly  to  the 
English.  The  preceding  year,  he  would  not  listen 
to  the  most  reverend  Egbertus,  lest  he  should  not 
carry  war  into  Scotia,  a  country  which  did  him  no 
injury." — Bede,  b.  4,  c.  26 

t  Lib.  1,  cap.  1 

§  Lib.  2,  cap.  5. 

II  Lib.  5,  c.  24.  T  Lib.  c.  34. 


124 


HISTORY  OP  IRELAND. 


says  Usher,  carefully  distinguishes  the  Scots 
of  Ireland  from  those  who,  in  his  time,  in- 
hahited  a  part  of  Albania  ;  he  allows,  how- 
ever, but  of  one  Scotia,  which  is  Ireland.* 

Alcuin,  disciple  of  the  venerable  Bede,  fol- 
lows his  example  on  this  subject,  in  speaking 
of  St.  Willibrord,  bishop  of  Utrecht,  whose 
life  he  wrote  ;  and  in  saying  that  this  saint 
was  a  native  of  Britain,  and  studied  divinity 
in  Ireland,  he  uses  indiscriminately  the  names 
Ireland  and  Scotia,  which,  according  to  him, 
says  Usher,  signified,  in  the  time  of  Charle- 
magne, the  same  nation  and  the  same 
people. t 

Eginhard,  secretary  to  Charlemagne,  or, 
according  to  some,  his  son-in-law,  in  his 
annals  on  the  year  812,j:  informs  us  that  the 
naval  forces  of  the  Normans  landed  in  Ire- 
land, the  island  of  the  Scots,  and  having 
given  them  battle,  in  which  they  were  de- 
feated, that  those  barbarians  who  escaped 
shamefully  took  to  flight,  and  returned  to 
their  country. § 

This  fact  is  supported  by  the  authority  of 
several  writers  of  that  century,  mentioned 
by  Usher  :  as  the  monk  of  Angouleme,  who 
wrote  the  life  of  Charlemagne,  and  Erme- 
noldus,  by  whom  the  annals  of  Fulda  were 
compiled,  who  says  in  a  few  words,  that  the 
Danish  fleet  having  attacked  Ireland,  was 
defeated  by  the  Scots. || 

Rabanus,  archbishop  of  Mayence,  says,  in 
his  martyrology  on  the  eighth  of  the  ides  of 
July,  "  Ireland  is  the  island  of  the  Scots  :" 
and  in  another  place,  "  Scotia  and  Ireland 
signify  the  same  country ."1" 

Walafrid,  in  his  preface  to  the  life  of  St. 


*  "  Though  Bede  distinguishes  with  care  the 
Scots  who  inhabit  Hibernia,  (Ireland,)  and  the  Scots 
who  inhabit  Britain,  still  Scotia  is  to  him  (as  we 
have  shown)  always  one  and  the  same." — Usher's 
C.  Hist.  b.  4,  c.  23. 

t  "  A  man  powerful  in  virtue,  full  of  divine  love, 
eloquent,  vigilant,  and  ardent  in  acting,  came  to 
thee,  O  happy  France,  in  the  days  of  Pepin  ;  fruitful 
Britain  was  his  mother,  and  the  learned  Hibernia 
nurtured  him  in  sacred  study  ;  he  was  named  Wil- 
brordus.  As  I  have  already  pronounced,  fertile 
Britain  was  his  mother,  and  the  country  of  the 
Scots  his  illustrious  instructor.  He  obviously 
shows,  that  Hibernia  and  Scotia  were  one  and  the 
same  in  the  time  of  Charles  the  Great." — Usher 
Syllog. 

I  Pres.  Hain.  Abrege  de  I'Hist.  de  France,  p.  43. 
§  "  A  Norman  fleet  having  attacked  Hibernia,  the 

country  of  the  Scots,  a  battle  was  fought  between 
the  Normans  and  Scots,  they  were  shamefully  put 
to  flight,  and  returned  with  a  part  only  of  their 
force." — Annals  of  Eginardus,  on  the  year  812. 

II  "  A  fleet  of  Danes  are  overcome  by  the  Scots 
in  battle." — Fulden's  Annals. 

IT  "  Hibernia,  the  island  of  the  Scots,  is  the  same 
as  Scotia." — b.  12. 


Gal,  says  he  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  "  de 
Hibernia  insula  ;"*  and  again,  that  he  was 
of  the  nation  of  the  Scots,  "  de  gente  Scoto- 
rum."t 

Ninius,  a  British  author,  affirms  that  the 
Scots  came  from  Spain  to  Ireland  ;  "  Novis- 
sime  venerunt  Scoti  a  partibus  Hispania;  ad 
Hiberniam." 

Rathrannus,  a  monk  of  Corbie,  assures  us, 
in  his  fourth  book  against  the  Greeks,  that 
the  Scots,  inhabitants  of  Ireland,  were  ac- 
customed, in  their  monasteries  and  other 
religious  houses,  to  fast  till  sunset,  (the  usual 
time  of  their  repast,)  except  on  Sundays  and 
holydays.J 

In  the  tenth  century,  Hucbald,  a  monk  of 
the  Abbey  of  St.  Amand,"^  and  the  abbot 
Adso,  in  his  poem  on  St.  Mansuy,  (in  Latin 
Mansuetus,)  to  Girald,  bishop  of  Toul,  use 
indiscriminately  the  names  Scotia  and  Hiber- 
nia, to  signify  the  same  country. 

Fabius  Ethelwerdus,||  and  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  annals,  mention  three  Scots  from 
Ireland,  "  tres  Scotos  de  Hibernia,"  who 
came  in  the  year  891  to  Alfred,  king  of 
England  ;  theirnames  were  Dufslanus,  Mac- 
bothus,  and  the  third  Magilmumenus,  who 
was  well  versed  in  the  arts  and  sciences, 
and  a  celebrated  doctor  among  the  Scots : 
"  Artibus  frondens,  littera  doctus,  Magister 
insignis  Scotorum." 

We  discover  in  the  life  of  Charlemagne, 
written  in  the  same  century  by  Notker  le 
Begue,  a  monk  of  St.  Gal,  that  two  Scots 
from  Ireland,  deeply  conversant  in  sacred 
and  profane  learning,  came  to  France,  with 
some  British  merchants. 1^ 

The  same  author,  in  his  martyrology  on 
the  sixteenth  of  the  calends  of  April,  fixes  in 
Scotia  the  birth  of  Saint  Patrick,  a  bishop 
and  native  of  Brittany,  who  preached  the 
gospel  to  the  Scots  in  the  island  of  Ireland  :** 
on  the  fifth  of  the  ides  of  June  in  Scotia,  the 
decease  of  St.  Columb,  surnamed  Columb- 
Kill,  on  account  of  having  been  founder  and 

*  Lib.  1,  cap.  2.  t  Lib.  2,  cap.  46. 

t  "  The  nation  of  the  Scots  who  inhabit  the 
island  of  Ireland,  have  a  custom  in  all  the  monas- 
teries and  religious  houses,  to  fast  every  day,  except 
on  Sundays  and  holydays,  and  to  take  food  only  at 
noon,  or  in  the  evening." — Rathrannus  Corbeieus, 
b.  4,  against  the  Greeks. 

§  In  vita.  Lebuini.  * 

II   Ethelwerd.  Chron.  lib.  4,  cap.  3. 

IT  "  It  happened  that  two  Scots  came  from  Hiber. 
nia  with  British  merchants,  to  the  shores  of  Gaul, 
who  were  most  learned  in  sacred  as  well  as  in  pro- 
fane writings." 

**  St.  Patrick,  bishop,  died  in  Ireland,  where  he 
first  preaclied  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  to  the  Scots : 
he  was  of  the  nation  of  Brittany." — Not':er  le 
Begue  in  Usher. 


DIFFERENT    DIVISIONS    OF    IRELAND. 


125 


rector  of  several  churches  and  monasteries  :* 
and  on  the  eighth  of  the  ides  of  July,  the 
passion  of  St.  Kilian,  first  bishop  of  Wirtz- 
burgh,  and  of  his  two  disciples,  Colonat  a 
priest,  and  Totnan  a  deacon,  who  came  from 
Ireland,  the  island  of  the  Scots,  and  after 
re.ceiving  their  mission  from  the  holy  see, 
preached  the  gospel  in  the  same  place,  and 
the  adjacent  country.!  An  ancient  author  of 
the  life  of  St.  Kilian,  quoted  by  Usher,|  says 
that  Scotia,  Avhich  is  also  called  Ireland,  is  an 
island  in  the  ocean,  the  soil  of  which  is  very 
fertile  ;  but  that  it  is  still  more  celebrated 
by  the  illustrious  saints  to  whom  it  gave 
birth ;  among  that  number  are  St.  Colum- 
banus,  who  gave  lustre  to  Italy,  St.  Gal, 
to  Germany,  and  St.  Kilian,  to  Teutonic 
France. § 

The  unanimous  opinion  of  so  many  re- 
spectable authors,  during  seven  or  eight  cen- 
turies, should  be  an  incontrovertible  proof 
of  the  truth  of  what  I  assert.  It  appears 
that  the  Abbe  de  Fleury  had  thoroughly 
investigated  this  matter,  as  in  his  Ecclesias- 
tical History,  when  speaking  of  Scotia,  and 
the  Scots  or  Scotch,  he  always  takes  care  to 
add,  "  that  is,  Hibernia  and  Hibernians,"  and 
sometimes  Ireland  and  Irish.  Had  the  au- 
thor of  the  abridgment  of  the  history  of 
France,  by  question  and  answer,  published 
in  Paris  some  years  ago,  informed  himself 
more  accurately  on  the  subject,  he  would 
have  been  more  explicit  respecting  the  name 
of  the  country  to  which  Dagobert,  son  of 
Sigebert  HI.,  king  of  Austrasia,  was  sent 
by  Grimoald,  mayor  of  the  palace ;  he  would 
not  have  simply  said  that  it  was  to  Scot- 
land ;  he  would  have  added,  like  the  Abbe 
Fleury,  "  that  is,-  to  Ireland." 

*  "  In  the  island  Hibernia,  or  Scotia,  the  decease 
of  Saint  Columb  took  place  :  he  was  surnamed 
Columb-Kill,  on  account  of  the  number  of  cells, 
monasteries,  and  churches,  which  he  had  founded." 
— Notker  le  Begue,  in  Usher,  c.  15,  p.  687. 

t  "  The  martyrdom  of  Saint  Kilianus,  the  first 
bishop  of  Wurtzburgh,  and  of  his  two  disciples,  Co- 
lonatus  a  presbyter,  and  Totnatus  a  dean,  who 
coming  from  Hibernia,  the  island  of  the  Scots,  hav- 
ing received  their  authority  from  the  apostolical 
see,  preached  the  name  of  Christ  in  that  place  and 
the  surrounding  country." — Notker  le  Begue,  in 
Usher,  c.  16,  p.  732. 

t  Prim.  Eccles.  cap.  16,  733. 

§  "  Scotia,  called  also  Hibernia,  is  an  island  in 
the  ocean,  very  fruitful  in  its  soil,  but  still  more 
renowned  for  the  sanctity  of  its  people  ;  from 
among  them,  St.  Columbanus  gave  lustre  to  Italy, 
St.  Gal  to  Germany,  and  Kilianus  to  Teutonic 
France."— Usher,  c.  16,  p.  733. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

ON  THE   DIFFERENT    DIVISIONS  OF  IRELAND. 

Ireland  was  at  all  times  divided  accord- 
ing to  the  views  and  interests  of  those  who 
possessed  it.  Partholan  divided  it  into  four 
parts,  in  favor  of  his  four  sons  ;  Nennius, 
for  the  same  reason,  divided  it  into  three, 
and  the  Firbolgs  into  five.  The  children  of 
Milesius,  on  their  accession  to  the  govern- 
ment of  this  island,  made  a  new  division  of 
it :  Heber,  with  the  descendants  of  Ith,  had 
this  southern  part,  called  Munster  ;  Leinster 
and  Connaught  fell  to  Heremon  ;  and  the 
northern  part,  called  Ulster,  to  the  children 
of  Ir.  Ugane  the  Great,  who  lived  three 
centuries  before  the  Christian  era,  divided 
this  island  into  twenty-five  parts  in  favor  of 
his  children.*  But  the  most  celebrated  di- 
vision of  the  island,  which  was  confirmed  by 
Eocha  IX.  before  the  time  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  which  still  partially  exists,  was  that  of 
the  fourparts  orprovinces,  and  the  separation 
which  was  shortly  afterwards  made  of  a  cer- 
tain portion  from  each  province,  by  Tuathal 
Teachmar,  to  form  the  king's  domain,! 
called  in  their  language  Fearon-Buoird- 
Riogh-Erinn,  which  signifies,  "  domain  of 
the  king's  table,"  at  present  the  counties 
of  East  and  West  Meath.J  Those  parts 
answering  to  our  provinces^  were  called,  in 
their  language,  Coigeadh,  which  implies  a 
fifth.  It  would  appear  that  the  king's  do- 
main formed  the  fifth  part  of  this  division, 
or  that  one  of  the  other  four  was,  at  some 
time,  subdivided  into  two,  as  Munster  was 
divided  into  Eastern  and  Western  Ireland, 
and  was  long  after  divided  into  two  parts,  by 
Conn,  monarch  of  the  island,  and  Mogha, 
king  of  Munster.  The  line  of  separation, 
called  Eisker  Riada,  extended  from  Dublin  in 
the  east  to  Galway  in  the  west.  The  north- 
ern part,  which  fell  under  the  dominion  of 
Conn,  was  called  "  Leath  Coinn,  or  the  half 
of  Coinn,"  and  the  southern,  "  Leath  Mogha." 

The  venerable  Bede  alludes  probably  to 
this  division,  when  he  mentions  the  north- 
ern and  southern  Scots. || 

Besides  those  general  divisions  which 
were  made  either  by  the  wisdom  of  legislators 
or  by  force  of  arms,  Ireland  was  anciently 
divided  by  the  Milesians  into  territories,  that 
is,  into  principalities  and  dynasties,  as  it  has 
been  since  by  the  English  into  counties  and 

*  Ogygia,  page  18. 

t  Peter  Lombard,  Conynent.  de  Hib.  cap.  3,  page 
41.  t  Grat.  Luc.  c.  8,  p.  68. 

§  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  46.       |1  Ogyg.  part  1,  p.  24 


126 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


baronies.  The  chiefs  of  those  territories, 
and  the  families  who  possessed  them,  were 
chosen  from  the  tribe.  The  dynasties  formed 
about  thirty  burghs  or  viUages,  comprising 
nearly  the  same  extent  of  land  as  the  baro- 
nies among  the  Anglo-Saxons,  and  the  princi- 
palities were  the  same  as  our  counties.  Their 
chiefs  were  elective,  and  chosen  by  their 
own  tribes,  for  life  only;  they  were  subor- 
dinate to  the  chief  of  the  province,  as  the 
latter  was  to  the  monarch.  Those  chiefs 
■vvho  naturally  convey  to  us  the  idea  of  the 
titles  of  duke,  earl,  and  baron,  were  called 
Taoiseachs,*  that  is,  lords  :  Thane  among 
the  Anglo-Saxons,  signifies  the  same  thing, 
namely,  the  chief  of  the  tribe. 

The  ancient  names  of  those  territories  had 
a  strong  analogy  and  connection  with  the 
names  and  origin  of  their  possessors,  who 
were  sometimes  called  kings  through  cour- 
tesy, according  to  the  extent  of  their  pos- 
sessions, and  the  number  of  their  vassals  : 
men  never  took  the  names  of  their  lands  ; 
on  the  contrary,  they  generally  gave  to  their 
patrimonies  names  that  indicated  the  pro- 
prietors, which  are  still  preserved  among 
the  people,  notwithstanding  the  efforts  of 
the  English  to  obliterate  them  by  giving 
foreign  names  to  the  lands  and  loidships 
which  they  usurped. 

To  understand  more  clearly  the  analogy 
between  the  names  of  the  dynasties  and  the 
names  and  origin  of  the  proprietors,  we 
should  observe  that  the  words  Dal,  Hy  or 
Ibh,  Sioll,  Clan,  Kinall,  Mac,  Muinter, 
and  others,  are  adjectives  frequently  used  in 
the  Milesian  or  Irish  language,  and  which, 
in  their  primitive  signification,  denote  the 
chiefs  of  families,  and  sometimes  the  dif- 
ferent branches ;  but  taken  in  a  wider  sense, 
they  are  applied  to  their  territorial  posses- 
sions. 

The  word  Dal,  according  to  Bede,  means 
part  of  a  thing,!  and  may  be  used  to  signify 
a  portion  of  territory,  or  the  branch  of  a 
family  ;  but  in  its  most  natural  signification, 
Dal  means  tribe  or  race,  as  Dal  Riada,  or 
tribe  of  Riada  ;]:  Hy  or  Ibh,  signifies  "  of;" 
and  Sioll,  Clan,  Kinall,  Mac,  Muinter,  &c., 
the  race  or  descendants  of  any  one.^^ 

The  ancient  territories  of  Ireland, ||  ac- 
cording to  Keating,  Gratianus  Lucius, 
0'Flaherty,"j[  and  others,  after  the  ancient 
monuments  of  the  country,  among  others 

*  O^yg.  part  1,  pp.  24,  27,  et  57. 

+  Hist.  Ecclesiast.  lib.  1,  part  1. 

t  t)gyg.  part  3,  cap.  63. 

§  Id.  part  3,  cap.  76. 

|]  Canibrens.  Evcrs.  cap.  3. 

IT  Ogyg.  part  3,  passim. 


the  very  ancient  poem  of  O'Douvegan,  are 
arranged  in  alphabetical  order,  in  the  dif- 
ferent provinces,  at  the  end  of  this  chapter, 
with  the  names  and  origin  of  the  ancient 
proprietors,  as  far  as  they  are  known. 

There  are  some  territories,  the  names 
alone  of  which  have  been  preserved,  while 
those  of  the  proprietors  are  unknown ;  and 
others,  the  names  and  proprietors  of  which 
are  known,  but  their  situation  and  extent 
cannot  be  ascertained,  owing  to  the  boun- 
daries and  ancient  names  having  been  con- 
founded and  changed  by  those  strangers  who 
have  usurped  them.  We  shall,  however, 
subjoin  them,  in  the  form  of  a  supplement, 
to  those  territories  which  are  better  known 
in  each  province,  and  distinguish  them  by 
an  index. 

The  province  of  Ulster  remained,  from 
the  settlement  of  the  Milesians  in  Ireland,  in 
possession  of  the  descendants  of  Ir,  known 
by  the  name  of  Clanna-Rorys,  or  Rudri- 
cians.*  This  province  underwent  many  rev- 
olutions ;  the  reign  of  the  Rudricians  was 
disturbed  for  the  first  time,t  in  the  beginning 
of  the  third  century,  by  the  policy  of  the 
monarch  Conare  II. ,|  who,  dreading  the 
power  of  those  people,  placed  Ogaman,  a 
prince  of  the  tribe  of  the  Dalfiatachs,  of  the 
race  of  Heremon,  on  the  throne  ;  but  they 
received  the  severest  blow  from  Coila-Huais 
and  his  brothers,  princes  of  the  race  of 
Heremon,  in  the  fourth  century,  who  de- 
stroyed the  palace  of  Eamhain,^  put  an 
end  to  the  sway  of  the  Clanna-Rorys,  and 
founded  the  small  kingdom  of  Orgiell,  which 
comprised  the  counties  of  Louth,  Ardmach, 
and  Monaghan.ll 

The  tribe  of  the  Magennises,  chiefs  of  the 
Clanna-Rorys,   though   excluded   from  the 

*  From  the  Clanna-Rorys,  are  descended  the 
MacGenises,  the  MacCartans,  the  O'Mordhans,  (in 
English,  O'More,)  O'Conners-Kerr}',  O'Loghlins, 
O'Ferralls,  MacGranuills,  or  MacRanells,  Mac-an- 
Bhairds,  (in  English,  Ward,)  O'Lawlors,  Magilla- 
gans,  Scanlans,  Brosnaghans,  O'Cathils,  O'Con- 
ways,  Casies,  Tiernys,  Nestors,  O'MarCachains, 
O'Tyns,  O'Hargans,  O'Flahcrtys,  Dorcys,  O'Hual- 
lachains,  MacSheanloichs,  O'Morains,  O'Roda- 
chains,  (in  English,  Rody,)  O'Duains,  O'Mainings, 
MacGilmers,  O'Kennys,  O'Kenellys,  O'Keither- 
nys,  MacEochaids,  O'Carrollans,  the  Mac-an- 
Gaivnions,  (in  English,  Smith,)  and  others. 

t  Ogyg.  part  2,  p.  146. 

t  Id.  part  3,  cap.  63. 

§  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  75,  76. 

II  The  race  of  those  brothers  were  numerous, 
and  formed  many  noble  tribes,  such  as  the  Mac 
Donnels  of  Ireland  and  Scotlaiid,  the  MacMahons, 
Magnires,  O'Hanluans,  Magees,  O'Floinns-Tuirtre, 
O'Ceallaigs,  or  O'Kelly,  O'Madaighins,  or  O'Mad- 
dln,  O'Niallains,  MacEagains,  Neaehtains,  or  Nor- 
tons,  Shiehys,  Dowels,  Kerins,  and  tlic  Nenys,  &-c. 


DIFFERENT    DIVISIONS    OF    IRELAND. 


127 


crown  of  Ulster,  made  at  all  times  a  consid- 
erable figure  in  the  province,  and  possessed 
the  principality  of  r)alaradie,  so  called  from 
Fiacha-Araidhe,  one  of  the  chiefs  of  that 
tribe,  and  king  of  the  province  in  the  third 
century  :  it  is  now  the  county  of  Down. 

Eogan  and  Conall  Gulban,  sons  of  Niall 
the  Great,  and  brothers  of  Laogare  the  Mon- 
arch, took  possession  of  Tir-Eogan,  (Ty- 
rone,) and  Tyrconnel,  so  called  after  them 
in  the  beginning  of  the  fifth  century.* 

Though  the  kingdom  of  Orgiell  was  con- 
fined to  narrow  limits,  being  surrounded  by 
those  principalities,  Avhich  were  so  many 
.sovereignties,  it  existed  for  a  considerable 
time  in  this  state. f  Eocha,  son  of  Mure- 
daeh,  son  of  Forga,  son  of  Dalian,  of  the 
tribe  of  the  Dalfiatachs,  ruled  over  it  in  the 
time  of  St.  Patrick  ;  but  his  impiety  and  op- 
position to  the  gospel  having  drawn  on  him 
the  malediction  of  that  apostle,  the  sceptre 
was  transferred  to  Carell,  his  brother,  and  his 
descendants,  to  the  number  of  thirty-five. | 

Leinster  was  possessed  by  a  branch  of 
the  Heremonians.  This  race  had  formed 
two  branches  by  Cobthach,  surnamed  Caol- 
breagh,  and  Laogare  Lorck,  his  brother, 
both  sons  of  Ugane-More,  who  lived  about 
three  hundred  years  before  Christ.  Most 
of  the  monarchs  who  followed,  derived  their 
origin  from  Cobthach  :  the  descendants  of 
Laogare  reigned  in  Leinster. 

Cathoir,  otherwise  Cahire-More,  of  the 
race  of  Laogare,  from  being  king  of  Lein- 
ster, became  monarch  of  the  whole  island 
in  the  second  century,  and  left  a  numerous 
posterity  ;^  the  king  who  reigned  in  Lein 


*  The  descendants  of  Eogan  were  the  illustri- 
ous tribe  of  the  O'Neils,  divided  into  three  principal 
families ;  namely,  that  of  Dungannan,  tliat  is  Ty- 
rone, which  was  the  first,  Clanneboy,  and  Fews, 
The  collateral  branches  are  tlie  Maglachluins. 
O'Cathains,  (O'Kean,)  MacSuibnes,  (MacSwiny,) 
O'Gormleaghads,  (Gormly,)  O'Heodliasas,  O'Con- 
nallains,  O'Craoibhes,  (Creagh,)  O'Madagains. 
(MuUineux,)  O'Mulvihils,  O'Hoiins,  O'Donallys! 
O'Cathmhaoils,  (Caulfield,)  MacGiolIkellys,  O'He- 
gertys,  and  the  O'Dubhdiarmas.  Conal  Gulban 
gave  birth  to  the  illustrious  tribe  of  the  O'Donncls, 
O'Dohartys,  O'Galaghers,  O'Boyles,  and  the  O'Da- 
lys,  or  Siol-Ndala. 

t  Vit.  Tripart.  lib.  3,  cap.  63,  not.  92  et  93.  in 
eund.  lib. 

X  It  appears  from  this  historical  fact,  taken  from 
Colgan,  that  the  O'Carrols,  kings  of  Orgiel,  de- 
scendants of  Carrell,  of  tlie  race  of  Dalfiatachs, 
should  not  be  confounded  with  the  O'Carrolls  of 
Elie,  who  derived  their  origin  from  Heber,  by  Oilioll- 
Olum,  and  his  son  Kiann. 

§  This  monarch  had  thirty  sons,  twenty  of  whom 
died  without  issue:  the  two  most  distinguished  were 
Rossa-Failge  and  Fiacha-Baiceada. 

From  the  first  are  descended  the  noble  families 


ster,  of  his  race,  in  the  time  of  St.  Pat- 
rick, was  Criomthan,  son  of  Enna-Kin- 
sealach. 

Oilioll-Olum,  of  the  race  of  Heber,  first 
absolute  king  of  the  two  Munsters  after  the 
expulsion  of  the  Earnochs,  in  the  beginning 
of  the  third  century  enacted  a  law  render- 
ing the  succession  to  the  crown  of  the  prov- 
ince alternate  between  the  descendants  of 
his  two  sons,  Eogan  and  Cormac-Cas,  call- 
ed after  those  two  chiefs,  the  Eoganachts, 
and  the  Dalcaiss.  In  the  time  of  St.  Pat- 
rick, the  sceptre  was  held  by  the  descend- 
ants of  Eogan.  Aongus,  son  of  Nadfraoch, 
of  this  race,  governed  the  province,  while 
Carthan  Fionn,  son  of  Bloid,  of  the  race  of 
Cormac-Cas,  was  prince  of  Thuomond,  and 
chief  of  the  Dalcaiss.* 

In  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  century. 


of  the  O'Connors-Faly,  the  O'Dempsies,  O'Dunns, 
O'Branains,  O'  Riagans,  MacColgaine,Clan-Carbrys, 
O'Maolchiarains,  O'Bearras,  O'Hartaigs,  O'Floinus. 

From  Fiacha-Baiceada,  the  youngest,  are  de- 
scended the  royal  family,  and  the  other  considera- 
ble tribes  of  this  province,  as  the  MacMoroughs, 
(Cavanaghs,)  O'Morochus,  (Murphy,)  O'Broins, 
O'Tuathails,  (in  English  O'Byrnes  and  O'Tools,) 
0'Dowlings,0'Moel-Ryans,  O'Kinsealaghs,  O'Mul- 
duins,  O'Cormacs,  O'Duffys. 

From  Dair-Barrach,  another  son  of  Cahire-More, 
are  descended  the  O'Gormains,  O'Moonys,  ftluillins 
or  O'Maolans  ;  and  from  Cuchorp,  are  descended 
the  O'Feadhails  of  Fortuath.  The  noble  tribes  of 
the  Duibhidirs,  or  O'Dvvyers,  with  the-O'Donogains 
and  the  Macgiolla-Phadruigs,  (in  English  Fitzpat- 
rick,)  formed  two  collateral  branches  of  his  race, 
some  generations  beyond  Cahire-More.  The  former 
derive  their  origin  from  Conchorb,  ancestor  of  the 
monarch,  and  the  latter  with  the  O'Braonains, 
from  Broasal-Breac,  one  of  his  ancestors  in  the 
twelfth  degree. 

*  The  descendants  of  Eogan,  after  the  illustrious 
tribe  of  the  MacCartys,  chiefs  of  this  race,  are  the 
O'Sullevans,  MacAulifs,  O'Callaghains,  O'Keefs, 
O'Mahonys,  O'Mariartys,  O'Donoghoes,  O'Dono- 
vans,  O'Conaills,  O'Dalys,  O'Cuilleans,  O'Hehirs, 
O'Mcighans,  Devorens,  O'Treasaighs,  O'Garvans, 
MacFinnins. — Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  81. 

From  Cormac-Cas  descended  the  illustrious  tribe 
of  the  O'Briens,  chiefs  of  this  family,  O'Kencdies, 
MacMahons,  MacCoghlains,  O'Finallans,  O'Re- 
gans,  MacCraiths,  O'Hogans,  O'Shannaghains, 
O'Meadhras,  Artureighs,  (Arthur,)  O'Henraghtys, 
O'Hicidhes,  (Hickys,)  Loinsighes,  (Lonsy,)  Seas- 
nains,  (Sexon,)  Huainins,  Cormucains,  Ryadys,  Sla- 
trys,  MacNemaras,  Hurlys,  O'MuUownys,  O'Kear- 
nys,  O'HifFernans,  O'Henegains,  O'Neaghtains, 
Conrays,  (King,)  O'Deas,  O'Brodys,  Gradys,  Clan- 
chys,  O'Cuins,  Keilliochairs,  O'Beolains,  O'Spea- 
lains,  O'Hanraghains,  O'Siodhachains,  (Sihan,) 
Maceineirys,  Congalaighs,  O'Tuama,  (Twomy,) 
Murronys,  Healys,  and  the  Hartagans. — Idetn.  cap. 
82,  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  3. 

From  Kiann,  third  son  of  OilioIl-Olum,  are  de- 
scended the  0"Carrols  of  Ely,  O'Connors,  Kian- 
achtas,  O'Meaghairs,  O'Haras,  O'Garas,  OTlana- 
gans,  Dulchontas,  Corcrans,  O'Casies. 


128 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Connaught  was  wrested  from  the  Finlom- 
nians,  a  branch  of  the  Firbolgs,  wlio  had 
possessed  it  until  then  with  the  good  will 
of  the  Milesians.  Muiradach-Tireach,  son 
of  Fiacha-Straivetine,  was  first  king  of  Con- 
naught,  of  the  race  of  Ileremon  ;  which  re- 
mained in  the  possession  of  his  posterity  for 
many  ages.*  Eocha-Moy-Veagon,  his  son, 
succeeded  him  ;  who,  having  become  mon- 
arch, left  the  province  to  his  sons,  namely, 
Brian,  Fergus,  and  Oilioll.  The  two  first 
were  the  ancestors  of  the  Hy-Brunes,  and 
Hy-Fiachras,  whose  posterity  reigned  in 
this  province  till  the  twelfth  century.f 

Lastly,  from  the  beginning  of  the  fifth 
century,!  Meath  remained  in  the  possession 
of  the  southern  Hy-Nialls,§  that  is,  the 
descendants  of  Laogare,  Conall-Crimthine, 
Fiach,  and  Maine,  son  of  the  monarch 
Niall  the  Great,  of  the  race  of  Heremon.|| 

Such  w^as  the  general  state  of  the  prov- 
inces of  Ireland,  and  its  inhabitants,  in  the 
first  ages  of  Christianity.  We  shall  now 
examine  the  particular  distribution  of  the 
island  into  dynasties,  and  the  families  to 
whom  they  belonged. 

IN    ULSTER. 

Arachty-Cahan,  a  territory  comprising 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  county  of  Derry, 

*  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  73. 

t  The  O'Connors  Don  derive  their  origin  from 
the  illustrious  tribe  of  the  Hy-Brunes,  of  which 
they  were  chiefs  ;  the  collateral  branches  are  the 
O'Connors-Roe,  O'Connors-Sligo,  O'Rourks,  O'Rag- 
hallaighs,  (O'Reilly,)  MacDerniots,  MacDonaghs, 
O'Flahertys,  O'Malys,  O'Floinns,  (Flynn,)  O'Flan- 
egans,  O'Hanly,  MacMaghnus,  O'Fallons,  Mac- 
Kiernans,  MacBradys,  O'Donallans,  O'Gairbfhias, 
(O'Garvy,)  O'Brins,  O'Malons,  MacBrenans,  Maol- 
lallas,  or  Lally,  O'Creans,  Maol-Breanoins,  Maol- 
Mocheirges,  O'Faithaigs,  (Fahy,)  O'Camhins, 
O'Domhleins,  O'Breislins,  MacAodhs,  O'Cosnam- 
has,  MacSamhragains,  MacOirioghtaig-Tumal- 
taghs,  O'Gealbhuidhes,  Cruadlaoch,  (O'Crowly,) 
O'Concheanains,  O'Fionnagains,  O'Hallurains, 
O'Muirgheasas,  O'Mahadys,  O'Currains. 

The  descendants  of  the  tribe  of  the  Hy-Fiacliras, 
are  the  O'Dowds,  O'Shcagnassys,  O'Heyns,  Kill- 
kellys,  Kearaighs,  O'Cleirighs,  O'Braonains,  Cho- 
maltains,  Chedaighs,  (Cead,)  Cathmhoghas,  (Caf- 
fuoighs,)  Chreachains,  Leanains. 

I  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  85. 

§  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  85,  Trias  Thau.  not.  1,  in  lib. 
2,  Vit.  4.     S.  Brig.  p.  5G4. 

II  The  O'Conlivans,  or  Kindellan,  O'Maoleach- 
luins,  owe  their  origin  to  Laogare,  and  Conall- 
Crimthine  ;  P^iacha  gave  birth  to  the  Maolmhu- 
adhs,  (MuUoy,)  Mac-Eochagains,  (Mac-Geoghe- 
gan,)  Mac-Cullins,  and  the  Huiginns.  The  descend- 
ants of  Maine  are  the  O'Sionachs,  (Fox,)  O'Ha- 
gains,  O'Ronains,  Magawlys,  O'Braoins,  O'Dalys, 
O'Quins,  Mac-Conmeics,  iSlambains,  Mulcornys, 
Ciobliochains,  Shiels,  Cathalains,  Murrys,  and  the 
O'Deignans. — Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  85. 


the  patrimony  of  the  O'Cahans,  of  the  race 
of  Ileremon,  by  the  monarch  Niall-Noygiol- 
lach  and  Eogan  his  son.*  Towards  the  end 
of  the  thirteenth  century,  Magnus,  brother 
of  O'Cahan,  possessed  that  part  of  the 
country  now  called  the  barony  of  Cole- 
raine,  situated  on  both  sides  of  the  river 
Bann,  at  that  time  called  Douhy  Clanna- 
Magnus.  His  eldest  son,  named  Henry, 
gave  to  his  posterity  the  name  of  Mac- 
Henry.  His  second  son  settled  on  the 
river  Buash,  in  Route,  in  the  county  of  An- 
trim, and  his  descendants  always  preserved 
the  name  of  O'Cahan  ;  they  were  called 
Clann  Magnus  na  Buasha,  to  distinguish 
them  from  the  Clann  Magnus  na  Banna, 
who,  though  the  eldest  branch,  bear  the  name 
of  Mac-Henry.  O'Cahan  was  dispossessed 
in  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
and  Mac-Henry  in  1641,  by  Cromwell. 

Ardes,  an  ancient  territory,  now  a  barony 
in  the  county  of  Down,  forming  part  of  lower 
Clanneboy,  is  a  peninsula,  eighteen  miles  in 
length.  This  territory  belonged  to  a  branch 
of  the  O'Neills. 

Boylagh,  a  territory,  now  a  half-barony, 
in  the  county  of  Donegal,  the  patrimony  of 
the  O'Buidhills,  otherwise  O'Boyle,  a  col- 
lateral branch  of  the  O'Donnels. 

Breifne,  Briefnia,  or  Brenny,  formerly 
comprised  the  counties  of  Leitrim  and  Ca- 
van.f  Aod-Finn,  of  the  race  of  the  Hy- 
Brunes,  was  prince  of  this  country  about 
the  year  572  ;  his  race  was  called  Sliocht 
Aodha-Finn.  This  country  was  divided 
into  two  territories,  namely,  eastern  and 
western  Briefne,  in  favor  of  the  two  prin- 
cipal branches  of  this  race,  the  O'Rourkes 
and  the  O'Raghallaighs,  (Reilly.)  Eastern 
Briefne,  also  called  Muntir-Maol-Morda,  at 
present  the  county  of  Cavan,  was  the  patri- 
mony of  the  O'Reillys. 

Clan-Bressail,  a  territory  to  the  south  of 
Lough  Neagh,  in  the  barony  of  O'Neland, 
in  the  county  of  Ardmach  ;  it  formerly  be- 
longed to  the  Mac-Canns,  of  the  race  of 
the  Dalfiatachs. 

Clanneboy,  or  Clan-Hugue-Boy,  a  terri- 
tory which  takes  its  name  from  the  de- 
scendants of  Hugue  Boy  O'Neill,  and  was 
divided  into  two  parts,  one  northern,  and 
the  other  southern,  belonged  formerly  to 
the  different  branches  of  the  O'Neills,  of 
the  race  of  Heremon. 

Southern  Clanneboy  comprised  part  of 
the  territory  of  Ardes,  with  the  land  which 

*  Phill.  O'Sull.  Compend.  Hist.  Cathol.  torn.  3, 
lib.  1,  page  115. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hiber.  vit.  S.  Berach.  ad.  15. 
Fcbruar.  note  20,  et  seq. 


DIFFERENT    DIVISIONS    OF    IRELAND. 


129 


extends  from  the  bay  of  Dundrum,  to  the 
bay  of  Carrick-Fergus,  in  the  county  of 
Down,  that  is,  the  baronies  of  Castlereagh 
and  Kinalearty. 

Northern  Clanneboy  is  a  territory  in  the 
county  of  Antrim,  bounded  on  the  east  and 
south  by  the  bay  of  Carrickfergus,  and  the 
river  Lagan ;  on  the  west  by  the  territory  of 
KiluUagh,  and  on  the  north  by  the  countries 
called  Route  and  Glinnes,  now  the  baronies 
of  Kilconway  and  Glanarm. 

Conal-Muirthemne,  an  ancient  territory, 
comprising  nearly  the  whole  county  of 
Louth.*  This  territory  was  also  called  Hy- 
Conal,  and  Machaire-Conal,  from  Conal- 
Kearnach,  to  whose  posterity  it  belonged. 

Dalaraidie,  an  extensive  territory  which 
comprised  part  of  the  county  Antrim  on  the 
south  and  southeast,  and  most  of  the  county 
of  Down  :  this  territory,  which  was  some- 
times called  Ulidia,  was  divided  into  several 
smaller  ones. 

Dalrieda,  otherwise  Reuta  and  Route,  a 
large  territory  of  thirty  miles  extent,  in  the 
I  county  of  Antrim,  from  the  river  Bush  to 
the  cross  of  Glenfrinaght.  This  territory 
was  so  called  from  the  demi-tribe  of  the  Dal- 
riads,  which  had  been  established  there  in  the 
fourth  century  by  Fergus  Ulidian,  descended 
in  the  fifth  degree  from  Cairbre-Rieda ;  the 
other  demi-tribe,  mentioned  by  Bede  under 
the  name  of  Dalreudini,  had  already  settled 
in  Albania.  To  this  territory  has  since  been 
given  the  name  of  the  country  of  Mac- Surley- 
Boy,  that  is,  of  the  Mac-Donnels,  of  the  race 
of  Heremon,  by  Colla-Huais,  to  whom  it 
belonged. 

DufFerin,  at  present  a  barony  in  the  county 
of  Down,  forming  a  part  of  the  country  of 
the  Mac-Cartans,  of  the  race  of  the  Clanna- 
Rorys. 

Fanid,  a  territory,  now  the  barony  of  Kil- 
Macrenan,  in  the  county  of  Donegal,!  the 
patrimony  of  the  Mac-Sweenys,  a  collateral 
branch  of  the  O'Donnels.  The  territories 
of  Tueth  and  Banach  in  the  same  county, 
were  possessed  by  other  branches  of  the 
Mac-Sweenys. 

Fermanagh,!  an  ancient  territory,  now  a 
j  county,  the  patrimony  of  the  Maguires  of  the 
race  of  Heremon,  by  Colla  da  Crioch.^ 

Fews,  at  present  a  barony  in  the  county  of 
Ardmach,  the  patrimony  of  a  branch  of  the 
O'Neills. 

Hy-Macarthen,  a  territory  on  the  borders 
of  Lough  Foyle,  in  the  county  of  Derry,  so 

*  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  47. 

t  O'SuIl.  Comment,  torn.  3,  lib  1,  page  115. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  76. 

4  Keat.  Geneal. 


called  from  Carthen,  great-grandson  of  Colla 
Huais,  to  whom  it  belonged,  and  whose 
descendants  were  the  Mac-Carthens,  the 
O'Colgans,  and  the  O'Conaills. 

Hy-Meith-Tire,  a  territory  in  the  county 
of  Ardmach,*  at  present  the  barony  of  Orior, 
the  country  of  the  O'Hanluans,  (O'Hanlon,) 
of  the  race  of  Heremon,  by  Colla  da  Chrioch. 

Northern  Hy-Niellia,  so  called  from  the 
descendants  of  four  of  the  sons  of  Niall- 
Noygiollach,  monarch  of  Ireland,  to  whom 
it  belonged,  comprised  part  of  the  counties 
of  Tyrone,  Tyrconnel,  and  other  territories. 

Hy-Turtre,t  a  territory  on  the  borders  of 
the  counties  of  Antrim  and  Down,  east  of 
lake  Neagh,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Floinns 
and  O'Donnellans,  of  the  race  of  Heremon, 
by  Colla  Huais,  and  his  grandson  Fiacha 
Tort. 

Hy-Veach,  or  Iveach,  a  territory  of  an- 
cient Dalaradie,  in  the  county  of  Down, 
now  forming  part  of  the  baronies  of  upper 
and  lower  Iveach,  with  some  other  territories 
in  the  same  county,  the  domain  of  the  Ma- 
gennises,  of  the  race  of  the  Clanna  Rorys, 
by  Conall-Kearnach,  'and  his  son  Irial  or 
Vriel.l 

Inis-Eoguin,  a  territory,  at  present  the 
barony  of  Ennis-Owen,  that  is,  the  isle  of 
Owen,  (being  a  peninsula  formed  by  the 
ocean  on  one  side,  and  Lough  Foyle  and 
Lough  S  willy  on  the  other,)  in  the  county  of 
Donegal,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Doghertys, 
a  younger  branch  of  the  O'Donnels.^ 

Kinel-Conail,  otherwise  Tirconnell,  now 
the  county  of  Donegal,  the  domain  of  the 
O'Donnells,  of  the  race  of  Heremon,  and  of 
the  monarch  Niall,  by  his  son,  Conall-Gul- 
ban.  This  territory  was  divided  into  several 
dynasties,  inhabited  by  the  different  branches 
of  this  name. 

Kinel-Eoguin,  a  territory  of  northern  Hy- 
Niellia,  comprising  the  county  of  Tyrone, 
the  domain  of  the  O'Neills,  of  the  race  of 
Heremon,  and  of  the  monarch  Niall-Noy- 
giollach,  and  Eogan,  his  son ;  this  territory 
was  divided  into  several  dynasties  belonging 
to  the  different  families  of  this  name,  of 
whom  Dungannon  was  the  chief,  and  in  case 
of  his  dying  without  issue,  one  was  chosen 
from  Clan-Hughboy,  or  the  Fews. 

Maghinis,  or  Moy-Inis,  a  territory  in  the 
county  of  Down,  now  the  barony  of  Lecale  ; 
which  formerly  belonged  to  the  Magennises. 

Mugdorne,  now  the  barony  of  Moume,  a 
territory  in  the  county  of  Down,  bounded  on 

*  Ogy?-  P^rt  1,  c.  66  ;  Keat.  Geneal. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  76. 

t  O'Sul).  Comment,  torn.  3,  lib.  1,  page  115. 

§  O'Sull.  ibid. 

17 


130 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


the  south  by  the  bay  of  Carlingford,  and 
belonging  to  the  descendants  of  CoUa- 
Maine. 

Oilcan-Magec,  a  peninsula  in  the  county 
of  Antrim,  north  of  Carrickfergus  bay,  the 
patriiuony  of  the  Magecs,  of  the  race  of 
Hcremon,  by  one  of  the  Collas. 

Orgiel,  Oriel,  or  Uriel,  was  an  extensive 
territory,  comprising  the  counties  of  Louth, 
Monaghan,  and  Ardmach,  sometimes  gov- 
erned by  feudal  kings.*  Monaghan,  called 
in  the  language  of  the  country,  Uriel,  be- 
longed to  the  INIac-Mahons,  who  were  divided 
into  several  branches,  descendants  of  Here- 
mon,  by  CoUa-da-Chrioch. 

Ulidia,  see  Dalaradie. 

Uriel,  see  Orgiel. 

}Xj^  Calrie,  a  territory  in  eastern  Breifny,t 
the  patrimony  of  the  O'Carbhaills,  of  the 
race  of  the  Hy-Brunes,  from  whom  are  de- 
scended the  Mac-Bradys. 

Clancarne,  in  the  county  of  Orgiel,  the 
patrimony  of  the  O'Heagnys. 

Clanfogartaid,  a  territory  in  Orgiel,  the 
patrimony  of  the  Mac-Cartans,  of  the  race 
of  the  Clanna-Rorys. 

Cualgne,  a  territory  in  the  county  of 
Louth. 

Donamaine,  a  territory  in  the  county  of 
Monaghan,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Nenys, 
of  the  race  of  Colla-da-Crioch. 
I  Glinnes,  a  territory  between  the  bay  of 
Oldfleet  and  Route,  adjoining  the  barony  of 
Glanarm. 

Hy-Bruin,  a  territory  in  the  county  of 
Tyrone,  commonly  called  Muinter  Birne. 
There  are  other  territories  of  this  name,  the 
situation  and  extent  of  which  are  unknown, 
though  mentioned  in  history,  as  Hy-Bruin- 
Ay,  Hy-Bruin-Brefne,  and  Hy-Bruin-Scola. 

Hy-Cormaic,  a  small  territory  in  the  county 
of  Derry,  on  the  borders  of  Lough  Foyle, 
enclosed  by  the  territory  of  Hy-Macarthen. 

Hy-Conall,  or  Conall-Muirthemne,  in 
Louth. :[; 

Hy-Fiachria,  a  territory  between  the  coun- 
ties of  Tyrone  and  Derry,^  on  the  river 
Derg,  which  comprised  the  ancient  bishopric 
of  Ardsratha,  afterwards  united  to  that  of 
Derry. 

Hy-Meith-Mhara,  a  maritime  territory  in 
the  county  of  Louth,  near  Carlingford. 

Hy-Niellain,  a  territory  near  Ardmach, 
the  patrimony  of  the  O'Niellans,  of  the  race 
of  Colla-da-Crioch. 


*  Ogyg-  part  3,  c.  76. 
t  Grat.  Luc.  c.  3. 
I  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  66. 
§  Ibid.  cap.  76. 


Hy-Semnia,  a  territory  in  ancient  Dala- 
radie. 

Kenelmoigne,  the  patrimony  of  the 
O'Gormlaids. 

Kiermachta-Glenngemhin,  a  territory  in 
the  county  of  Derry,  whence  O'Connor 
Kiennachta  had  taken  his  name. 

Kilwarlin,  a  small  territory  in  the  county 
of  Down,  forming  part  of  the  ancient  terri- 
tory of  Iveach,  now  the  barony  of  lower 
Iveach. 

Kilulta,  a  small  territory  in  the  county  of 
Antrim,  on  the  borders  of  lake  Neagh, 
extending  southward  into  the  county  of 
Down. 

Magh-Murthemne  or  Machaire-Conaill, 
the  same  as  Conal-Murthemne. 

Muintir  Birne,  see  Hy-Bruin. 

Oirther,  a  territory  in  the  county  of  Ard- 
mach, the  same  as  Hy-Meith-Tire. 

Route  Reuta,*  see  Dalrieda. 

Sioll-Eoghuin,  see  Inis-Eoghuin. 

Tirconnel,  see  Kinel-Conaill. 

Tirmaccarthuin,  a  territory  in  the  county 
of  Tirconnel,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Mao- 
logains. 

Tirmbrassail  and  Tirtiole,  in  the  same 
country,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Donna- 
gains. 

Tuaithratha,  a  territory  in  Orgiel,  the 
patrimony  of  the  O' Flanagans. 

Ulidia  or  Ullad,  see  Dalaradie. 

Uriel,  see  Orgiel. 

IN  LEINSTER. 

Annaly,  at  present  the  county  of  Longford, 
anciently  called  Conmacne,  the  country  of 
the  O'Ferrals,  of  the  race  of  Ir,  by  Feargus 
Roigh,  and  Maude,  queen  of  Connaught. 

Clan-Malugra,  otherwise  Clenmalire,  lying 
on  both  sides  of  the  river  Barrow,  in  the 
King  and  Queen's  county,  and  including  the 
baronies  of  Geashill  and  Portnehinch.  This 
territory  was  in  the  possession  of  different 
branches  of  the  O'Dempsies,  of  the  race  of 
Heremon,  by  the  monarch  Cahire-More  and 
his  son  Rossa-Failge. 

Coille-Culluin,  a  territory  on  the  frontiers 
of  the  counties  of  Wicklow  and  Kildare,  the 
patrimony  of  the  O'Culluins,  of  the  race  of 
Cahire-More,  by  his  son,  Fiacha  Baicheada. 
This  noble  tribe  possessed  another  large 
tract  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Dublin,  on 
which  part  of  this  city  has  been  built. 

Crioch-Culan,t  a  terrhory  in  the  county 
of  Wicklow,  including  part  of  the  baronies 
of  Arklow  and  Newcastle,  possessed  by  the 

*  Ogyg.  p.  3,  cap.  59,  46. 
+  Ogyg-  part  3,  c.  59. 


DIFFERENT    DIVISIONS    OF    IRELAND. 


131 


O'Kellys,  descendants  of  Maine  Mai,  bro- 
ther of  Cahire-More. 

Ely  O'Carrol,  formerly  a  territory  in  the 
province  of  Minister,  at  present  in  the  King's 
county,  including  the  baronies  of  Clonlish, 
Ballyiarit,  and  probably  that  of  Eglish,  the 
domain  of  the  O'Carrols  of  the  race  of  Heber, 
by  OilioU-Olum,*  and  his  son  Kian.  This 
territory  was  called  Ely,  from  Eile  Riogh- 
Dearg,  one  of  the  ancestors  of  this  tribe 
who  lived  in  the  fourth  century.f 

Fothart,  a  territory  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  Slaney,;}:  in  the  county  of  Wexford, 
the  patrimony  of  the  O'Nuallans,  descend- 
ants of  Eocha-Fionn-Fothart,  brother  of  the 
monarch  Conn  Keadcaha.  The  barony  of 
Forth,  situated  in  this  canton,  still  preserves 
some  vestige  of  that  name. 

Hy-Failge,§  or  Oflaly,  otherwise  Douhy- 
Faily,  that  is,  the  patrimony  of  Failge,  an 
extensive  territory,  including  part  of  the 
King  and  Queen's  county  and  that  of  Kil- 
dare,  bounded  on  the  west  and  south  by 
Kinalyach,  Fearcall,  Hy-Regan,  and  Clen- 
malire,  on  the  north  and  east  by  part  of  the 
county  of  Meath,  the  barony  of  Carbury, 
and  the  great  bog  of  Allen,  and  comprised 
part  of  the  county  Kildare,  towards  the  river 
LifTey.  This  territory  belonged  to  a  tribe 
of  the  O'Connors-Faly,  of  the  race  of  Cahire- 
More,  by  his  son  Rossa  Failge,  from  the 
second  till  the  last  century,  and  was  divided 
into  several  fiefs  ;  part  of  it  still  remains  in 
the  county  of  Kildare,  erected  into  a  barony 
under  the  name  of  O'Phaly. 

Hy-Kinseallagh,  a  territory  comprising  a 
considerable  part  of  the  county  of  Wexford, 
from  the  Barrow  to  the  river  Slaney,  and 
from  thence  towards  the  east.  This  terri- 
tory formerly  belonged  to  the  O'Kinseal- 
laghs,  the  Murchedas,  (O'Murphy,)  and  the 
O'Dowlings,  of  the  royal  race  of  Cahire- 
More,  by  his  son  Fiacha-Baikeada. 

Hy-Mairche,||  or  O'Mairche,  a  territory  in 
the  Queen's  county,  at  present  the  barony 
of  Slieve-Margie,  on  the  river  Barrow, 
bounding  the  counties  of  Kilkenny,  Carlow, 
and  Kildare,  the  patrimony  of  the  Mac- 
Gormans,  of  the  race  of  Cahire-More,  by 
his  son  Dair-Barrach. 

Hy-Regan,  or  O'Rcgan,  a  territory  in  the 
Queen's  county,  now  the  barony  of  Tine 
hinch,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Duinns^I  of 
the  race  of  Heremon,  by  the  monarch  Ca- 

*  Keat.  Geneal.  of  O'Carrol. 

+  Ogyg-  part  3,  c.  68,  et  87. 

t  Idem.  c.  59. 

§  Idem.  c.  59. 

II  Grat.  Luc.  c.  3,  et  c.  26,  page  242. 

^  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  59. 


hire-More,  and  his  son  Rossa  Failge,  but 
belonging  anciently  to  the  O'Regans. 

Idrone,  a  territory,  at  present  a  barony  in 
the  county  of  Carlow,  on  the  river  Barrow, 
the  patrimony  of  the  Mac-Murroughs  or 
Cavanaghs,  of  the  race  of  Heremon,  by 
Cahire-More  and  Dirmuid  Na-Nagall,  king 
of  Leinster,  by  whom  the  English  were  in- 
troduced into  Ireland  in  the  twelfth  century. 

Imayle,*  a  territory  in  the  county  of 
Wicklow,  the  ancient  possessors  of  which 
were  the  O'Tuathails,  (O'Toole,)  of  the  race 
of  Cahire-More,  by  his  son  Fiacha-Baikeada. 

Idough,  at  present  the  barony  of  Fassa- 
Dining,  in  the  county  of  Kilkenny,  the  an- 
cient patrimony  of  the  O'Brennans,  a  branch 
of  the  Fitzpatricks,  of  the  race  of  Heremon. 

Lagisia,  Lesia,  or  Leix,  an  extensive  ter- 
ritory in  the  Queen's  county,  including  the 
baronies  of  Maryborough,  otherwise  Porte- 
loise,  Cullinagh,  and  other  tracts  of  land 
which  formerly  belonged  to  the  O'Mordhas, 
(in  English,  Moor,)  of  the  race  of  Ir,  by 
Rory  the  Great,  Connal-Kearnach,  and  his 
son  Laoiseach-Kean-Mpre. 

O'Moerough,  a  maritime  territory  in  the 
county  of  Wexford,  in  the  barony  of  Beb- 
laghkeen,  commonly  called  the  Murrowes, 
forming  part  of  Hy-Kinseallagh,  the  ancient 
patrimony  of  the  O'Murchudas,  otherwise 
O'Murphy  s. 

Osraigh,  or  Ossory,t  an  extensive  terri- 
tory in  the  Queen's  county,  now  a  barony, 
belonged  to  the  Mac-GioUa-Phadruigs,  or 
Fitzpatricks,  descendants  of  Heremon, |  by 
the  monarch  Ugane-More,  Breasal-Breac, 
and  ^ngus  Ossory,  the  first  of  that  race 
who  settled  in  this  territory  in  the  first  cen- 
tury.^ 

Ranilough,  also  called  Colconnel,  or  the 
country  of  Fiagh-Mac-Hughs,||  a  territory  in 
the  western  part  of  the  county  of  Wicklow, 
belonging  to  different  branches  of  the 
O'Birnes  of  the  race  of  Cahire-More,  by 
his  son  Fiacha-Baikeada. 

Feargualuin,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Cos- 
craidhs. 

Fingall,  a  country  in  the  county  of  Dub- 
lin, in  the  possession  of  a  colony  of  Danes 
before  the  twelfth  century. 

IN    MUNSTER. 

Aradh-Cliach,  a  territory  north-east  of 
Limerick,  probably  the  half-barony  of  Arra, 

*  Walsh,  page  287. 

t  Keat.  on  the  reign  of  Cahire-More. 

t  Idem.  Geneal.  of  the  Mac-Murroughs. 

§  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  27. 

II  A.  M.  3700. 


[32 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


in  the  county  of  Tipperary,  belonged  to  a 
branch  of  the  O'Briens,  of  the  tribe  of  the 
Dal-Caiss. 

Beare,  a  territory  in  the  western  part  of 
the  county  of  Cork,  now  forms  part  of  the 
baronies  of  Beare  and  Ban  try,  the  domain 
of  O'SuUivan-Beare,  of  the  race  of  OiUoU- 
Ohnn,  by  his  son  Eogan-More. 

Carbury,  a  territory  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  county  of  Cork,  now  the  baronies  of 
east  and  west  Carbury,  the  patrimony  of 
the  Macartys-Riaghs,  "divided  into  several 
branches,  and  descendants  of  Oilioll-Olum, 
by  his  son  Eogan-More  ;  the  O'Donavans, 
a  branch  of  the  Mac-Cartys,  had  extensive 
possessions  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ross. 

Coillnemanagh,  now  the  barony  of  Kill- 
nemanna,*  in  the  county  of  Tipperary,  the 
domain  of  the  O'Dwyers,  of  the  race  of  He- 
remon,  by  Ugane-More  and  Breasal-Breac. 

Corco  Baskin,  a  territory  in  the  county 
of  Clare,  now  the  barony  of  Moyarta,t  the 
patrimony  of  the  Mac-Cartys,  a  branch  of 
the  Dal-Caiss. 

Corcumruaidhe,  now  the  baronies  of  Cor- 
cumroe  and  Surrin,|  in  the  county  of  Clare  ; 
its  ancient  proprietors  were  the  O'Connors 
and  O'Loghlins,  of  the  race  of  Ir,  by  Fer- 
gus-Roigh,  and  Maude  queen  of  Connaught. 

Desie,  or  Nan-Desie,  now  a  barony  in  the 
county  of  Waterford,  the  ancient  patrimony 
of  the  O'Faolans,  otherwise  Phelans,  of  the 
race  of  Heremon.  Some  ancient  authors 
describe  this  country  as  being  more  exten- 
sive, and  divide  it  into  Desie-Tuasgirt,  that 
is,  northern  Deasie,  including  all  those 
plains  which  extend  from  the  river  Suire 
and  Clonmel,  by  Cashel,  towards  Thurles, 
and  Desie-Discerat,  or  Southern-Desie,  ex- 
tending from  the  river  Suir,  on  the  south, 
as  far  as  the  sea,  and  comprising  the  entire 
county  of  Waterford. 

Douhallow,  a  territory,  at  present  a  bar- 
ony in  the  county  of  Cork,  the  patrimony 
of  the  O'Keefs,  a  branch  of  the  Mac-Cartys. 

Dunkeron,  now  a  barony  in  the  county  of 
Kerry,  the  domain  of  the  O'Sullivans-More 
of  the  race  of  Oilioll-Olum,  by  his  son  Eo- 
gan-More.^ 

Hy-Fogarta,  a  territory,  now  the  barony 
of  Eliogurty,  in  the  county  of  Tipperary, 
the  patrimony  of  the  O'Fogarthys,  or  O'Fo- 
gartaidh,  a  branch  of  the  tribe  of  the  Eogan- 
achts.ll 


*  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  51. 
t  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  46. 
t  Grat.  Luc.  c.  3. 

§  Hist.  Cath.  Hiber.  Compend.    tome   3,  lib.   1 
c.  2. 

II  Grat.  Luc.  page  28. 


Ily-Kierin,  or  Ikerin,  a  territory,  now  a 
barony  in  the  county  of  Tipperary,  bounded 
on  the  west  by  Upper  Ormond,  on  the  south 
by  the  barony  of  Eliogurty,  and  north  and 
east  by  the  King  and  Queen's  county,  be- 
longed to  the  O'Meaghairs,  of  the  race  of 
Heber,  by  Kiann,  son  of  Oilioll-Olum. 

Ivreagh,  a  territory,  now  a  barony  in  tlie 
county  of  Kerry,  the  domain  of  the  Mac- 
Cartys-More,  chief  of  the  Eoganachts. 

Kicrrigia-Luachra,  or  Ciaruidh,  a  terri- 
tory, comprising  a  great  part  of  the  county 
of  Kerry,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Connors- 
Kerry,  descended  from  Ir,  by  the  monarch 
Rory  the  Great,  and  his  grandson  Feargua 
Roigh,  and  Maude,  queen  of  Connaught. 

Kinel  Meaky,  now  a  barony  in  the  county 
of  Cork,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Mahonys, 
a  branch  of  the  Mac-Cartys. 

Muscraighe,  an  extensive  territory  in  the 
county  of  Cork,  now  the  baronies  of  Mus- 
kerry,  Barrymore,  and  other  dynasties, 
which  belonged  for  more  than  two  thousand 
years  to  different  families  of  the  Mac-Car- 
tys,* the  descendants  of  Oilioll-Olum,  by  his 
son  Eogan  :  this  territory  comprised  seve- 
ral smaller  ones,  as  Muscrighe-Breoguin, 
Muscrighe-Mitine,  &c. 

Muscraighe-Thire,  a  territory  in  the  coun- 
ty of  Tipperary,  now  the  baronies  of  Upper 
and  Lower  Ormond,  the  ancient  patrimony 
of  the  O'Kennedys,  of  the  race  of  Oilioll- 
Olum,  by  his  son  Cormac-Cas. 

Oneagh,  a  territory,  now  the  barony  of 
Owny,  in  the  county  of  Tipperary,  the  pat- 
rimony of  the  O'Moel-Ryans,  of  the  race  of 
Cahire-More,  by  his  son  Fiacha-Baikeada. 

Poble-Hy-Brien,  a  territory,  now  a  barony 
in  the  county  of  Limerick,  belonging  to  dif- 
ferent branches  of  the  O'Briens. 

Thuomond,  or  Towoin-Hy-Brien,  which 
comprised  a  large  portion  of  the  counties  of 
Limerick  and  Clare,  the  patrimony  of  the 
O'Briens,  chiefs  of  the  Dal-Caiss. 

J{3^  Aghadeo,  a  territory  in  the  county 
of  Kerry,  near  Lake  Lene,  the  ancient  pat- 
rimony of  the  O'Connels. 

Balli-Mac-Eligod,  and  other  lands  in  the 
barony  of  Truchanacmy,  in  the  county  of 
Kerry,  the  patrimony  of  the  ancient  family 
of  the  Mac-Eligods. 

Cloinifernain,  a  territory  of, Thuomond, 
the  patrimony  of  the  O'Cuinns,  of  the  race 
of  the  Dal-Caiss. 

Corca-Eathrach,  a  territory  in  the  county 
of  Tipperary,  which  includes  the  city  of 
Cashil. 

*  Ogyg.  part  3,  p.  68. 

Keat.  Geneal.  et  Ogyg.  c.  46. 
A.  M.  3950,  B.  C.  50. 


DIFFERENT   DIVISIONS    OF    IRELAND. 


133 


Corcaoichaidh,  the  patrimony  of  the 
O'Scanlans,  of  the  race  of  the  Eoganachts. 

Eoganacht,  a  territory  in  the  county  of 
Tipperary,  between  Cashil  and  Thurlcs.  It 
was  so  called  from  Eogan,  eldest  son  of 
OilioU-Olum,  to  whose  descendants  it  be- 
longed. There  were  six  other  territories 
of  this  name  in  Ireland,  but  their  situation 
is  unknown. 

Fera-Muigh-Fene,  a  territory  in  the  coun- 
ty of  Cork,  now  the  barony  of  Fermoy. 

Glinn,  and  other  territories  in  the  envi- 
rons of  Lake  Lene,  the  ancient  patrimony 
of  the  O'Donoghoes,  of  the  tribe  of  Eogan- 
achts. 

Hy-Conall-Gaura,  also  called  Fearmore, 
a  territory  in  the  county  of  Limerick,  in  the 
barony  of  Conniloe. 

Hy-Finginte,  a  territory  comprising  part 
of  the  baronies  of  Connilloe  in  the  county 
of  Limerick,  and  Iraghticonnor  and  Clan- 
Morris  in  the  county  of  Kerry. 

Hy-Liathain,  a  maritime  territory  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  county  of  Waterford, 
j  in  the  barony  of  Desie. 

Imocuille,  a  territory,  at  present  the  bar- 
ony of  Imo-Killy,  in  the  county  of  Cork. 

Muighaghair,  a  territory  in  Thuomond, 
the  patrimony  of  the  Mac-Con-Maras,  or 
Macnemara,  of  the  race  of  the  Dal-Caiss. 
Keating  calls  them  the  Macnemaras  of  Ross- 
Ruadh,  and  Sioll-iEda. 

Muscri-Mithaine,  a  territory  which  be- 
longed to  the  O'Donnogains,  the  O'Cule- 
nains,  and  the  O'Floinns. 

O'Flaithry,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Ca- 
thails  or  Cahill. 

O'Gearny,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Kear- 
naidhs,  otherwise  O'Kearny,  of  the  race  of 
Dal-Caiss. 

Onachach,  or  Poble-Hy-Callaghan,  in 
the  county  of  Cork,  the  patrimony  of  the 
O'Keallachains,  or  Callaghan,  a  branch  of 
the  tribe  of  the  Eoganachts. 

Ormond;  see  Muscraighe-Thire. 

Oweney-Hoiffernan,  a  territory  in  the 
county  of  Limerick,  the  patrimony  of  the 
Hiffemans,  of  the  tribe  of  the  Dal-Caiss.* 

IN    CONNAUGHT. 

Aidhne,  a  territory  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  county  of  Galway,  now  the  barony  of 
Killtartan,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Seagh- 
nassys,  of  the  race  of  the  Hy-Fiachras,  by 
Dathy,  monarch  of  the  island  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  fifth  century. 

Breifne,  Brifnia,  or  western  Brenny,  at 

J  *  Grat.  Luc.  c  3. 


present  the  county  of  Leitrim,  was  the  pat- 
rimony of  the  O'Rourkes,  a  branch  of  the 
Hy-Brunes.  This  territory,  like  that  of  the 
O'Reillys,  is  known  in  ancient  histories  by 
the  names  of  Brenny-0'Rourke,and  Brenny- 
O'Reilly ;  part  of  Annally,  the  country  of 
the  O'Ferrals,  was  also  called  Brenny. 

Calruidhe,  or  Calrigia.  There  were  sev- 
eral districts  of  this  name  in  Connaught, 
the  precise  situation  of  which  is  not  known, 
as,  Calrigia-Luirc,  Calrigia-Anchala,  Cal- 
rigia-Inse-Nisc.  There  was  also  Calrigia 
on  the  borders  of  Lough-Gill,  forming  a 
part  of  the  barony  of  Carbury,  in  the  county 
of  Sligo,  and  Calrigia-Muighe-Murisk,  in 
the  barony  of  Tyrawly,  in  the  county  of 
Mayo. 

Clan-Fergail,  an  ancient  territory  on  the 
borders  of  Lough-Corrib,  now  the  barony  of 
Clare,  in  the  county  of  Galway,  in  which 
the  town  of  Galway  is  situated :  this  dis- 
trict belonged  to  the  O'Hallorans,  a  branch 
of  the  Hy-Brunes. 

Cloin-Moelruan,  also  called  Slive-Hy- 
Flion,  a  territory  in  the  barony  of  Dune- 
more,  in  the  county  of  Galway,  extending 
into  the  county  of  Roscommon,  the  patri- 
mony of  the  O'Flyns,  a  branch  of  the  tribe 
of  the  Hy-Brunes. 

Conmacne,  otherwise  Muinter-Eolas,  in 
the  county  of  Leitrim,  a  territory  belonging 
to  the  Magranuills,  or  Ranalds,  who  were 
descendants  of  Ir,  by  Feargus-Roigh.* 
There  are  many  other  districts  of  this  name 
in  Connaught,  as  Conmacne  of  Kinel-Dub- 
hain,  or  Conmacne  of  Dun-Mor,  at  present 
the  barony  of  Donamore,  in  the  county  of 
Galway :  the  principal  town  is  Tuam,  which 
is  an  archbishopric. 

Conmacne-Mhara,  in  the  county  of  Gal- 
way, now  the  barony  of  Ballinahinch  :  and 
Conmacne-Cuiltola,  the  barony  of  Kilmain, 
in  the  county  of  Mayo. 

Coolavin,  at  present  a  barony  in  the 
county  of  Sligo,  forming  part  of  ancient 
Coranne,  which  has  been  since  the  fourth 
century  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Garas,  of 
the  race  of  Heber,  by  Kiann,  son  of  Oilioll- 
Olum,  king  of  Munster.f 

Coranne,  a  territory,  now  a  barony  in  the 
county  of  Sligo,  the  patrimony  of  the  Mac- 
Donoghs,  of  the  race  of  the  Hy-Brunes. | 

Corcachlann,  a  territory  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county  of  Roscommon,  an  an- 


*  Oo^yg.  part  3,  cap.  43. 
t  Ibid.  cap.  95. 

\  Kcat.  Geneal.  of  O'Connor  Roe.      Ogjg.  part 
3,  cap.  69. 


134 


HISTORY    OF   IRELAND. 


cient  patrimony  of  the  O'llanlys  and  O'Broe- 
nans,  a  branch  of  the  Hy-Bruncs.* 

Dartry,  or  Dartrigia,  a  territory  in  the 
barony  "of  Carbury,  near  Lough- Gill  in 
the  county  of  Sligo,  formerly  the  patri- 
mony of  the  Maglanchys,  of  the  race  of 
Ith.t 

Deabna-Feadha,  now  the  barony  of  Moy- 
cullin,  in  the  country  called  Tir-Da-Loch, 
from  its  being  situated  between  two  lakes, 
namely,  Lough- Corrib  on  the  north,  and 
Lougli-Lurghan,  or  the  bay  of  Galway,  on 
the  south.  This  territory  belonged  anciently 
to  the  posterity  of  Gnomer  and  Gnobeg,  of 
the  tribe  of  Dal-Caiss,  from  whom  are  de- 
scended the  ,  Mac-Conrys  ;  and  since  the 
ninth  century  to  the  O'P'lahertys,  a  branch 
of  the  Hy-Brimes. 

Hy-Maine,|  or  Mainech,  a  territory  inthe 
county  of  Galway,  and  patrimony  of  the 
O'Kellys,  otherwise  O'Ceallaighs,  of  the 
race  of  Heremon,  by  Colla-De-Crioch. 
This  territory  was  so  called  after  Maine- 
More,  from  whom  the  O'Kellys  are  de- 
scended, and  who  was  the  first  of  that  tribe 
who  settled  there  towards  the  end  of  the 
fifth  century ;  his  descendants  extended 
their  conquests  beyond  the  river  Suck,  in 
the  county  of  Roscommon,  and  were  di- 
vided into  several  branches,  the  chief  of 
which  was  O'Kelly  of  Aughrim,  who  lost 
his  possessions. 

Hy-Malia,  Umalie,^  a  territory  southeast 
of  the  county  of  Mayo ;  it  included  the 
barony  of  Morisk  and  part  of  Carragh,  the 
patrimony  of  the  O'Maileys,  a  branch  of  the 
tribe  of  the  Hy-Brunes. 

Hy-Onach,  a  district  in  the  county  of 
Roscommon,  comprising  Elphin  ;  it  ancient- 
ly belonged  to  the  eldest  branch  of  the  Hy- 
Brunes. 

Luigne,  a  district  in  the  county  of  Sligo, 

j  at  present  the  barony  of  Leny,  forming  part 

i  of  ancient  Coranne,  and  patrimony  of  the 

I  O'Haras,  of  the  race  of  OilioU-Olum,  by  his 

son  Kiann.ll 

Moy-Lurg,  a  territory  in  the   county  of 

Roscommon,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river 

Shannon,  at  present  the  barony  of  Boyle, 

j  and   patrimony  of  the   Mac-Diarmuids,  or 

Macdermots,   a  branch  of  the  Hy-Brunes, 

I  who  were  subdivided  into  several  branches. 

I       Moy-Noy,  or  Maghery-Connoght,  called 

I  "  Planities   Connachtiae,"  by   0'Sullivan,T[ 

I 

I       *  (^gyg-  part  3,  cap.  79. 

t  Ibid.  cap.  76. 

t  Ibid.  cap.  76. 

§  Ibid.  79. 

II  Idem.  cap.  69. 

t  Hist.  Hibem.  Compend.  torn.  3,  lib.  1,  c.  1, 


an  extensive  territory  including  the  baronies 
of  Roscommon  and  Ballintobber,  under  the 
dominion  of  the  O'Connors-Don,  chiefs  of 
the  Hy-Brunes  and  Clan-Murrays,  of  the 
race  of  Heremon,  by  Eocha-Moy-Veagon, 
and  his  son  Brian. 

O'Fiochrache,  a  territory  in  western 
Breifny,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Dubhas, 
otherwise  O'Dowd,  of  the  race  of  Hy- 
Fiachras.* 

Partry-Kiara,  or  Partry-on-Loch,  some- 
times called  Couilleagh,  a  territory  in  the 
county  of  Galway,  at  present  the  barony  of 
Kilmain,  the  patrimony  of  the  Mac-Allins, 
by  corruption  Mac-Nally,  of  the  race  of  Ith, 
by  Lugha-Mac-Conn,  monarch  of  Ireland 
in  the  third  century,  and  his  son  Faha- 
Canan,  chief  of  the  Mac-Allins  and  Mac- 
Cambels  of  Argyle  in  Scotland,  of  whom 
they  are  a  branch. 

Siolanamchad,  or  Silanchie,  a  territory  in 
the  county  of  Galway,  at  present  the  barony 
of  Longford,  on  the  banks  of  the  Shannon, 
and  patrimony  of  the  O'Madagains,  or  Mad- 
dins,  of  the  race  of  Heremon  by  Colla-da- 
Crioch. 

Siol-Murray,  a  territory  in  the  environs 
of  Sligoe  ;  it  includes  a  considerable  part 
of  the  barony  of  Carbury,  formerly  called 
Crioch-Carbury,  the  patrimony  of  O'Con- 
nor-Sligoe,  a  younger  branch  of  the  O'Con- 
nors-Don, divided  in  the  person  of  Brien- 
Laighneach,  son  of  Tourlough-More,  and 
brother  of  Cahal-Crob-Dearg. 

Tir-Amalgaid,  an  ancient  territory  now 
the  barony  of  Tirawly,  in  the  county  of 
Mayo,  and  patrimony  of  the  O'Haras,  of 
the  race  of  OilioU-Olum,  by  his  son  Kiann. 

JJj^  Cloincathail,t  a  territory  on  the 
frontiers  of  Roscommon  and  Sligoe,  near 
Elphin,  and  patrimony  of  the  O'Fianaghans, 
a  branch  of  the  Hy-Brunes. 

Cloinfearumoigh,  a  territory  in  western 
Breifny,  the  patrimony  of  the  Maccagadons, 
or  Mac-Eogans,  of  the  race  of  Colla-da- 
Crioch ;  another  branch  of  his  name  had 
possessions  in  northern  Clan-Diarmada. 

Cloinmbrassail,  a  territory,  and  patrimony 
of  the  O'Donnelans,  a  branch  of  the  Hy- 
Brunes. 

Cloinuadach,  a  territory  and  patrimony 
of  the  O'Fallumhoins,  or  O'Fallons,  of  the 
race  of  the  Hy-Brunes. 

Coranne,  an  extensive  territory  in  the 
county  of  Mayo,  including  Galang,  at  pres- 
ent  the   barony   of  Galang  in   the   same 


*  Grat.  Luc.  c.  3. 
t  Ibidem. 


DIFFERENT    DIVISIONS    OF    IRELAND. 


135 


county,  Avith  the  baronies  of  Lugne,  Leny, 
and  Coranne,  in  the  county  of  Sligoe. 

Deabhna-Nuadhat,  a  territory  in  the 
county  of  Roscommon,  between  the  rivers 
Shannon  and  Suck,  forming  the  baronies  of 
Athlone  and  Moycarme. 

Dunamon,  a  territory  in  the  barony  of 
Ballymoe,  in  the  county  of  Galway,  ex- 
tending Lowards  Glinsk,  the  patrimony  of 
the  O'Finaghtys  of  the  race  of  the  Hy- 
Brunes. 

Gregagie,  a  territory  in  the  county  of 
Sligoe,  on  the  border  of  lake  Techet,  other- 
wise Lough- Gara,  comprising  the  barony  of 
Coolavin. 

Hybh-Sen,  or  Hy-Orbsen,  a  territory  in 
the  county  of  Galway,  on  the  borders  of 
Lough-Corrib,  or  Lough-Orbsen,  extend- 
ing into  the  baronies  of  Moy-CuUen  and 
Clare. 

Hy-Bruin-Ratha,  a  territory  in  the  county 
of  Galway,  in  the  barony  of  Athenry. 

Hy-Bruin-Sinna,  a  territory  in  the  county 
of  Roscommon,  formerly  called  Tirmbruin. 

Hy-Fiachria-Aidhne,  a  territory  in  the 
county  of  Mayo,  on  the  river  Moy,  near 
Killala,  now  the  barony  of  Erris,  belonged 
formerly  to  a  tribe  of  the  Firbolgs,  and 
since  divided  into  dynasties,  which  were  in 
the  possession  of  other  families. 

Irrosdomhnon,  a  territory  in  the  county  of 
Mayo. 

Ivediarmada,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Con- 
chanains,  of  the  race  of  the  Hy-Brunes. 

Kierrigie-Ai,  a  territory  in  the  county  of 
Roscommon,  afterwards  called  Clan-Ke- 
theren. 

Kierrige  of  Lough-Nairn,  a  territory  in 
the  county  of  Mayo,  now  the  barony  of  Cos- 
telo,  the  country  of  the  Mac-Costelos  ;  this 
territory  is  sometimes  called  the  barony  of 
Belahaimes. 

Kinel-Cairbre,  a  territory  in  the  county  of 
Sligoe,  now  the  barony  of  Carbury,  extend- 
ing towards  Lough-Gill. 

Moenmoye,  an  ancient  and  extensive  ter- 
ritory in  the  county  of  Galway,  since  called 
Clanricard,  including  the  six  baronies  of 
Clare,  Dunkellin,  Loughrea,  Killartan, 
Athenry  and  Leitrim. 

Muinter-Eolas ;  see  Conmacne. 

Partry,  a  territorj^  in  the  county  of  Mayo, 
now  the  barony  of  Carra,  belonged  to  the 
Shoyaghs,  (Joice,)  and  other  families. 

Teallachindumhe,  a  territory  in  western 
Brefny,  and  patrimony  of  the  Mactiegher- 
nains,  or  Mac-Kiernans,  of  the  race  of  the 
Hy-Brunes. 

Tir-da-Loch,  a  territory  situated  between 
two  lakes   in  the  county  of  Galway,  now 


the  barony  of  Moy-Cullin.     See  Dealbna- 
Feadha. 

Tirm-Bruin  ;  see  Hy-Bruin-Sinna. 


Clan-Colman,  a  principality  in  Meath,  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  river  Boyne,*  extending 
as  far  as  Taylton ;  it  belonged  to  the 
O'Moelsachluins,  or  O'Maoleachluins,  of 
the  race  of  Conal-Creamthine,  son  of 
Niall  the  Great.  The  eldest  sons  of  this 
illustrious  tribe  were  styled  kings  of  Meath, 
and  frequently  succeeded  to  the  monarchy. 

Crioch-Leogaire,  or  Hy-Leogar,t  an  ex- 
tensive territory  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
Boyne,  which  extended  from  Belatruim 
(Trim)  to  Tara,  and  belonged  to  the  de- 
scendants of  Laogare,  monarch  of  Ireland 
in  the  time  of  St.  Patrick,  the  chiefs  of 
whom  were  the  O'Caoindealvains,  or  Kin- 
dellans. 

Cuircne,!  or  Machair-Cuirckny,  a  ter- 
ritory in  Westmeath,  now  the  barony  of 
Kilkenny-West,  and  patrimony  of  the 
O'Tolargs. 

Dealbna,  or  Delvin,^  (so  called  from 
Dealbhaodh,  of  the  race  of  Heber,  and 
tribe  of  the  Dalcaiss,  whose  posterity  in- 
habited these  parts  of  the  country,)  a  ter- 
ritory, now  a  barony  in  Westmeath,  the 
ancient  patrimony  of  the  O'Finellans,  who 
were  dispossessed  under  Henry  H.,  in  the 
twelfth  century. 

Dealbna-Eathra,  an  extensive  territory, 
now  in  the  King's  county,  extending  from 
Banaghir  as  far  as  the  frontiers  of  West- 
meath, the  patrimony  of  the  Mac-Coghlans, 
of  the  tribe  of  the  Calcaiss,  who  were  sub- 
divided into  several  branches. 

Fearcall,  a  territory,  formerly  in  Meath, 
at  present  in  the  King's  county,  including 
the  baronies  of  Bally-Cowan  and  Bally-boy, 
and  belonged  since  the  fifteenth  century  to 
the  O'Molloys,  of  the  race  of  Heremon,  by 
NioU-Noygiallach,  and  his  son  Fiacha,  who 
were  subdivided  into  many  other  branches. 

Fertullagh,  a  territory,  now  a  barony  in 
Westmeath,  the  ancient  patrimony  of  the 
O'Dubhlaidhs,  or  O'Dowlys,  of  the  race  of 
Heremon.  II 

Hy-Machvais,  Hy-Macvais,  a  territory  on 
the  river  Inny,  in  Westmeath,  now  the  bar- 
ony of  Moy-Goish,  the  ancient  patrimony 


*  Keat.  Geneal.    Grat.  Luc.  c.  3. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  85. 

t  Idem.  cap.  81. 

^  Idem.  cap.  81. 

II  Grat.  Luc.  page  25. 


136 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


of  the  Mac-Vais,  or  Mac-Voys,  of  the  race 
of  CoUavais.* 

Kinel-Eiula,  or  Kiueal-Aodha,  a  territory 
in  Westinoath,  in  the  barony  of  Rathcou- 
rath,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  of  Usneach,  or 
Usny,  and  patrimony  of  the  O'Broenans, 
of  the  race  of  Enna,  son  of  Niall-Noygi- 
allach.f 

Kincl-Fiacha,  by  corruption  Kinalyagagh, 
signifying  the  children  or  race  of  Fiacha, 
an  extensive  territory  in  Westmeath,;):  which 
includes,  besides  the  barony  of  Moycashel, 
part  of  those  of  llaconrath,  Mulingar,  and 
Fertullach.  This  territory  was  divided  into 
several  fiefs,  and  belonged  since  the  fifth 
century  to  the  different  branches  of  the 
Mac-Eochagains,  or  Mac-Geoghegans,  of 
the  race  of  Fiacha,  son  of  the  monarch 
Niall-Noygiallach.  The  chief  of  this  tribe 
is  Mac-Geoghegan  of  Moycashel.  The 
fiefs  belonging  to  the  different  branches  are 
Donore,  Castletown,  Sionan,  Newtown, 
Drommore,  Lochanleonact,  Larrah,  Lou- 
hertan,  Ballycommine,  Couletor,  &c. 

Teffia,  or  Teamhfna,§  an  extensive  ter- 
ritorj',  including,  with  half  of  Westmeath, 
nearly  the  whole  county  of  Longford ;  it 
contains  several  small  territories,  namely, 
Caleroy  and  Muinter-Hagan,  now  the  bar- 
ony of  Kilcourcey,  the  country  of  the 
O'Sionachs,  otherwise  Fox,  Mac-Hagains, 
Magawlys,  &c.  Bregmuin  and  Cuircne, 
now  the  baronies  of  Brawney  and  Kilkenny- 
West.  Those  territories  belonged  to  the 
descendants  of  Maine,  one  of  the  sons  of 
Niall  the  Great.  Teamhfna,  in  the  county 
of  Longford,  was'  divided  into  northern  and 
southern ;  northern  Teamhfna,  also  called 
Carbre-Gaura,  included  the  environs  of 
Granard :  southern  Teamhfna  was  near 
Ardagh,  an  episcopal  see. 

JJ3^Bregia  or  Breagh,  and  Bregmagia, 
two  territories  in  Meath,  the  former  near 
Tara,  the  latter  in  the  environs  of  Athruim. 

Broghe,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Mulledys. 

Corcaduin,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Dalys, 
in  Irish,  Sioll-Ndala.|l 

Dealbna-Teanmoy,  a  territory  in  Meath. 

Desies,  now  the  barony  of  Deece. 

Fearbile,  a  territory,  now  a  barony  in 
Westmeath,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Han- 
biths. 

Finfochla,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Ru- 
adhrys. 

Kiennachta-Bregh,  or  Kiennachta-Ard,l 

*  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  7& 

t  Idem.  cap.  85. 

t  Keat.  Geneal.    Ogyg.  part  .3,  cap.  85. 

§  Idem. 

II  Ogyg.  part  9,  c.  85l  %  Ibid.  cap.  68. 


a  large  territory,  extending  from  Duleek  to 
the  river  Liffey :  it  was  also  called,  on 
account  of  its  situation  and  beauty,  Moy- 
Breagh,  which  sigiiific^s  "beautiful  field." 
This  territory  belonged  to  the  Keniads,  de- 
scendants of  Kiann,  son  of  Oilioll-Olum, 
king  of  Munster. 

Luighnie,  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Bruins. 

Moynalta,  the  patrimony  of  the  Biataghs, 
believed  to  be  a  noble  and  ancient  family  of 
Danish  extraction. 

Those  principalities  and  dynasties  which 
are  now  changed  into  counties  and  baronies, 
still  retain  some  vestiges  of  their  ancient 
names  ;  they  belonged  to  the  same  families 
from  the  first  ages  of  Christianity.  Their 
possession  was  first  interrupted  about  the 
end  of  the  twelfth  century  by  a  colony  of 
English,  who  usurped  the  properties  of 
several  of  the  ancient  proprietors,  particu- 
larly in  the  provinces  of  Leinster,  Munster, 
and  Meath.  Many  others  were  dispossessed 
in  the  different  provinces,  in  the  reigns  of 
Elizabeth  and  James  L  ;  but  under  the 
tyranny  of  Cromwell  and  the  Prince  of 
Orange,  the  plunder  was  almost  universal. 
However,  notwithstanding  these  several 
revolutions,  notwithstanding  the  repeated 
snares  that  have  been  so  artfully  laid  to 
force  them  to  rebel,  and  thereby  furnish  a 
pretext  for  confiscating  their  properties, 
there  are  still  many  ancient  proprietors  who 
enjoy  the  inheritance  of  their  ancestors  by 
an  uninterrupted  possession  of  ten,  twelve, 
fifteen,  and  eighteen  centuries  ;  a  possession 
which,  for  duration,  has  few  examples  in  the 
other  nations  of  Europe. 

The  nobility  of  the  Irish  cannot  appear 
doubtful  to  those  who  take  the  trouble  of 
comparing  this  length  of  possession,  with 
what  is  said  in  the  critical  essay  on  their 
antiquity  and  traditions.  Genealogists  di- 
vide nobility  into  three  classes  ;  the  first  is 
that  of  knighthood,  the  origin  of  which 
cannot  be  ascertained ;  the  second,  though  j 
ancient,  may  still  be  traced  to  its  commence- 
ment ;  and  the  third,  a  new  nobility,  which  i 
has  not  yet  numbered  three  generations,  j 
Nobility  is  one  of  those  things  not  easily  | 
defined  ;  however,  it  manifests  itself  by  the 
prerogatives  which  it  confers  ;  it  is  looked 
upon  by  some  as  a  mere  chimera,  and  by 
others  in  an  opposite  light.  Juvenal,  a 
pagan  writer,  says  it  consists  in  virtue 
alone :  "  Nobilitas  sola  est  atque  unica 
virtus."  Whatever  be  the  origin  and  nature 
of  nobility,  it  tends  to  establish  subordina- 
tion in  the  state,  and  distinction  of  rank  in 
society,  by  selecting  from  the  crowd  a 
certain  number  of  men,    who   are   raised 


APOSTJ.F,  OF   1REI.A1TD. 


J  Sadlier. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


137 


above  others,  and  invested  with  preroga- 
tives. Nobility  was  not,  in  ancient  times, 
as  it  now  is,  founded  on  letters  patent :  ac- 
cording to  the  general  opinion  of  men,  a 
long  possession  of  lands  and  lordships  con- 
stituted nobility,  as  they  thereby  acquired 
certain  subjects  whom  they  called  vassals. 
A  family  which  has  for  several  centuries 
kept  possession  of  the  same  lands,  and 
maintained  itself  in  a  certain  degree  of 
rank,  without  contracting  any  degrading  al- 
liance, and  of  whose  ancestors  are  recorded 
a  long  succession  of  those  virtuous  actions 
which  attract  the  attention  of  mankind — 
such  a  family,  I  say,  deserves  to  be  placed 
in  the  first  class  of  nobility,  and  should  be 
considered  as  such,  in  every  nation  in  the 
world. 

The  constitution  and  first  establishment 
of  the  Irish  nation,  were  of  a  nature  to  give 
rise  to  nobles  of  the  above  description. 
We  have  already  seen,  in  the  preceding  part 
of  this  history,  and  in  the  beginning  of  this 
chapter,  that  the  children  of  Milesius  had 
formed  tribes,  of  which  they  were  the  chiefs, 
by  the  division  they  made  of  the  island  be- 
tween them.  According  as  the  population 
increased,  the  tribes  were  nmltiplied,  and  in 
time  divided  into  many  branches.  The  last, 
and  most  permanent  division  of  those  tribes 
into  dynasties,  which  has  lasted  to  the  pre- 
sent time,  took  place  in  the  third,  fourth, 
and  fifth  centuries.  The  names  of  the 
dynasties,  and  those  to  whom  they  belonged 
in  the  fifth  century,  are  mentioned  by  the 
historians  of  the  country,  and  the  different 
authors  of  the  life  of  St.  Patrick,  when 
speaking  of  liis  apostleship  in  Ireland. 

Each  of  those  tribes  or  dynasties  had 
its  chief,  who  was  either  the  eldest  of  the 
tribe,  or  the  most  capable  of  governing  it ; 
and  the  collateral  branches  Avho  possessed 
lands  and  fiefs,  acknowledged  his  authority. 
Though  divided  into  different  bodies,  like 
the  Israelites,  they  never  forgot  their  com- 
mon origin  :  they  were  all  more  or  less 
nearly  allied  in  affinity,  and  by  intermarry- 
ing they  all  enjoyed  a  mutual  inheritance  ; 
so  that  unless  the  Avhole  tribe  were  extinct, 
there  was  always  a  legitimate  heir  to  the 
dynasty ;  on  which  account  those  great 
families  were  never  confounded  one  with 
the  othei'.  Though  several  of  those  ancient 
proprietors  were  deprived  of  their  posses- 
sions.in  the  last  century,  on  account  of  their 
religious  zeal,  and  their  fidelity  to  their  le- 
gitimate princes,  and  consequently  have 
fallen  from  that  ancient  splendor  which  can 
only  be  supported  by  riches,  they  are  still 
looked  upon  in  the  coimtry  in   the   same 


light  as  their  ancestors  ;  and,  provided  they 
can  prove  the  purity  of  their  blood,  and 
regular  descent  from  the  chiefs  of  their 
houses,  I  see  no  reason  why  they  should 
be  excluded  from  the  privileges  of  nobility, 
any  more  than  others  of  the  same  .blood, 
more  favored  by  fortune,  and  who  have  pre- 
served their  properties.  In  the  latter  part 
of  this  history  I  shall  enlarge  upon  this 
subject,  when  there  will  be  an  occasion  to 
speak  of  many  illustrious  families,  originally 
from  England,  and  who  are  well  deserving 
the  title  of  ancient  nobility. 


CHRISTIAN  IRELAND. 

PART  II. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


The  throne  of  Ireland  being  vacated  by 
the  death  of  Dathy,  the  last  pagan  monarch 
of  this  island,  as  we  have  observed  in  the 
sixth  chapter  of  the  first  part  of  this  history, 
the  sceptre  returned  to  the  family  of  Niall, 
sumamed  Noygiallach,  in  the  person  of  his 
son  Laogare,  who  began  his  reign  in  428, 
and  continued  in  it,  except  in  one  instance, 
from  that  period  until  the  eleventh  century. 

Though  we  have  seen,  in  the  first  part, 
that  there  were  Christians  in  Ireland  in  the 
first  century,  and  long  before  the  mission 
of  St.  Patrick  ;  that,  independent  of  Cor- 
mac-Ulfada,  monarch  of  this  island  in  the 
third  century,  whose  piety  and  religion  had 
rendered  him  odious  to  the  pagans,  several 
had  left  their  native  country  on  hearing  of 
the  Christian  name ;  and  that  having  become 
perfect  in  the  knowledge  of  the  evangelical 
doctrine,  and  the  discipline  of  the  Church, 
some  had  preached  the  gospel  in  the  dif- 
ferent pagan  countries  in  Europe  ;  others, 
filled  with  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  their 
fellow-citizens,  had  successfully  expounded 
to  them  the  word  of  God  ;  still  the  nation 
was  not  yet  considered  as  converted  :  this 
grace  was  reserved  for  the  reign  of  Laogare, 
and  the  pontificate  of  St.  Celestine  I.  This 
great  pope,  seeing  the  pious  inclination  of 
those  people,*  and  the  success  of  private 
missionaries  among  them,  thought  of  send- 
ing them  an  apostle  invested  with  full  au- 

*  Usser.  Primord.  Eccles.  Brit.  cap.  16,  page 
797,  et  seq. 


138 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


thority  to  complete  a  work  so  happily  be- 1 
gun.* 

The  first  whom  he  sent  to  Ireland,  with 
all  power  requisite  for  his  mission,  was  Pal- 
ladius,  an  archdeacon  of  the  Roman  Church, 
who,  having  been  ordained  bishop,  or  rather 
archbishop  of  all  Ireland,  set  out,  accom- 
panied by  twelve  missionaries,  all  equally 
inspired  with  the  apostolical  spirit,  and  pro- 
vided with  several  volumes  of  the  Old  and 
New  Testament,  and  some  relics  of  the 
apostles  St.  Peter  and  Paul,  and  of  some 
other  martyrs.  On  landing  in  the  province 
of  Leinster,  he  began  his  mission  by  preach- 
ing the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ ;  but  he  was 
badly  received  by  the  pagans.  Jocelin 
quotes  a  proverb,  common  in  the  country, 
signifying  that  "  God  did  not  reserve  for 
Palladius,  but  for  Patrick,  the  conversion  of 
Ireland."  However,  he  baptized  a  few  per- 
sons, and  founded  three  churches,  the  first 
of  which  was  called  "  Kill-Fine,"  the  second, 
"  Teach-na-Romanach,"  or  House  of  the 
Romans,  and  the  third,  "  Domnach-Arte." 
After  a  short  mission  of  a  few  months,  he 
was  expelled  from  Ireland  by  Nathi,  son  of 
Garchon,  a  prince  of  this  country.  This 
holy  missionary  withdrew  into  Britain,  and 
died  some  time  after  at  Fourdoun,  in  the 
country  of  the  Picts  :  others  assert  that  he 
suifered  martyrdom  in  Ireland. 

The  origin  and  country  of  St.  Palladius 
have  been  the  subject  of  much  disputation. 
John  Sichard  asserts  that  he  was  a  native  of 
Ireland ;  Anthony  Possevin,  in  his  Sacred 
Compendium,  calls  him  a  Briton  ;  Trithe- 
mins,  in  his  Catalogue  of  Ecclesiastical 
Writers,  and  others,  copying  after  him, 
afiirm  that  he  was  by  birth  a  Greek,  con- 
founding him,  probably,  with  Palladius, 
bishop  of  Helenopolis,  in  Bythinia,  who 
died  before  the  year  431,  the  time  of  the 
mission  of  St.  Palladius  among  the  Scots. 
However  this  be,  there  is  another  question 
more  interesting,  as  being  more  closely 
connected  with  the  object  of  this  history, 
namely,  to  know  who  were  those  Scots  for 
whom  St.  Palladius  had  received  his  mis- 
sion. The  Scotch  authors,  namely,  John 
Major,  Boetius,  Lesly,  and  Dempster,  on 
the  double  acceptation  of  the  name  "  Scot," 
assert  that  he  had  been  sent  to  the  Scots 
of  Britain  ;  in  which  account  they  are  fol- 
lowed by  Polydore  Virgil,  the  author  of  the 
English  Martyrology,  and  by  Baronius  in 
his  Annals  on  the  year  429  ;  but  the  latter, 
after  a  more  minute  investigation,  corrected 


»  Trias.  Thaum.  vit.  S.  Patr. 


himself  on  the  year  431,  by  saying  that  St. 
Palladius  had  been  sent  to  Ireland. 

Wc  need  only  read  the  sixth  and  seventh 
chapters  of  the  first  part  of  this  history,  to 
discover  the  error  of  those  authors,  in  which 
it  has  been  proved  that  the  Scots  had  no 
fixed  dwelling,  or  any  monarchy  founded  in 
Britain,  before  the  beginning  of  the  sixth 
century,  and  that  the  terms  Scots  and  Irish 
were  synonymous  till  the  eleventh. 

We  may,  however,  mention  here  the  au- 
thority of  St.  Prosper,  whom  I  have  already 
quoted,  as  he  expressly  speaks  of  the  mis- 
sion of  St.  Palladius.  This  father,  when 
praising  the  zeal  of  Pope  St.  Celestine  for 
the  conversion  of  the  British  Isles,  says, 
that  when  he  was  endeavoring  to  preserve 
the  purity  of  the  faith  in  the  Roman  Isle, 
he  ordained  a  bishop  for  the  Scots,  and  con- 
verted to  Christianity  that  island  which  had 
been  barbarous.*  St.  Prosper  here  men- 
tions Palladius,  as  he  says  in  his  Chronicle, 
that  Pope  Celestine  had  ordained  him  bishop 
of  the  Scots  Avho  believed  in  Christ  :  "  Ad 
Scotos  in  Christum  credentes  ordinatur  a 
Papa  Ccelestino  Palladius."  He  also  dis- 
tinguishes the  island  of  Scots,  which  he 
calls  barbarous,  (a  name  given  by  the  Ro- 
mans to  all  those  who  were  not  imder  their 
dominion,)  from  Britain,  which  he  designates 
by  the  name  of  the  Roman  Isle.  The  island 
of  Scots,  as  mentioned  by  Prosper,  can  only 
refer,  says  Usher,  to  Scotia  Major,  that  is, 
Ireland,  and  by  no  means  to  Albania,  which 
was  not  at  that  time  called  Scotia,  and  is. 
not  an  island,  as  it  forms  part  of  that  of 
Great  Britain.! 

Lastly,  we  may  add,  that  as  St.  Patrick 
succeeded  St.  Palladius  in  the  same  mission, 
they  both  preached  the  gospel  to  the  same 
people,  namely,  the  Scots  of  Ireland-I 

St.  Prosper  places  the  mission  of  St.  Pal- 
ladius in  Ireland  under  the  consulship  of 
Bassus  and  Antiochus  ;  which  corresponds 


*  "  With  equal  care  he  rescued  from  the  same 
distemper  the  British  isles,  when  those  who  were 
enemies,  to  grace,  and  occupying  the  soil  of  their 
birth,  were  shut  out  by  that  secluded  part  of  the 
ocean  :  a  bishop  being  ordained  for  the  Scots,  while 
he  is  eager  to  preserve  the  Roman  isle  Catholic,  he 
rendered  that  which  was  Christian,  barbarous." 

t  "  And  Prosper,  distinguishing  eloquently  this 
island  of  the  Scots  from  the  Britains,  must  be  ne- 
cessarily understood  to  mean  Scotia  Major  to  be 
Ireland,  and  not  the  Minor  Scotia,  which  is  Alba- 
nia, (which  was  not  Scotland  at  that  period,  neither 
is  it  an  island,  but  forms  a  part  of  Great  Britain.") 
—  Usher's  Church  Hist.  c.  16,  p.  798. 

t  "  It  is  plain,  that  Palladius  had  been  appointed 
for  the  same  Scots  to  whom  Patrick  had  been  af- 
terwards sent." — Usher. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


139 


with  the  year  431  of  the  Christian  era.  The 
venerable  Beds  fixes  it  in  the  eighth  year  of 
the  empire  of  Theodosius  the  younger.* 
Baronius  says  the  date  of  the  latter  should 
be  corrected  by  that  of  St.  Prosper  ;  he  does 
not,  however,  observe,  that  Bede  and  Pros- 
per are  in  perfect  accordance,  as  they  count 
the  years  of  the  reign  of  Theodosius  from 
the  death  of  Honorius,  which  happened  in 
423,  as  well  as  the  elevation  of  Pope  Celes- 
tine  to  the  pontificate  ;  while  that  celebrated 
annalist  (Baronius)  dates  from  the  time  that 
those  two  emperors  began  their  reign  to- 
gether. 

Bollandus  and  le  Nain  de  Tillemont 
seem  to  doubt  that  there  were  Christians 
in  Ireland  before  St.  Palladius.f  "  The 
Irish,"  says  Tillemont,  "  give  the  histories 
of  several  saints  of  their  country,  many  of 
whom  were  bishops,  and  assert  that  they 
had  preached  the  gospel  in  their  country, 
and  converted  many  persons  long  before  St. 
Patrick,  even  in  the  fourth  century.  Usher 
quotes,  continues  he,  many  fragments  of  the 
lives  of  those  saints,  in  which  can  be  easily 
discovered  several  very  improbable  things. 
We  might  judge  far  better  of  those  lives,  if 
we  had  them  complete  ;  however,  it  suffices 
that  Bollandus,  who  it  appears  has  seen 
them,  affirms  that  none  were  composed 
before  the  twelfth  century,  and  that  most 
of  them  are  by  very  fabulous  authors." 

The  above  is  a  severe,  as  well  as  an  ill- 
founded  censure.  Bollandus,  on  account  of 
a  few  hyperbolical  phrases  used  in  the  lives 
of  those  saints,  or  some  improbable  facts, 
(the  common  result  of  the  enthusiasm  of 
ancient  writers,)  without  distinguishing 
truth  from  falsehood,  saps  the  foundation 
of  their  history,  which  he  treats  of  as  fabu- 
lous. However,  without  injuring  the  repu- 
tation which  Bollandus  has  so  deservedly 
acquired  among  the  learned.  Usher,  who 
quotes  those  fragments  as  respectable  monu- 
ments of  antiquity,  was  as  judicious  a  critic, 
and  a  much  more  competent  judge  in  this 
matter,  though  he  was  of  English  extraction, 
and  of  a  different  religion  irom  the  saints 
whose  lives  he  quotes,  (two  things  which 
should  remove  all  suspicion  of  prejudice  on 
his  part:)  having  been  born  and  educated 
in  Ireland,  he  had  it  better  in  his  power  to 
,  see  and  judge,  than  Bollandus,  a  stranger 

*"In   the   year  423  of  our  redemption,   Theo. 

dosius   the    younger    reigned  for  27  years,  in  the 

j  eighth  year  of  whose  reign   Palladius  was  sent  by 

I  Pope   Celestine,  as   first   bishop,  to  preach   to  the 

Scots  who  beheved  in  Christ." — Bede,h.  1,  Church 

Hist.  c.  13. 

t  Memoires,  torn.  16,  Vie  de  S.  Patrice. 


who  embraced  too  many  objects  to  succeed 
in  all.  It  is,  besides,  an  incontestable  fact, 
that  in  those  ages,  which  immediately  suc- 
ceeded the  preaching  of  St.  Patrick  in  Ire- 
land, that  country  was  celebrated  for  its 
knowledge  in  the  sciences  and  literature. 
Therefore  it  is  not  probable  they  would  have 
been  so  long  without  writing  the  annals  and 
lives  of  the  saints  of  that  people.  The  re- 
mark of  Bollandus,  that  there  were  no  lives 
of  the  saints  of  Ireland  written  before  the 
twelfth  century,  is  therefore  highly  incorrect. 
This  learned  author  seems  to  confound  some 
copies  taken  from  the  original  lives,  in  the 
twelfth  century,  in  order  to  preserve  them  to 
posterity,  as  well  as  the  original  ones  ;  as  if 
we  Avere  to  say,  that  the  life  of  St.  Patrick 
had  not  been  written  till  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury, because  Jocelin,  an  English  monk,  had 
not  taken  extracts  from  every  ancient  life  of 
that  saint,  written  many  ages  before. 

Usher,  continues  Tillemont,  desirous  of 
supporting  the  historians  of  his  country,* 
among  whom  we  discover  many  bishops  sent 
to  Ireland  before  St.  Palladius,  adduces,  in 
opposition  to  himself,  St.  Prosper,  who  says 
that  St.  Palladius  was  the  first  sent  there  in 
431  :  he  thinks  to  destroy,  says  he,  this  un- 
deniable authority,  by  remarking  that  the 
word  "  primus"  is  not  in  the  Duchesne  edi- 
tion. The  above  criticism  is  unjust ;  Tille- 
mont suppresses  the  other  explanations 
which  Usher  gives  of  the  word  "  primus," 
which,  according  to  him,  signifies  the  first  of 
the  two,  namely,  Palladius  and  Patrick  whom 
Pope  Celestine  sent  to  Ireland,  with  full 
apostolic  power  as  archbishop  or  primate 
of  the  whole  island. f  Besides,  these  words, 
"  Ad  Scotos  in  Christum  credentes  ordina- 
tus  fi  Papii  Coelestino  Palladius  Episcopus 
mittitur,"  used  by  St.  Prosper  in  his  chroni- 
cle on  the  year  431,  and  by  Bede  in  the 
thirteenth  chapter  of  the  first  book  of  his 
Ecclesiastical  History,  evidently  indicate 
that  there  were  Christians  in  Ireland,  and 
consequently  pastors,  before  the  mission 
of  St.  Palladius.  Bollandus  himself  ac- 
knowledges it,  as  he  says  that  St.  Palladius 
had  found  in  Ireland  more  Christians  than 


*  Notes  sur  S.  Patrice. 

t  "  But  although  four  former  bishops  be  mentioned 
to  have  been  ordained  before  the  pontificate  of  Ce- 
lestine, for  the  mission,  it  might  appear  that  Pope 
Celestine  appointed  Palladius  first  bishop,  and  that 
Patrick  had  been  sent  the  second,  or  primate  to  the 
Episcopal  seat.  So  that,  although  our  island  had 
other  bishops,  still  Palladius  was  the  first  arch- 
bishop, and  Patrick  the  second." — Usher's  Church 
Hist.  c.  16,  p.  800. 


140 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


he  made*  There  never  was  an  instance, 
says  Colgan,tofthe  Roman  Church  specially 
ordaining  a  bishop  for  any  nation,  or  send- 
ing a  solemn  mission  to  a  country  in  which 
the  Christian  religion  was  totally  unknown. 

Lastly,  it  was  not  affirmed  by  Usher,  nor 
any  other  historian  of  the  country,  that  Ire- 
land was  converted  before  the  time  of  St. 
Patrick.  A  kingdom  is  not  considered  to  be 
converted  till  the  king  and  princes,  and  most 
of  the  people,  have  received  baptism  ;  which 
did  not  take  place  in  Ireland  till  the  time  of 
this  apostle.  This  did  not  prevent  the  con- 
version of  some  in  diflerent  parts  of  the 
island,  by  the  private  missionaries  men- 
tioned by  Usher. 

As  soon  as  the  death  of  St.  Palladius  was 
known  at  Rome,  Pope  St.  Celestine  thought 
of  providing  a  successor  to  him.  The  lot 
fell  to  Patrick,  who  being  at  that  time  at 
Rome,  was  ordained  bishop  of  Ireland  by 
the  pope,  and  was  sent  to  this  island  invested 
with  apostolic  authority,  and  loaded  with  the 
benedictions  of  the  holy  father.  This  pope 
died  a  short  time  afterwards,  and  his  suc- 
cessor, St.  Sixtus III., confirmed  the  mission 
of  St.  Patrick,  and  associated  with  him 
other  evangelical  missionaries,  to  assist  him. 

Before  we  enter  into  a  detail  of  the  life 
and  mission  of  St.  Patrick,  we  should  here 
examine  the  several  histories  written  on  this 
subject. 

The  number  of  histories  which  have  been 
composed  on  the  life  of  St.  Patrick,  has,  in 
a  great  measure,  tended  to  darken  the  know- 
ledge we  should  have  of  the  truth  of  what 
concerns  him.  According  to  Usher,  and 
ancient  monuments  in  the  libraries  of  Oxford 
and  Cambridge,  there  were  sixty-three,  or 
sixty-six.J  However,  Ave  must  confine  our- 
selves to  the  most  genuine,  and  those  which 
appear  the  most  authentic,  and  least  liable 
to  contradiction  ;  which  are,  the  Confession 
of  Saint  Patrick,  his  letter  to  Corotic,  and 
his  life,  written  by  some  of  his  disciples. 

The  Confession  of  St.  Patrick  was  written 


*  "  Palladius  thought  it  sufficient  to  have  two  of 
his  brethren,  Sylvester  and  Solonius,  to  assist  tlie 
few  Christians  whom  he  had  found,  and  it  is  probable 
that  he  found  more  than  he  had  made,  on  account 
of  the  short  time  he  remained.  After  consecrating 
three  oratories  for  their  use,  he  set  sail  with  his 
companions,  and  being  driven  by  a  storm  (perhaps 
by  the  Divine  will)  around  North  Britain,  he  landed 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  country  of  the  Picls, 
which  he  held,  and  died  in  it." — Bollandus  in  his 
Life  of  St.  Patrick,  p.  581. 

t  Triad.  Thaum.  Append.  5,  cap.  15,  pag.  250. 

t  "  All  the  books  which  have  been  written  on  the 
life  of  St.  Patrick  are  66  or  63."— Usiiei;  C.  Hist. 
c.  17,  p.  816. 


by  himself,  in  which  he  gives  an  account  of 
his  life  and  conversation,  principally  during 
his  youth,  and  commenced  with  these  words  : 
"  Ego  Patricius  peccator."  Very  few  mira- 
cles are  recorded  in  it ;  several  visions  are 
mentioned  by  the  saint  hiiuself,  and  he  says 
that  God  frequently  imparted  to  him,  in  a 
very  extraordinary  manner,  what  he  was  to 
do.*  We  may  also  add,  that  in  those  visions 
which  St.  Patrick  mentions  having  seen, 
there  was  nothing  that  was  not  grave,  holy, 
and  worthy  of  God.  This  volume,  says  Col- 
gan,  is  to  be  found  in  the  library  of  the  mon- 
astery of  Saint  Vast,  in  Artois,t  and  also,  ac- 
cording to  Ware,  in  the  library  of  Sarum, 
or  Salisbury,  in  England,^  if  it  is  the  same 
(which  is  most  probable)  that  Colgan  quotes 
under  the  title  of  "  Patricius  de  vita  et  con- 
versatione  sua  ;"  the  beginning,  "  Ego  Pa- 
tricius peccator,"  &c.  &c.,  is  the  same  in  both 
copies. 

The  subject  of  St.  Patrick's  letter  to  Co- 
rotic,§  was  a  cruel  and  barbarous  action 
committed  by  this  tyrant,  who  reigned  over 
some  canton  in  Wales. 

This  petty  prince,  having  made  a  descent 
upon  Ireland  during  the  festival  of  Easter, 
ravaged  the  canton  where  the  saint  then  was, 
and  where  he  had  just  administered  the  holy 
chrism  to  a  great  number  of  converts,  that 
were  still  clothed  in  the  white  robes  of  their 
baptism.  Corotic,  though  a  Christian,  with- 
out the  slightest  regard  for  the  sanctity  of 
the  sacrament,  massacred  a  great  number, 
and  carried  off  others,  whom  he  sold  to  the 
Picts.  The  atrocity  of  this  action  roused 
the  zeal  of  the  saint  to  such  a  degree,  that, 
on  the  day  after  the  massacre  of  those  inno- 
cent people,  he  sent  a  letter  to  Corotic,  by 
a  holy  priest  whom  he  had  brought  up  from 
his  infancy,  and  by  some  other  ecclesiastics, 
to  request  of  him  to  restore  the  Christians 
whom  he  had  carried  into  captivity,  and  a 
part,  at  least,  of  the  booty.  However,  the 
saint's  letter  not  producing  the  desired  effect 
on  the  mind  of  Corotic,  and  his  answer  prov- 
ing unsatisfactory,  he  resolved  to  write  a 
second,  in  form  of  a  circular,  which  he  pub- 
lished, instead  of  addressing  it  to  Corotic, 
and  it  is  that  which  has  been  preserved  until 
our  time.  In  this  letter  he  complains  loudly 
of  the  action  of  Corotic,  and  particularly  of 
his  having  sold  the  Christians  to  infidels. 
He  declared  to  the  church,  that  this  tyrant, 
and  the  other  fratricides  who  had  been  ac- 
complices in  his  crime,  should  be  separated 

*  Tillemont,  Vie  de  Saint  Patrice,  art.  2. 
t  Append.  4,  part  3,  de  Script.  Act.  S.  Patr. 
t  De  Script.  Hib.  lib.  2,  cap.  2. 
§  Tillemont,  Vic  de  Saint  Patrice. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


141 


from  liim  and  from  Jesus  Christ,  whose 
representative  he  was ;  that  none  should 
eat  with  them,  nor  receive  their  alms,  until 
they  should  have  satisfied  God  by  the  tears 
of  true  repentance,  and  restored  to  liberty  the 
faithful  servants  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  de- 
clared that  whosoever  should  hold  converse 
or  communication"  with  them,  and  flatter 
them  in  their  sins,  would  be  judged  and 
condemned  by  God.  The  above  is  the 
excommunication  pronounced  by  St.  Patrick 
against  Corotic  and  those  who  were  accom- 
plices in  his  crime. 

The  Confession  of  St.  Patrick,  and  his 
letter  to  Corotic,  are  quoted  with  praise  by 
Usher,  Bollandus,Ware,  Colgan,  and  others.* 
Those  two  productions  bear  the  name  of  the 
saint,  who  frequently  speaks  in  them  of  him- 
self, and  appear  truly  worthy  of  him.  They 
are  both  in  the  same  style  and  character. 

The  Confession  is  quoted  by  all  the  an- 
cient authors  of  his  life,  which  proves,  at 
least,  that  it  is  more  ancient  than  they  are  ; 
and  there  seems  to  exist,  throughout,  a 
character  of  truth,  which  supports  it,  even 
were  it  not  quoted  by  any  author.  Cave 
himself  admits  that  this  confession,  and  the 
letter  to  Corotic,  are  ancient  writings. f 

The  principal  authors  of  the  life  of  St. 
Patrick]:  are.  Saint  Secundinus,  or  Seagh- 
lin,  bishop  of  Domnach-Sechnaild,  now 
Donseachlin,  in  Meath ;  he  was  a  disciple  of 
the  saint,  and  his  nephew  by  his  sister  Da- 
rerca  ;'^  and  composed  a  hymn  in  honor  of 
his  master,  which  may  be  seen  in  Colgan. || 

St.  Loman,  his  disciple,  and  nephew  by 
his  sister  Tigrid,  bishop  of  Athrum,*^  now 
Trim,  in  Meath  ;  St.  Mel,  bishop  of  Ardach, 
his  disciple  and  nephew  also,  brother  of  St. 
Secundinus ;  and  a  second  St.  Patrick,** 
to  whom  the  saint  gave  his  own  name  while 
holding  him  over  the  baptismal  font ;  all 
three  wrote  the  acts  of  his  life.  The  last, 
after  the  death  of  his  uncle,  retired  to  the 
abbey  of  Glastonbury,  or  Glaston,  in  Somer- 
setshire in  England,  where  he  ended  his 
days. 

Saint  Benignus,  (in  the  Irish  language 
Binen,  signifying  gentle, )tt  who  succeeded 
St.  Patrick  in  the  see  of  Ardmach,  is  reck- 
oned among  the  authors  of  his  life.  Those 
four  lives,  says  Jocelin,  were  written  partly 

*  Tillemon.  not.  sur  S.  Patrice.         t  Page  336. 

t  U«ser.  Priinord.  Eccles.  Brit.  cap.  17,  pages  825 
et826. 

§  War.  de  Script.  Hib.     ||  Triad  Thaum.  App.  3. 

T  Usser.  Primord.  c.  17,  p.  816,  seq. 

**  Usser.  Ind.  Chron.  p.  1121. 

tt  Colg.  Triad.  Thaum.  App.  4,  p.  3,  de  Script. 
Act.  S.  Patrie. 


in  Irish  and  partly  in  Latin,  by  his  four 
disciples,  St.  Benignus,  his  successor,  St. 
Mel,  and  St.  Luman,  bishops,  and  St.  Pat- 
rick, his  godson.* 

St.  Fiech,  of  the  race  of  the  monarch 
Cahire-More,  by  Diare,  surnamed  Barrach, 
was  a  disciple  of  St.  Patrick,  and  bishop  of 
Sletty,  formerly  Slebte,  in  the  barony  of 
Sliev-Margie,  territory  of  Leis,  now  the 
Queen's  county ;  he  has  left  a  hymn  writ- 
ten in  thirty-four  stanzas,  in  the  Irish  lan- 
guage, containing  the  most  remarkable  events 
of  that  apostle's  life.  This  hymn,  and  the 
Latin  translation,  are  in  Colgan,  among  the 
lives  of  St.  Patrick,  and  should  be  rather 
considered  a  panegyric  than  a  life  of  this 
saint. t 

St.  Kienan,  of  a  noble  family  in  Con- 
naught,j:  or  rather  (says  Colgan)  of  the 
race  of  the  Keniads,  descendants  of  Oilioll- 
Olum,  by  his  son  Kiann,  and  lords  of  a  ter- 
ritory in  Meath,  called  Kiennachta,^  having 
taken  orders  in  the  monastery  of  St.  Martin, 
at  Tours, II  returned  to  Ireland,  and  was 
nominated  by  St.  Patrick  bishop  of  Damh- 
liah,  now  Duleek,  in  the  territory  of  Bregh, 
in  Meath.  According  to  the  calendar  of 
Cashil,  he  wrote  the  life  of  St.  Patrick, 
whose  disciple  he  was. 

St.  Evin,  or  Emmin,*T[  abbot  of  Ross, 
otherwise  Ross-Mac-Treoin,  adjoining  the 
river  Barrow,  is  thought  to  be  the  author  of 
the  life  of  St.  Patrick,  written  in  Irish  and 
Latin,  divided  into  three  parts,  and  called 
by  Colgan,**  "  Vita  Tripartita  Sancti  Pa- 
tricii."tt 

Saint  Ultan,  bishop  of  Ard-Brecain,  in 
Meath,  and  St.  Tirechan,  his  successor  in 


*  "  The  greatest  number  of  the  books  or  tracts 
(which  were  65)  treating  of  the  miracles  which  he 
wrought,  were  consumed  by  fire  in  the  reign  of 
Gurmondus  and  Turgesius.  Four  books,  however, 
which  treat  of  his  virtues  and  miracles,  written 
partly  in  Irish  and  partly  in  Latin,  by  St.  Benignus 
his  successor,  St.  Mel,  bishop,  St.  Lomanus,  arch- 
bishop, and  St.  Patrick,  his  godson,  who  returned 
after  the  death  of  his  uncle  to  Britain,  <vhere  he 
died  and  was  buried  in  the  cluirch  of  Glasconensis, 
with  honor." — Jocelin,  in  his  Life  of  St.  Patrick. 

t  Colg.  Triad,  prima  Vita,  page  4. 

t  Usser.  Primord.  page  1070. 

§  Idem.  Ind.  Chron.  page  1108. 

II  Colg.  Triad.  Thaum.  Append.  4,  part  3,  de 
Script.  Act.  S.  Patr. 

IT  Usser.  Primord.  cap.  17,  et  War.  de  Script. 
Hib.  lib.  1,  cap.  3. 

**  Colg.  Triad.  Thaum.  Append.  4,  part  3. 

tt  St.  Elvinus,  influenced  like  St.  Patrick,  com- 
piled in  one  book,  written  partly  in  Irish  and  partly 
in  Latin,  his  history,  any  portion  of  which  that  I 
deemed  worthy  of  posterity,  I  have  carefully  select- 
ed and  introduced  into  this  work. — Tocelin,  c.  186. 


142 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


that  see,*  wrote  on  the  same  subject  in  the 
scA^enth  century  ;  the  latter  left  two  books, 
which  were  in  the  possession  of  Usher,  and 
which  he  quotes  in  pages  829,  835,  848, 
853,  887,  and  889. 

Usher,  Ware,  and  others,  make  mention 
of  St.  Aileran,  surnamed  the  Wise,  St. 
Adamnam,  abbot  of  Ily,  St.  Muccuthen,  St. 
Colman,  St.  Kieran,  surnamed  the  Pious, 
abbot  of  Bclach-Duin,  St,  Ermead,  bishop 
of  Clogher,  and  St.  Collait,  a  priest  of 
Druim-Beilgeach,  all  of  whom  had  written 
on  the  virtues  and  miracles  of  St.  Patrick. 

Nennius  published  in  the  ninth  century  a 
history  of  Great  Britain,  wherein  he  quotes 
several  facts  alluding  to  tne  apostle  of 
Ireland.! 

Probus,  an  Irishman,  wrote  in  the  same 
century  two  books  on  the  life  of  St.  Patrick, 
dedicated  to  Paulinus.  Those  books  are  to 
be  met  with  in  the  third  volume  of  the  works 
of  Bede,  without  the  name  of  the  author  : 
we  discover  his  name,  however,  in  the  epi- 
logue of  the  second  book,  by  the  following 
words  :  "  Ecce  habes,  frater  Pauline,  a  me 
humili  Probo,  postulatum  nostrse  fraternita- 
tis  indicium."  Usher,  after  Gabriel  Pen- 
notus,:j:  and  Stanihurst,i^  says  that  the  works 
of  those  two  authors,  namely  Nennius  and 
Probus,  are  filled  with  absurd  accounts, 
and  with  things  that  are  obviously  untrue, 
whether  they  emanated  from  themselves  or 
have  been  added  to  their  works  by  others. 

The  life  of  St.  Patrick,  written  in  Latin 
in  the  twelfth  century  by  Jocelin,  a  Cambro- 
Britain  and  monk  of  Furnes,  is,  according 
to  Usher,  the  most  ample  and  correct  that 
has  been  published. ||  This  author  had  fol- 
lowed the  other  lives  of  St.  Patrick  which 
had  been  written  before  his  time  ;  he  had  at 
least  seen  some  of  them,  as  he  quotes  the 
four  books  of  the  four  disciples  of  that 
saint,  namely,  of  St.  Benignus,  St.  Mel,  St. 
Luman,  and  St.  Patrick,  with  thatof  St.  Evin. 
He  composed  his  history,  as  he  himself  as- 
serts, at  the  solicitation  of  Thomas  or  To- 
multach  O'Connor,  archbishop  of  Ardmach, 
Malachi,  bishop  of  Down,  and  John  Courcy, 
prince  of  Ulidia,  after  those  original  lives, 
from  which  he  extracted  every  thing  that 
was  worthy  of  being  related.  Alford  com- 
plains,1[  says  Tillemont,  that  scarcely  any 

*  War.  de  Script.  Hib.  lib.  1,  cap.  3;   et  Colgan, 
Triad.  Thaum.  Append.  4,  part  3. 
t  Usser.  Primord.  cap.  17,  p.  819. 

I  Pennot.  in  Clericorum  Canonic.  Hist.  lib.  2,  c. 
35,  sect.  4. 

§  In  Prsefat.  ad  Vit  S.  Patr. 

II  Primord.  cap.  57,  page  bl6. 
^  Alf.  430,  sect.  2. 


thing  has  been  written  on  St.  Patrick  except 
his  miracles,  the  most  of  which  are  highly 
improbable,  as  well  as  many  of  those  as- 
cribed to  the  other  saints  of  Ireland.  In- 
deed, the  history  of  his  life  written  by 
Jocelin  contains  several,  some  of  which 
have  little  appearance  of  truth ;  it  was  the 
taste  of  the  writers  of  those  ancient  times, 
and  we  should  not  on  that  account  reject 
the  groundwork  of  his  history. 

However,  we  ought  not  to  doubt  of  his 
having  performed  many  miracles  that  are 
true.  God  had  necessarily  given  him  that 
power,  to  convert  an  idolatrous  nation.  The 
difference  between  the  twelfth  and  present 
centuries  is,  that  in  the  former  and  prece- 
ding ones,  people  were  too  credulous,  and  in 
the  latter  have  become  quite  the  contrary ; 
both  extremes  are  equally  dangerous,  and 
equally  to  be  dreaded,  one  being  the  result 
of  ignorance,  the  other  of  incredulity. 

The  succeeding  ages  produced  pane- 
gyrists on  the  virtues  of  that  apostle.*  In 
the  thirteenth  century,  Vincent  de  Beauvais, 
in  his  Historical  Memoir,  notices  in  a  sum- 
mary manner,  and  in  few  words,  the  actions 
of  St.  Patrick.! 

In  the  fourteenth  century,  James  de  Vo- 
ragine,  bishop  of  Genoa,  in  his  Golden  Le- 
gend, and  John  of  Tinemuth,  an  English- 
man and  Benedictine  monk,  in  his  book  on 
the  deeds  of  the  saints  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland,  the  manuscript  of  which  is  preserved 
in  the  college  of  the  Benedictines  at  Cam- 
bridge, speak  of  the  memorable  actions  of 
that  saint,  as  Stanihurst  and  William  Tir- 
rey,  bishop  of  Cork,  have  done  in  the  last 
centuries. 

Various  opinions  are  entertained  concern- 
ing the  country  which  gave  birth  to  St.  Pat- 
rick.|  Matthew  of  Westminster,  known  by 
the  name  of  Florilegus,  and  Baronius,  say  he 
is  a  native  of  Ireland,  "  natione  Hibernensis : " 
Sigebert  de  Gemblours,  the  martyrologies 
of  Bede,  Usuard,  Rhabanus,  Ado,  and  the 
Scotch  writers,  call  him  a  Scot,  "  xvi.  Kal. 
April,  in  Scotia  natale  S.  Patricii."  But  it 
is  known  that  in  the  style  of  martyrologists, 
the  day  of  a  saint's  death  is  considered  to  be 
that  of  his  birth,  and  that  Ireland  alone  was 
known  by  the  name  of  Scotia  in  the  time  of 
St.  Patrick.  Lastly,  others  assert  that  he  is 
of  a  different  origin.  However,  according 
to  the  most  general,  and  at  the  same  time 
most  probable  opinion,  he  was  a  native  of 
Great  Britain.  He  was  born  in  a  village 
which  he  himself  calls,  in  his  Confession, 

*  Colg.  Triad.  Tliaum.  Append.  4. 
+  Lib.  20,  cap.  23.  et  seq. 
'  t  Usser.  Prim.  cap.  17,  p.  820. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


143 


Banaven,*  in  the  territory  of  Tabernia,  "in 
vico  Banaven  Taberniae,"  in  the  northern 
extremity  of  Britain,!  and,  according  to 
Probus,  not  far  from  the  western  sea,  "  De 
vico  Bannavae,  Tiberniae  regionis,  hand  pro- 
cul  a  mare  occidentali."|  Jocelin  interprets  I 
the  name  of  Tabernia  by  "  Tabernaculorum 
campus,"^  the  field  of  the  tabernacles  or 
tents,  the  Roman  armies  having  been,  ac- 
cording to  him,  encamped  there.  He  also 
adds,  that  the  dwelling-place  of  Patrick's 
father  was  Empthor,  on  the  coast  of  the 
Irish  sea.  These  topographical  descriptions 
have  made  Usher  fix  the  birthplace  of  St. 
Patrick  at  Kirk-Patrick,  or  Kil-Patrick,  so 
called  from  his  name,  between  Alcuid,  now 
Dumbriton,  and  Glasgow.  This  district  was 
also  called  at  that  time  Valentia,  by  Count 
Theodosius,  who  had  retaken  it  from  the 
enemies  of  the  Romans. || 

The  error  of  those  who  say  that  St.  Pat- 
jick  was  born  in  Scotland,  arises  from  their 
not  sufficiently  discerning  the  periods  of  the 
different  changes  of  the  frontiers  of  Britain 
and  Scotland,  nor  observing  that  this  terri- 
tory, which  in  the  time  of  St.  Patrick  formed 
part  of  the  Roman  province,  was  long  after 
annexed  to  Scotland. T 

The  time  of  the  birth  and  death  of  this 
saint,  and  the  number  of  years  he  lived,  are 
not  less  a  subject  of  dispute  than  the  country 
which  gave  him  birth.  William  of  Malmes- 
bury,  Stanihurst,  and  others,  after  Probus, 
fix  his  birth  in  the  year  361  ;  Probus  says 
that  he  lived  132  years,  and  died  in  493  ; 
Malmesbury  fixes  his  death  in  472,  in  the 
11 1th  year  of  his  age  :  Henry  of  Marleburg 
says  he  was  born  in  376,  Jocelin  in  370,  and 
Florence  of  Worcester  in  372.  The  calcu- 
lation of  the  latter  is  followed  by  Usher, 
who  says  he  sees  no  reason  to  differ  from  it : 
"  A  quibus  quare  alii  discesserint,  justam 
adhuc  causamnon  videmus."**  Lastly,  the 
most  general  opinion,  which  is  in  accordance 
with  Usher,tt  is,  that  St.  Patrick  lived  120 


*  Page  1. 

+  War.  de  Praesul.  Hlb.  Vit.  S.Patr. 

t  Prob.  Vit.  Patr.  lib.  1,  c.  1. 

§  Vit.  S.  Patr.  cap.  1. 

II  "  Whereas  the  native  spot  of  St.  Patrick,  was 
that  part  situate  between  the  camp  called  Dun- 
Britannicum  and  the  city  of  Glascuensis,  called 
from  his  name  Kirkpatrick,  or,  as  at  present,  Kil- 
patrick.  This  remote  part  belonging  to  the  Ro- 
mans in  the  province  of  Britain,  was  called,  four 
years  before  Patrick  was  born  and  recovered  from 
the  enemy,  Valentia,  by  Theodosius." — Usher's 
Church  Hist.  c.  17,  p.  819. 

H   Usser.  Primord.  cap.  17,  p.  20. 

**  Usser.  Primord.  page  823. 

tt  Usser.  Ibid.  p.  879,  ad.  887. 


years,  and  that  his  death  happened  in  493:* 
if  we  deduct  120  years,  there  remain  373, 
which  is  accounted  the  year  of  the  birth  of 
that  saint.  St.  Patrick  was  of  a  respectable 
family,  as  he  himself  observes  in  his  epistle 
to  Corotic,  "  ingenuus  fui  secundum  car- 
nem  ;"t  his  father  was  Calphurnius,  a  dea- 
con, son  of  Potit,  a  priest,  who  had  taken 
orders  after  the  death  of  their  wives  4 
Conchessa,  his  mother,  was  sister  or  rather 
niece  of  Saint  Martin  of  Tours. ^  As  Saint 
Martin  was  a  native  of  Sabaria  in  Pannonia, 
it  is  probable,  says  Usher,  that  his  sister  was 
from  the  same  country,  and  had  followed  him 
into  Gaul,  where  she  married  Ochmuis,  by 
whom  she  had,  among  other  children,  Con- 
chessa; that  the  latter  having  been  brought 
a  captive  into  Britain,  married  Calphurnius, 
and  became  mother  of  our  saint,||  Sanannus, 
the  deacon,  and  five  daughters,  namely, 
Lupita,  Tigris,  Liemania,  Darerca,  and  Cin- 
nenum.TI 

The  apostle  of  Ireland  was  called  at  his 
baptism,  Succath,  signifying  warlike,  "  fortis 
in  bello  ;"**  it  was  Pope  Celestine  that  gave 
him  the  name  of  Patricius.ft  Patrician  was 
a  title  of  honor  among  the  ancient  Ro- 
mans, and  a  dignity  to  which  high  privileges 
were  annexed,  according  to  Dionysius  of 
Halicarnassus  iff  some  of  the  kings  of  France 
have  not  disdained  to  bear  the  title  of  Roman 
Patrician. §1^ 

The  authors  of  the  life  of  this  saint,  say 
that  he  performed  some  miracles  in  his  youth. 
Fiech,  his  contemporary,  makes  no  mention 
of  them ;  he  himself,  in  his  Confession,  attri- 
butes his  captivity  to  his  ignorance  of  the 
true  God,  and  disobedience  to  his  laws.  He 
was,  however,  carefidly  brought  up  by  his 
parents ;  the  mildness  of  his  disposition  and 
purity  of  his  morals,  rendered  him  the  admi- 
ration of  all  who  knew  him. 

Patrick  was  in  his  sixteenth  year||||  when 
brought  a  captive  into  Ireland  and  sold  like 
a  second  Joseph.TITT  The  authors  of  his  life 


«  Colg.  App.  5,  ad  Vit.  S.  Patr.  c.  67. 

t  Confess,  page  1. 

t  Usser.  Primord.  cap.  17,  page  822. 

§  Jocelin,  Vit.  S.  Patr.  cap.  1. 

II   Usser.  Primord.  cap.  17,  p.  824. 

IT  Scholia  in  primam  Vit.  S.  Patr.  apud  Colgan, 
note  5. 

**  Usser.  Primord.  c.  17,  p.  821. 

tt  Ibid,  page  841. 

tt  Antiq.  Rom.  lib.  2,  cap.  2. 

§§  War.  de  Prasul.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Patr. 

III!  Confess,  page  1. 

HIT  "  This  illustrious  youth  was  in  his  16th  year 
when  taken,  with  several  of  his  countrymen,  by 
pirates,  and  was  carried  a  prisoner  into  Ireland.  He 
was  theresold  as  a  slave  to  one  Milchon,  who  ruled 


144 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


are  not  in  accordance  concerning  his  cap 
tivity  ;  some  say  that  St.  Patrick,  having 
gone  to  Armoric  Gaul,  since  called  Lower 
Brittany,  with  his  father,  mother,  brother, 
and  five  sisters,  to  visit  the  parents  of  his 
mother  Conchessa,  was  taken,*  with  his  two 
sisters,  Lupita  and  Tigrida,  by  some  British 
pirates,  who  brought  them  prisoners  into 
Ireland;!  others,  with  more  appearance  of 
truth,  say  that  the  Romans  having  abandoned 
Britain,  it  became  the  prey  of  the  Scots,  and 
that  Patrick  was  carried  a  captive  to  Ire- 
land by  robbers  from  that  country.^  We 
are  induced  by  all  these  circumstances  to 
fix  the  captivity  of  this  saint  in  the  reign  of 
Niall  the  Great,  surnamed  Noygiollach. 
This  monarch,  as  we  have  observed  in  the 
first  part  of  this  history,  having  crossed  the 
sea  with  his  army  to  quell  some  disturbances 
which  had  arisen  in  Albania,  between  the 
Scots  and  Picts,  and  after  laying  Britain 
waste  in  388,  embarked  with  his  forces  for 
Armoric  Gaul,  from  whence  he  brought  con- 
siderable booty,  and  some  prisoners.  As 
Patrick  was,  at  the  time  of  his  captivity, 
entering  upon  his  sixteenth  year,  which  cor- 
responds with  the  year  389,  having  been 
born  in  373,  this  period  is  in  perfect  unison 
with  the  time  of  the  expedition  of  Niall.  I 
do  not  pretend  to  decide  whether  he  was 
taken  in  Britain  or  in  Armoric  Gaul ;  but  it 
is  a  certain  fact  that  he  was  carried  to  Ire- 
land, and  sold  to  Milcho-Mac-Huanan,  a 
petty  prince  of  Dalaradie  in  Ulster,  who 
gave  him  the  care  of  his  flocks,  in  a  valley 
at  the  foot  of  a  mountain,  called  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  country,  Sliev-Mis  ;  his  two 
sisters  Avere  sold  at  the  same  time,  in  the 
country  then  called  Conaill-Muirthemne,  at 
present  the  county  of  Louth.  Our  saint, 
who  was  destined  by  Divine  Providence  to 
convey  the  light  of  the  gospel  into  Ireland, 
which  was  also  called  Scotia,  was  early  quali- 
fied for  the  fatigues  of  the  apostleship,  by 
the  hardships  of  captivity  ;  and  allowed  by 
God  to  be  a  slave  in  a  country  which  was 
one  day  to  be  delivered,  through  his  ministry, 
from  the  bondage  of  Satan,  by  affording  him 
an  opportunity  of  learning  the  language,  and 
becoming  habituated  to  the  customs  of  that 
country.  In  his  Confession  he  gives  an 
account  of  the  use  he  made  of  his  time, 
during  his  captivity.^  "  I  was  always  care- 
in  that  district,  the  northern  part  of  the  island,  in 
the  same  manner  as  Joseph  had  been  sold  into 
Egypt." — Jocelin,  c.  13. 

*  Vit.  Tripart.  S.  Patr.  1,  c.  16. 

t  Usser.  Primord.  c.  17,  page  827,  et  seq. 

t  Baillet,  Vie  de  St.  Patrice,  au  17  Mars. 

§  Vit.  Tripart.  S.  Patr.  apud  Colgan. 


ful,"  he  says,  "  to  lead  my  flocks  to  pasture, 
and  prayed  frequently  during  the  day  :  I 
always  became  strengthened  in  the  belief, 
love,  and  fear  of  God,  and  prayed  at  least  a 
hundred  times  a  day,  and  as  often  during  the 
night.  When  I  inhabited  the  forests  and 
mountains,  I  performed  my  prayers  before 
daylight,  and  never  experienced,  either  in 
frost,  snow,  or  rain,  that  negligence  which  I 
now  feel,  as  I  was  then  fired  with  the  spirit 
of  God."*  In  the  beginiung  of  the  seventh 
yearof  his  slavery,  he  was  warned  in  a  dream 
to  prepare  for  his  return  ;  he  accordingly 
made  his  escape  from  the  house  of  his  master, 
to  whom  he  had  been  sold,  and  reached  the 
sea-shore,  where  there  was  a  vessel  ready 
to  sail.  The  captain  at  first  refused  to  take 
him  on  board,  but,  on  consideration,  he  ad- 
mitted him,  and  after  a  dangerous  voyage  of 
three  days  they  landed  in  Albania,  now 
called  Scotland.  However,  his  fatigues  were 
not  yet  at  an  end  ;  he  had  to  perform  a 
journey  of  twenty-eight  days  through  deserts 
and  impassable  roads,  where  he  suffered 
severely  by  fatigue,  hunger,  and  thirst,  before 
he  arrived  in  the  territory  of  Tabernia,  his 
native  country,  a.  d.  396.  The  authors  of 
his  life  mention  his  having  fasted  durilig 
twenty  days,  and  his  having  performed 
several  miracles  to  procure  subsistence  for 
his  fellow-travellers. t  It  is  also  said  that 
he  underwent  a  second  captivity,  which 
lasted  but  for  two  months. | 

After  undergoing  many  dangers  both  by 
sea  and  land,  Patrick  arrived  in  his  native 
country,  where  he  was  tenderly  recei-fed  by 
his  parents.  Having  remained  some  time 
with  them,  a  man  from  Ireland  appeared  to 
him  in  a  dream,  carrying  a  bvmdle  of  letters, 
one  of  which  he  gave  him  to  read,  beginning 
with  those  words  :  "  Vox  Hibernionacum," 
the  voice  of  the  Irish.  While  reading  the 
letter,  he  thought  he  heard  the  cries  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  neighborhood  of  Foclut 
forest,  in  the  territory  of  Tiramalgaid,  now 
the  barony  of  Tirawly,  in  the  county  of 
Mayo,  entreating  him  with  one  voice  to  go 
to  them  ;  by  which  he  was  so  much  affected, 

*  "  Every  day  I  fed  the  flocks,  and  prayed  fre- 
quently during  the  day  ;  my  love  of  God  increased 
more  and  more,  and  my  fear  and  faith  in  him  were 
augmented,  so  that  in  one  day  I  prayed  almost  a  hun- 
dred times,  and  as  often  in  the  night :  while  I  tarried 
on  the  mountains  and  in  the  woods,  I  was  roused  to 
pray  both  in  the  snow,  frost,  and  rain ;  neither  did 
I  feel  any  pain  from  it  nor  lassitude,  as  1  think, 
because  my  soul  was  then  ardent." — Usher,  c.  17, 
p.  830. 

t  Vit.  Tripart.  S.  Patr.  apud  Colgan. 

I  Jocelin,  Vit.  S.  Patr.  cap.  18  ;  et  Usser.  Pri- 
mord. cap.  17,  p.  832. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


145 


that  he  was  unable  to  continue  reading  the 
letter,  whereupon  he  awoke.* 

Struck  with  this  \asion,  which  brought 
back  to  his  remembrance  his  sojourn  in  Ire- 
land, Patrick  secretly  formed  the  design  of 
returning  thither,  to  labor  for  the  conver- 
sion of  those  islanders.  To  prepare  himself 
to  discharge  so  holy  an  undertaking,  he 
resolved  to  leave  his  country,  and  seek  in 
foreign  countries  the  light  and  knowledge 
required  for  that  apostleship,  without  being 
influenced  by  the  repeated  solicitations  which 
his  parents  used  to  keep  him  at  home. 

At  that  time  he  was  about  twenty -three 
years  of  age,  a.  d.  396.  He  went  first  to  the 
monastery  of  Marmoutiers,  Avhich  was  built 
near  Tours,  by  St.  Martin,  bishop  of  that 
city,  and  uncle  to  his  mother  Conchessa  ;  he 
received  from  him  the  clerical  tonsure  and 
monastic  habit.  We  should  not  dwell  on 
Baillet's  calculation,  which  advances  that 
that  prelate  died  a  year  before  the  arrival  of 
Patrick.! 

Patrick  spent  some  time  at  Tours,  in  the 
practice  of  piety  and  monastic  discipline,  and 
St.  Martin  having  died  in  397,|  or,  according 
to  Severus  Sulpicius,  in  402,  he  set  out  for 
Rome,  M^here  he  was  admitted  among  the 
students  or  regular  prebendaries  of  St.  John 
of  Lateran,  a.  d.  403.  He  Avas  then  thirty 
years  of  age.  He  applied  himself  to  study, 
and  made  a  considerable  progress  in  the 
knowledge  of  sacred  literature  and  ecclesi- 
astical discipline.^  He  afterwards  visited  the 
holy  places  and  servants  of  God,  the  monas- 
teries and  hermitages  of  the  islands  in  the 
Mediterranean ;  and  attached  himself  par- 
ticularly to  the  barefooted  hermits  of  the 
order  of  St.  Augustin.  The  high  character 
of  St.  Germain,  who  was  nominated  bishop 
of  Auxerre  in  418,  induced  him  to  go  to  that 
prelate.  It  appears  that  this  was  his  first 
visit,  although  some  among  the  authors  of 
his  life  affirm  that  he  spent  four  years  with 


*  "  And  there  I  saw  in  a  vision  during  the  night, 
a  man  coming  from  the  west ;  his  name  was  Vic- 
toricius,  and  had  with  him  many  letters  ;  he  gave 
me  one  to  read,  and  in  the  beginning  of  it  was  a 
voice  from  Ireland.  I  then  thought  it  to  be  the  voice 
of  those  who  inhabited  near  a  wood  called  Foclut, 
adjoining  the  western  sea  ;  they  appeared  to  cry  out 
in  one  voice,  saying,  Come  to  us,  O  holy  youth,  and 
walk  among  us.  VVith  this  I  was  feelingly  touched, 
and  could  read  no  longer:  I  then  awoke." — Con- 
fession of  St.  Patrick  in  Usher,  p.  9,  c.  17,  p.  832. 

t  Vit.  de  S.  Patr.  au  17  Mars. 

t  Usser.  Primord.  c.  17,  p.  841. 

§  "  In  this  place  he  signifies  that  he  was  skilled 
in  sacred  learning,  and  endowed  with  the  knowledge 
of  ecclesiastical  rules  and  discipline." — Usher,  c.  17 
p.  835. 


St.  Germain  before  he  went  to  Tours  :  we 
should  either  suppose  that  he  had  been  under 
the  discipline  of  St.  Germain  before  he  was 
made  bishop,  which  is  improbable,  or  that 
he  had  not  seen  St.  Martin,  who  died  at  least 
sixteen  years  before  the  episcopacy  of  St. 
Germain. 

He  lived  at  Auxerre  for  many  years,  under 
the  discipline  of  that  illustrious  bishop,  and 
prepared  himself,  after  the  example  of  such 
a  master,  for  the  ministry  of  the  church, 
and  the  attainment  of  every  virtue  of  a  true 
pastor.  A.  D.  421. 

The  love  of  perfecting  himself  in  the  call- 
ing of  a  religious  life  which  he  had  embraced, 
influenced  him  to  retire  into  the  monastery 
of  the  isle  of  Lerins  :  he  continued  in  it  for 
nine  years,  both  under  the  instruction  of  St. 
Honoratus,  Avho  was  the  founder  of  it,  and 
the  abbot  St.  Maximus,  his  successor,  still 
adhering  to  the  counsels  of  his  dear  master, 
St.  Germain,  to  whom  he  imparted  all  his 
intentions  and  desires,  a.  d.  430. 

After  his  leaving  Lerins,  he  returned  to 
Auxerre,  and  was  then  thirty-eight  years  old. 
When  the  news  of  St.  Palladius'  death  had 
reachedthem,  St.  Germain  sent  him  to  Rome, 
with  instructions  upon  the  mission  to  Ireland, 
and  gave  him  letters  of  introduction  to  Pope 
St.  Celestine,  who  received  him  with  every 
mark  of  kindness  and  respect.  Celestine 
himself  then  consecrated  and  appointed  him 
archbishop  of  Ireland,  and  sent  him,  invested 
with  all  apostolical  authority,  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  the  inhabitants  of  that  island. 
Twenty  priests  and  deacons  were  likewise 
ordained,  who  were  to  accompany  St.  Patrick 
in  his  mission,  and  officiate  under  his  direc- 
tions, "  ut  sub  ipso  Domino  ministrarent." 
Among  the  number,  there  were  some  pre- 
bendaries of  St.  John  of  Lateran,  who  were 
eminent  for  their  piety.  The  new  apostle  of 
Ireland  returned  to  Auxerre  to  take  leave  of 
St.  Germain,  who  gave  him  many  salutary 
admonitions  to  render  the  success  of  so  great 
an  undertaking  possible  and  easy :  he  also 
made  him  presents  of  chalices,  ornaments  for 
the  priesthood,  books,  and  every  thing  neces- 
sary for  the  ecclesiastical  worship  and  min- 
istry.* All  things  being  prepared  for  his 
voyage,  he  set  out  for  Ireland  at  the  end  of 


*  "  He  hastened  now  towards  Ireland,  together 
with  twenty  men  eminent  for  their  wisdom  and 
sanctity,  appointed  by  the  pontiff  himself  to  assist 
him  in  the  mission.  He  turned,  however,  to  St. 
Germanus,  his  guardian  and  instructor  ;  from  him 
he  received  chalices  and  sacerdotal  vestments,  a 
quantity  of  books,  and  every  other  thing  requisite 
for  the  ministry  of  the  church."— Joce/i«'«  Life  of 
St.  Patrick,  c.  26.    • 

19 


146 


HISTORY    Oy    IRELAND. 


the  year  132,  after  making  some  converts  in 
the  comities  of  (Cambridge  and  Cornwall, 
western  provinces  of  Great  Britain.* 

Before  we  enter  into  the  particulars  of  the 
apostloship  of  St.  Patrick,  we  should  observe 
the  state  of  the  island  at  that  tinte.  The 
fundamental  laws  which  had  been  enacted 
many  centuries  before  by  wise  legislators, 
Avere  cntbrced  under  a  monarchical  govern- 
ment. Laogare,  son  of  Niall,  surnamed 
Noygiallach,had  been  monarch  of  the  whole 
island  since  the  death  of  Dathy  in  428.  The 
four  provinces  had  also  each  their  respective 
kings. 

Baillet  formed  wrong  ideas  of  the  history 
of  this  nation,  from  the  slight  knowledge  he 
had  of  it,  when  he  emphatically  observes 
that  St.  Palladius  had  found  all  Ireland  in 
a  state  of  disturbance,!  caused  by  the  emi- 
grations from  the  country,  of  those  people 
who  were  then  called  Scotch  or  Scots,  and 
had  gone  at  that  time  to  the  north  of  Britain. 
This  passage  in  Baillet  would  seem  to  imply 
that  the  whole  nation  of  the  Scoto-Milesians 
had  left  the  fertile  and  rich  lands  of  Ireland, 
to  go  and  settle  in  the  barren  mountains  of 
Albania.  All  those  emigrations  were  con- 
fined to  the  demi-tribe  of  the  Dalriads,  who 
inhabited  the  small  territory  of  Route,  in 
the  north  of  Ulster,  and  who,  always  forming 
one  body  with  those  of  the  same  tribe  already 
settled  in  Albania,  and  considering  them- 
selves as  the  same  family,  frequently  crossed 
over,  accompanied  by  volunteers  from  the 
other  pro'v'inces,  as  they  had  probably  done 
this  year,  to  join  the  Picts  in  their  incursions 
into  Britain.  This  was  the  third  devastation 
committed  by  the  Scots  and  Picts  in  Britain, 
and  which  Usher,  after  Gildas  and  Bede, 
fixes  in  the  eighth  year  of  the  reign  of  Theo- 
dosius  the  yoimger,  counting  from  the  death 
of  Honorius,  in  431,  the  year  of  the  apos- 
tleship  of  St.  Palladius  in  Ireland.^ 

"  That  saint,"  adds  our  author,  "  was  soon 
obliged  to  leave  Ireland,  and  follow  those 
colonies  to  New  Scotland,  where  he  hoped 
to  be  more  successful."  However,  those 
people,  who  were  solely  intent  upon  pillage 
and  devastation,  were  but  little  disposed  to 
listen  to  this  evangelical  preacher  :  besides. 
New  Scotland  lasted  but  for  a  short  time  ; 
the  Britons  seeing  themselves  abandoned  by 
the  Romans,  made  an  effort,  and  forced  those 
robbers  to  return  to  Ireland,  their  country, 
as  the  venerable  Bede,  after  Gildas,  men- 
tions on  this  occasion,  "  Revertuntur  impu- 
dentes  grassatores  Hiberni  domum."     The 

*  Usser.  Primord.  Eccles.  Brit,  p-  840,  ct  seq. 

tVie  de  St.  Patr.  au  17  Mars. 

t  Primord.  Eccles.  Brit.  c.  15,  p.  606. 


little  success  which  the  preaching  of  St. 
Palladius  produced  in  Ireland,  should  be 
attributed  to  the  persecution  raised  against 
him  by  a  prince  of  Leinster,  which  ended 
in  the  banishment  of  the  saint,  and  to  the 
want  of  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  language 
and  manners  of  the  country  ;  the  intercourse 
of  the  Dalriads  of  Ulster,  who  formed  but 
an  inconsiderable  body  of  people,  with  those 
of  Albania,  and  the  difi'erent  emigrations  of 
the  former  into  the  latter  country,  could  not 
derange  the  system  of  a  nation  where  peace 
prevailed,  and  where  the  monarch  was  in 
perfect  harmony  with  the  provincial  kings, 
as  the  latter  were  with  each  other.  Such 
was  the  state  of  Ireland  when  St.  Patrick 
landed  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Leinster,  in  a 
canton  called  "  Crioch-Cuallan,"  and  which 
Probus  calls  "  Regio  Evolenorum  ;"  Jocelin 
and  others,  "  Inbher-Dae,"  that  is,  the  port  of 
the  river  Dae,  which  falls  into  the  sea,  and 
is  now  called  Kilmantan  by  the  Irish,  and 
Wicklow  by  the  English.  It  was  in  432, 
and  the  fourth  year  of  the  reign  of  Laogare, 
monarch  of  the  island,  that  this  apostle 
began  his  evangelical  functions  in  the  same 
province  that  St.  Palladius  had  failed  in  the 
precedingyear.  He  soon  had  the  consolation 
of  reaping  the  fruits  of  that  ardent  zeal  with 
which  he  Avas  inspired  for  the  conversion  and 
salvation  of  those  islanders,  since  the  time  of 
his  captivity ;  anfl  the  joy  of  seeing,  that 
God,  supporting  his  ardor  and  conducting 
his  steps,  co-operated  in  his  labors  by  im- 
parting his  grace,  and  confirmed  his  doctrine 
by  the  signs  and  miracles  which  followed  his 
discourses.  The  first  he  baptized  was  Sinell, 
grandson  of  Finchad,  of  the  royal  race  of 
the  kings  of  Leinster,*  descended  in  the 
eighth  degree  from  Cormac-Cucorb,  king  of 
that  province.!  This  new  convert  advanced 
so  much  in  sanctity,  that  he  was  afterwards 
placed  in  the  catalogue  of  Irish  saints. 

Saint  Patrick  was  vainly  opposed  by  Na- 
thi,  son  of  Garchon,  a  prince  of  this  country, 
who  had  expelled  St.  Palladius  the  prece- 
ding year.  The  apostle  having  advanced 
towards  a  castle  called  Raith-Inbheir,  which 
Usher  thinks  was  the  same  as  Old-Court, 
on  the  sea-shore,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river 
Bray,  Avas  attacked  by  the  pagans  of  that 
district,  and  obliged  to  return  to  sea.  He 
set  sail,  after  leaA'ing  some  of  those  preach- 
ers who  accompanied  him,  to  comfort  and 
strengthen  the  new  Christians,  and  reached 
an  island  on  the  coast  of  the  territorj'^  of 
Dublin,  tOAvards  the  north,  called,  after  him, 

*  Usser.  Primord.  c.  17,  p.  846. 
t  Trias  Thum.  secund.  Vit.  not.  35 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


147 


Inis-Phadruig,  or  the  island  of  Patrick, 
where  he  and  his  crew  rested  from  their  fa- 
tigues. He  left  Inis-Phadruig,  to  repair  to 
a  district  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  called  Ul- 
lagh,  or  Ulidia,  and  after  a  few  days  arrived 
in  the  bay  of  Ibher-Slaing,  at  present  the 
bay  of  Dundrum,  in  the  county  of  Down. 
Dichu,  son  of  Trichem,  of  the  noble  tribe 
of  the  Dalfiatachs,  lord  of  the  territory  of 
Decale,  now  a  barony,  having  been  inform- 
ed that  pirates  had  entered  his  territory,  is- 
sued forth  with  his  armed  vassals,  to  drive 
them  back  ;  but  being  struck  with  respect, 
on  meeting  St.  Patrick,  who  annoimced  to 
him  the  word  of  God,  he  believed,  and  was 
baptized,  with  all  his  family  :  this  was  the 
first  conversion,  under  God,  that  was  made 
in  Ulster,  through  the  preaching  of  this 
apostle.  In  gratitude  for  so  great  a  benefit, 
the  new  convert  consecrated  to  God  the 
spot  on  which  he  had  been  converted  :  a 
church  was  built  on  it,  two  miles  from  the 
city  of  Down,*  which  Avas  called  Sigibol, 
or  Sabhall-Phadruig,  signifying  the  granary 
of  Patrick,  having  been  built  on  the  same 
place  that  the  lord  of  the  district  had  a 
granary  to  preserve  his  corn.  This  church, 
built  at  the  solicitation  of  Dichu,  from  north 
to  south,  according  to  the  plan  of  the  gra- 
nary, was  afterwards  changed  into  a  monas- 
tery of  regular  canons. 

Our  saint,  by  particular  feelings  of  grati- 
tude and  compassion,  added  to  his  charity  to- 
wards all  men  in  general,  undertook,  among 
other  conversions,  that  of  his  old  master, 
Milcho,  to  whom  he  had  been  sold,  and 
who  had  kept  him,  as  his  slave,  in  care  of 
his  flocks  during  the  six  years  he  had  be 
longed  to  him.f  With  this  intention  he  left 
Sabhall  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  433, 
and  proceeded  to  Clanebois,  in  the  territory 
of  Dalaradie,  where  Milcho  lived. |  How- 
ever, in  this  instance  it  pleased  God  to 
checj^  the  course  of  that  grace  which  ac- 
companied his  words,  and  leave  that  man  -in 
his  obduracy,^  who,  ashamed  of  allowing 
himself  to  be  persuaded  in  his  old  age  to 
abandon  the  religion  of  his  ancestors,  by  a 
man  who  had  been  his  slave,  threw  himself 
into  a  fire,  which  had  by  some  unknown 
accident  broken  out  in  his  castle,  and  was 
unfortunately  burned  to  death,  with  his  whole 
i  family,  except  Guasact  his  son,  and  his  two 
daughters,  both  called  Emeria,||  whom  God 
in  his  mercy  had  chosen  and  reserved  for 

-  Usser.  Primord.  c.  17,  p.  846. 

t  Idem,  page  847. 

t  Jocelin,  Vit.  S.  Patr.  c.  14,  36. 

§  Trias  Thaum.  2.     Vit.  S.  Patr.  pp.  14,  23. 

11  Vit.  Tripart.  S.  Patr.  lib.  1,  c.  20,  et  lib.  2,  c.  20. 


baptism,  which  they  afterwards  received. 
Guasact  became  afterwards  bishop  of  Gra- 
nard,  in  the  territory  of  Teafna,  now  the 
county  of  Longford  ;*  and  his  two  sisters 
took  the  veil  in  a  monastery  which  St. 
Patrick  had  founded  at  Cluain-Broin,  a  few 
miles  from  that  city.f  St.  Patrick  was  so 
much  afilicted  by  this  act  of  Milcho,  that  he 
remained  several  hours  without  speaking, 
and  shed  a  flood  of  tears  ;  he  afterwards 
returned  to  Dichu,  in  the  territory  of  Le- 
cale,  anciently  called  Magh-Inis,  where  he 
preached,  and  converted  almost  all  the  in- 
habitants of  that  district  to  the  faith  of  Je- 
sus Christ.  We  may  infer  from  those  facts, 
what  a  progress  the  divine  Avord  made  in 
this  country  through  his  ministry.  The  har- 
vest increasing  every  day,  he  was  obliged  to 
multiply  his  laborers  ;  and  in  many  places, 
ordained  both  bishops  and  priests. 

iVfter  providing  for  the  necessities  of  that 
portion  of  the  rising  church,  Patrick  took  his 
leave  of  Dichu,  and  embarked  on  board  his 
vessel,  to  return  to  Meath.|  He  landed  in 
Colbdi,  below  Drogheda,  where  the  Boyne 
falls  into  the  sea,  and  left  his  little  ship  in 
care  of  Limaan,  his  nephew,  and  a  few  sail- 
ors,'^ with  orders  to  wait  for  him  for  forty 
days,  during  which  he  would  preach  the  gos- 
pel in  the  interior  of  the  country.  ||  His  in- 
tention was  to  go  and  celebrate  the  festival  of 
Easter  in  the  plains  of  Magh-Breagh,  where 
the  city  of  Tara,  the  usual  residence  of  the 
kings,  was  situated.  He  wished  to  be  within 
reach  of  the  court  at  the  time  of  the  assem- 
bly, which  was  to  be  held  that  year  by  the 
monarch,  composed  of  the  princes,  druids, 
and  pagan  priests  ;  well  knowing,  that  what- 
ever impression  he  might  produce  at  court, 
would  necessarily  influence  the  provinces  : 
with  this  view  he  armed  himself  with  zeal,  to 
take  advantage  of  so  favorable  an  opportunity. 

Our  saint  having  met  on  his  way  with 
Sesgnen,  the  lord  of  a  territory  in  Meath, 
who  invited  him  to  partake  of  his  hospital- 
ity, he  entered  his  house  announchig  the 
word  of  God,  and  baptized  him,  with  all  his 
family.  This  lord  had  a  son,  to  whom  the 
holy  bishop  gave  the  name  of  Binen,  or  Be- 
nignus,  at  his  baptism.  This  young  convert 
became  attached  to  the  saint,  accompanied 
him  everywhere,  and  made  so  great  a  pro- 
gress in  piety  and  virtue,  that  he  considered 
him  worthy  of  being  appointed  to  the  see  of 
Ardmach, 'which  he  surrendered  to  him. 

*  Ibid.  lib.  2,  cap.  137. 

t  Trias  Thaum.  2.  Tit.  lib.  1,  c.  29. 

t  Usser.  Prim.  cap.  17,  p.  847,  et  seq. 

§  Vit.  Tripart.  lib.  2,  c.  1,  et  seq. 

II  Jocelin,  Vit.  S.  Patr.  cap.  39,  et  seq 


148 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


After  leaving  the  house  of  Sesgncn,  the 
apostle  proceeded  towards  Tara,  and  arrived 
the  day  before  Easter  at  a  place  called  Firta- 
Fir-Feic,  now  Slaine,  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river  Boyne,  where  he  had  a  tent  erected, 
to  prepare  for  the  ceremonies  of  the  follow- 
ing day. 

When  the  monarch  convened  an  assem- 
bly, or  held  any  festival  at  Tara,  it  was  cus- 
tomary to  make  a  bonfire  on  the  preceding 
day ;  it  Avas  prohibited  to  have  one  in  any 
other  place,  at  the  same  time,  in  the  territory 
of  Breagh.  Patrick,  who  was  perhaps  igno- 
rant of,  or  despised  so  superstitious  a  prac- 
tice, caused  a  large  fire  to  be  lighted  before 
his  tent,  which  was  easily  seen  from  Tara. 
The  druids,  alarmed  at  this  attempt,  carried 
their  complaints  before  the  monarch,  and 
said  to  him,  that,  if  he  had  not  that  fire 
immediately  extinguished,  he  who  had  kin- 
dled it,  and  his  successors,  would  hold 
the  sovereignty  of  Ireland  for  ever  ;  which 
prophecy  has  been  fulfilled  in  a  spiritual 
light. 

The  monarch  sent  an  order  to  the  stranger 
to  appear  before  the  assembly  the  day  fol- 
lowing,* in  order  to  account  for  his  conduct, 
and  he  forbid  that  any  should  rise  through 
respect  for  him.  Ere,  son  of  Dego,  was 
the  first  who  disobeyed  the  orders  of  the 
monarch  ;t  at  the  approach  of  the  saint, 
that  lord  rose  up,  offered  him  his  place, 
and  having  listened  attentively  to  the  word 
of  God,  embraced  Christianity,  and  was 
afterwards  nominated  bishop  of  Slaine  by 
that  apostle.  Patrick,  always  eager  to  do 
every  thing  that  could  tend  to  the  salvation 
of  mankind,  presented  himself  the  day  fol- 
lowing, with  two  of  his  disciples,  before  the 
assembly,  where  he  preached  the  faith  of 
Jesus  Christ,  in  presence  of  the  monarch 
and  all  his  nobles,  with  a  freedom  which 
was  truly  apostolical.  Dubtach,  archpoet 
of  Laogare,  submitted  to  his  preaching,  and 
the  talents  which  he  had  employed  before 
his  conversion  in  celebrating  the  praises  of 
the  false  gods,  were  afterwards  turned  to 
glorify  God  and  his  saints. |  Fiech,  his 
disciple,  followed  his  example,  and  after- 
wards became  bishop  of  Sletty. 

We  may  here  mention  the  conversion  of 
Fingar,  son  of  Clito,i^  whose  life,  written  by 
St.  Anselm,  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  was 

*  Usser.  Primord.  c.  17,  page  849,  et  seq 

t  Jocelin,  Vit.  S.  Pair.  c.  41. 

t  "  The  hymns  which  he  composed  while  young, 
in  praise  of  his  false  gods,  he  now  changed  to  a 
better  purpose,  viz.,  to  the  praises  of  God  and  his 
saints." — Jocelin. 

§  Usser.  Prim.  c.  17,  pages  861,  869. 


preserved  through  the  care  of  John  Picard,* 
a  regidar  canon  of  St.  Victor's  in  Paris, 
and  published  in  that  city  in  1G24,  by 
Thomas  Messingham.f  Lastly,  the  queen 
and  several  nobles  of  that  assembly  em- 
braced the  doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
though  the  monarch  opposed  it  for  some 
time,  he  received  baptism  in  the  end.| 

The  preaching  of  this  apostle  was  here 
supported  by  many  miracles,  mentioned  by 
the  authors  of  his  life.i^  There  never  was, 
in  reality,  a  circumstance  in  which  signs 
were  more  necessary,  than  in  an  assemljly 
composed  of  the  chiefs  and  learned  men  of 
the  whole  nation. 

^t.  Patrick  having  completed  his  mission 
at  the  court  of  Tara,  repaired  to  Tailton, 
where  the  military  games,  mentioned  in 
the  first  chapter  of  the  part  of  this  history, 
were  celebrated  every  year.  He  did  not 
keep  the  talent  which  his  master  intrusted 
him  with  unemployed  :  he  always  sought 
large  assemblies,  in  order  to  turn  it  to  ad- 
vantage. 

The  season  of  those  military  exercises, 
which  was  the  last  fifteen  days  of  July,  and 
the  first  fifteen  days  of  August,  being  near, 
he  repaired  to  Tailton, ||  where  he  preached 
the  doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ  to  Cairbre  and 
Conall,  brothers  of  Laogare  the  monarch, 
with  different  success :  the  former  continued 
obdurate  and  unchanged  ;  the  latter,  having 
attended  to  his  instructions,  was  baptized, 
and  in  gratitude  he  conferred  land  on  the 
saint,  upon  which  he  built  a  church.  He 
spent  the  rest  of  that  year  in  the  territories 
of  Meath  and  Leinster,  where  a  great  num- 
ber were  converted,  among  others  the  two 
princesses  Ethne  and  Fedeline,  daughters 
of  Laogare,  with  the  druids  Mael  and  Cap- 


*  Florileg.  in  Pass.  S.  Guigneri,  page  208.  |  j 

t  "This  young  prince  having  been  disinherited  l| 
and  banished  by  his  father,  through  his  hatred  for  \\ 
the  Christian  religion,  which  he  had  receiveA  from 
St  Patrick,  and  obliged  to  leave  his  native  country,  '] 
united   himself  with  several   young  men  of  rank,    [ 
who  went  for  his  sake  into  voluntary  exile  ;  having    ' 
set  sail,  they  landed  after  some  time  in  Brittany,  M 
where  they  remained  till  the  death  of  Clito.    Having    j 
no  longer  any  thing  to  fear,  this  prince  returned  to    j 
Ireland,  where  he  beheld,  with  joy,  that  Christianity 
was  established  everywhere.     Tlie  desire  of  becom-  'j 
ing  perfect   having   induced   him  to  renounce  his  .\ 
claims,  he  left  his  country,  accompanied  by  Piala, 
his  sister,  and  seven  hundred  men,  seven  of  whom 
were  bishops,  all  converted  by  St.  Patrick.     How- 
ever, after  landing  in  Hull,  in  Cornwall,  they  were 
massacred  by  order  of  Theodoric,  king  of  that  coun. 
try,  for  fear  they  should  preach  the  gospel  to  his 
subjects." — Usser.  Primord.  cap.  17,  pages  851,  869. 

t  2  Vit.  S.  Patr.  ultimo. 

§  Trias.  Thaum.  Passim. 

II  Usser.  Primord.  cap.  17,  page  852,  et  seq. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


149 


lait,  to  whom  their  education  had  been  in- 
trusted.* 

St.  Luman,  whom  St.  Patrick  had  left  at 
Colbdi,  weary  of  his  master's  absence,  pro- 
ceeded up  the  river  Boyne  as  far  as  Ath- 
Truim,  which  signifies  the  ford  of  Trim, 
where  FeidhUm,  son  of  the  monarch  Lao- 
gare,  had  a  castle. f  This  prince  sent  for 
him,  and  asked  why  he  came  into  that  dis- 
trict :  the  saint  answered,  that  he  had  come 
with  Patrick  to  convert  the  Irish  ;  then 
availing  himself  of  this  opportunity,  he  an- 
nounced to  him  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  baptized  him,  with  the  princess,  his 
wife,  daughter  of  a  British  king,  Fortchern, 
his  son,  and  all  his  family.  This  pious 
prince,  in  gratitude  for  so  important  a  bene- 
fit, dedicated  to  the  church  all  the  lands  he 
possessed  on  that  side  of  the  river,  together 
with  his  son  Fortchern,  and  passed  with  his 
household  to  the  opposite  side,  where  he 
fi.xed  his  residence.  In  concert  with  St. 
Patrick,  the  saint  had  a  church  built  there, 
of  which  he  was  the  first  bishop,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Fortchern. 

St.  Patrick,  calling  to  mind  the  vision  he 
had  in  Britain  on  his  return  from  his  cap- 
tivity in  Ireland, I  considered  himself  more 
particularly  called  upon  to  convert  the  in- 
habitants of  Tir-Amalgaid  :  moved  by  this 
impulse,  he  proceeded  to  Connaught  in  the 
beginning  of  the  year  434.  On  his  way 
from  Tara,  he  visited  the  southern  Hy- 
Nialls,  that  is,  the  principalities  belonging 
to  the  four  princes,  children  of  the  monarch 
Niall,  surnamed  Noygiallach,  brothers  of 
Laogare,  who  was  at  that  time  monarch, 
and  their  descendants  ;  they  were  called 
southern  Hy-Nialls,  from  their  settlement 
in  the  south  of  Meath,  as  the  other  brothers 
were  called  the  northern  Hy-Nialls,  where- 
as they  inhabited  the  north  of  Meath,  with 
the  principalities  of  Tyrone,  Tirconnel,  and 
other  territories  in  Ulster. 

The  princes  of  the  southern  Hy-Nialls 
were,  Laogare,  Conall-Crimthine,  Fiacha, 
and ^Nlaine.^  The  holy  apostle  first  addressed 
himself  to  Fiacha,  ||  prince  of  a  part  of  West- 
meath,  near  Mount  Usnach,  called  after  him 
Kinel-Fiacha,Tf  signifying  the  race  of  Fia- 
cha.**    But  the  prejudice  of  education,  and 


115. 

IT 
52. 


the 


Vit.  4,  Patr.  apud  Colgan,  cap.  55. 

Colg.  Act.  Saiit.  Hib.  17,  Feb. 

Usser.  Ind.  Chron.  ad  an.  4.34. 

Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  ad  17,  Feb.  p.  358. 

Jocclin,  Vit.  S.  Patr.  cap.  100,  notes  113,  114, 

Vit.  Tripart.  lib.  2,  c.  17,  et  seq.  notes   50,  51, 

*  "  With  the  intention  of   building  a  church, 
servant  of  Christ  turns  to  a  very  celebrated 


the  attachment  of  this  prince  to  the  super- 
stition of  his  ancestors,  made  him  deaf  to 
the  word  of  God.* 

Saint  Patrick  was  more  successful  with 
Eana  :  this  prince,  who  was  in  posses- 
sion of  an  extensive  territory,  called  after 
him  Kinel-Eana,  or  Kinel-Enda,  extending 
from  Kinaliach  to  the  river  Shannon,  was 
more  docile  than  his  brother.  After  wit- 
nessing some  miracles  which  the  saint 
performed  in  his  presence,  he  listened  to 
the  word  of  God,  and  received  baptism 
with  his  whole  family  ;  and  in  acknowledg- 
ment for  so  great  a  favor,  he  presented  to 
God  and  to  the  church  a  ninth  of  his  pro- 
perty, together  with  his  son  Cormac,  who 
was  yet  a  child,  and  who  became  bishop 
of  Athruim,  and  afterwards  archbishop  of 
Ardmach. 

Our  saint  went  from  thence  to  the  coun- 
try of  Teafana,  called  by  the  Latin  authors 
Teffia ;  this  territory  comprised  part  of 
Westmeath,  and  extended  into  Analy,  now 
the  county  of  Longford  ;  and  was  divided 
into  northern  and  southern  Teafna.  South- 
ern Teafna  belonged  to  Maine  ;  this  prince 
was  converted  by  the  preaching  of  St. 
Patrick,  who  founded  in  his  district  the 
episcopal  see  of  Ardagh,  which  still  exists, 
and  the  first  bishop  of  it  was  St.  Mel,  the 
disciple  and  nephew  of  that  apostle,  by  his 
sister  Darerca.f  He  afterwards  proceed- 
ed to  northern  Teafna,  sometimes  called 
Cairbre-Guara,  belonging  to  the  children  of 
Carbre,  one  of  the  four  brothers  of  the 
northern  Hy-Nialls,  who  had  been  always 
opposed  to  the  gospel.  But  those  young 
princes,  more  fortunate  than  their  father, 
received  the  saint  with  respect,  and  granted 
him  the  territory  of  Granard,  where  he 
built  a  church,  the  care  of  which  he  con- 
fided to  Guasact,  son  of  Milcho  his  old 
master,  and  consecrated  him  bishop  for  that 
purpose.  He  then  visited  western  Brefny, 
at  present  the  county  of  Leitrim,  where, 
after  destroying  the  impious  Avorship  of  the 
idol  Crom-Cruach,  in  the  plain  of  Moy- 
Slecht,  he  founded  a  church,  called  in  the 
language  of  the  country  Domnach-Mor,  to 
which  he  appointed  St.  Mauran,  his  kins- 
man, pastor. 

place  called  Usncace  ;  there  were  two  brothers 
'called  Fiachus  and  Enda,  who  ruled  in  that  place  : 
from  the  former  the  neighboring  mountain  was 
called  Kinel-Fiacha  ;  to  this  day  the  posterity  of 
Fiaciius  retain  the  nobility  of  their  family,  but  not 
the  power.  The  descendants  of  this  Fiacha  are 
the  ancient  tribes  of  MacGeoghegansof  Kinaliach, 
and  the  O'MoUoys  of  Fearcall." 

*  Vit.  4,  Sanctas  Brig,  note  1,  in  lib.  2,  page  564. 

t  War.  de  Pra;sul.  Hib. 


150 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


After  leaving  Brefny,  St.  Patrick  crossed 
the  Shannon  to  enter  Connaught.* 

He  first  applied  to  Ono,  a  prince  of  the 
race  of  the  Ily-Briuies,  by  Earca-Dcarg, 
son  of  Brien,  and  lord  of  a  considerable  ter- 
ritory in  INTagheryc-Connaught,  called  Ily- 
Onach.  This  prince,  struck  with  the  sanc- 
tity and  miracles  of  Patrick,  generously  gave 
him  the  land  of  Imleach,  since  called  Oil- 
finn,  or  Elphin,  where  he  founded  an  epis- 
copal see,  which  is  still  in  being,  and  nomi- 
nated Asicus,  his  disciple,  first  bishop  of  it. 
He  afterwards  visited  Hua-Nolella,  other- 
wise Tir-Oilill,  in  the  county  of  Sligo,  be- 
longing to  the  descendants  of  Oilill,  whose 
great-grandson,  called  Maine,  he  baptized, 
and  afterwards  nominated  him  bishop.  He 
founded  two  churches  there  :  the  first  was 
Sencheall  Dumhaighe,  where  he  left  several 
of  his  disciples  ;  the  second,  Tamnache,  of 
which  he  made  Carell,  of  the  race  of  the 
kings  of  Ullagh,  bishop.  Having  completed 
his  mission  in  those  districts,  the  holy  apostle 
turned  his  thoughts  towards  the  Hy-Brunes. 
I  On  arriving  in  the  territory  of  Moy-Seola, 
now  the  barony  of  Clare,  in  the  county  of 
Galway,  he  met  with  some  of  the  sons  of 
Brien,  who  were  all  opposed  to  him  except 
Duach,  the  youngest,  from  whom  are  de- 
scended the  O'Connors,  Avho  was  baptized. 
The  saint  foretold  this  prince  that  he  and 
his  descendants  should  possess  the  crown  of 
the  province,  which  was  afterwards  verified. 
The  saint  then  founded  the  church  of  Dom- 
nach-Mor,  or  Domnach-Phadruig,  on  the 
border  of  Lake  Sealgo,  now  Lough  Hacket. 
He  continued  his  route  through  Partrie  and 
Umaille,  in  the  western  part  of  the  province, 
which  belonged  to  Conall-Oirioson,  from 
whom  the  noble  family  of  the  O'Mailles,  or 
O'Malys,  derive  their  origin,  where  he 
founded  the  church  of  Achad-Fobhuir,  the 
first  bishop  of  which  was  St.  Senach. 
At  the  approach  of  Lent,  St.  Patrick 
j  withdrew  to  a  high  mountain,  near  the 
'  western  coast  of  that  province,  formerly 
called  Cruachan-Aichle,  or  Aichuill,  now 
Creagh-Phadruig,  in  the  barony  of  Morisk, 
in  the  county  of  Mayo,  and  there  spent  the 
Lent  in  contemplation  and  prayer. 

The  authors  of  his  life  say,  he  spent  the 
forty  days  without  taking  any  food.f  Jocelin 
likewise  adds,|  that  he  collected  all  the 
serpents  and  venomous  reptiles  of  the  coun- 
try upon  this  mountain,  and  cast  them  into 
the  ocean, ^  to  which  he   ascribes  the  ex- 

*  Vit.  Tripart.  lib.  2,  cap.  35,  et  seq.  a.  d.  434 

+  Vit.  4,  c.  59. 

t  Jocelin,  cap.  171. 

§  Vit.  5,  lib.  2,  c.  19,  20. 


cmption  of  this  island  from  all  venomous 
reptiles.*  However,  Solinus,  who  had  writ- 
ten some  centuries  before  the  arrival  of  St. 
Patrick  in  Ireland,  makes  mention  of  this 
exemption  ;  and  after  him  Isidore,  bishop  of 
Seville,  in  the  seventh  century,  and  Bcde,  in 
the  eighth,  speak  of  it  without  assigning  any 
cause.  It  appears  that  Jocelin  is  the  first 
who  gave  this  accovmt ;  thus  it  is  probable 
that  it  proceeds  from  the  climate,  or  the 
nature  of*  the  soil,  rather  than  from  any  su- 
pernatural cause. 

Our  saint  having  ended  his  retreat  upon 
the  mountain,  came  down  to  the  plain  to- 
wards the  end  of  Lent,  where,  after  preach- 
ing and  converting  a  considerable  number 
of  people,  he  celebrated  the  Easter  in  the 
church  of  Achad-Febhuir,  which  he  had 
founded  before  Lent  in  the  territory  of 
Umaille  ;  h^e  afterwards  visited  the  country', 
as  far  as  Tir-Amalgaid,  where  he  met  with 
the  seven  sons,  or,  according  to  others,  the 
tAvelve  sons  of  Amalgaid,  assembled  in  coun- 
cil with  the  nobles  of  the  province  about 
the  succession  to  their  father's  crown. 

To  Amalgaid,  son  of  Fiachra,  belonged 
the  territoiy  called  after  him  Tir-Amalgaid, 
that  is,  the  country  of  Amalgaid  ;  the  sceptre 
was  at  that  time  held  by  the  tribe  of  the  Hy- 
Fiachras.  His  brother  Dathy,  king  of  Con- 
naught,  having  succeeded  to  the  monarchy 
of  the  whole  island  on  the  death  of  Niall  the 
Great,  left  him  the  crown  of  that  province. 
The  right  of  succeeding  to  the  crown  after 
his  death,  was  the  object  of  this  assembly, 
where  St.  Patrick  preached  the  gospel,  and 
converted  many.  This  account  is  variously 
related  :t  some  authors  say  that  the  brothers, 
finding  it  impossible  to  agree  about  the  suc- 
cession, had  chosen  Laogare  the  monarch, 
and  Eogan  his  brother,  as  arbitrators  of  their 
dispute  ;  that  Enda-Crom,  the  eldest  of  the 
brothers,  being  unable  to  accompany  them 
to  Tara,  had  intrusted  this  commission  to 
his  son  Conall,  a  young  man  of  great  talent, 
but  being  opposed  by  the  intrigaies  of  his 
uncles,  had  recourse  to  the  influence  of  St, 
Patrick,  who  was  then  at  Tara,  to  gain  ad- 
mittance for  him  to  plead  the  cause  of  his 
father.  They  add,  that  this  prince,  being 
indebted  to  the  apostle  for  his  successes  at 
the  court  of  Tara,  induced  him  to  go  with 
him  to  Connaught,  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
the  inhabitants  of  this  district.  The  saint 
accepted  this  proposal  the  more  willingly, 
as  he  was  thereby  enabled  to  execute  the 
design  he  had  formed  of  visiting  that  people. 

*  Vit.  Tripart.  lib.  2,  c.  63. 
t  Vit.  Trip.  cap.  77. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


.51 


However  this  be,  the  authors  of  this  saint's 
life  affirm,  that  in  one  day*  he  converted 
and  baptized  the  seven  princes,  sons  of 
Amalgaid,  besides  twelve  thousand  persons,! 
and  that  those  conversions  had  been  sup- 
ported by  many  miracles,  which  God  wroughr 
in  favor  of  that  apostle,  to  confound  the 
druids  and  pagan  priests,  Avho  were  opposed 
to  his  doctrine.  He  founded  a  church  for 
the  new  Christians,  of  which  he  nominated 
Mancenus  bishop,  a  very  pious  man,  and 
well  versed  in  the  holy  scriptures.;}: 

On  leaA-ing  Tir-Amalgaid,  he  proceeded 
towards  the  north,  along  the  river  Moy, 
making  converts  everywhere  as  he  passed. 
On  the  left  bank  of  this  river,  where  it  dis- 
charges itself  into  the  sea,  he  built  a  church 
called  Kil-Aladh,  at  present  Killala,  an 
episcopal  see,  the  first  bishop  of  which  was 
St.  Muredach,  the  disciple  of  that  apostle. § 
It  is  said  there  were  forty-seven  churches 
in  that  province  founded  by  him,  among 
which  was  Cassioll-Irra,  in  the  county  of 
Sligo,  the  first  bishop  of  which  was  St. 
Bron.ll 

This  apostolical  man,  after  spending  seven 
years  in  visiting  the  several  parts  of  Con- 
naught,  and  establishing  the  Christian  reli- 
gion in  the  most  inaccessible  places  of  the 
province,  at  length  quitted  it  in  441,  to  visit 
tllster,  of  which  he  had  yet  seen  but  a  very 
small  portion. 

On  leaving  Connaught,  St.  Patrick  pro- 
ceeded on  his  way  to  Sligeach,^  through 
Drumcliabh  and  Rossclogher,  as  far  as 
Magh-Ean,  a  large  plain,  situated  in  the 
sovuhern  part  of  Tirconnel,  between  the  bay 
of  Donnagall  and  the  rivers  Earn  and  Drab- 
hois,  the  latter  of  which  has  its  source  in 
lake  Melve,  and  discharges  itself  into  the 
bay  of  Donnagall,  near  Bundroose :  he 
preached  the  gospel  there  for  some  time,  and 
founded  the  church  called  Disert-Phadruig. 

Having  crossed  the  river  Earne,  between 
Eas-Ruad  and  the  ocean,  his  preaching  was 
everywhere  attended  with  success.  The 
country  of  Tirconnet  belonged  to  Conal- 
Gulban,  son  of  Niall  the  Great,  brother  to 
Laogare,  the  monarch  who  was  then  reign- 
ing, and  chief  of  the  illustrious  tribe  of  the 
O'Donnels.  His  brother  Carbre  was  lord 
of  a  district  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Earne. 
The  former  had  already  received  baptism 

*  Jocelin,  Vit.  Pair.  c.  59. 

t  Usser.  Primord.  Eccl.  Brit.  cap.  17,  page  854 
X  Conf.  Pat.  page  19. 
§  War.  de  Prmsul.  Hib. 
II  Trias.  Thaum,  pag.  270,  et  seq. 
T  Vit.    Trip.    lib.   2,    c.    108,    et   not.    in    Vit 
Tripart.  154. 


from  the  hands  of  St.  Patrick,  but  the  latter 
had  persisted  in  his  obduracy  ;  so  that  the 
saint,  in  his  passage  through  their  country, 
had  met  with  a  very  different  reception 
from  those  two  lords.  Carbre  was  strongly 
opposed  to  his  doctrine ;  but  Conall  received 
him  with  that  respect  due  to  the  man  Avho 
had  drawn  him  from  the  darkness  of  idolatry 
and  paganism.  During  his  stay  with  Conall, 
he  resolved  to  go  to  Ailech-Neid,  a  castle 
in  the  peninsula  of  Inis-Eoguin,  or  Inis- 
Owen,  and  residence  of  Eoguin,  another 
brother  of  the  monarch,  and  Conall,  chief 
of  the  illustrious  tribe  of  the  O'Neills.  He 
generally  applied  to  the  great,  convinced 
that  the  people  commonly  follow  the  exam- 
ple of  the  prince  :  with  this  intention  he 
proceeded  towards  Inis-Eoguin,  through  the 
extensive  plains  of  Bearn-Slor,  Tir-Aodhe, 
and  Magh-Ithe,  a  small  territory  on  the 
borders  of  the  river  Finn.  His  time  was 
always  well  employed  ;  he  gave  instructions 
in  every  place,  and  at  all  times,  even  while 
he  was  travelling.  On  his  v/ay  he  founded 
a  church  which  he  called  Domnach-Mor, 
in  Magh-Ithe,  and  then  continued  his  route 
to  Inis-Eoguin. 

Prince  Eogan  being  informed  of  the 
arrival  of  the  apostle  in  his  territories,* 
went  to  meet  him,  and  received  him  with  all 
possible  marks  of  honor  and  respect ;  and 
having  attended  with  humility  to  the  word 
of  God,  was  converted,  with  all  his  house- 
hold and  vassals  ;  the  saint  left  Inis-Owen, 
and  crossing  the  river  Febhail  or  Fewal,  at 
present  Foyle,  between  the  lake  of  that 
name  and  the  city  of  Daire-Calgach,  now 
Derry,  he  preached  the  gospel  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  river  Fochmuine,  at  present 
Faughan,  in  the  territory  of  Oireachty- 
Cahan,  for  nearly  two  months,  and  founded 
some  churches  there.  He  again  returned  to 
the  peninsula  of  Inis-Owen,  to  complete  a 
mission  so  happily  begun :  he  remained  in 
this  place  for  the  space  of  forty  days,  and 
founded  two  churches.  The  first  at  the  re- 
quest of  Aidh,  son  of  Coelbad,  and  grand- 
son of  prince  Eogan,  who  made  him  a  present 
of  land  for  that  purpose  ;  this  church,  the 
first  bishop  of  which  was  Mac-Carthan,  the 
disciple  of  St.  Patrick,  was  called  Domnach- 
Mor-Muige-Tochuir.  The  second,  which 
he  called  Domnach-Bile,  was  situated  near 
the  river  Bredach.  He  afterwards  crossed 
the  strait  through  which  lake  Foyle  dis- 
charges itself  into  the  ocean,  and  coasted 
along  this  lake,  through  the  territories  of 
Dagard,  Mag-Dola,  and  Duncruthen,  as  far 

»  Vit.  Trip.  lib.  2,  cap.  118,  et  seq. 


152 


HISTORY   OF    IRELAND. 


as  the  small  river  now  called  Roevvater. 
Several  churches  were  established  in  this 
district,  among  others  Dun  Srutchn,  the  care 
of  which  was  confided  to  St.  Bcoadh  or 
Beatus,  who  was  the  first  bishop  of  it.  The 
apostle  passed  through  the  territory  of  Kien- 
nactc,  where  he  made  several  converts,  and 
built  many  churches.  Sedna,  one  of  the 
lords  of  that  country,  having  presented  him- 
self before  him,  received  baptism,  with  his 
wife,  his  children,  and  his  vassals.*  Sedna 
was  son  of  Trena,  and  grandson  of  Tiger- 
nach,  of  the  race  of  Kiann,  son  of  Oilioll- 
Olum,  king  of  Munster.  He  had  a  son, 
called  Kienan,  whom  he  placed  under  the 
discipline  of  our  saint,  and  was  afterwards 
bishop  of  Damliag,  now  Duleek,  in  Meath. 
St.  Patrick  having  completed  his  mission 
in  the  districts  bordering  upon  lake  Foyle, 
crossed  the  river  Bann  to  Cuilrathen,  at 
present  Coleraine.  He  preached  the  gospel 
for  some  time  in  the  territory  of  Lea,  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  river  Bann  :  he  then  pro- 
ceeded through  the  country  of  Dalrieda, 
now  Route,  in  the  county  of  Antrim,  to  the 
castle  of  Dim-Sobhairche,  in  the  northern 
part  of  that  country,  and  on  his  way  founded 
several  churches  and  religious  houses,  to 
which  he  appointed  bishops  and  priests  ; 
from  thence  he  went  to  Dalaradie,  an  exten- 
sive territory,  comprising  the  whole  county  of 
Down,  and  the  southern  part  of  the  county 
.  Antrim.  This  country  was,  at  that  time, 
divided  into  twelve  parts  for  the  twelve  sons 
of  Caolbhach,  the  last  monarch  of  Ireland 
of  the  race  of  the  Clanna-Rorys.  Caolbhach 
was  son  of  Croin-Badhraoi,  and  grandson  of 
Eachach,t  from  whom  this  country,  which 
recently  belonged  to  the  Magennises,  de- 
scendants of  that  prince,  afterwards  took 
the  name  of  lobh-Eachach,  by  corruption, 
Iveach.  The  chief  of  those  brothers  was 
Saran,  from  whom  the  Mac-Cartains  are 
descended  ;  but  this  unhappy  prince  brought 
on  himself  the  malediction  of  St.  Patrick, 
by  his  opposition  to  the  gospel .;{:  Conla, 
being  more  docile  than  his  brother  Saran, 
presented  himself  respectfully  before  the 
saint,  and  conferred  on  him  a  handsome 
tract  of  land,  where  he  built  the  mon- 
astery of  Mag-Commuir,  in  the  diocese  of 
Connor,  for  regidar  canons.  He  also 
founded  several  other  churches  in  that 
country :  among  others  those  of  Dom- 
nach-Mor,  and  Rath-Sithe,  in  the  territory 
of  Mag-Damorna,  where  he  settled  two  of 
his  disciples ;  those  of  Tulachen  and  Gluaire 

*  Not.  191,  in  2  part.  Vit.  Tripart. 

t  Not.  20G,  ad  c.  13],  2  part.  Vit.  Tripart. 

I  Keat.  Geneal. 


in  the  territory  of  Latharne,  where  the  body 
of  Mac-Lasse  is  deposited  ;  Gleanne,  In- 
deachta,  and  Imleach-Cluana,  in  the  terri- 
tory of  Semne,  which  contains  the  remains 
of  St.  Coeman  ;  and  Rath-Easpuic-Innic,  in 
the  territory  of  Hua-Dereachein,  barony  of 
Antrim,  the  first  bishop  of  which  was  St. 
Winnoc. 

The  holy  apostle  afterwards  passed 
through  the  country  of  Hy-Tuirtre,  on  the 
borders  of  Lough  Neagh,  which  was  in  the 
possession  of  two  brothers  named  Carthen  : 
he  was  repulsed  by  the  elder,  but  the 
younger  received  him  with  respect,  and 
embraced  the  Christian  religion,  with  all  his 
people.  The  saint  founded  some  churches 
in  this  territory,  where  he  left  a  pastor  called 
Connedus,  one  of  his  disciples.  He  next 
preached  in  the  territories  of  Hymeithe- 
Tire,  and  Imchlair :  in  the  former,  which 
belonged  to  the  descendants  of  Colla-da- 
Crioch,  he  founded  the  bishopric  of  Teag- 
Talain,  which  he  confided  to  the  care  of  his 
disciple,  Killen.  In  the  second,  situated  in 
Tyrone,  he  settled  the  priest  St.  Columb,  as 
pastor.  At  some  distance  from  these  he 
founded  the  episcopal  see  of  Clogher,*  of 
which  he  himself  was  first  bishop  ;t  he  after- 
wards resigned  this  church  to  Mac-Carthen, 
his  disciple,  and  the  companion  of  his  la- 
bors.| 

Our  saint  being  intent  on  founding  a  me- 
tropolitan see,  which  would  be  head  over 
the  other  churches  in  Ireland,  proceeded 
from  Clogher  to  Druim-Sailech,^  so  called 
from  the  quantity  of  willow  trees  which  grew 
there  ;||  this  place  was,  and  is  still  called 
Ardmach,  from  its  elevated  situation,"!!  or, 
according  to  others,  from  Macha,  wife  of 
Nievy,**  who  was  buried  there,  as  men- 
tioned in  the  third  chapter  of  the  first  part 
of  this  history.  Whatever  be  the  derivation 
of  this  name, ft  Daire,  surnamed  Dearg, 
son  of  Finchad,  grandson  of  Eogain,  son  of 
Niellain,^  of  the  race  of  CoUa-da-Crioch, 
lord  of  this  territory,  consecrated  that  spot 
to  God,  at  the  request  of  St.  Patrick, §^  who 
laid  in  it  the  foundation  of  a  city  and  church 
in  445.  He  caused  monasteries  to  be  built 
there,  and   founded   schools,   which  after- 


*  Jocelin,  Vit.  S.  Patr.  cap.  143 

t  Usser.  Primord.  c.  17,  p.  856. 

t  Vit.  Tripart.  lib.  2,  cap.  123,  not.  in  2  lib. 

§  War.  de  Pra;sul.  Hib. 

II  Jocelin,  Vit.  S.  Patr.  c.  165. 

^  Usser.  Prim.  cap.  17,  page  857. 

**  War.  de  Praesul.  Hib. 

tt  Vit.  Trip.  lib.  3,  c.  68. 

n  Jocelin,  Vit.  S.  Patr.  c.  161. 

§§  Ogyg.  part  2,  cap.  76. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


153 


wards  became  celebrated.*  During  this  in- 
terval, St.  Mochte,  a  Briton  by  birth,  found- 
ed a  church  in  the  city  of  Lugha,  or  Ludha, 
at  present  Louth,  of  which  he  was  bishop. 

The  harvest  still  continued  great,  and  the 
laborers  had  become  few,  from  the  great 
number  St.  Patrick  had  placed,  during  fif- 
teen years,  in  the  different  churches  he  had 
founded  in  Ulster,  Meath,  and  Connaught. 
The  number  of  foreign  missionaries  whom 
he  had  brought  with  him  to  Ireland  not 
being  sufficient,  it  was  necessary  to  prepare 
some  among  the  natives  of  the  country, 
which  was  an  undertaking  difficult  to  be  ac- 
complished. This  people  had  their  peculiar 
language  and  characters,  as  has  been  proved 
in  the  second  chapter  of  the  first  part  of  this 
history.  Having  been  always  free  and  inde- 
pendent of  the  empire  of  the  Romans,  they 
were  unacquainted  with  the  Roman  language 
audits  characters;  there  were, therefore, but 
two  courses  to  adopt ;  either  to  translate  the 
holy  books  into  the  language  of  the  country, 
and  celebrate  the  divine  mysteries  in  it, 
which  would  have  been  contrary  to  the  cus- 
tom of  the  church,  or  to  teach  the  characters 
of  the  Roman  language  to  those  who  were 
to  instruct  others  :  the  holy  apostle  adopted 
the  latter  course.  We  see  in  his  life  that 
he  gave  the  alphabet  to  those  whom  he  in- 
tended for  holy  orders,  which  gave  rise  to 
the  error  of  Bollandus,  who  denies  that  the 
Irish  people  had  the  use  of  characters  be- 
fore the  time  of  St.  Patrick. 

To  supply  the  want  of  ministers  to  assist 
him  in  his  mission,  our  saint,  after  com- 
pleting his  metropolitan  city  of  Ardmach, 
went  to  Great  Britain  in  447,  which  he  found 
to  be  infected  with  the  heresies  of  the  Pe- 
lagians, and  Arianism.  He  opposed  those 
errors  for  some  time  with  success,  and 
brought  back  a  considerable  number  of  his 
countrymen  to  the  true  faith.  He  met  with 
many  learned  and  pious  ecclesiastics  in 
that  island,  who  were  desirous  of  assisting 
him  in  his  mission  to  Ireland,  thirty  of  whom 
he  appointed  bishops.  With  this  aid  he 
embarked  for  Ireland ;  but  on  his  voyage 
stopped  at  the  Isle  of  Man,  where  he 
preached  the  gospel,  and  left  Germain,  one 
of  his  disciples,  as  bishop. f 

The  holy  apostle  returned  to  Ardmach  in 
the  beginning  of  the  year  448,  and  having 
visited  that  church,  held  a  synod  with 
some  bishops,  among  whom  were  Auxil  and 
Isernin,!    regular    canons  of    St.  John  of 

*  Usser.  Prim.  c.  17,  p.  854. 
t  Usser.  Primord.  Eccles.  Brit.  cap.  15,  pages  642, 
643. 

t  Usser.  Primord.  c.  17,  page  841 


Lateran,  Avho  had  accompanied  him  from 
Rome.*  The  charity  of  Patrick  would  not 
allow  him  to  neglect  a  single  province  or 
district  in  Ireland.  He  had  not  yet  visited 
Munster,  depending  on  the  zeal  of  the  holy 
missionaries,  Declain,  Ailbe,  Kieran,  and 
others,  who  labored  in  that  vineyard  for  some 
years.  He  had  been  but  in  one  district 
in  Leinster,  on  his  arrival  in  the  island,  and 
had  made  some  converts  in  it ;  wherefore, 
having  settled  the  affairs  of  the  church  of 
Ardmach,!  he  proceeded  towards  Leinster, 
through  Meath,  where  he  converted  the 
people  of  Fera-Cuil  and  Hisegain,  and 
founded  the  church  of  Bile-Tortan,  near 
Ardbrecain,!  which  he  confided  to  the  care 
of  Justin,  a  priest,  his  disciple,  and  great- 
grandson  of  Breasal,  lord  of  the  country. 
Having  crossed  the  river  of  Finglass,  he 
arrived  at  Bally- Ath-Cliath,  "oppidum  super 
crates,"^  a  city  so  called  from  the  hurdles 
which  were  used,  either  to  secure  the  foun- 
dations of  the  houses,  or  to  strengthen  the 
roads  on  the  marshy  banks  of  the  river  Liffey, 
which  waters  it ;  this  city  has  been  since 
called  Dubh-Lin,  at  present  Dublin,  from 
the  black  and  muddy  bottom  of  that  river. 

The  high  reputation  of  sanctity  which  St. 
Patrick  had  acquired,  added  to  the  number 
of  miracles  he  wrought  everywhere,  having 
made  him  known  and  respected  even  by  the 
pagans,  the  inhabitants  of  Dublin  went  out 
in  crowds  to  meet  him.  These  appearances 
were  a  happy  omen  of  the  faith  they  were 
about  to  receive  from  this  saint.  He  bap- 
tized them  all,  with  Alphin,  son  of  Eochaid, 
who  was  at  that  time  their  king  :||  the  cere- 
mony was  performed  in  a  fountain  near  the 
city,  called  since  that  time  the  fountain  of 
St.  Patrick,  and  became  an  object  of  devo- 
tion to  the  faithful  for  many  centuries,  till  it 
was  filled  up  and  enclosed  within  a  private 
dwelling  in  the  beginning  of  the  seven- 
teenth century.  The  saint  had  a  church 
built  near  this  fountain,  which  afterwards 
became  a  cathedral,  bearing  his  name. 

The  authors  of  the  life  of  St.  Patrick 
mention  some  miracles  wrought  by  God  to 
confirm  his  mission,  which  had  hastened  the 
conversion  of  that  city.  It  was,  no  doubt, 
the  admiration  which  those  miracles  had 
inspired,  that  influenced  the  prince  and  his 
people  to  bind  themselves  and  their  heirs  to 

*  The  canons  of  this  synod  are  among  the  works 
ascribed  to  St.  Patrick,  published  by  Sir  James 
Ware. 

t  Jocelin,  Vit.  S.  Patr.  c.  68,  70,  71. 

t  Not.  23,  24,  25,  ad  lib.  3,  vit.  Trip. 

§  Camb.  Brit.  edit.  Lond.  p.  750. 

II  Usser.  Primord.  cap.  17,  pp.  862,  863. 


154 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


pay  to  that  apostle  and  his  successors  for 
ever,  in  the  see  of  Ardmach,  three  ounces 
of  gold  yearly. 

Our  saint  spent  the  whole  of  that  year 
preaching  the  faith  in  Leinster,  where  he 
founded  a  great  number  of  churches.*  He 
began  his  mission  in  that  province  by  the 
conversion  of  two  princes,!  sons  of  Dun- 
lainge,  who  held  the  principality  of  the 
northern  part  of  the  province,;]:  on  the  banks 
of  the  river  Lifley,  the  capital  of  which 
was  Naas.  He  founded  two  churches  in 
that  part  of  the  country  ;  the  first,  Avhich  he 
intrusted  to  the  care  of  the  bishop  Auxil, 
was  called  Kil-Ausaille,  in  Latin,  "  Cella 
Auxilii,"  by  corruption,  Kill-Ussi,  in  the 
plains  of  the  river  Litfey,  near  Kildare. 
The  second  Avas  called  Kill-Cuilinn,  the  first 
bishop  of  which  was  Issernin,  and  after  him 
Mactal. 

St.  Patrick  afterwards  visited  the  districts 
of  Leix,  Ossory,  and  Hy-Kinseallagh,^  as 
far  as  the  southern  extremity  of  the  province, 
working  miracles,  and  making  converts 
everywhere.  Among  others,  he  baptized 
Criomthan,  son  of  Eana-Kinseallagh,  of  the 
race  of  Cahire-jMore,  who  was  at  that  time 
king  of  Leinster.  This  prince  was  very 
pious,  and  a  liberal  benefactor  to  the  church. 
He  built  seventy  churches  in  Hy-Kinseallagh 
and  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  province,  which 
he  liberally  endowed.  He  granted  the  tract 
of  land  called  Slebte,  now  Sletty,  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  Barrow,  to  Fiech,  at  the 
request  of  St.  Patrick.!  Fiech  had  a  church 
built  there,  of  which  he  was  first  bishop, 
with  the  title  of  arch-prelate  of  Leinster. H 
Criomthan  was  unfortunately  killed  by  Aon- 
gus,  or  Euchodius,  brother  of  St.  Fiech,  in 
revenge  for  having  been  banished  with  his 
brothers,  by  the  king,  from  that  province.** 

Having  established  Christianity  in  Lein- 
ster on  a  solid  basis, ft  St.  Patrick  proceeded 
to  Munster,  where  there  were  already  some 
Christians,  and  a  few  churches  founded  by 
his  precursors.  He  went  directly  towards 
Cashel,  in  the  territory  of  Eoganach,  the 
place  where  king  Aongus,  son  of  Nadfraoch, 
at  that  time  resided.  This  prince  being 
informed  of  the  sanctity  and  virtues  of  the 
holy  apostle,  came  forth  to  meet  him  in  the 
plain  of  Femyn,  which  is  a  territory  that 


*  Vit.  Triiiart.  lib.  3,  c.  18. 

t  Not.  39i  40,  in  2  Vit. 

t  Usser.  Prim.  cap.  17,  pp.  826,  827. 

§  Vit.  Tripart.  lib.  3,  cap.  19,  et  seq. 

II  Usser.  Primord.  cap.  17,  pp.  863,  864. 

IT  Vit.  Tripart.  lib.  cap.  24. 

**  Not.  47,  in  eundem  lib. 

t+  Usser.  Prim.  c.  17,  p.  863. 


surrounds  Cashel,  since  called  Gowlin- 
Vale,  from  a  village  of  that  name  on  the 
river  Suire,  and  by  corruption  Golden-Vale  ; 
he  received  him  with  every  mark  of  distinc- 
tion and  respect,  and  brought  him  to  his  city 
of  Cashel,  where  he  heard  the  word  of 
God,  and  was  converted,  together  with  his 
whole  court.* 

A  singidar  fact  is  related  of  the  Christian 
forthude  and  patience  of  Aongus,  during  the 
ceremony  of  his  baptism.  The  holy  bishop 
having  leaned  on  his  pastoral  stafl^,t  which 
was  pointed  with  iron,  it  pierced  the  king's 
foot,  who  suffered  the  pain  Avithout  com- 
plaining, till  the  ceremony  was  ended. | 
The  apostle  hearing  of  the  accident,  asked 
him  why  he  had  not  complained  ;  the  king 
answered  respectfidly,  that  he  thought  it 
formed  part  of  the  ceremony.  This  prince 
was  pious  and  firmly  attached  to  the  religion 
he  had  embraced  :  out  of  a  great  number  of 
children  of  both  sexes,  he  devoted  one  half 
to  the  service  of  God,  and  always  supported 
in  his  palace  two  bishops,  ten  priests,  and 
seventy-two  religious  persons,  who  served 
as  his  council  in  religious  affairs. 

The  foia-  precursors  of  Saint  Patrick, 
namely,  Ailbe,  Declan,  Kieran,  and  Ibar, 
I  having  come  to  Cashel  to  see  the  saint,  and 
to  congratulate  their  king  upon  his  conver- 
sion, assisted  at  the  synod  which  that  apostle 
had  convoked.  Some  difference  arose  about 
I  the  primacy,  which  those  saints,  who  like 
1  him  had  received  their  mission  from  the  holy 
see,  would  not  acknowledge  in  St.  Patrick. 
'  However,  their  charity  stifled  every  senti- 
I  ment  opposed  to  the  cause  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Those  saints  were  confirmed,  at  that  synod, 
in  the  possession  of  the  churches  they  had 
I  founded ;  that  of  Imleach-Jobhuir,  otherwise 
j  Emly,  in  Tipperar}',  founded  by  St.  Ailbe, 
was  made  the  metropolitan  of  the  whole  prov- 
ince :  it  was  united  to  Cashel  in  the  sixth 
century.^  That  of  Ardmore,  in  the  territory 
of  Desie,  in  the  county  of  Waterford,  was 
:  adjudged  to  St.  Declan,  by  whom  those  peo- 
ple Avere  converted  ;  this  church  was  after- 
[Avards  annexed  to  Lismore.  St.  Kieran  Avas 
!  confirmed  in  the  see  of  Saigre,  or  Seir-Kie- 
ran,  in  the  territory  of  Ely,  which  see  was 
afterwards  transferred  to  Aghavoe,  and  from 
thence  to  Kilkenny.  Lastly,  Ibar  Avas  ap- 
pointed bishop  of  Beg-Erin,  that  is.  Little 
Ireland,  an  island  on  the  coast  of  Wexford. 
Having  settled  Avith  the  other  bishops  the 
affairs  of  the  church  of  Cashel,  St   Patrick 


*  Vit.  Tripart.  lib.  3,  cap.  29. 
+  Idem.  cap.  30. 
t  Usser.  Primord, 
§  Ibid,  page  8G6. 


:aem.  cap.  du. 
t  Usser.  Primord.  cap.  17,  page 
;bid.  paee  8G6. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


155 


took  leave  of  Aongus,  and  continued  his 
mission  through  jNIuscraighe-Breogain,  Ara- 
cUach,  and  Lumneach,  as  far  as  the  river 
Shannon.* 

The  inhabitants  of  Thuomond  showed  as 
much  zeal  as  those  of  the  other  districts,  in 
hearing  the  word  of  God.  Having  learned 
that  the  holy  apostle  was  in  their  neighbor- 
hood, they  crossed  the  river  to  hear  him 
preach,  and  were  baptized,  with  Carthan 
Fionn,  son  of  Bloid,  their  prince.  This 
apostle  continued  to  preach  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  river,  and  visited  the  country  of 
Ciarruidh-Luachra,  now  Kerry,  and  all  the 
southern  part  of  the  province  ;  and  having 
drawn  many  to  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
founded  several  churches,  where  he  estab- 
lished pastors,  he  returned  through  Desie 
to  Cashel,  having  spent  several  years  in  the 
conversion  of  that  province. 

The  time  of  our  saint's  departure  from 
Munster  being  laear,  the  princes  and  great 
men  of  the  province  assembled,  placed  them- 
selves under  his  protection,!  and,  in  gratitude 
for  the  services  he  had  rendered  the  pro- 
vince, they  undertook  to  pay  an  annual  tax 
to  him  and  his  successors  in  the  see  of  Ard- 
mach ;  which  tax,  called  in  the  Irish  lan- 
guage, Cain-Phadruic,  was  regularly  paid  for 
some  centuries.  The  high  veneration  in 
which  he  was  held  in  that  province,  made 
them  carefully  preserve  a  stone  which  he  had 
used  in  celebrating  the  holy  mysteries,  or 
some  other  religious  ceremonies  :  it  was 
called  Leach-Phadruic,  and  the  succeeding 
kings  of  Cashel  considered  it  an  honor  to 
sit  on  it  during  their  coronation  .| 

In  the  year  455  St.  Patrick  left  Munster, 
to  return  to  the  north  of  the  island.  In 
passing  through  Leinster,  he  preached  the 
gospel  in  the  district  of  Hy-Failge,  which 
belonged  to  the  descendants  of  Rossa-Failge, 
and  Daire-Barrach,  brothers  and  sons  of  the 
monarch  Cahire-More.  The  former,  from 
whom  are  descended  the  O'Connors-Failge 
listened  to  him  with  respect,  and  were  bap- 
tized, but  he  was  repulsed  by  the  latter.  H( 
then  continued  his  way  towards  Ulster,  op 
posing  everywhere  the  darkness  of  idolatry 
with  the  light  of  the  gospel. 

Our  saint  spent  six  years  in  visiting  the 
churches  of  Ulster,  consoling  and  confirming 
the  new  Cliristians,  and  converting  those 
who  had  persevered  in  idolatry ;  and  the 
better  to  watch  over  the  churches  in  general, 
he  resigned  the  see  of  Ardmach  to  St.  Binen 
or  Benignus,  his  disciple  and  successor. 

*  Vit.  Tripart.  lib.  3,  cap.  43,  44. 
t  Vit.  Tripart.  lib.  3,  c.  29,  et  53. 
t  Vit.  Tripart.  lib.  3,  page  29. 


The  holy  apostle  having  established  the 
church  of  Ireland  on  a  solid  basis,  and  having 
ordained  pastors  for  the  several  churches, 
set  out  for  Rome,  to  give  an  account  of  his 
labors  to  the  holy  and  learned  Pope  Leo, 
surnamed  the  Great,  to  consult  him  on  various 
matters,  and  to  prove  the  doctrine  he  had 
taught  to  his  people,  by  that  of  the  first 
pastors  of  the  church,  in  the  centre  of  its 
unity,  where  the  common  oracle  of  the 
Christians  resided.  He  obtained  this  pope's 
approval  for  his  having  made  the  church  of 
rVrdmach  the  metropolitan  ;*  which  was 
afterwards  supported  by  the  honor  of  the 
pallium,  and  the  title  of  apostolical  legate  in 
Ireland,  to  him  and  his  successors. 

We  cannot  but  admire  the  omnipotence  of 
God,  and  power  of  his  grace,  in  the  rapid 
conversion  of  this  idolatrous  nation.  So 
sudden  a  change  can  only  be  attributed  to 
him  who  has  the  power  of  softening  the  most 
callous  hearts  ;  for  it  can  be  said  with  truth, 
that  no  other  nation  in  the  Christian  world 
received  with  so  much  joy  the  knowledge  of 
the  kingdom  of  God,  and  the  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ.  Nothing  can  be  found  to  equal  the 
zeal  with  which  the  new  converts  lent  their 
aid  to  St.  Patrick,  in  breaking  down  their 
idols,  demolishing  their  temples,  and  building 
churches.  We  may  likewise  add,  that  no 
other  nationhas  preserved  its  faith  with  more 
fortitude  and  courage,  during  a  persecution 
of  two  centuries. 


CHAPTER  X. 

While  St.  Patrick  devoted  his  time  and 
care  to  establish  in  Ireland  the  kingdom  of 
Jesus  Christ,  peace  was  preserved  in  its 
temporal  kingdom  under  the  government  of 
Laogare.  Religion  and  the  principles  of 
Christianity,  by  correcting  and  softening  the 
ferocious  manners  of  the  inhabitants,  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  happiness  of  the  prince 
and  the  people.  The  subject  learned,  that 
as  all  power  emanated  from  God,  his  first 
and  most  important  obligation  was,  loyalty 
to  his  lawful  prince  ;  and  the  prince  learned 
that  he  ought  to  govern  his  people,  not  as  a 
tyrant,  but  like  a  true  father.  In  order  to 
preserve  this  harmony  in  the  government, 
the  monarch  convened  a  general  assembly 
of  the  states  at  Tara,t  where  Saint  Patrick, 
together  with  other  bishops,  took  their  seats 
in  place  of  the  druids  :J  the  customs  and 

*  Jocelin,  in  Vit.  S.  Patr.  c.  166. 
t  Keat.  on  the  reign  of  Laogare. 
t  Walsh,  Prospect  of  Ireland,  p.  46. 


156 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


laws  of  the  country  were  reformed ;  every 
thing  bordering  on  pagan  superstition  was 
aboHshed,  or  regulated  according  to  the 
spirit  of  the  gospel.  The  antiquarians  sub- 
mitted to  the  inspection  of  the  holy  apostle, 
I  the  register  of  Tara,  and  other  monuments 
respecting  the  history  of  the  nation,  and  the 
genealogies  of  the  principal  families  ;  which 
he  declined,  alleging  as  a  reason,  the  slight 
knowledge  he  had  of  the  antiquities  of  the 
nation,  and  requested  them  to  follow  the 
ancient  custom  in  those  kinds  of  inquiries. 
Accordingly,  a  committee  of  nine  persons 
was  appointed,  three  of  whom  were  kings, 
three  bishops,  and  three  antiquarians.  Those 
three  kings  were  the  monarch,  and  the  kings 
of  Ulster  and  Munster ;  the  bishops  were 
St.  Patrick,  St.  Binen,  that  apostle's  suc- 
cessor in  the  see  of  Ardmach,  and  Cairnach ; 
and  the  antiquarians  were  Dubththach, 
Feargus,  and  Rosa.  Having  completed  the 
inquiry,  and  cleared  the  monuments  of  every 
error,  the  deputies  made  their  report  to  the 
assembly,  and  the  monarch  ordered  that 
those  monuments,  which  had  been  till  then 
preserved  in  the  archives  of  Tara,  should  be 
confided  to  the  care  of  the  bishops,  who 
made  several  copies  of  them,  to  be  deposited 
in  the  different  churches  in  the  kingdom, 
both  for  the  convenience  of  individuals  who 
might  wish  to  consult  them,  and  prevent 
the  accidentsthat  might  occur  either  by  fire 
or  war.  In  this  examination  of  the  manu- 
scripts of  the  Milesians,  the  holy  apostle 
caused  a  great  number  of  volumes  to  be 
burned,  which  treated  of  the  superstitions  of 
the  pagan  religion,  which  the  Irish  had  till 
then  professed. 

The  only  war  in  which  Laogare  was  en- 
gaged during  his  reign,  was  against  the  peo- 
ple of  Leinster,  about  the  Boroimhe  or  tri- 
bute which  Tuathal  Teachtmar,  one  of  his 
predecessors,  had  imposed  on  them  in  the 
second  century.  They  had  often  made  in- 
eff'ectual  struggles  to  rid  themselves  of  this 
burden,  which  furnished  Criomthan,  son  of 
Eana-Kinseallagh,  who  was  king  of  Lein- 
ster at  that  time,  Avith  a  pretext  to  declare 
war  against  the  monarch.  Wars  were  but 
of  short  continuance  in  ancient  times  ;  one 
battle  often  sufficing  to  terminate  the  dis- 
pute. Both  parties  having  come  to  an  en- 
gagement at  Ath-Dara,  in  the  county  of 
Kildare,  Criomthan  was  victorious,  and  Lao- 
gare taken  prisoner :  he  recovered  his  liberty 
only  on  condition  of  relinquishing  his  claim 
on  that  province,  a  promise  which  he  after- 
wards considered  as  void,  having  been  ex- 
torted by  violence.  lie  was  killed  some 
time  afterwards  by  a  thunderbolt  at  Greal- 


lach-Dabhuill,  near  the  Lifi'ey,  in  the  county 
of  Kildare.  a.  d.  4G3.* 

It  is  morally  impossible  to  discover  the 
number  of  episcopal  sees  in  the  church  of 
Ireland  before  the  twelfth  century.  If  the 
number  equalled  that  of  the  bishops  whom 
St.  Patrick  had  consecrated,  we  should  reck- 
on 350  according  to  Jocelin,  and  according  to 
Nennius  365  ;  but  it  is  very  unlikely  that  the 
saint  had  consecrated  that  number  of  bishops 
for  so  many  different  sees.f  Were  it  not 
that  several  succeeded  each  other  in  the 
same  sees,  we  should  admit  that  almost 
every  village  had  its  bishop.  However  great 
we  may  suppose  the  number  to  have  been, 
it  was  considerably  lessened  before  the 
twelfth  century,  several  sees  having  been 
united  together. 

We  have  already  seen,  in  the  life  of  St. 
Patrick,  that  besides  the  churches  founded 
by  his  four  precui'sors,  and  erected  into  bi- 
shoprics at  the  synod  of  Cashel,  the  apos- 
tle, and  after  him  his  disciples,  had  founded 
a  great  number  of  churches  and  monasteries. 

I  here  give  an  account  only  of  the  cathe- 
dral churches  which  still  exist,  though  at 
present  belonging  to  a  different  religion,  and 
the  religious  houses  suppressed  in  the  latter 
ages  by  the  supposed  reformers  ;  I  shall 
place  them  under  the  different  reigns,  as  far 
as  I  am  acquainted  with  the  time  of  their 
foundation. 

The  cathedral  churches  founded  in  the 
fifth  century,  that  still  exist,  and  the  time 
of  the  foundation  of  which  corresponds  with 
the  reigns  of  Laogare,  OilioU-Molt,  and 
Lugha  VII.,  are  Ardmach — which,  though 
not  the  most  ancient,  I  mention  first  on  ac- 
count of  its  pre-eminence — Ossory,  Emly, 
Ardach,  Elphin,  Killala,  Clogher,  Kildare, 
Down,  and  Connor. 

Ardmach  is  the  head  of  the  churches  in 
Ireland,  and  is  styled  the  metropolitan. | 
St.  Patrick  having  filled  this  see  for  the 
space  of  ten  years,  resigned  it  to  Saint  Bi- 
nen, (Benignus,)  his  disciple,  son  of  Sesgnen, 
a  rich  and  powerful  man  in  Meath,  who  was 
converted,  with  his  family,  by  St.  Patrick, 
whom  he  hospitably  received  when  this  saint 
was  going  to  the  court  of  Laogare.  The  lat- 
ter resigned  it  in  favor  of  larlath,  and  died 
three  years  afterwards  at  Ardmach.  a.  d. 


*  Vit.  S.  Patr.  cap.  185. 

t  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  16. 

t  "  He  built  a  cathedral  church  in  the  same  city, 
that  it  should  be  the  metropolitan  and  mistress  of 
all  Ireland." — Jocelin. 

He  fortified  the  metropolitan  church  of  Armagh, 
for  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  to  protect  the  city 
and  kingdom. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


157 


465,  or,  according  to  others,  at  Ferlingmor, 
in  England,*  from  whence,  it  is  said,  his 
relics  were  remoA^ed  in  1091,  to  the  abbey 
of  Glastonbury,  in  the  county  of  Somerset ; 
but  the  annals  of  Innis-Faill  fix  his  death  at 
Rome,  in  the  year  467. 

larlath,  or  Hierlath,  disciple  of  St.  Pat- 
rick,! successor  to  St.  Binen,  and  third  bish- 
op of  Ardmach,  was  son  of  Trena,  or  Trien, 
prince  of  Mudhorn,  now  the  barony  of 
Mourne,  in  the  county  of  Down,  of  the  race 
of  the  Dalfiatachs.ij:  Although  Trena  lived 
sufficiently  long  to  have  heard  the  word  of 
God  from  St.  Patrick,  still  he  died  an  ob- 
durate pagan  ;  his  example  was  not  followed 
by  his  two  sons,  larlath  and  Sedna,  who 
conceived  a  particular  regard  for  the  holy 
apostle,  and  became  zealous  imitators  of  his 
virtues.  larlath,  although  younger  than 
most  of  the  disciples  of  this  apostle,  was 
considered  worthy,  by  his  wisdom  and  piety, 
to  be  nominated  to  the  principal  see  in  the 
island,  after  Saint  Binen.  He  died  after  an 
episcopacy  of  eighteen  years,  the  eleventh 
of  February,  482,  though  his  decease  is  fixed 
a  year  sooner  in  the  annals  of  Ulster,  that 
is,  in  the  year  481.  "  Quies  larlathi,  filii 
Trenae,-  Episcopi  Ardmachani :"  "  The  de- 
cease of  larlath,  son  of  Trena,  bishop  of 
Ardmach  ;"  and  according  to  another  copy  : 
"The  decease  of  larlath,  son  of  Trena, 
third  bishop  of  Ardmach  :"  "  Tertia  Episcopi 
Ardmachani." 

larlath  of  Ardmach  is  not  the  same  as 
larlath, §  founder  and  first  bishop  of  Tuaim- 
da-Gualand,  now  Tuam,  in  Connaught.|| 
The  sees  of  Dublin  and  Cashel  were  not 
founded  till  some  centuries  after,  and  were 
made  metropolitan  churches,  with  Tuam,  in 
the  twelfth  century .T[ 

After  the  death  of  larlath  of  Ardmach, 
St.  Patrick  appointed  Cormac,  bishop  of 
Trim,  to  succeed  him  ;  so  that  this  holy 
apostle  lived  to  nominate  three  bishops,  one 
after  the  other,  to  the  see  of  Ardmach. 
Cormac,  nephew  of  Laogare  the  monarch, 
by  his  brother  Eana,  to  whom  belonged,  in 
the  time  of  St.  Patrick,  the  territory  extend- 
ing from  Kinaliagh  in  West-Meath  as  far  as 
the  river  Shannon,  and  who  gave  his  son  and 
the  ninth  part  of  his  property  to  the  holy 
apostle,  was  instructed  by  St.  Patrick  and 
his  disciples  for  some  years  ;  and  made  a 
considerable  progress  in  virtue,  the  know- 

*  War.  de  Praesul.  Armach. 

t  Ibidem. 

t  Colgan,  Act.  SS.  Hib.  ad  11  Febr. 

§  Ojryg.  part  3,  cap.  46. 

II  War.  de  Prffisul.  Hib. 

IT  Col^.  Act.  SS.  Hib.  ad  11  Feb. 


ledge  of  the  holy  Scriptures,  and  theology. 
He  was  appointed  by  St.  Patrick  bishop  of 
Athruim,  in  east  Meath,  from  whence  he 
was  removed  by  the  same  saint  to  the  see 
of  Ardmach,  vacant  by  the  death  of  larlath. 
He  died  the  seventeenth  of  February,  having 
been  at  the  head  of  that  church  for  fifteen 
years,  and  was  interred  at  Trim,  where  his 
memory  is  held  in  high  veneration,  as  well 
as  at  Ardmach.  Dubtach,  or  Duach,  suc- 
ceeded Cormac  ;  he  is  called,  in  the  life  of 
St.  Tigernach,  the  venerable  Duach,  and 
celebrated  archbishop  of  the  see  of  St.  Pat- 
rick. He  died  in  513,  after  an  episcopacy 
of  sixteen  years. 

Ailild,  or  Ailil,  son  of  Trichen,  of  the 
royal  race  of  the  Dalfiatachs,*  princes  of 
Eastern  Ulster,  was  archbishop  of  Ardmach 
during  thirteen  years  ;  he  died  the  13th 
of  January,  527.  He  was  succeeded  by 
another  of  the  same  name  and  family,!  who 
governed  that  church  till  his  death,  which 
happened  the  1st  of  July,  536,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Dubtach,  or  Duach  the  second,  of 
the  race  of  CoUa-Huais,  who  died  in  548. 

The  episcopal  see  of  Qssory,  founded  in 
the  beginning  of  the  fifth  century  at  Sayghir,;]: 
in  the  country  of  Ely,  as  has  been  already 
mentioned,  by  St.  Kieran,^  one  of  the  four 
precursors  of  St.  Patrick  in  the  mission  of 
Ireland,  is  incontestably  the  most  ancient  in 
Ireland.  St.  Cartach  the  elder,  (so  called  to 
distinguish  him  from  Cartach,  first  bishop  of 
Lismore.)  son  or  grandson  of  Aongus,  king 
of  Munster,  who  had  been  converted  by  St. 
Patrick,  succeeded  St.  Kieran  in  the  see  of 
Sayghir,  having  been  his  disciple, ||  and  sub- 
mitted to  a  penance  of  seven  years  in  a  for- 
eign country,  which  that  saint  had  imposed 
on  him  in  expiation  of  a  crime  he  had  com- 
mitted, by  endeavoring  to  seduce  a  nun. 
On  his  return  to  his  country,  he  gave  such 
strong  proofs  of  virtue,  and  the  sincerity  of 
his  conversion,  that  he  became  the  well- 
beloved  of  his  master,  St.  Kieran,  and  was 
considered  worthy  of  succeeding  him.  He 
died  the  6th  of  March,  in  the  year  540. 

St.  Sedna,  or  Sedonius,  succeeded  St. 
Cartach.  He  is  expressly  called  bishop  of 
Sayghir,  in  his  life,  mentioned  in  Colgan,  on 
the  10th  of  March.l 

Among  the  number  of  those  prelates  are 

*  Usser.  Primord.  p.  874. 

t  Usser.  Ind,  Chron.  ad  an.  526. 

t  War.  de  Praesul.  Ossoriens. 

§  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  ad  5  Mart,  in  Vit.  Kieran,  p. 
438,  et  seq. 

II  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  ad  6  Mart.  Vit.  S.  Cartach,  p. 
473,  et  seq. 

IT  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  de  S.  Sedna,  page  572. 


158 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


also  reckoned  St.  Killen-Mac-Lubney,*  who 
had  assisted  at  the  synod  held  in  695,  by 
Flan-Febla,  archbishop  of  Ardniach,  the 
acts  of  which  Colgan  mentions  to  have  seen  ; 
Cormac  I.,  who  died  in  867,  and  Corniac 
II.,  in  997. 

The  bishopric  of  Emly  is  one  of  the  most 
ancient  in  the  kingdom.  This  see,  situated 
in  a  delightful  and  fertile  country,  Avas 
founded  by  St.  Ailbe,  one  of  the  four  pre- 
cursors of  St.  Patrick,  mentioned  by  Usher. f 
This  saint  was  looked  upon  as  another  St. 
Patrick,  and  a  second  patron  of  Munster. 

Various  opinions  prevail  on  the  time  that 
St.  Ailbe  had  preached  the  gospel  in  Ire- 
land. Ware,  on  the  authority  of  Tirechan, 
and  the  author  of  that  saint's  life,  seems  to 
favor  the  opinion  of  those  who  assert  that 
St.  Ailbe  came  after  St.  Patrick,  or  at  least 
had  received  the  order  of  priesthood  from 
him ;  but  Usher  reckons  St.  Ailbe  among 
the  precursors  of  that  apostle.  The  judicious 
Harris  says  that  he  does  not  mean  to  com- 
pare the  authority  of  Tirechan  with  a  num- 
ber of  ancient  writers,  who  affirm  that  St. 
Ailbe  had  preached  the  gospel,  and  made 
several  converts  in  Ireland,  before  the  arrival 
of  St.  Patrick.  That  great  saint  died  at  an 
advanced  age,  accordingto  Usher  and  the  an- 
nals of  Ulster  and  Innisfail,  the  12th  Septem- 
ber, in  the  year  527.  The  successors  of  St. 
Ailbe  in  the  bishopric  of  Emly,  and  before 
the  time  of  the  English,  are  mentioned  by 
Ware  in  the  account  of  the  prelates  of  that 
see.  Emly  was  finally  united  to  the  see  of  ^ 
Cashel  in  the  sixteenth  century.  j 

The  cathedral  of  Ardagh,  in  the  county  i 
of  Longford,  founded  by  St.  Patrick,  is  also  j 
one  of  the  most  ancient  churches  in  the! 
island  ;  the  first  bishop  of  Avhich  was  Saint  j 
Mel,  a  native  of  Britain,  and  son  of  his  sis- 
ter Darerca.  Some  say  that  it  was  St.  Mel 
himself  who  founded  it.  However  this  be, 
he  was  both  bishop  and  abbot  of  that  church, 
it  having  been  customary  in  this  country,  in 
the  first  ages  of  Christianity,  for  the  same 
person  to  be  iuA-ested  with  the  dignities  of 
bishop  and  abbot ;  as  bishop  he  governed 
the  diocese,  ordained  priests,  placed  cu- 
rates, and  exercised  his  other  episcopal 
functions,  and,  as  abbot,  was  at  the  head  of 
the  monks.  St.  Mel,  says  Jocelin,  lived  by 
his  labor,  like  St.  Paul.  He  died  the  6th 
of  February,  488,  five  years  before  his  uncle, 
St.  Patrick,  and  was  interred  in  his  church 


*  Act.  Sanct.  Hlb.  ad  5.  Mart.  App.  ad  Vit.  S. 
Kiaran,  c.  4,  p.  475. 

t  Prim.  Eccles.  cap.  16,  p.  781,  et  seq.  cap.  17, 
p.  8G6. 


of  Ardagh.  It  is  said  that  he  wrote  a  book 
on  the  virtues  and  miracles  of  St.  Patrick, 
who  was  living  at  that  time. 

St.  Melucho,brother  of  St.  Mel,  succeeded 
him  in  the  see  of  Ardagh  ;  the  other  bishops 
were  but  little  known  before  the  time  of  the 
English. 

Elphin,  or  Elfin,  formerly  called  Imleach- 
Ona,*  from  Ono,  grandson  of  Erca-Dearg, 
brother  of  Duach-Galach,  chief  of  the  Hy- 
Brunes,  a  fertile  territory  in  Connaught,  was 
given  to  St.  Patrick  by  Ono,  to  whom  it 
belonged.!  The  saint  founded  a  church 
there,  near  a  little  river  formed  by  two 
fountains  in  the  neighborhood,  the  care  of 
which  he  confided  to  Asicus,  a  man  of  an 
austere  and  penitent  life,  who  was  first  bishop 
of  it,  and  who  founded  a  monastery  there. 
Like  St.  Eloy,  he  wrought  in  gold,  silver, 
and  copper,  and  ornamented  his  church 
with  his  workmanship.  He  died  at  Rath- 
cunge,  in  the  country  of  Tirconnel,  where 
he  was  interred.  His  festival  is  held  the 
27th  of  April,  but  the  year  of  his  death  is 
unknown. 

The  bishopric  of  Kill-Aladh,  now  Kil- 
lala,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river  Moy,  where 
it  falls  into  the  sea,  was  founded  by  St.  Pat- 
rick before  the  middle  of  the  fifth  century. 
The  first  bishop  of  this  see  was  Saint  Mure-  j 
dach,  son  of  Eochaid.  His  festival  is  cele- 
brated the  twelfth  of  August ;  the  year  of 
his  death  is  unknown.  His  successors,  be- 
fore the  time  of  the  English,  are  unknown, 
except  Kellack,  great-grandson  of  Oilioll- 
Molt,  the  monarch,  who  filled  that  see  in 
the  sixth  century,  under  the  reign  of  Tuathal- 
Maolgarb.  This  prelate  was  assassinated, 
for  which  his  assassins  were  afterwards  torn 
asunder  by  four  horses.  O'Mselfogamair  is 
also  called  bishop  of  Tir-Amalgaid  and 
O'Fiachra  in  the  twelfth  century.  The 
bishopric  of  Killalaisso  called,  by  the  histo- 
rians of  the  country,  from  the  surrounding 
territories  of  Tir-Amalgaid,  or  Tyrawly  and 
O'Fiachra  Mui.  Lastly,  Imar  O'Ruadan 
is  called  bishop  of  O'Fiachra,  that  is  Killala, 
who  died  in  1177. 

The  church  of  Clogher,  in  Tir-Eogain,  j 
was  founded  by  St.  Patrick,  before  that  of  j 
Ardmach.|  The  first  bishop  of  this  church, 
after  St.  Patrick,  Avas  St.  Macarthen.^ 
This  saint  was  known  by  three  or  four  dif- 
ferent names  ;||  his  first  name,  which  was 
given  him  by  his  parents,  was  Aeb,  or  Aib  ; 

*  Vit.  Trip,  part  2,  cap.  37,  38,  39,  40,  41. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  79. 

t  Usser.  Prim.  c.  17,  p.  856 

§  War.  de  Prssul.  Hib. 

II  Colgan,  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  page  737  et  740. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


159 


his  second  name  was  Fer-Dachriocli,  signi- 
fying the  man  of  the  two  countries,  having 
been  successively  abbot  of  Darinis,  an  island 
on  the  coast  of  Hy-Kinseallagh,  near  Wex- 
ford, and  afterwards  bishop  of  Clogher  ; 
Jocelin  calls  him  Kerten,  which  is  only  a 
patronymic  name,  designating  the  son  by  the 
father  ;  lastly,  he  was  called  Macartin,  or 
Macaerthen,  signifying  the  son  of  Caerthen. 
This  saint  belonged  to  the  noble  family  of 
the  Arads  of  Dalaradie,  and  was  one  of 
the  oldest  disciples  of  St.  Patrick,  and  his 
companion  in  his  apostolical  labors  and 
voyages  into  foreign  countries  ;  for  which 
reason  he  was  called  the  staff  of  the  old  age 
of  that  holy  apostle.  St.  Macarthen  found- 
ed, by  order  of  St.  Patrick,  a  monastery  at 
Clogher,  after  which  he  died,  the  6th  of  Oc- 
tober, 506,  and  was  interred  in  the  ceme- 
tery of  his  church. 

Tigernach,  or  Tierne,  called  legate  of 
Ireland  in  the  registry  of  Clogher,  suc- 
ceeded Macarthen ;  he  made  the  church  of 
Cluan  his  cathedral,  from  whence  he  was 
called  bishop  of  Cluanois,  or  Clunes.  He 
is  perhaps  the  same  as  Tigernach  of  Clon- 
macnoisk.  He  founded  an  abbey  at  Clunes, 
in  Monaghan,  for  regular  canons,  which  he 
dedicated  to  the  apostles  St.  Peter  and 
Paul.  Usher  fixes  his  death  on  the  fifth  of 
April,  550,*  others  in  549,  and  the  annals 
of  the  four  masters  in  548. f 

Oilioll,  surnamed  Molt,  son  of  Dathy,  of 
the  race  of  the  Hy-Fiachras  of  Connaught, 
succeeded  Laogare,  a.  d.  463.  This  mon- 
arch being  intent  on  renewing  the  tributes 
which  his  predecessors  had  exacted  from 
the  people  of  Leinster,  gave  them  battle  at 
Tuma-Aichair  :  the  action  was  bloody,  but 
not  decisive.  The  most  disastrous  war  in 
which  he  was  engaged  was  with  Lugha, 
son  of  Laogare  ;  this  prince,  who  looked 
upon  Oilioll  as  usurper  of  the  supreme  gov- 
ernment of  the  island,!  made  an  alliance 
with  some  other  princes  of  the  country,  who 
furnished  him  with  troops  to  support  him  in 
his  right  to  the  monarchy.  Those  princes 
were  Mortough-Mac-Erca,  Feargus-Kerbe- 
oil,  son  of  Conall-Crimthine,  Fiachra-Lonn, 
son  of  Laogare,  and  king  of  Dalaradie,  and 
Criomthan,  son  of  Eana-Kinsealleagh,  king 
of  Leinster.  Lugha,  at  the  head  of  the 
confederate  army,  gave  battle  to  the  monarch 
at  Ocha,'S  in  Meath,  wherein  the  latter  lost 


*  Primord.  cap.  17,  p.  856. 
t  In.  Indice,  Cliron.  p.  1140. 
X  Trias  Thaum  Vit.  4.  S.  Brig.  lib.  2,  cap.  12,  et 
seq.  cum.  iiotis. 

§  Trias  Thaum.  not.  8,  in  lib.  2.  Vit.  S.  Brigid. 


his  life,  in  consequence  of  which  the  crown 
devolved  to  his  rival,  a.  d.  483.* 

Saint  Patrick,  whom  we  had  left  at  Rome, 
having  returned  to  Ireland,  felt  himself  ex- 
hausted by  the  labors  and  fatigues  he  had 
undergone  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ.f 
He  had,  in  the  whole,  spent  sixty  years  in 
his  mission,  the  first  thirty  of  which  were 
occupied  in  continual  labor  ;  he  was  obliged, 
however,  during  the  last  thirty  years,  to  lead 
a  more  tranquil  life,  which  he  spent,  some- 
times at  Ardmach,  and  sometimes  in  his 
first  monastery  of  Sabhall,  where,  not  con- 
tent with  assisting  his  disciples  and  other 
ministers  with  his  prayers  and  advice,  he 
walched  over  the  whole  administration  with 
equal  vigilance  and  solicitude  ;  he  preached 
every  day,  and  held  his  councils  each  year. 

St.  Patrick  having  gone  with  St.  Olcan 
into  the  country  of  Dalrieda  to  visit  the  new 
Christians,  he  met  with  Feargus,  the  young- 
est of  the  twelve  sons  of  Ere,  son  of  Eo- 
cha  Munravar,  prince  of  that  territory,  who 
complained  of  the  injustice  of  his  brothers, 
that  Avished  to  deprive  him  of  all  share  in 
the  succession  of  their  father  Ere,  who  had 
lately  died.|  The  holy  prelate, §  moved 
with  compassion  for  the  young  prince,  and 
knowing  the  justice  of  his  claims,  used  his 
influence  for  him,  with  his  brothers,  and 
prevailed  on  them  to  restore  to  him  his 
right.  Filled  with  gratitude  for  so  signal  a 
service,  Feargus  offered  him  the  half  of  his 
inheritance  for  the  use  of  the  church,  which 
offer  the  saint  had  too  much  delicacy  to  ac- 
cept ;  he  asked  him  only  to  confer  some 
land  on  his  companion  Olcan,  whereon  to 
build  a  church :  in  consequence  of  this  the 
prince  gave  him  Airther-Muighe,  one  of  the 
principal  towns  in  the  district,  and  its  de- 
pendencies, where  St.  Olcan  or  Bolcan  built 
the  church  of  Dercon,  of  which  he  was  the 
first  bishop.  Prince  Feargus  afterwards 
became  first  king  of  the  Albanian  Scots, 
according  to  the  prophecy  of  St.  Patrick. 

Notwithstanding  the  labors  of  his  apos- 
tleship,  our  saint  relaxed  in  none  of  the 
austerities  or  spiritual  exercises  which  he 
practised.  He  always  travelled  on  foot ; 
slept  on  the  bare  ground  ;  recited  the  Psal- 
ter, besides  a  number  of  hymns  and  prayers 
every  day  ;  at  length,  rich  in  virtue,  and 
happy  to  witness  the  prosperous  state  in 
wliich  he  had  placed  the  kingdom  of  Jesus 
Christ  in  Ireland,  he  went  to  receive,  in 


*  Usser.  Ind.  Chron.  p.  1118. 
t  Baillet,  Vie  des  Saints,  au  17  Mars. 
t  Colgan.  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Olcan. 
§  Vit.  Tripart.  lib.  2,  c.  135. 


160 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


heaven,  the  reward  of  his  labors,  after  hav- 
ing, it  is  said,  biiiU  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  churches,  consecrated  ahnost  as  many 
bishops,  and  ordained  nearly  three  thousand 
priests.  The  piety  of  the  faithful  contrib- 
uted largely  to  those  holy  works,  by  resign- 
ing a  tenth  part,  not  only  of  their  lands, 
fruits,  and  flocks,  in  order  to  found  churches 
and  monasteries,  but  also  a  portion  of  their 
children,  both  male  and  female,  to  make  of 
them  monks  and  nuns.* 

The  saint  died  in  493,  aged  120  years, 
in  the  reign  of  the  monarch  Lugha  VII., 
and  the  pontificate  of  Saint  Gesalius.f  He 
was  interred,  not  in  his  monastery  of  Sab- 
hall,  where  he  died,  nor  in  his  church  of 
Ardmach,  where  he  Avished  to  die,  but  in 
that  of  the  city  of  Down,  in  the  diocese  of 
which  was  Sabhall.  His  body  remained  in 
it  for  a  long  time,  known  and  honored  by  the 
people  on  account  of  the  miracles  and  graces 
granted  by  God  through  his  intercession. 

In  the  time  of  Lugha  VII.,  son  of  Lao- 
gare,  who  began  his  reign  after  the  battle 
of  Ocha,  A.  D.  483,  a  dreadful  war  broke 
out  between  the  different  provinces  of  the 
kingdom. I  Aongus,  son  of  Nadfraoch,  hav- 
ing reigned  thirty-six  years  in  Munster,  was 
killed,  with  his  queen,  Eithne-Vathach, 
daughter  of  Criomthan,  last  king  of  Lein- 
ster,  and  grand-daughter  of  Eana-Kinseal- 
lagh,  at  the  battle  of  Kill-Osnach,  in  the 
plain  of  Moy-Fea,  near  Leighlin  in  the 
county  of  Carlow. 

Duach-Galach,  son  of  Brien,  and  grand- 
son of  Eocha-Moy-Veagon,  king  of  Con- 
naught,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Seaghsa. 
Fraoch,  son  of  Fionchad,  king  of  Leinster, 
lost  his  life  at  the  battle  of  Graine. 

The  principal  belligerents,  besides  the 
provincial  kings,  were,  Mortough-Mac-E ar- 
ea, who  became  monarch  after  Lugha  ; 
OilioU,  son  of  Dunluin,  prince  of  Leinster; 
and  Cairbre,  son  of  Niall  the  Great,  with 
his  son  Eochad.  Those  wars  were  fol- 
lowed by  an  open  rupture  between  the  Hy- 
Nialls  and  the  people  of  Leinster,  which 
terminated  in  the  battle  of  Loch-Moighe, 
in  which  a  great  number  of  lives  were  lost. 

All  the  ancient  monuments  of  the  Mile- 
sians  mention  the   last   expedition  of  the 


*  "  Making  monks  therefore  of  all  the  males, 
and  holy  nuns  of  all  the  females,  he  built  a  number 
of  monasteries,  and  assigned  for  their  support  a 
tenth  part  of  his  lands  and  flocks." — Henricus  An. 
tissidorus,  c.  174. 

t  Usser.  Primord.  Eccles.  Brit.  c.  17,  p.  880, 
et  seq. 

t  Trias  Thaum.  Vit.  4.  S.  Brigid.  lib.  2,  cap.  12. 
et  seq.  cum  notis. 


Dalriads  of  Ulster  to  Albania,  to  have  taken 
place  in  the  time  of  Lugha  VII.  They 
were  headed  by  the  six  sons  of  Ere,  name- 
ly, the  two  Laornes,  the  two  i\onguses,  and 
the  two  Fearguses.* 

Giraldus  Cambrensis  affirms  that  this 
expedition  was  commanded  by  the  six  sons 
of  Muredus,  king  of  Ulster,  under  the  reign 
of  Niall  the  Great ;  however,  it  is  impossi- 
ble that  those  princes  could  have  been  capa- 
ble of  leading  a  colony  to  Albania  in  the 
reign  of  their  great-grandfather,  their  father 
being  son  of  Eogan,  and  grandson  of  that 
great  monarch.  This  anachronism  arises 
from  the  inaccuracy  of  the  author,  who  has 
confounded  both  time  and  persons. 

The  Scots  of  Albania,  as  has  been  ob- 
served in  the  first  part  of  this  history,  whose 
first  founder,  in  the  third  century,  was  Cair- 
bre, otherwise  Eocha-Riada,  whom  Bede 
calls  Reude,  were  obliged  to  qirit  their  set- 
tlements in  Cantyre  and  Argyle,  two  territo- 
ries in  Albania  called  Dalrieda,  from  Reuda, 
their  first  chief,  and  to  return  to  Ireland  in 
the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Laogare. 
"  Revertuntur  impudentes  grassatores  Hi- 
berni  domum,"t  says  Bede.  Their  chief,  at 
that  time,  was  Eocha-Munramar,  descended 
in  the  seventh  degree  from  Cairbre-Riada, 
and  in  the  third  from  Fergus  Ulidian,  who 
led  part  of  the  tribe  that  had  remained  in 
^lunster  to  the  north  of  Ireland,  where  he 
formed  a  settlement  called  Dalrieda,  which 
he  erected  into  a  kingdom,  with  the  good 
will  of  the  monarch.  Those  two  people, 
namely,  the  Dalriads  of  Albania,  and  those 
of  Ulster,  considered  themselves  as  kins- 
men ;  and,  though  separated  by  an  arm  of 
the  sea,  formed  but  one  tribe,  commanded 
by  the  same  chief. 

Eocha-Munramar  having  died  in  Ulster, 
left  two  sons.  Ere  and  Olcu ;  from  the  latter 
were  descended  the  Dalriads,  who  remain- 
ed in  that  province  ;  and  the  former,  being 
desirous  of  retrieving  the  fortunes  of  those 
of  the  tribe  who  had  left  Albania  under  the 
command  of  his  father  Eocha,  led  them 
back  to  their  ancient  possessions,  about  the 
year  439.  Marianus  Scotus  fixes  the  per- 
manent establishment  of  the  Dalriads  in 
Albania  in  the  year  445 ;  to  which  the 
venerable  Bede  alludes  when  he  says  of 
them,  as  well  as  of  the  Picts,  that  they  had 
rested  there  for  the  first  time  :  "  Tunc  pri- 
mum  et  deinceps  quieverunt." 

After  this  expedition,  Ere,  whom  Usher 
calls  the  father  of  the  kings  of  Scotland, 

*  Usser.  Primord.  p.  1029. 

t  Usser.  Prim.  cap.  15,  p.  608,  et  seq. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


161 


returned  to  Ulster,  Avith  the  title  of  chief  of 
the  Dalriads  ;  this  he  retained  till  his  death, 
which  happened  in  474.  About  29  years 
afterwards,  that  is,  in  503,  six  of  his  chil- 
dren, as  we  have  already  observed,  led, 
under  the  reign  of  Lugha,  a  new  colony  to 
Albania,*  where  Feargus  the  youngest  was 
elevated  to  the  dignity  of  king,  and  solemnly 
crowned  some  time  afterwards. f 

Although  the  Christian  religion  was  uni- 
versally established  in  Ireland  in  the  time 
of  Saint  Patrick,  and  both  the  princes  and 
the  people  worshipped  the  true  God,  it 
appears  that  the  monarch  had  apostatized ; 
as  we  are  informed  in  history,  that  his  death 
was  caused  by  a  thunderbolt  at  Achacharca, 
in  Meath,  and  his  descendants  were  ex- 
cluded from  the  throne,  as  St.  Patrick  had 
foretold  :  such  were  the  chastisements  for 
his  impiety  and  opposition  to  the  gospel. 

The  recollection  of  a  miracle  which  God 
had  Avrought  through  the  intercession  of  St. 
Patrick,  to  restore  this  unhappy  prince  to 
life,  was  not  capable  of  changing  his  heart. 
St.  Patrick  and  some  other  bishops  being  at 
dinner  with  the  queen,  mother  of  Lugha,  the 
young  prince  became  so  suddenly  ill  at  table 
that  they  believed  him  to  be  dead ;  the  queen, 
filled  with  despair  on  seeing  her  son  in  that 
state,  implored  the  intercession  of  the  holy 
I  apostle  with  God,  for  his  recovery  ;  the  saint 
ordered  the  body  to  be  carried  into  an  ad- 
joining hall,  where  he  prayed  till  the  child 
was  restored  to  life.  Transported  with  joy 
and  gratitude,  the  queen  ordered  that  a  part 
of  what  was  daily  served  at  her  table  should 
be  given  to  the  poor.  As  this  miracle  was 
wrought  on  St.  Michael's  day,  it  gave  rise 
to  a  custom,  which  has  since  prevailed,  and 
is  still  practised  among  old  Irish  families, 
of  killing  a  sheep  on  St.  Michael's  day,  the 
greater  part  of  which  is  given  to  the  poor. 
This  offering  is  called,  in  the  language  of 
the  countr}',  Ctcid-Mihil,  signifying  the  share 
of  Michael  ;  others  call  it  Coiro-Mihil,  or 
Michael's  sheep  :  so  true  is  it  that  those 
ancient  customs,  which,  for  want  of  know- 
ing the  cause  of  them,  appear  extraordinary, 
and  even  ridiculous,  have  been  founded  on 
some  motive  of  piety. 
■  In  this  reign  were  founded  the  bishopri 
of  Kildare,  Down,  and  Connor. 

Kildare,  one  of  the  most  ancient  bishoprics 
in  Leinster,  derives  its  name  from  Kill,  sig 
nifying  cell  or  church,  and  Daire,  which 
signifies  oak,  as  the  first  foundation  was  laid 
there  by  St.  Bridget,  near  a  wood  of  oak 

*  Usser.  Ind.  Chron.  page  1117. 
t  Usser.  Ind.  Chron.  page  1122. 


St.  Conloeth,  Conlaidh,  or  Conlain,  was 
founder  and  first  bishop  of  this  see.*  Cogi- 
tosus,  in  the  life  of  St.  Bridget,  makes  men- 
tion of  Conlait,  whom  he  calls  archbishop 
and  high  priest. f  He  died  the  third  of 
May,  in  the  year  519,  and  was  interred  in 
his  church  of  Kildare,  near  the  great  altar  ; 
his  relics  were  enshrined  in  the  year  800, 
in  a  shrine  of  silver  gilt,  ornamented  with 
precious  stones.  St.  Aed,  surnamed  Dubh, 
that  is,  the  Black,  is  the  first  bishop  of  Kil- 
dare, after  St.  Conlath,  of  whom  we  have 
any  knowledge. |  According  to  Colgan,  he 
took  the  monastic  habit,  after  having  been 
king  of  Leinster,  and  became  abbot ;  he  was 
afterwards  made  bishop  of  that  see.  He  is 
in  accordance  with  the  annals  of  the  Four 
Masters  on  this  subject.  Cogitosus,  who 
lived  before  the  year  590,  asserts  that  the 
succession  had 'remained  uninterrupted  till 
his  time.§  Walsh  makes  mention  of  Mael- 
coba,  bishop  of  Kildare,  under  the  year 
610  ;||  probably  confounding  him  with  ano- 
ther of  the  same  name  who  was  bishop  of 
Clogher,  having,  according  to  Gratianus 
Lucius,  abdicated  the  throne  of  Ireland.^! 

The  bishoprics  of  Down  and  Connor  were 
founded  towards  the  end  of  the  fifth  cen- 
tury ;  the  former  by  St.  Cailan,  and  the 
latter  by  St.  iEngus  Macnise. 

The  first  bishop  of  Down,  in  Latin  Du- 
num,  so  called  from  its  being  situated  on  a 
hill,  and  formerly  called  Aras-Cealtair,  and 
sometimes  Dun-da-Leghlas,  capital  of  Dal- 
radia,  was  Cailan  or  Coelan,  abbot  of  Nen- 
drum.**  AUemand  having  confounded,  in 
his  Monastic  History  of  Ireland,!!  this  ab- 
bey with  that  of  Neddrum,  founded  in  the 
twelfth  century,  asserts  that  Usher  errs 
against  chronology,  by  saying  that  Cailan, 
first  bishop  of  Down,  in  the  fifth  century, 
was  abbot  of  a  monastery,  six  hundred  years 
before  its  foundation  :  however,  AUemand 
forgets  that  Usher  calls  the  abbey  of  St. 
Cailan  sometimes  Noendrum,  and  Nen- 
drum,  names  very  different  from  Neddrum.|| 
The  mistake  is  too  obvious  to  be  attributed 
to  so  great  a  man. 


*  War.  de  PfEesul.  Hib. 

t  Note  7,  in  Prolog,  cap.  29,  note  14. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Aed.  ad  4  Jan. 

§  "  How,  without  intermission,  the  archbishop  of 
the  Irish  bishops,  rules  over  them  by  perpetual 
succession  and  custom."— CoZ^an's  Life  of  St. 
Bridget,  p.  513. 

II   Prosp.  page  224. 

If  Cambren.  Evers.  p.  302. 

**  War.  de  Episc.  Dunens. 

tt  Page  156. 

tt  Usser.  Prim,  page  954,  et  1065. 


162 


HISTORY    OP  •IRIULAND. 


St.  Feargus  succeeded  St.  Cailan  in  this 
see  ;  he  was  son  of  ^-Engus,  of  royal  blood, 
being  descended  from  Caolvach,  last  monarch 
of  the  island  of  the  race  of  Ire.  He  had  been, 
it  is  said,  abbot  and  founder  of  the  monastery 
of  Kill-Bian  ;  he  died  the  30th  March,  583. 

The  succession  of  prelates  of  the  bishop- 
ric of  Down,  was  interrupted  till  the  twelfth 
century,  and  the  episcopacy  of  St.  Malachi 
O'^Iorgair,  whose  life  has  been  written  by 
St.  Bernard. 

^Engus  Macnise,  as  we  have  already  ob- 
served, was  founder  and  first  bishop  of  Con- 
nor, a  city  in  the  county  of  Antrim.  His 
I  father  was  called  Fobrec,  and  contrary  to 
general  custom,  he  took  his  surname  from 
his  mother,  and  was  simply  called  St.  Mac- 
nise. His  death  is  fixed  on  the  3d  Sep- 
tember, 507,  or  according  to  others  514. 
His  successors  are  but  little  known  till  the 
arrival  of  the  English,  or  at  least  till  the 
episcopacy  of  St.  Malachi  O'Morgair,  who 
Avas  appointed  to  this  see  in  1124,  from 
whence  he  was  removed  to  Ardmach,  which 
he  resigned  some  time  after  in  favor  of 
Gelasius,to  retire  to  Down.  Those  churches 
had  each  a  chapter,  consisting  of  a  dean, 
archdeacon,  chorister,  treasurer,  chancellor, 
and  of  some  prebendaries.  Those  sees  were 
reunited  in  1442  by  Pope  Eugene  IV.,  at 
the  request  of  John,  then  bishop  of  Connor  ; 
in  consequence  of  Avhich  there  were  letters 
patent  from  King  Henry  VI.,  in  the  year 
1438,  Avherein  this  union  was  approved  of. 

Monks  were  established  almost  as  early 
as  the  Christian  religion  in  Ireland.  The 
monastic  state,  says  Camden,  although  in 
its  beginning,  had  attained  a  high  degree 
of  perfection  in  that  country.  The  monks 
desired  to  be  in  reality  what  they  appeared  ; 
their  piety  Avas  neither  afi'ected  nor  dis- 
guised ;  if  they  erred  in  any  thing,  it  was 
more  through  simplicity  than  obstinacy  or 
bad  intention.* 

It  is  not  easy  to  decide  to  what  order 
these  monks  belonged  in  the  first  ages  of 
Christianity.  That  of  St.  Benedict,  and  the 
regular  canons  of  St.  Augustin,  as  they  are 
at  present,  were  not  then  known  ;  it  is  there- 
fore probable  that  the  monks  in  Ireland  had 
made  certain  regulations  for  themselves,  or 
that  they  had  brought  the  rules  of  St.  An- 
thony, St.  Pacomius,  or  St.  Basil,  from  the 
Levant;  or  perhaps  ^those  of  the  celebrated 

*  "  The  monks,  although  recently  established, 
and  their  order  new,  wished  to  be  in  accordance 
with  their  cliaracter.  They  acted  without  disguise 
or  pretence.  They  possessed  simplicity,  but  noth- 
ing bordering  on  obstinacy  or  malice." — Camden, 
page  730. 


hermits  of  Mount-Carmel  or  Thebais ;  which 
is  not  without  some  appearance  of  truth.  St. 
Ailbe,  St.  Declan,  St.  Kieran,  and  others, 
had  really  travelled  in  Italy  ;  and  St.  Patrick 
himself,  after  being  a  regidar  canon  of  St. 
.lohn  of  Lateran,  had  visited  the  islands  in 
the  Mediterranean,  as  far  as  the  Archipelago, 
where  several  of  those  regulations  were 
established,  not  only  at  that  time,  but  long 
before.  Those  regulations  Avere  perhaps 
afterAvards  blended  Avith  those  of  St.  Augus- 
tin, and  St.  Benedict,  Avhich  had  prevailed 
throughout  the  Avest. 

In  those  early  ages,  thirteen  orders,  or 
particular  rules,  prevailed  in  Ireland,  namelj^, 
those  of  St.  Ailbe,  St.  Declan,  St.  Patrick, 
St.  Columb,  St.  Carthach,  St.  Molua  or 
Lugidus,  St.  Moctee,  St.  Finian,  St.  Colum- 
banus,  St.  Kieran,  St.  Brendan,  and  the 
order  instituted  by  St.  Bridget  for  females. 

All  those  orders  differed  not  only  in  their 
dress,  tonsure,  food,  and  retirement,  but 
likewise  in  those  who  had  been  their  found- 
ers, and  also  the  abbeys  and  monasteries 
connected  with  them  :  and  as  the  union  of 
all  those  particular  orders  Avith  those  of  St. 
iVugustin  and  St.  Benedict,  is  very  ancient, 
we  cannot  exactly  determine  to  Avhat  rule  in 
particular  each  convent  formerly  belonged. 

The  order  of  St.  Columbanus  was  the 
only  one  among  the  thirteen  which  submitted 
to  that  of  St.  Benedict ;  the  others  professed 
the  order  of  the  regular  canons  of  St.  Au- 
gustin, Avhich  has  been  the  most  considera- 
ble in  Ireland,  the  Benedictines  not  haAang 
appeared  till  the  seventh  century. 

In  the  fifth  century  there  were  many  holy 
abbots  in  Ireland,  who  founded  abbeys.* 
The  most  eminent  Avere  St.  Endee,  St. 
Moctee,  St.  Senan,  St.  Rioche,  St.  Canoe, 
and  the  great  St.  Bridget,  Avho  was  abbess 
and  the  foundress  of  several  monasteries. 

The  sixth  century  was  not  less  fruitful  in 
saints  Avho  founded  monasteries,  and  some 
of  whom  introduced  particular  orders. f  The 
most  celebrated  were,  the  great  St.  Columb, 
the  tAvo  St.  Finians,  the  two  St.  Brendans, 
the  Saints  Colman,  St.  Colmanelle,  St.  Bro- 
gan,  St.  Coman,  St.  Congall,  St.  Edan,  or 
Maidoc,  St.  Fachnan,  St.  Carthach,  St.  Cro- 
nan,  St.  Laserian,  or  Molaisse,  St.  Sinelle, 
and  many  others. 

We  also  discover  in  the  seventh  century, 
several  abbots,  celebrated  for  the  sanctity  of 
their  lives,  as  St.  Dubhan,  St.  Fechin,  St. 
Columbanus,  St  Munchin,  and  St.  Rodan. 

There  were  likewise  many  saints  in  the 

*  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  note  7,  ad  Vit.  S.  Fursei. 
t  Usser.  Primord.  Eccl.  Brit.  cap.  17,  page  909. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


163 


eighth,  ninth,  and  tenth  centuries,  of  whom 
we  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  in  the 
course  of  this  history. 

This  island  was  called,  by  way  of  pre- 
eminence, from  the  number  of  saints  it  had 
produced,  the  island  of  saints,  "  Insula  Sanc- 
torum." The  number  indeed  was  so  great, 
that  Colgan  observed,  not  without  reason, 
in  the  preface  to  his  life  of  the  Irish  saints, 
that  what  is  at  present  said  of  them  is 
scarcely  credible.* 

Besides,  Ireland  can,  in  comparison  with 
the  rest  of  Europe,!  boast  of  having  been 
at  that  time  a  seminary  of  sanctity,  whither 
the  Christians  of  other  nations  came  in 
crowds,  to  learn  the  practice  of  Christian 
virtue,!  and  from  whence  a  considerable 
number  of  saints  went  forth  daily  and  dis- 
persed themselves  throughout  the  different 
parts  of  Europe, §  where  they  founded  fa- 
mous abbeys,  the  glorious  monuments  of 
^vhich  are  still  to  be  seen,||  so  that  Ireland 
might  be  called  in  that  golden  age,  "  In 
aureis  illis  seminatce  Fidei  primordiis,"  the 
Thebaid  of  the  west.^  It  even  appesfi's, 
says  Allemand,  that  at  that  time  it  was  suf- 
ficient to  be  an  Irishman,  or  to  have  been  in 
Ireland,  to  be  considered  holy,  and  become 
the  immediate  founder  of  some  abbey.** 
While  the  rest  of  Europe  was  a  prey  to  the 
most  dreadful  catastrophes,  and  astonishing 
revolutions.  Divine  Providence  bestowed 
upon  this  peaceful  island  graces  and  bless- 
ings, which  strangers  went  thither  to  be 
partakers  of. 

There  were  a  great  number  of  monas- 
teries founded  on  the  first  establishment  of 


I  *  "  The  foreign  reader  will  wonder,  perhaps, 
(who  is  not  well  conversant  in  our  history,)  that 
so  great  a  number  of  saints  are  represented  to  go 
forth  from  one  island,  and  that  so  many  apostles 
of  nations  could  go  from  one  nation,  who  were  of 
the  same  name,  and  cotemporaries,  and  frequently 
from  the  same  convent,  and  from  the  same  master, 
and  to  gain  a  place  among  the  saints." — Preface 
of  the  Acts  of  Ireland. 

I  t  Bede,  Hist.  Eccles.  passim  ;  et  Cambd.  Brit 
page  730. 

t  Usser.  Prim.  Eccles.  cap.  16,  17. 
§  War.  de  Prsesul.  Hib. 

II  Colgan,  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  et  in  Triad.  Thaiim 
H  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irlande. 
**  Allemand  is  mistaken  in  saying  that  the  ter 
ritory  of  Elia-Carolina  was  so  called  from  Charles 
v.,  husband  of  Mary,  queen  of  England  and  Ire- 
land.  First,  it  was  not  Charles  V.,  but  his  son 
Philip,  that  had   been  married  to  Mary.     Second, 

j  this  territory  was  called,  in   the  Scotic  language, 

I  Ele-Hy-Carrouil,  from  the  O'Carrols,  to  whom  it 
formerly  belonged,  long  before  the  invasion  of  the 

j  English  ;   and  Latin  authors  have  called  it  Elia- 

1  Carolina.     See  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irlande, 

I  page  24. 


Christianity  in  Ireland,  some  of  which  have 
been  mentioned  in  the  life  of  St.  Patrick ; 
several  of  these  monasteries  were,  at  the 
same  time,  bishoprics  and  abbeys,  and  the 
dignities  of  bishop  and  abbot  Avere  frequent- 
ly united  in  the  same  person ;  which,  ac- 
cording to  Pere  Mabillon,  was  practised  in 
several  cathedrals  in  Europe,  in  which  there 
were  friars ;  there  was  a  bishop  and  abbot 
at  the  same  time,  and  sometimes  the  bishop 
was  abbot.  Some  of  these  monasteries 
were  also  changed  into  cathedrals,  and 
others  into  parish  churches. 

The  first  monasteries  deserving  of  our 
consideration  in  the  fifth  century,  are  those 
founded  by  the  four  precursors  of  Saint 
Patrick,  namely,  the  monastery  of  Saighir- 
Kieran,  in  the  territory  of  Ely,  founded  by 
St.  Kieran  ;  this  saint  was  not  only  the  first 
of  the  Irish  apostles,  but  was  also  called,  by 
way  of  distinction,  the  first-born  of  the 
saints  of  this  island :  "  Primogenitus  sanc- 
torum Hibernise."  It  is  said  that  this  saint 
established  a  bishopric  there  in  402,  the 
see  of  which  was  afterwards  transferred  to 
Aghavoe,  and  from  thence  to  Kilkenny. 
Some  authors  aflirm  that  St.  Kieran  had 
lived  three  centuries :  although  Colgan 
proves  the  possibility  of  it,  still  he  does  not 
appear  to  attach  credit  to  it  himself;  he 
says  that  this  error  arises  from  this  saint 
having  been  born  towards  the  end  of  the 
fourth  century,  having  lived  the  whole  of 
the  fifth,  and  died  in  the  beginning  of  the 
sixth,  which  has  made  some  authors  say 
that  he  lived  three  hundred  years. 

The  monasteries  of  Emly,  in  the  county 
of  Tipperary,  and  Ardmore  in  the  territory 
of  Desie,  in  the  county  of  Waterford,  which 
were  afterwards  made  bishoprics,  were 
founded  by  St.  Ailbe  and  St.  Declan. 

Beg-Erin,  or  little  Ireland,  an  island  on 
the  coast  of  Kinseallagh,  now  Wexford,  was 
celebrated  for  an  abbey  which  St.  Ibar,  or 
Ibhuir,  had  founded  there,  and  the  schools 
he  had  established  in  it,*  where  he  was  abbot 
and  professor  of  all  the  sciences  ;f  he  was 
not  only  a  saiut,  but  so  learned  that  some 
authors  call  him  the  doctor  of  Beg-Erin : 
"  Doctor  Begerensis ;"  and  his  abbey  was 
not  less  celebrated  for  the  college  or  uni- 
versity he  had  established  there,  which  pro- 
duced so  many  learned  men,  than  for  the 
great  number  of  saints  who  had  left  it. 

Sgibol  or  Sabhall-Phadruig,  that  is,  the 
granary  of  Patrick,  was  a  celebrated  abbey 

*  Usser.  Prim.  Eccles.  Brit.  Ind.  Chron.  ad  an. 
420,  et  pages  714,  1061,  1063. 

t  Allem.  Hist.  Monast.  d'Ireland,  pages  16,  54. 


164 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


founded  by  St.  Patrick,  the  apostle  of  Ire-j 
land,  towards  the  middle  of  the  fifth  cen-i 
tury,  in  the  peninsula  of  Lecale,  in  the'i 
county  of  Down.  The  land  was  given  liini 
by  Dichu,  lord  of  that  district,  whom  he  had , 
converted  some  time  before.  This  house 
was  afterwards  occupied  by  regular  canons  j 
of  the  order  of  St.  x\ugustin. 

At  Trim,  in  East  Meath,  there  was  a 
monastery  and  bishopric  founded,  and  dedi- 
cated to  the  blessed  Virgin,  by  St.  Loman,' 
in  the  time  of  St.  Patrick.  This  monas- 
tery was  long  afterwards  converted  into  an , 
abbey  of  regular  canons  of  St.  Augustin, 
by  the  Danes. 

At  Damliagh,  now  Duleek,  in  the  same 
county,  there  was  a  house  of  regular  canons 
of  St.  Augustin,  founded  by  a  bishop  of 
Damliagh,  who  is  thought  to  be  St.  Kianan, 
first  bishop  of  it  in  the  fifth  century. 

St.  Patrick  founded  also  a  great  number 
of  monasteries  in  this  island,  besides  those 
that  had  the  title  of  bishopric. 

The  most  considerable  are,  the  monastery 
of  Slane,  in  East  Meath  ;  the  abbey  of 
Druim-Lias,  in  the  territory  of  Calrigia, 
county  of  Sligo ;  the  monastery  of  Rath- 
Muighe,  in  the  territory  of  Dalrieda,  county' 
of  Antrim ;  the  monastery  of  Coleraine,  in 
the  territory  of  Arachty-Cahan,  county  of 
Derry  ;  the  monastery  of  Druim-Inis  Gluin, 
in  the  diocese  of  Ardmach ;  the  abbey  of 
St.  Peter  and  Paul  at  x\rdmach ;  the  mon- 
astery of  Kil-Auxille,  or  Kil-Ussail,  in  the 
plain  of  Kildare,  founded  by  St.  Auxille, 
and  the  monastery  of  Mungarret,  in  the 
county  of  Limerick.* 

There  were  also  many  other  monasteries 
founded  in  the  same  century,  by  different 
persons. 

The  priory  of  the  blessed  Virgin  at  Louth, 
founded  by  St.  Moctee  ;  the  abbey  of  Nen- 
drum  in  Dalaradie,  now  Down,  by  St. 
Cailan ;  the  priory  of  Lough-Derg,  or  Lough- 
Gerg,  in  Tirconnel,  (where  the  celebrated 
purgatory  of  St.  Patrick  is  situated,)  by  St. 
Daboec,  or,  as  some  say,  by  St.  Patrick  ;■[ 
the  abbey  of  our  Lady,  of  Clogher,  in  the 
territory  of  Tyrone,  by  St.  Macarthen,  bishop 
of  Clogher ;  the  monastery  of  Cluain-Daimh, 
in  the  plain  of  Kildare,  by  St.  Sinchelle,  or 
vSt.  Ailblie  ;  the  monastery  of  Ahad-Abla, 
in  the  territory  of  Kinseallagh,  county  of 
Wexford,  founded  by  St.  Finian  ;;}:  the  pri- 
ory of  Inis-More,  in  lake  Gauna,  in  the  ter- 
ritory of  Conmacne-Analy,  at  present  Long- 

*  Act.  Sanct.  Vit.  St.  Auxil.  ad  19  Mart, 
t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  not.  22,  Vit.  S.  Canoe,  ad  11 
Febr. 

X  Act.  Sanct.  Vit.  S.  Finian.  ad  23  Febr. 


ford,  by  St.  Columb  ;  the  abbey  of  Inis-Bo- 
Fin,  in  Lake  Ree,  in  the  same  country,  by 
St.  Rioche  ;  the  abbey  of  luis-Cloghran,  in 
the  same  lake  and  country,  by  St.  Derinod  ; 
the  priory  of  Iniscath,  an  island  in  the  river 
Shannon,  in  the  county  of  Limerick,  by  St. 
Senan  ;  the  priory  of  Inis-Lua,  an  island  in 
the  river  Shannon,  in  the  territory  of  Thuo- 
mond,  by  St.  Senan  ;*  the  monastery  of 
Aran,  or  Arn-Na-Na;mh,  signifying  the 
island  of  saints,  was  founded  in  480  for 
regular  canons,  by  St.  Endee,  who  was  first 
abbot  of  it.f  This  island,  which  is  situated 
on  the  confines  of  the  provinces  of  Munster 
and  Connaught,  was  given  to  St.  Endee  by 
Aongus,  son  of  Nadfraoch,  king  of  Munster  ; 
the  monastery  of  Cluain-Fois  in  the  county 
of  Galway,  founded  by  St.  larlath,  who 
founded  another  at  Tuaim-da-Gauland,  in 
the  same  country,  of  which  he  was  after- 
wards bishop  ;  the  abbey  of  Kil-Chonail,  in 
the  same  country,  founded  by  St.  Conal ; 
the  priory  of  Inchraore,  in  lake  Ree,  in  the 
county  of  Roscommon,  founded  by  St.  Li- 
berius;!  the  priory  of  Gallen,  or  Galin,  on 
the  banks  of  the  river  Brosnagh,  in  the  ter- 
ritory of  Dealbhna-Mac-Coglilan,  founded 
in  491  for  regadar  canons,  by  St.  Canoe,  or 
Mochonoc,  son  of  Bracan,  of  the  royal  race 
of  Leinster,  and  Dina,  daughter  of  a  Saxon 
prince.^ 

The  number  of  monasteries  for  females 
in  Ireland  is  so  inferior  to  that  of  the  con- 
vents for  men,  that  it  is  likely  the  acts  of 
some  of  their  foundations  have  been  lost, 
or  they  have  not  been  transmitted  to  us, 
through  the  inaccuracy  of  historians  ;  par- 
ticularly as  the  dcA^out  sex  has  always  dis- 
covered as  much  zeal  and  fervor  for  a 
religious  life  as  the  men. 

The  first  nunnery  that  we  discover  in 
L-eland  in  the  fifth  century,  is  that  of  Kill- 
Liadan,  founded  by  St.  Kieran  for  his  mo- 
ther Liadan,  near  his  monastery  of  Saire, 
in  the  territory  of  Ely. 

St.  Patrick  founded  some  ;  among  others, 
those  of  Cluain-Bronach  and  Druimcheo, 
in  the  country  of  Analy,  (Longford.)  At 
Ardmach  he  founded  the  monasteries  called 
Temple-Bride,  and  Temple-Na-Fearta,  that 
is,  the  Temple  of  Miracles,  of  which  his 
sister  Lupita  was  first  abbess ;  he  also 
founded  the  monastery  of  Kilaracht,  in  the 
territory  of  Roscommon,  for  his  sister  Ath- 
racta  ;  and  lastly,  the  monastery  of  Cluain- 
Dubhain,  in  the  country  of  Tyrone. 

*  War.  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26. 
•i-  Allem.  Hist.  Monaf^t.  d'Irlande. 
t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  ad  11  Febr. 
§  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


165 


The  abbey  of  Liii,  near  Carrick-Fergiis, 
in  the  territory  of  Dalrieda,  (county  of 
Antrim,)  was  founded  by  Darerca,  sister  of 
St.  Patrick,  of  which  she  was  the  first  abbess. 
The  monasteries  of  Ross-Oirthir  in  the 
county  of  Fermanagh,  and  Ross-Benchuir  in 
Thuoniond,  were  founded,  the  one  by  St. 
Fanchea,  sister  of  St.  Endee,  and  the  latter 
by  St.  Conchea. 

Lastly,  St.  Bridget  founded  at  Kildare, 
in  480,  the  celebrated  abbey  of  which  she 
was  abbess.  This  holy  virgin  was  born  in 
a  village  called  Fochart,  in  the  territory  of 
Conal-Murthumne,  now  the  county  of  Louth, 
towards  the  middle  of  the  fifth  century  ;*  her 
father  was  Dubthach,  a  powerful  lord  in 
Leinster,  of  the  race  of  Eocha-Fionn,  bro- 
ther of  the  monarch  Conn-Keadcaha,  whose 
tribe  settled  in  this  province.! 

Although  Bridget  was  the  fruit  of  a  crim- 
inal intercourse  of  Dubthach  with  Brot- 
seach,  God,  who  can  draw  the  most  heroic 
virtues  from  crime  itself,  compensated  for 
the  sinfulness  of  her  birth,  by  such  abundant 
graces,  that  she  became  a  vessel  of  election, 
and  a  rare  model  of  perfection. 

Having  received  the  veil,  with  several  of 
her  companions,  from  the  hands  of  Machi- 
lenus,  a  bishop  and  disciple  of  St.  Patrick, 
St.  Bridget  retired  into  a  territory  in  Lein- 
ster, where,  in  a  forest  of  oak,  she  founded 
a  monastery,  which  was  head  of  its  order, 
and  where  she  established  particular  rules. 
This  place  has  been  since  called  Kil-Dare, 
"  Cella  roborum,"  signifying  the  church  in 
the  oaks.  It  was  there  that  this  holy  virgin 
displayed  all  those  virtues  that  she  possessed 
in  so  eminent  a  degree,  of  which  the  love  of 
God  and  our  neighbor  formed  the  basis  of 
every  other.  This  divine  love  with  which 
her  heart  was  inflamed,  was  represented  by 
a  natural  fire,  which  she  caused  to  be  kept 
up  for  the  relief  of  the  poor ;  it  was  after- 
wards called  inextinguishable,  from  its  hav- 
ing lasted  for  many  ages  ;  and  though  from 
its  beginning  a  large  quantity  of  wood  and 
other  combustible  materials  had  been  used  to 
feed  it,  it  is  extraordinary  that  the  ashes 
never  increased. |    This  miracle  is  elegantly 

*  Usser.  Primord.  Eccles.  c.  15,  pp.  627,  705,  et  706. 
t  Trias.  Thaum.  Vit.  S.  Brigid.  ad  1  Febr. 
t  •'  Kildare,    a    city    of     Leiuster,    the    glorious 
Bridget  hath  rendered  illustrious  by  her  many  mira- 
:  cles,   which  are   worthy  of    being    recorded ;    and 
I  among  the  first  is  Bridget's  fire.    This,  they  say,  was 
i  inextinguishable,  not  because  it  could  not  be  extin- 
]  guished,  but  the  nuns  and  holy  women   anxiously 
j  supplied  the  material  for  the  fire,  so  that  during  so 
many  years,  the  fire  continued  without  becoming  ex- 
tinct ;  and  notwithstanding  the  heaps  of  wood  con- 
sumed for  so   long  a  period,  the  ashes  had  never 


expressed  by  Edme  O'Dwyer,  bishop  of 
Limerick.*  She  died,  and  was  interred  in 
her  abbey  of  Kildare,  from  whence  her  body 
Avas  transferred,  some  time  afterwards,  to 
Down,  in  Ulster,  where  it  was  deposited 
with  the  bodies  of  St.  Patrick  and  St.  Colunib- 
KiU.f 

The  eminent  charity,  and  the  great  num- 
ber of  miracles  which  God  had  wrought 
through  her  intercession,  caused  her  to  be 
placed,  immediately  after  her  death,  among 
the  most  illustrious  saints.  Parents  were 
emulous  to  give  her  name  to  their  female 
children.  The  church  erected  altars,  and 
dedicated  temples  to  her,  which  honors  were 
surpassed  by  those  which  she  received  from 
posterity.  Ireland  considered  her  as  her 
patroness  ;  and  her  reputation  soon  spread 
itself  beyond  the  narrow  limits  of  that  island. 
All  Europe  participated  in  this  devotion. 
Her  name  is  invoked  at  Seville,  Lisbon, 
Placentia,  Tours,  Besan^on ;  at  Namur,  in 
the  abbey  of  Fulda,  in  which  are  some  of 
her  relics  ;  at  Cologne,  where  one  of  the 
principal  churches  in  the  city  is  dedicated  to 
her  ;|  and  lastly,  in  London,  where  there  is 
still  a  church  that  bears  her  name. 

This  devotion  was  strengthened  by  an 
office  of  nine  lessons,  in  honor  of  this  saint, 
which  is  to  be  met  with  in  several  Breviaries 
in  Europe  ;  in  an  ancient  Roman  one  printed 
at  Venice,  in  1522;  in  that  of  Gien,  (in 
Breviario  Giennensi,)  in  Italy ;  in  that  of 
the  regular  canons  of  liateran  ;  in  an  ancient 
Breviary  of  Quimper  in  Armorica ;  in  a 
church  bearing  her  name  at  Cologne,  of 
which  she  is  patroness ;  and  finally,  in  a 
chapel  dedicated  to  her  in  the  territory  of 
Fosse,  diocess  of  Maestricht.  We  find  an 
office  to  St.  Bridget  in  the  Breviaries  and 
Missals  of  Maestricht,  Mayence,  Treves, 
Wirtsburg,  Constance,  Strasburg,  and  other 
towns  of  Germany. 

been  increased." — Giraldus  Cambrensis,  Topog.  c. 
24. 

*  "  The  hearth  burns  with  Bridget's  incessant 
fire,  but  the  ashes  is  not  increased  thereby.  What 
means  that  burning  pile  ?  Is  it  the  emblem  of  an 
ardent  soul  ?  Is  living  love  marked  by  the  living 
flame?  If  this  flame,  while  Bridget  feeds  her  fires, 
continue  without  becoming  extinct,  it  will  not  die." 

t  In  Burgo  Duno,  tumulo  tumulantur  in  uno 
Brigida,  Patricius.  atque  Columba  pius. 

"  In  Down,  Bridget,  Patrick,  and  St.  Columb- 
Kill,  are  buried  in  one  tomb." 

\  ••'  The  fifth  is  the  parish  church,  dedicated  to  the 
holy  Virgin  Bridget.  This  parish  being  joined  to 
that  of  St.  Martin  the  elder,  on  one  side  it  is  joined 
to  Lank-Gasin-street ;  it  was  erected  in  honor  of 
the  aforesaid  Bridget  who  was  a  Scot,  and  a  holy 
virgin.  Her  festival  is  on  the  first  of  February." — 
Erhardus  Winheim. 


166 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


Mortoijofh,  otherwise  Murchcrtach  Mac- 
I  Earcha,  succceiled  Luoha  VII  :*  his  father 
was  Muiredach,  son  ot"  Eogan,  and  grand- 
son of  the  monarch  Ni all  the  Great. t  He 
was  called  Mac-Earca,!  that  is,  son  of  Earca, 
from  the  name  of  his  mother,  who  was  daugh- 
ter of  Loarne,  the  eldest  of  the  six  hrothers 
who  had  led  the  colony  to  Albania. §  In  the 
reign  of  this  monarch,  Oilioll,  son  of  Mor- 
tough,  reigned  in  Leinster,  and  Cormac, 
descended  in  the  eighth  degree  from  Oilioll- 
Olum,  by  Eogan-More,  in  Munster. 

This  prince  was  not  less  remarkable  for 
his  Christian  piety,  than  for  his  valor  as  a 
warrior. II  He  aflbrded  particular  protection 
to  religion,  as  well  as  his  wife,  Sabina,  who 
died  with  a  high  reputation  for  sanctity. 

In  the  beginning  of  Christianity  there 
were  several  bishoprics  in  Meath,  namely, 
those  of  Cluan-Araird,  or  Clonard,  Dam- 
liag,  or  Duleek,  Ceannanus,  now  Kells, 
Trim,  Ardbreccan,  Donseaghlin,  Slane, 
Foure,  and  others.  All  those  sees,  except 
Duleek  and  Kells,  were  united  towards  the 
beginning  of  the  twelfth  century,  to  form 
the  see  of  Clonard  :  Duleek  and  Kells  after- 
wards shared  the  same  fate. 

St.  Finian,  or  Finan,  sometimes  also  called 
Finbar,T[  son  of  Fintan,  a  subtle  philoso- 
pher, and  profound  theologian,  was  first 
bishop  of  Clonard  ;  he  was  of  the  noble  race 
of  the  Clanna-Rorys,  and  his  piety  added 
new  lustre  to  his  birth.  Having  been  bap- 
tized by  St.  Abhan,  he  was  placed  under  the 
guidance  of  St.  Fortkern,  bishop  of  Trim, 
where  he  remained  till  the  age  of  thirty  years, 
continually  profiting  by  the  instructions  of 
this  holy  bishop.  He  afterwards  went  into 
Britain,  and  became  attached  to  St.  David, 
bishop  of  Menevia,  in  Wales,  by  whom  he 
was  particularly  beloved  for  his  piety  and 
learning  ;**  he  remained  thirty  years  in  Brit- 
ain, where  he  founded  three  churches. ft 

Having  returned  to  his  own  country,  and 
being  consecrated  bishop  in  520,  he  estab- 

*  Keat.  History  of  Ireland. 
t  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  93. 

t  War.  de  Aiitiq.  Hib.  cap.  4;  et  Usser.  passim  ; 
et  Bruodin,  Propiig.  lib.  5,  cup.  13. 

§  Colg.  Vit.  S.  Brigid.  Prnnf.  ad  lectorem. 

A  man  renowned  in  war,  he  routed  the  enemy 


lished  his  see  at  Clonard,  on  the  river  Boyne, 
in  Meath,  where  he  founded  a  school,  or  uni- 
versity, celebrated  for  the  great  concourse  of 
students,  amounting  sometimes  to  three  thou- 
sand, among  whom  were  a  great  number  of 
subjects  celebrated  for  their  sanctity  and 
learning.  Of  this  number  the  two  St.  Kier- 
ans,  the  two  Brendans,  the  two  Columbs, 
namely,  Columb-Kill,  and  Columb,  son  of 
Crimthan,  Lascrian,  son  of  Nathfrach,  Cain- 
ec,  Moveus,  and  Ruadan  ;  and  as  this  school 
was  called  "  a  wonderful  sanctuary  of  wis- 
dom," by  the  author  of  his  life,  "  totius  sa- 
pientiffi  admirabile  sacrarium,"  so  this  saint 
was  called  Finian  the  Wise. 

It  appears  from  the  registry  of  the  church 
of  Meath,  quoted  by  Usher,  that  the  terri- 
tory of  Clonard  was  given  to  St.  Finian  and 
his  successors,  by  St.  Kieran  the  younger, 
to  whom  it  belonged.* 

Usher  discovers  some  difficulty  respecting 
St.  Kiaran-Saighir,  who  is  said  to  have  as- 
sisted at  the  school  of  St.  Finian  ;  according 
to  his  calculation  he  was  born  in  352. f  AVe 
should  then  suppose  that  he  lived  to  the  age 
of  168  years  :  this  would  not  have  been  im- 
possible, as  many  instances  of  the  same  oc- 
curred in  after  ages.  Whatever  might  have 
been  the  time  of  his  birth.  Ware  fixes  his 
death  in  549,  and  Usher  himself  in  552. | 
Besides,  according  to  the  author  of  St.  Kier- 
an's  life,  he  was  humble,  and  fond  of  hearing 
the  holy  Scriptures  expounded  ;  so  that  nei- 
ther his  old  age,  nor  his  great  learning,  not 
even  the  episcopal  dignity,  made  him  asham- 
ed of  being  called  a  pupil  of  St.  Finian.^ 

According  to  some,  St.  Finian  died  the 
12th  of  December,  552,  and  according  to 
others,  in  563,  and  was  interred  in  his  church 
of  Clonard.  The  annals  of  the  four  masters 
fix  his  death  in  548.  Usher,  who  calls  him 
the  first  of  the  saints  of  the  second  order  in 


*  "  St.  Kieran  gave  to  his  teacher,  St.  Finian, 
and  to  his  successors,  the  lordship  of  Clonard,  and 
small  farms  annexed  to  it." — Usher,  C.  Hist.  c.  17, 
p.  909. 

t  Primord.  Eccles.  cap.  16,  page  788. 

4  De  Episc.  Ossor.  et  Ind.  Chron.  page  1140,  ad 
ann.  552. 

§  "  St.  Kiaranus  was  very  humble  in  all  things  ; 

he  loved  to  hear  and  learn  the  divine  Scripture,  till 

ill  17  battles,  notwithstanding  which   he  practised  I  he  became  enfeebled  by  old  age.     It  is  said  of  him, 

that  he  went,  with  other  saints  of  his  time,  to  the 
holy  and  wise  Finianus,  abbot  of  the  monastery  of 
Clonard,  and  in  his  old  age  read  the  divine  writings 
in  his  holy  school.  After  this  the  holy  Kieranus 
is  called,  as  well  as  other  saints  in  Ireland,  the  dis- 
ciple of  Saint  Finianus.  Though  he  himself  was 
old,  wise,  and  a  learned  bishop,  still  he  took  pleasure 
to  learn  at  the  feet  of  another,  for  the  sake  of  hu- 
mility and  his  love  of  wisdom." — Usher,  C.  Hist. 
c.  17,  p.  909. 


piety,  and  adorned  by  holy  works  the  Christian  faith 
which  he  had  received." — Graf.  Luc.  c.  9. 

IT   Colg.  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  ad  23  Febr. 

**  Usser.  Primord.  cap.  17,  page  912. 

tt  "  Finianus  having  left  Ireland,  his  country, 
went  to  Britain,  to  David,  with  whom,  the  writer  of 
his  life  says,  that  he  had  found  two  other  holy  men, 
Gildas  and  Cathmalius  ;  that  he  spent  30  years  in  it, 
and  had  founded  three  churches." — Usher,  C.  Hist, 
ad  ann.  491. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


167 


Ireland,  says  that  he  died  in  552  ;  but  he  I 
apparently  forgets  what  he  says  in  another 
place,  of  the  penance  which  St.  Finian  had 
imposed  on  St.  Columb-Kill,  for  having  been 
accessary  to  the  battle  of  Cnildreimne,  which 
took  place  between  Dermod  the  monarch, 
and  the  tribes  of  the  Conalls,  on  the  con- 
fines of  Ulster  and  Connaught,  in  561.* 

The  church  of  Duleek  was  founded  in 
the  time  of  St.  Patrick,  by  St.  Kenan,  or 
Cranan,  Avho  was  first  bishop  of  it.f  He 
was  of  the  royal  race  of  the  kings  of  Mun- 
ster,  having  been  descended  in  the  sixth  de- 
gree from  Kiann,  son  of  Oilioll-Olum.  He 
was  baptized  by  St.  Patrick,  who  had  adopt- 
ed him  for  his  son,  and  having  instructed 
him  in  divine  literature,  and  in  virtue,  he 
became  a  man  of  rare  sanctity.  The  au- 
thor of  this  saint's  life,  quoted  by  Usher, 
gives  a  different  account  of  him  ;|  he  says 
he  was  a  pupil  of  the  monl^  Nathan,  and 
adds,  that  in  his  youth  he  had  been  one  of 
the  five  hostages  the  princes  of  the  country 
had  sent  to  the  monarch  Laogare  :  and  that 
having  been  delivered  from  tyranny  through 
the  intercession  of  St.  Kieran,  he  went  to 
France,  where  he  remained  for  some  time  in 
the  abbey  of  St.  Martin  of  Tours,  and  had 
himself  instructed  in  the  monastic  discipline. 
On  his  return  to  his  country,  he  converted 
several  to  the  Christian  religion  in  Con- 
naught  and  Leinster,  and  founded  a  church 
in  the  latter  province,  in  a  place  called  after 
him  Coll-Cianan,  which  signifies  the  wood 
of  Kenan.  He  afterwards  visited  the  coun- 
try of  Tyrone,  which  belonged  to  Eogan, 
uncle  of  his  mother  Ethne  ;  in  this  territory 
he  broke  an  idol,  and  in  the  place  where  the 
altar  stood,  which  was  dedicated  to  it,  he 
founded  a  church,  to  which  he  appointed 
his  well-beloved  disciple,  Congall.  It  is 
mentioned  in  a  manuscript  in  the  library  of 
Cambridge,  which  contains  the  office  of  this 
saint,  that  he  had  built  a  stone  church  at 
Damleagh,  wliich  signifies,  in  the  Scotic 
language,  a  house  of  stone.  Our  saint  died 
the  24th  of  November,  488  or  489,  the  day 
on  which  his  festival  is  celebrated  at  Du- 
leek. 

It  is  not  exactly  known  at  what  time 
Ceannanus,  or  Kells,  was  made  a  bishop- 
ric, nor  who  was  first  bishop  of  it ;  it 
was  probably  after  the  building  of  a  cele 
brated  abbey  which  St.  Columb-Kill  had 

*  Usser.  Priinord.  Eccles.  c.  15,  page  694,  et 
cap.  17,  pages  902—904,  1035,  1026. 

t  Trias  Thaum.  Vit.  Tripart.  S.  Pair,  page  146, 
cap.  126,  note  191. 

X  Primord.  Eccles.  p.  1070,  Idem  Ind.  Chron.  ad 
aim.  450. 


founded  in  550,  on  the  ground  which  Der- 
mod, son  of  Kerveoil,  and  monarch  of  the 
island,  had  given  him  for  that  purpose. 
The  city  of  Kells  was  formerly  considered 
one  of  the  first  in  the  kingdom,*  and  cele- 
brated both  for  the  abbey  of  Saint  Columb- 
Kill,  and  for  having  been  the  birthplace  of 
St.  Cuthbert,  bishop  of  Landisfarne,  in  Eng- 
land, as  appears  by  his  life,  which  is  pre- 
served in  the  Cottonian  library  at  Oxford. f 
The  abbey  of  Foure,  founded  by  St.  Fechin 
in  the  seventh  century,  was  afterwards  made 
a  cathedral  church. :j:  The  first  bishop  was 
St.  Suarlech,  who  died  the  24th  of  March, 
745.  We  discover  but  one  successor  to  this 
prelate,  who  Avas  Aidgene,  who  died  the 
first  of  May,  766.  It  is  likely  that  this 
church  remained  without  a  bishop,  with  the 
title  of  abbey  as  before. 

The  churches  of  Trim  and  Donseaghlin, 
were  founded  by  the  nephews  of  St.  Patrick; 
the  former  by  St.  Luman,  the  latter  by  St. 
Secundin,  or  Sechnall ;  those  of  Slane  and 
Ardbraccan,  by  St.  Ere  and  St.  Ultan,  the 
former  of  whom  died  in  513,  and  the  latter 
in  657.  As  these  saints  had  founded  those 
churches,  they  were  also  their  first  bishops. 
All  those  sees  were  afterwards  united,  and 
have  formed  for  a  long  time  but  one  bishop- 
ric, which  is  that  of  Meath,  first  suffi-agan 
of  Ardmach. 

Ross,  formerly  Ross-x\ilithsi,  on  the  sea- 
shore,§  in  the  territory  of  Carbury,  in 
the  county  of  Cork,  was  celebrated  in  the 
sixth  century  for  the  monastery  which  St. 
Fachnan,l|  a  wise  and  moral  man,  "  Vir 
sapiens  et  probus,"  had  founded  there,  and 
the  famous  school  he  established. T  In  the 
Scotic  language,  Ross  signifies  a  verdant 
plain,  and  Ailithri  a  pilgrimage  ;  from 
whence  is  derived  the  name  of  this  place, 
which  was  formerly  much  frequented  by  pil- 
grims. There  is  some  doubt  respecting  the 
time  of  the  foundation  of  the  cathedral  of 


*  Usser.  Primord.  Eccles.  cap.  17,  page  945. 

t  War.  de  Script.  Hib.  c.  3,  Act.  SS.  Hib.  Vit. 
S.  Cuthbert,  ad  20  Mar. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Fech.  ad  20  Jan. 

§  War.  de  Episc.  Rossens. 

II  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Mochoem,  ad  13  Mar. 
et  note  7,  et  8. 

IT  "  Tliere  was  another  excellent  establishment 
for  literature  at  Ross,  in  Carbry,  which  was  an- 
ciently called  Ross-Aiiithri,  and  was  founded  in  the 
6th  century  by  Saint  Fachnanus,  of  whom  the 
biographer  of  St.  Mocoemogus  thus  speaks  :  '  Saint 
Fachnanus  lived  iu  the  southern  part  of  Ireland, 
near  the  sea,  in  his  own  monastery,  which  had  been 
founded  by  him  ;  a  city  sprang  up  there,  in  which 
scholastic  studies  flourished — it  was  called  Ross- 
Ailithri.'  " — Ware's  Antiquities,  c.  15. 


168 


HISTORY   OP    IRELAND. 


this  bishopric,  and  the  name  of  the  first 
bishop ;  it  is,  however,  likely  that  it  was 
founded  by  St.  Fachnan,  as  he  is  called 
bishop  in  an  ancient  niartyrology  on  the 
14th  of  August,  the  day  on  which  his 
memory  is  honored  at  Ross-Ailithri,  and  at 
Dar-Iuis,  where  he  had  been  abbot ;  but  the 
year  of  his  death  is  not  known. 

The  episcopal  see  of  Ardfert  is  situated  in 
the  county  of  Kerry  :  formerly  called  Ciar- 
ruid  :*  this  was  the  native  country  of  St. 
Brendan,  abbot  of  Clonfert,  to  whom  the 
church  of  Ardfert  is  dedicated.  St.  Bren- 
dan made  his  first  studies  in  his  own  country 
under  the  bishop  Ert ;  he  afterwards  went, 
with  the  consent  of  his  parents  and  master, 
to  Connaught,  where  he  applied  himself 
closely  to  the  study  of  theology,  under  St 
Jarleth,  bishop  of  Tuam. 

It  is  not  sufficiently  ascertained  that  Ert 
was  bishop  of  that  see  ;  still,  his  sojourn  in 
the  country  is  a  strong  ground  for  supposing 
it,  particidarly  as  no  opinion  is  opposed  to 
it.  According  to  the  historians  and  public 
registries  of  the  country,  the  bishops  of  that 
see  were  sometimes  called  bishops  of  Kerry, 
and  sometimes  of  larmuin,  which  signifies 
western  Munster.  Ardfert  means  a  marvel 
lous  elevation,  or  the  height  of  miracles 
That  place  is  at  present  called  Ardart. 

The  bishopric  of  Tuam,  anciently  called 
Tuam-Da-Gualand,  in  Connaught,  had  for 
its  founder  and  first  bishop,  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  sixth  century,  St.  Jarlath,  son 
of  Loga,  a  descendant  of  Conmacne,  son  of 
Feargus-Roigh,  of  the  race  of  the  Clanna- 
Rorys,  and  of  Maude,  queen  of  Connaught, 
some  time  before  the  Christian  era.f  He 
was  a  native  of  the  territory  anciently  called 
Conmacne  of  Kinel  Dubhain,  and  after- 
wards Conmacne  of  Dunmor,  where  Tuam 
is  situated,  in  the  county  of  Galway,  the 
country  of  his  ancestors.^  He  was  disciple 
of  St.  Binen,  who  succeeded  St.  Patrick  in 
the  see  of  Ardmach,  from  whom  he  received 
holy  orders  about  the  end  of  the  fifth  cen- 
tury. Jarlath  was  a  man  of  such  profound 
learning,  and  his  piety  at  the  same  time  so 
great,  that  it  is  difficult  to  determine  in 
which  of  them  he  excelled. 

Having  left  his  master  St.  Binen,  he  with- 
drcAv  to  Cluanfois,  near  Tuam,  in  the  terri- 
tory of  Conmacne  of  Kinel  Dubhain,  his  na- 
tive country,  where  he  founded  a  monastery 
and  established  a  school,  which  became  cel- 

*  War.  de  Episc.  Ardfertens. 

t  War.  de  Prsesul.  Tuamens. ;  Usser.  Prim.  Ec- 
cles.  c.  16,  p.  914;  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Jarlath, 
ad  11  Feb. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  46. 


ebrated  for  the  great  immber  who  received 
their  education  in  it ;  among  others,  St. 
Brendan,  founder  and  first  abbot  of  the 
abbey  of  Clonfert,  and  St.  Colman,  founder 
and  first  bishop  of  (31oyne.  He  also  founded 
the  cathedral  of  Tuam,  which  was  after- 
wards dedicated  to  his  memory,  and  called 
in  the  language  of  the  country,  Tempull- 
Jarlath,  which  signifies  the  temple  of  lar- 
lath.  After  governing  the  church  of  Tuam 
for  a  long  time,  this  saint  ended  his  days, 
at  an  advanced  age,  the  26th  of  December, 
or,  as  some  assert,  the  11th  of  February; 
the  year  of  his  death  is  not  so  well  known  ; 
according  to  Colgan,  it  took  place  about 
the  year  540.  His  relics  were  enshrined 
long  after  his  death,  in  a  silver  shrine,  and 
deposited  in  a  church  in  Tuam.  The  sees 
of  Mayo,  or  Magio,  and  Enaghdune,  were 
united  to  Tuam  in  the  latter  ages. 

The  bishopric  of  Achonry,  otherwise 
Achad,  or  Achad-Conair,*  in  the  territory  of 
Luigny,  now  the  barony  of  I^eny,  in  the 
county  Sligo  in  Connaught,  was  founded 
about  the  year  530,  by  St.  Finian,  bishop 
of  Clonard.f  The  lord  of  the  district,  one 
of  the  ancestors  of  the  noble  family  of  the 
O'Haras,  having  granted  him  a  suitable  ij 
portion  of  land,  he  built  a  cathedral  church 
upon  it,  which  he  soon  afterwards  resigned 
to  his  disciple  Nathy,  a  man  commendable 
for  his  sanctity .|  St.  Nathy  was  also  called 
Comragh  or  Cruimthir.  The  author  of  the 
life  of  St.  Finian  gives  him  only  the  title  of 
priest ;  but  he  who  wrote  the  life  of  St. 
Fechin,  calls  him  prelate  of  Achad-Conair.^ 
His  festival  is  celebrated  the  9th  of  August, 
and  the  cathedral  church  acknowledges  him 
as  its  patron. 

St.  Moinenn,  or  Moenenn,  is  looked  upon 
as  the  founder  and  first  bishop  of  Clonfert, 
situated  in  Connaught,  at  some  distance  from 
the  river  Shannon. ||  According  to  Colgan, 
St.  Brendan  was  the  founder  of  this  bishop- 
ric, which  he  afterwards  resigned  to  St. 
Moinenn,  who  was  bishop  after  him.T[ 

However  this  be,  it  is  always  admitted 
that  Brendan,  son  of  Finloga,  who  was 
pupil,  in  his  youth,  of  bishop  Ert,  in  the 
county  of  Kerry,  of  which  he  was  a  native, 
and  contemporary  and  fellow-student  of  St. 


*  War.  de  PriEsul.  Achadens. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Fecliin,  ed.  20  Jan. 
not.  7. 

t  Act.  Sane.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Finian,  ad  23  Feb.  c. 
26,  not.  29. 

§  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  2,  Vit.  S.  Fechin,  ad  20  Jan. 
cap.  7. 

II  War.  de  Prassul.  Clonfertens. 

IT  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Moen.  ad  1  Mart. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


169 


Brendan  of  Birr,  was  founder  of  an  abbey 
at  Clonfert,  near  the  river  Shannon,  in  558, 
of  which  he  was  abbot.  It  is  also  well 
known  that  he  died  the  16th  of  May,  577, 
at  Enaghdune,  aged  93  years,  and  that  his 
body  was  removed  from  thence  and  interred 
in  his  abbey  of  Clonfert.*  His  life,  which 
was  written  in  verse,  is  preserved  in  the 
Cottonian  library  at  Westminster. 

The  annals  of  the  country  make  mention 
of  St.  Moenenn,  bishop  of  Cluain-Ferta,  and 
fix  his  death  on  the  1st  of  March,  570,  during 
the  lifetime  of  St.  Brendan,  who  died,  accord- 
ing to  the  same  annals,  in  576  or  577. f  The 
real  name  of  our  saint  was  Nennius,  or  Nen- 
nio,  but  he  was  commonly  called  Mo-Nenn. 
The  monosyllable  Mo,  signifies  Mi/  ;  and  it 
was  often  added  by  the  ancient  Irish,  from 
regard  or  respect,  "  observantiae  causa,"  to 
the  names  of  the  saints  whom  they  held  in 
greatest  veneration. 

The  following  monasteries  were  founded 
during  the  reign  of  Mortough  Mac-Earca 

The  abbey  of  Lismore,  or  Kilmore,  county 
of  Ardmach,  Avas  founded  by  St.  Moctec.  It 
is  said  that  he  established  a  particular  order 
in  it-l 

The  abbey  of  Kilcomain  in  the  territory 
of  Hy-Failge,  in  the  county  of  Kildare, 
which  is  now  but  a  parish  called  Gesille, 
was  founded  by  St.  Colman,  son  of  Brecan, 
a  prince  of  the  royal  race  of  Ireland,  and  of 
Dina,  daughter  of  a  Saxon  prince.  Colgan 
obsei'ves  that  there  were  two  churches  of  this 
name  which  were  not  convents  ;  one  in  the 
islands  of  Arran,  diocese  of  Tuam,  and  the 
other  in  ancient  Dalrieda  in  Ulster. § 

The  monastery  of  Eadardruim,  in  the 
territory  of  Tuath-Ainlighe,  in  the  diocese 
of  Elphin,  county  of  Roscommon,  was 
founded  by  St.  Diradius,  son  of  Bracan, 
brother  of  St.  Coeman,  and  of  several  other 
saints  of  both  sexes,  one  of  whom  was  mother 
of  St.  David,  bishop  of  Menevia  in  Wales. || 

The  abbey  of  Ciune,  otherwise  Cluan- 
Eois,  or  Clonish,  in  the  territory  of  Mon- 
aghan,  was  -founded  and  dedicated  to  the 
apostles  St.  Peter  and  Paul,  by  St.  Tigernac, 
a  bishop.^ 

The  priory  of  Ross-Ailithri,  or  Ross- 
Cairbre,  situated  in  a  territory  of  that  name 


*  Usser.  Prim.  Eccles.  Brit.  cap.  17,  p.  955,  et 
Idem,  Ind.  Chron.  ad  an.  577. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Moinenn.  ad  Mart. 
not.  1. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Vit.  S.  Moct.  ad  24  iMart. 

§  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Canoe,  ad  11  Feb. 

II   Ibidem,  et  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irlaude. 

IT  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Moinen.  ad  1  Mart, 
et  Usser.  Prim.  cap.  17,  p.  856. 


in  the  county  of  Cork,  Avas  founded  for 
regular  canons  by  St.  Fachnan,  who  was 
first  abbot  of  it.*  That  place  was  celebrated 
for  learning,  as  we  have  already  observed  : 
"  Magiio  florebat  honore,  ob  antiquam  ibi 
Musarum  sedem." 

The  abbey  of  Inis-Muighe-Samh,  in  an 
island  in  lake  Erne,  in  the  county  of  Fer- 
managh, was  founded  by  St.  Nennidius.f 

The  abbeys  of  Ross-Tuirck,  and  Cluain- 
Imurchir,  in  the  territory  of  Ossory,  were 
founded  by  St.  Brecan,  or  Brocan.f 

St.  Abbau,  son  of  Connac,  king  of  Leiu- 
ster,  founded  during  this  reign  the  ab- 
beys of  Druim-Chaoin,  Camross,  Maghere- 
Muidhe,  Fion-Magh,  Disert-Cheanan,  &c., 
in  the  county  of  Wexford ;  the  abbey  of 
Kil-Abbain,  in  Meath  ;  Kil-Abbain,  in  Clen- 
malire ;  the  abbeys  of  Cluain-Ard,  Cluin- 
Find-Glaise,  and  Killachiud-Conch,  in  the 
territory  of  Cork. 

The  monastery  of  Kil-Na-Marbhan,  which 
signifies  the  church  of  the  Dead,  in  the  ter- 
ritory of  Nandesi,  and  county  of  Waterford  :^ 
the  monastery  of  Cluain-Combruin,  in  the 
territory  of  Mac-Femhin,  county  of  Tip- 
perary. 

Lastly,  this  saint  founded  two  monasteries 
for  females  ;  namely,  that  of  Kil-Aillbe,  in 
Meath,  and  Burneach,  in  the  territory  of 
Muscraige,  or  Muskeri-Mitine,  in  the  diocese 
of  Cork,  of  which  St.  Gobnata  was  first 
abbess.  II 

The  abbey  of  Cluain-Eraraid,  now  Clo- 
nard,  on  the  left  bank  of  tie  river  Boyne,  in 
Meath,  was  founded  by  St.  Finian.  This 
abbey  was  rich,  and  celebrated  for  the  school 
or  university  which  this  saint,  who  is  called 
the  master  of  most  of  the  Irish  saints,  (the 
most  considerable  of  whom  have  been  his 
disciples,)  had  established  there. 

The  monasteries  of  Kilboedan,  afterwards 
Kiloscoba,  Avas  foimded  by  St.  Boedan,  son 
of  Eugene,  and  descended  in  the  fifth  degree 
from  Oilioll-Flan-Beg,  great-grandson  of 
OilioU-Olum,  king  of  Munster:!  he  Avas 
sixth  son  of  Eugene  ;  he  and  his  five  brothers, 
namely,  Becan,  Culan,  Emin,  or  Evin,  Der- 
mod,  Corbmac,  and  Boedan,  Avere  all  re- 
markable for  their  contempt  of  VA^orldly 
greatness,  and  the  number  of  monasteries 
they  had  founded  in  the  different  provinces 
of  Ireland. 


*  War.  de  Antiq.  cap.  26. 
t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Nennid.  ad  18  Jan. 
t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Abban.   ad   16   3Iart. 
not.  40. 

§  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  p.  56; 

II  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Gobn.  ad  11  Feb. 

IT  Act.  Sanct.  Vit.  Boedan.  ad  23  Mart. 


170 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


Tuathal  II.,  surnamcd  Maolgarbh,  great- 
grandson  of  Niall  the  Great,  by  Cairbre, 
succeeded  Mortough,  a.  d.  533. 

Although  the  greater  part  of  this  monarch's 
reign  was  peaceful,  the  people  of  Leinster 
made  war  against  prince  Earca,  son  of 
OilioU-Molt,  and  chief  of  the  tribe  of  the 
Firearcas,  who  lost  his  life  at  the  famous 
battle  of  Tortan.*  The  battle  of  Sligo  was 
fought,  some  time  afterwards,  between  the 
two  princes  Feargus  and  Domhnall,  sons 
of  Mortough  Mac-Earca,  and  Eogan  Beal, 
king  of  Connaught,  who  was  unhappily  slain 
in  it. 

After  a  reign  of  eleven  years,  Tuathal  was 
killed  by  Maolmor,  foster-brother  of  Dermod, 
for  whom  this  regicide  wished  to  open  the 
way  to  the  throne ;  he  did  not,  however, 
triumph  in  his  crime,  having  been  pierced  by 
the  blows  of  the  king's  attendants.! 

The  founding  of  the  following  abbeys  can 
be  traced  to  the  reign  of  Tuathal  II. 

The  abbey  of  All  Saints,  in  an  island  in 
lake  Ree,  territory  of  Longford,  founded  by 
St.  Kieran  the  Younger. ij.  Colgan  observes 
that  this  abbey  was  called  "  Monasterium 
Inisense,  or  Insulense  ;"  and  that  there  was 
a  regular  canon  of  this  house,  called  Augustin 
Magraidin,  who  Avas  a  celebrated  writer  of 
the  lives  of  the  Irish  saints,  and  that  he  had 
composed  a  chronicle  of  Ireland,  down  to 
1405,  when  he  died. 

The  abbey  of  Angine,  which  is  another 
island  in  the  same  lake,  called  holy  or  sacred 
from  the  great  number  of  monks  who  inhab 
ited  those  islands,  was  founded  by  the  same 
St.  Kieran. 

Allemand  here  reproaches  Usher  with  an 
anachronism,  who  says  that  this  abbey  was 
founded  by  St.  Kieran  in  the  middle  of  the 
sixth  century,  that  is,  in  554,  and  agrees  in 
another  place  that  St.  Kieran  was  born  in 
the  island  of  Clare,  at  the  entrance  of  the 
bay  of  Baltimore,  in  352  ;  therefore,  con- 
tinues he,  if  St.  Kieran  had  built  an  abbey, 
it  would  follow  that  this  saint  lived  nearly 
two  centuries,  &c. 

However,  this  pretended  anachronism  is 
founded  only  on  an  error  of  fact  on  the  part 
of  this  critic,  who  makes  no  distinction,  as 
Usher  does,  between  St.  Kieran,  surnamed 
Saighir,  born  towards  the  end  of  the  fourth 
century,  and  St.  Kieran  the  younger,  sur- 
named Itheir,  who  was  born  in  the  beginning 
of  the  sixth,  and  who  was  founder  of  the 
above-mentioned  abbey. 

*  Usser.  Passim. 

t  Triad.  Thaum.  lib.  2,  et  Vit.  S.  Patr.  c.  27, 
28,  ct  Grat.  Luc.  c.  9. 

i  War.  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26,  and  Allemand,  Hist 
Monast.  d'Irlande,  p.  48. 


The  abbey  of  Cluain-Inis,  in  lake  Erne, 
in  the  county  of  Fermanagh,  was  founded 
by  St.  Sinellc,  who  flourished  in  540.* 

The  abbey  of  Ireland's  Eye,  an  island 
north  of  the  bay  of  Dublin,  was  founded 
about  this  time  by  St.  Nessan,  who  spent  his 
life  there  in  fasting  and  prayer. f 


CHAPTER  XI. 


Dermod  succeeded  to  the  monarchy  after 
the  death  of  Tuathal,  a.  D.  544  :  "  Totius 
Scotia;  regnator  Deo  autore  ordinatus  est."| 
This  prince  was  descended  from  Niall  the 
Great,  by  Conall  Crimthine  and  Feargus 
Kerveoil.  He  began  his  reign  by  pious  do- 
nations ;  he  founded  the  church  of  Cluan- 
Mac-Noisk,  gave  vSt.  Kieran  the  younger 
some  land  near  Mount-Usnach  in  West 
Meath,  and  to  St.  Columb,  the  territory  of 
Keannanus,  in  East  Meath.  He  frequently 
assembled  the  states  at  Tara,  where  he  made 
very  useful  laws  for  the  state,  which  he 
caused  to  be  executed  Avith  great  rigor,  as 
he  condemned  his  own  son  Breasal  to  death 
for  having  violated  them. 

In  the  reign  of  this  monarch,  Oilioll,  son 
of  Mortough,  reigned  in  Leinster,  and  Cor- 
mac,  descended  in  the  eighth  degree  from 
Oilioli-Olum,  by  Eogan-More,  in  Munster.^ 

The  quarrel  between  the  two  princes 
Feargus  and  Domhnall,  children  of  Mur- 
tough  Mac-Earca,  and  the  princes  of  Con- 
naught,  still  continued,  and  was  not  ended 
till  after  a  second  action,  called  the  battle  of 
Cuill-Connaire,  in  which  Oilioll  was  killed, 
with  his  brother  Aodh-Fortamhail. 

A  love  of  justice  engaged  this  monarch  in 
a  war  with  Guaire,  king  of  the  Hy-Fiachras 
of  Connaught,  about  some  act  of  injustice 
of  which  that  prince  had  been  guilty  towards 
him.  The  monarch  having  marched  Avith 
his  army  towards  the  river  Shannon,  Guaire 
assembled  his  troops,  Avith  some  allies  of  the 
province  of  Munster,  to  meet  them.  The 
tAvo  armies  having  encamped  on  both  banks 
of  the  river,  disputed  its  passage ;  the 
monarch's  army,  however,  being  superior  in 
numbers  and  strength,  put  the  provincial 
troops  to  flight,  and  made  a  dreadful  slaugh- 
ter of  them.  After  this  defeat  Guaire,  having 
made  submission  to  the  monarch,  was  re- 
stored to  favor,  and  thus  the  Avar  ended. 

*  Allem.  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irlande,  p.  106. 

t  Idem,  page  8. 

t  Cambr.  Evers.  cap.  9. 

§  Colgan,  Vit.  S.  Brigid.  Praefat.  ad  lect. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


171 


Dermod  was  not  so  fortunate  in  the  oth- 
er wars  in  which  he  was  engaged  ;*  the 
battle  of  Cuildreimne,  which  he  fought  with 
the  two  princes  Feargus  and  DomhnalljWas 
fatal  to  him  :  he  lost  the  floAver  of  his  army, 
and  was  obliged  to  save  his  life  by  flight.! 
The  cause  of  this  battle  was  the  death  of 
a  nobleman  who  had  been  killed  at  Tara, 
during  the  assembly,  by  Conman-Mac- 
Hugue  :  the  murderer,  dreading  the  indig- 
nation of  Dermod,  sought  safety  with  the 
princes  Feargus  and  Domhnall,  who  were 
at  that  time  powerful  in  Ulster,  and  receiv- 
ed him  under  their  protection  ;  he  found  the 
same  protection  from  Columb-Kill,  who  was 
then  celebrated  for  his  sanctity  and  illustri- 
ous birth.  The  monarch,  always  active  in 
the  distribution  of  justice,  caused  the  cul- 
prit to  be  arrested,  and  condemned  him  to 
death,  which  gave  rise  to  the  war  between 
him  and  those  princes. |  After  this  war,  the 
monarch  perished  unfortunately  at  Rathbeg, 
in  a  house  which  had  taken  fire  ;  it  is  as- 
serted by  some  that  he  was  killed  by  Hugue 
Dubh,  son  of  Suibhne,  prince  of  Dalaradie. 
It  is  affirmed  by  Gratianus  Lucius,  after 
O'Duvegan,  that  he  was  the  greatest,  hand- 
somest, most  powerful,  and  skilful  legislator 
of  all  the  Christian  kings  of  Ireland.^ 

St.  Kieran,  or  Cieran,  the  pupil  of  St. 
Finian  in  the  schools  of  Clonard,  and  sur- 
named  the  Younger  to  distinguish  him  from 
St.  Kieran  Saighir,  who  was  called  the  an- 
j  cient,  with  respect  to  time  and  the  length  of 
his  life,  founded  the  abbey  of  Cluan-Mac- 
Noisk  in  548,  in  a  territory  on  the  banks«of 
the  river  Shannon,  formerly  called  Tipraic, 
or  Druim-Tipraid,  which  Dermod  the  mon- 
arch had  granted  him  for  that  purpose.  He 
was  of  the  race  of  the  Arads,  and  son  of 
Boenand,  who  was  called  the  Carpenter,! 
having  exercised  that  trade,  rather  through 
taste  than  to  earn  a  livelihood  :  he  was 
known  by  the  name  of  Kieran-Mac-Itheir, 
signifying  son  of  the  artisan.  This  saint 
died  in  the  flower  of  his  age  in  the  reputa- 
tion of  sanctity,  having  governed  his  abbey 
for  one  year,  and  lived  thirty-three. 

The  church  of  this  abbey  was  afterwards 
made  a  cathedral,  but  the  exact  time  is  un- 
known. If  it  be  true,  as  some  believe,  that 
St.  Kieran  was  a  bishop,  there  is  no  doubt 
respecting  the  origin  of  this  see.     Besides 

*  Keating  on  the  reign  of  this  monarch. 

t  Grat.  Luc.  c.  9,  and  Walsh,  Prosp.  d'Irl. 
sect.  3. 

t  Caput  9. 

§  War.  de  PrEBSul.  Clonmacnois,  and  Usser. 
Prim.  cap.  17,  pp.  909,  956. 

II  Idem,  Ind.  Chron.  pp.  1126,  1140. 


the  cathedral,  the  kings  and  princes  caused 
nine  other  churches  to  be  built  afterwards 
to  serve  as  sepulchres  :  O'Meolaghlin,  king 
of  Meath,  O'Connor  Don,  king  of  Con- 
naught,  O'Kelly,  Macarty-More,  Mac-Der- 
mot,  and  others,  had  each  their  churches  in 
it.  All  those,  together  with  the  cathedral, 
covered  a  space  only  of  about  seven  acres. 

This  cathedral  was  formerly  very  rich, 
and  was  celebrated  likewise  for  its  burial- 
place  ;  also  for  the  tombs  of  the  nobility 
and  bishops,  and  a  number  of  monuments 
and  inscriptions  on  marble  in  the  Scotic 
and  Hebrew  languages. 

In  the  Synod  held  by.  cardinal  Paparo, 
lagate  in  1152,  this  see  was  placed  among 
the  number  of  the  suflragans  of  Tuam  ; 
but  after  many  disputations  between  the 
archbishops  of  Armagh  and  Tuam  about  this 
see,  the  court  of  Rome  adjudged  it  to  the  pro- 
vince of  Ardmach  :  it  was  at  length  united 
to  the  see  of  Meath,  in  the  sixth  century. 

The  number  of  churches  founded  during 
this  reign,  denotes  both  the  piety  of  the 
faithful  and  the  liberality  of  the  prince. 

St.  Columb,  surnamed  Kill,  signifying 
Church,  founded  more  than  a  hundred 
churches  and  religious  houses.*  This  saint 
was  of  the  royal  race,  having  been  de- 
scended in  the  fourth  degree  from  the  mon- 
arch Niall  the  Great,  by  his  son  Conall 
Gulban,  prince  of  Tirconnel,  and  chief  of 
the  noble  tribe  of  the  O'Donnels.f  The 
noble  birth  of  this  saint  received  additional 
lustre  from  the  austerity  of  his  life,  his  hu- 
mility, and  the  great  number  of  temples 
which  his  piety  induced  him  to  raise  in 
honor  of  God  ;^  but  that  which  heightened 
his  glory  was  the  title  of  apostle  of  the 
Picts,  which  the  conversion  of  that  barba- 
rous nation  had  gained  him.'^i  Having  been 
obliged  to  leave  his  country  to  perform  the 
penance  which  Saint  Finian  of  Clonard, 
his  old  superior,  and  St.  Molaisse,  prior  of 
Dam-Inis,||  had  imposed  on  him  for  hav- 
ing been  accessary  to  the  battle  of  Cuil- 
dreimne,!  in  which  many  lives  were  lost, 
he  Avent  with  twelve  disciples  to  Britain, 
where  he  preached  the  gospel  with  great 
success  to  the  northern  Picts,**  who  were 
separated  from  those  of  the  south  by  steep 
and  frightful  mountains. ff 

*  Trias  Thaum.  Vit.  S.  Columb. 
t  Usser.  Primord.  Eccl.  Brit.  cap.  15,  page  639. 
t  Usser.  Ind.  Chron.  ad  an.  563. 
§  Usser.  Prim.  Eccles.  Brit.  cap.  15,  page  687, 
et  seq. 

II  Act.  Sanct.  page  406. 

IT  Usser.  Prim.  c.  17,  p.  903,  904. 

**  Trias  Thaum.  Vit.  5,  S.  Columb,  lib.  2,  c.  5. 

tt  "  In  the  year  of  our  Lord  565,  a  presbyter  and 


172 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


This  people,  filled  with  gratitude  for  the 
graces  which  God  had  bestowed  upon  them 
through  the  ministry  of  St.  Columb,  gave 
him  the  island  of  Hy  to  build  a  monastery 
for  himself  and  his  fellow-laborers  in  that 
mission.*  This  island,  Avhich  is  one  of  the 
Hebrides,  situated  on  the  western  coast  of 
Scotland,  is  known  to  geographers  under 
the  name  of  Ily,  lona,  and  Y  Columb-Kill. 

This  saint  founded  a  celebrated  abbey  in 
Hy,  governed  by  a  rector  or  abbot,  who 
should  be  a  priest  having  jurisdiction  over 
the  whole  province,  and,  by  an  unusual  or- 
der, says  Bede,  over  the  bishops  them- 
selves. He  was  succeeded  in  it  by  men 
who  were  remarkable  for  their  chastity, 
divine  love,  and  the  regularity  of  their  con- 
duct.! 

Before  St.  Columb  left  Ireland,  he  found- 
ed several  monasteries,  the  principal  of 
which  was  the  monastery  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  at  Durrough,  or  Dearmagh,  in  Latin, 
"  campus  roboris,"  in  Clenmalire.  Ware 
affirms  that  they  preserved  in  this  monas- 
tery a  version  of  the  four  gospels  by  St. 
Jerome,  the  cover  of  which  was  ornament- 
ed with  large  silver  plates,  and  that  the 
Latin  inscription  was  written  by  St.  Columb 
himself;  but  Usher  maintains  that  this  ver- 
sion was  by  St.  Columb,  and  that  it  was 
preserved  in  the  abbey  which  this  saint 
had  founded  at  Keannanus,  now  Kells,  in 
Meath,  to  which  the  priory  of  Drumlahan, 
in  the  county  of  Cavan,  belonged. 

St.  Columb  also  founded  a  celebrated 
abbey  at  Daire  Calgac,  at  present  Derry, 
in  the  county  of  that  name.|  This  place 
was  sometimes  called  Daire-Maig,  from  the 
word  Daire,  which,  in  the  Scotic  language, 
signifies  oak,  of  which  there  was  a  consid- 
erable quantity  in  that  district.  Bede  calls 
it  the  noble  monastery.  The  monasteries 
of  Dearmach  and  Hy,  he  adds,  were  nurse- 
abbot,  remarkable  for  his  life  and  habit  as  a  monk, 
whose  name  was  Columbanus,  came  from  Ireland 
to  preach  the  word  of  God  to  the  northern  provinces 
of  the  Picts,  who  are  separated  from  the  southern 
by  mountains,  the  tops  of  which  are  lofty  and  ter- 
rific."— Bede,  b.  3,  c.  4. 

*  "  From  whom  he  received  the  aforesaid  island, 
for  the  purpose  of  raising  a  monastery  in  it.  It  is 
not  large,  and  according  to  the  English,  but  5  miles 
in  extent." — Bede. 

t  "  The  island  was  always  accustomed  to  be  un- 
der the  guidance  of  an  abbot,  and  an  elder,  to  whose 
rule  the  entire  province  and  the  bishops,  a  thing  so 
unusual,  should  be  subject.  This  we  have  as  cer- 
tain,  concerning  him,  that  he  left  his  successors  re- 
markable for  their  chastity,  divine  love,  and  the 
regularity  of  their  institutions." — Bede. 

t  War.  de  Autiq.  Hib.  cap.  26,  and  AUem.  Hist. 
d'Irlande,  p.  95. 


ries  from  whence  a  great  number  of  mon- 
asteries, founded  by  his  disciples,  both  in 
Britain  and  Ireland,  were  peopled  ;  but  the 
monastery  of  Ily,  in  which  his  remains  are 
deposited,  holds  the  first  raidi.* 

St.  Columb  also  founded  the  priory 
of  Inchmacnerin,  formerly  called  Easmac- 
Neire,  in  an  island  in  lake  Alyne,  through 
which  the  Shannon  passes  near  its  source, 
some  miles  from  the  abbey  of  Boyle. f 
Ware  says,  that  this  monastery  was  situ- 
ated in  an  island  called  Loughke,  in  the 
county  of  Sligo,  and  that  Alyne  is  in  the 
territory  of  Leitrim.  Lastly,  he  founded 
the  abbey  of  Swords,  four  miles  from  Dub- 
lin, called  "  Monasterium  Surdense,"  over 
which  he  appointed  St.  Finian,  surnamed 
Sobhar,  or  the  Leprous,  to  preside.  This 
saint,  worn  out  with  the  fatigues  of  the 
apostleship,  and  a  life  of  mortification,  end- 
ed his  days  in  his  abbey  of  Hy,  in  597, 
aged  77  years. 

The  celebrated  abbey  of  St.  Peter  and 
Paul  was  founded  in  a  valley  called  Glen- 
da-Loch,  in  the  territory  of  Kilmentain,  now 
the  county  of  Wicklow,  by  St.  Keivin,  or 
Coemgene.;]: 

The  abbey  of  Cluain-Damh,  which  signi- 
fies a  meadow  for  oxen,  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  Liffey,  in  the  plain  of  Kildare,  was 
founded  by  St.  Senchella,  or  Sinell.'^  There 
are  several  abbeys  in  Ireland  called  Cluain, 
which  signifies  valley  or  retired  place  ;  as 
those  situated  in  the  woods  were  called  Daire, 
that  is,  oak.  The  priory  of  Holy  Cross  of 
Killeighe,  in  the  King's  county,  was  found- 
ed for  regular  canons  by  the  same  saint.  || 

The  priory  of  Dam-Inis,  or  Devenish, 
which  signifies  the  island  of  the  ox,  in 
lake  Erne,  in  the  county  of  Fermanagh,  was 
founded  by  St.  Laserian,  or  Moelasse,  who 
was  not  the  same  as  St.  Laserian  of  Lagh- 
lin.T[  It  is  said  that  he  established  a  partic- 
ular order:  but  his  successors  followed  that 
of  the  regular  canons  of  St.  Augustin.** 


*  "  But  before  he  would  come  to  Britain,  he  made 
a  noble  monastery  in  Ireland  :  it  was  called,  from 
the  quantity  of  oak  contained  in  it,  Dearmach, 
which,  in  the  Irish  language,  signifies  the  field  of 
oaks.  From  this,  several  monasteries  were  founded 
by  his  disciples  both  in  Ireland  and  Britain.  In  all 
which  that  insulated  monastery  in  which  his  body 
reposes,  holds  the  chief  rank." — Bede. 

t  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26,  and  Allemand, 
Hist.  Monast.  d'Irlande,  p.  86. 

t  Usser.  Priniord.  Eccles.  Brit.  cap.  17,  p.  956. 

§  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Senchel.  ad  26  Mart. 

II  Allemand,  Hist.  IMonast.  d'Irlande,  page  29. 

1  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Aid.  ad  28  Feb.  cap. 
37,  and  Usser.  Primord.  Eccles.  cap.  17,  p.  962. 

«*  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


173 


The  abbey  of  Druim-Mac-Ubla,  on  the 
frontiers  of  Leinster  and  Ulster,  was  found- 
ed by  St.  Sidonius.* 

The  abbey  of  Kil-Managh-Drochid,  "  Cel- 
la  Monachorum,"  in  the  county  of  Kilkenny, 
was  founded  by  St.  Natalis.f  There  was 
another  of  the  same  name  founded  by  St. 
Fechin,  in  the  county  of  Sligo. 

The  abbey  of  MoAdlla,  or  Maigevile,  in 
the  district  of  the  Dalfiatachs,  county  of 
Down,  was  founded  for  canons  of  the  order 
of  St.  Augustin,  by  St.  Finian,  of  the  royal 
race  of  the  Dalfiatachs  of  Ulster. |  This 
saint,  who  was  known  by  the  names  of  Fin- 
nian,  Fridian,  Frigian,  Frigidion,  and  Find- 
barry,  was  head  and  founder  of  one  of  the 
most  ancient  congregations  of  regular  canons 
of  St.  Augustin,  called  the  congregation  of 
St.  Frigidian,  whose  principal  house  was 
St.  Frigidian  of  Lucca,  in  Italy,  of  which 
place  this  saint  was  bishop.^  It  was  he 
who  reformed  the  congregation  of  the  reg- 
ular canons  of  St.  John  of  Lateran,  and 
founded  also  the  abbey  of  Maghile  in  Derry, 
of  which  we  shall  have  occasion  hereafter 
to  speak. 

The  monastery  of  Birr,  in  the  territory 
of  Ely,  King's  county,  was  founded  by  St. 
Brendan  the  elder,  son  of  Luaigne.|| 

The  abbeys  of  Dromore  and  Macha\'ie 
Lyn,  in  the  territory  of  Dalaradie,  were 
founded  by  St.  Colman,  of  the  noble  family 
of  the  Hy-Guala  or  Gaille-Fine,  in  Ulster ; 
the  former  was  afterwards  made  a  bishopric 
and  the  latter  a  parish  church. 

The  abbey  of  Dairmore,  which  signifies 
a  large  forest,  in  the  territory  of  Ferkeal  in 
Westmeath,  was  founded  by  St.  Colman. T[ 
This  place  is  probably  the  same  as  Land- 
Elo,  or  Linall,  mentioned  by  Usher. 

The  abbey  of  Muckmore,  in  the  county 
of  Antrim,  was  founded  and  dedicated  to 
the  blessed  Virgin,  by  Saint  Colman-Elo.** 

The  abbey  of  Roscommon  was  founded 
by  St.  Coman,  disciple  of  St.  Finian  of 
Clonard.tt 

The  monastery  of  Ard-Finan,  in  the 
county  of  Tipperary,  was  founded  by  St. 
Finian,  surnamed  Lobhar,  that  is,  the  Lep- 

*  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irlande,  page  8. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Vit.  S.  Senara,  ad  8  Mart,  et  Vit. 
S.  Natalis,  17  Jan. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Brigid.  ad  18  Mart,  et 
War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26. 

^  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irlande,  p.  191,  and 
Trias.  Thaum.  note  in  1  Vit.  S.  Columbae. 

II  Usser.  Prim.  Ind.  Chron.  page  1145. 

^  Usser.  Primord.  c.  17,^.  960. 

**  War.  de  Antiq.  Hibcrn.  c.  26. 

tt  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  page  405,  and  War.  de  An- 
tiq. Hib.  cap.  26. 


rous,  from  a  disorder  to  which  he  was  sub- 
ject.* He  was  of  the  noble  race  of  Kiann, 
son  of  OilioU-Olum,  king  of  Munster,  and 
disciple  of  St.  Columb-Kill,  who  appointed 
him  to  the  abbey  of  Swords,  near  Dublin. f 

The  abbey  of  Kil-Modain,  in  the  county 
of  Longford,  was  founded  by  St.  Modan, 
bishop  of  Carnfurbhuide  in  Connaught.| 

The  abbey  of  Beanchuir,  otherwise  Ban- 
chor,  or  Bangor,§  formerly  called  the  A^alley 
of  Angels,  situated  on  the  southern  shore  of 
Carrick-Feargus  bay,  in  a  territory  called 
Ardes,  was  founded  according  to  Ware  in 
555,  and  four  years  later  according  to  Usher, 
for  regular  canons,  by  St.  Congal,  who  was 
first  abbot  of  it,  and  who  lived  to  see  more 
than  four  thousand  monks  of  his  order.  |( 
This  abbey  was  the  principal  one  of  the 
order,  and  one  of  the  most  celebrated  in  Ire- 
land, and  perhaps  of  the  Avestern  church,  to 
which  St.  Bernard  bears  a  glorious  testi- 
mony in  the  life  of  St.  Malachi.^  "  There 
was,  (says  he,)  under  the  first  St.  Congall, 
a  very  noble  monastery,  inhabited  by  sev- 
eral thousand  monks,  and  head  of  several 
other  abbeys  ;  a  place  truly  sanctified,  and 
so  fruitful  in  saints,  yielding  abundantly  to 
God,  that  St.  Luanus,  or  Evanus,  son  of 
that  holy  congregation,  had,  himself  alone, 
founded  one  hundred  monasteries."**  In 
another  place,  still  speaking  of  this  abbey, 
he  adds  :  "  Its  disciples  not  only  filled  Ire- 
land and  Scotia,  but  swarms  of  its  saints 
spread  themselves  through  foreign  countries, 
among  the  number  of  whom  was  St.  Colum- 
banus,  Avho  went  to  France,  Avhere  he 
founded  the  monastery  of  Luxen.ff 

St.  Finian  had  also  founded  the  priory  of 
Inis-Fallen,  or  Inis-Fathlen,  in  an   island 


*  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Finan,  ad  16  Mart. 

t  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irlande,  page  65. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Modan,  ad  4  Febr. 

§  Usser.  Prim.  cap.  6,  p.  132,  et  c.  13,  pp.  441, 
911,  917,  919,  956,  958,  Ind.  Chron.  ad  an.  559. 

II  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  pp.  192,  233,  234,  352,  354, 
405,  413,  791. 

IT  War.  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26,  and  Allem.  Hist, 
Monast.  p.  89. 

**  "  There  stood  a  mosli  noble  monastery,  under 
the  first  father  Congellus,  inhabited  by  many  thou- 
sand monks,  and  the  head  of  many  monasteries. 
The  place  was  truly  sanctified,  abounding  in  saints, 
abundantly  fruitful  to  God  ;  so  that  one  of  the  sons 
of  this  holy  congregation,  Luanus,  or  Evanus,  was 
said  to  be  the  founder  of  an  hundred  monas- 
teries." 

tt  "  Its  disciples  not  only  filled  Ireland  and 
Scotia,  but  swarms  poured  like  a  torrent  into  for- 
eign  countries,  and  from  among  them  St.  Colum- 
banus  hath  visited  our  shores  of  Gaul,  where  he 
founded  the  monastery  of  Luxen." — St.  Bernard, 
in  his  Life  of  Malachy. 


174 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


in  Lake  Lenc,  in  the  territory  of  Desmond, 
for  regular  canons.* 

The  abbey  of  Congbail  at  Gleann-Siiilige 
in  the  district  of  Tirconnel,  was  founded  l)y 
St.  Fiacre,  disciple  of  St.  Finian  of  Clo- 
nard.f 

Botchonais,  an  ancient  monastery  of  reg- 
ular canons,  situated  in  the  diocese  of  Dcrry, 
was  founded  by  St.  Congal. 

The  monastery  of  Clonfert,  on  the  banks 
of  the  river  Shannon,  in  the  county  Galway, 
called  "  de  portu  puro,"  was  founded  about 
the  year  558,  by  St.  Brendan,  son  of  Find- 
loge,  who  was  the  first  abbot  of  it  ;|  he  es- 
tablished a  particular,  order,  in  which  there 
were  three  thousand  monks,  both  in  this 
house,  which  was  apparently  the  principal 
one  of  the  order,  and  in  the  others  which 
he  had  founded.  Those  monks  were  a  bur- 
den to  none,  as  they  subsisted  themselves 
by  their  labor.  This  same  saint  likewise 
founded  the  monastery  of  Inis-Mac-Hua- 
cuinn,  in  an  island  in  lake  Oirbscn.^ 

The  monastery  of  Inis-Kealtre,  an  island 
in  lake  Derg,  in  the  river  Shannon,  was 
founded  towards  the  middle  of  the  sixth 
centiuy,  by  St.  Camin,  of  the  race  of  Eana- 
Kinseallagh,  king  of  Leinster,  and  brother 
by  his  mother,  of  Guaire,  king  of  Con- 
naught.  ||  Colgan  says  that  St.  Camin  flour- 
ished in  640  :  he  also  affirms  that  he  was 
brother  of  Guaire  ;  but  as  the  historians  of 
the  country  say  that  Guaire  was  contempo- 
rary of  Dermod  the  monarch,  who  reigned 
about  the  middle  of  the  sixth  century,  we 
should,  of  course,  fix  the  foundation  of  that 
monastery  in  the  reign  of  this  monarch. 

The  abbey  of  Clonenagh,  or  Cluain-Ed- 
nach,  in  the  district  of  Hy-Regan,  founded 
by  St.  Fintan,  was  afterwards  made  a  parish 
church  ;Tf  this  saint  also  founded,  in  the 
same  country,  the  abbey  of  Achad-Ardglais, 
otherwise  called  Achad-Finglass. 

St.  Fola  was  abbot  of  the  abbey  of  Ard- 
brecain  ;  he  is  probably  the  same  that  Col- 
gan calls  bishop  of  Ardbrecain,  who,  ac- 
cording to  him,  died  in  593.  He  likewise 
mentions  another  St.  Fola,  who  died  in  793. 

The  abbey  of  Macbile,  in  the  peninsula 
called  Inis-Eoguin,  or  Inis-Owen,  was  found- 
ed by  St.  Frigidian,  who  had  founded  ano- 


*  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Finan,  ad  16  Mart, 
and  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26. 

t  Allem.  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irlande,  page  58,  and 
Act.  Sanct.  page  406. 

t  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  26,  and  Allem.  Hist. 
Monast.  d'Irlande,  p.  69. 

§  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Moen,  ad  26  Feb. 

II   Ibid.  Vit.  S.  Camin.  ad  24  Mart. 

IT  Act.  Sane.  Vit.  S.  Fintan.  Abbat.  ad  17  Feb, 


ther  of  the  same  name,  of  which  we  have 
already  spoken. 

The  priory  of  Lurchoe,  or  Lothra,  a  small 
town  near  Lough  Derg,  in  the  river  Shan- 
non,  and  county  of  Tipperary,  was  founded 
I)y  St.  Ruadan,  who  was  the  first  abbot  of 
it,  and  had  one  hundred  and  fifty  monks 
under  him.*  This  house  was  called  from 
his  name,  Ruadan-Lothra  :  he  died  there 
in  584.t 

A  monastery  for  females,  called  Kill- 
Chere,  Kill-Creidhe,  or  Kilchree,  in  the 
territory  of  Muscraige,  and  county  of  Cork, 
was  founded  by  St.  Cera,  descended  from 
Conare  II.,  monarch  of  Ireland  in  the  second 
century.:}: 

The  monastery  of  Kill-Rignaigh,  in  Clen- 
malire,  Avas  founded  by  St.  Regnacia,  sister 
to  St.  Finian  of  Clonard.^ 

Feargus  III.,  and  Domhnall  I.,  powerful 
princes  in  Ulster,  and,  as  we  have  observed, 
descended  from  Niall  the  Great,  succeeded 
Dermod,!  a.  d.  565.  These  princes  were 
warlike,  as  appears  by  the  wars  they  had  to 
maintain  against  the  princes  of  Cormaught, 
and  the  monarch  himself,  over  whom  they 
were  always  victorious.  After  their  acces- 
sion to  the  throne,  they  were  engaged  in  a 
war  with  the  people  of  Leinster,  which  ter- 
minated in  the  famous  battle  of  Gabhra-Liffe, 
in  the  territory  of  Kilmantain,  now  Wick- 
low,  in  which  the  provincialists  lost  a  great 
number  of  men,  and  were  defeated.  Those 
two  princes  died  a  short  time  afterwards, 
having  reigned  about  one  year. "IT 

Eocha  XIII.,  son  of  Domhnall  I.,  suc- 
ceeded his  father  and  uncle,  a.  d.  566  ;  he 
made  his  uncle  Baodan  partner  in  the 
government.  These  princes,  after  a  reign 
together  of  nearly  three  years,  were  killed 
at  the  battle  of  Glingevin,  by  Cronan,  son 
of  Tigernach,  prince  of  Kiennachte. 

In  the  time  of  this  monarch,  the  monastery 
of  Enach-Dune,  in  the  territory  of  Hua- 
Bruin,  county  of  Galway,  was  founded  and 
dedicated  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  by  St. 
Brendan  of  Clonfert,  for  his  sister  Brige, 
who  was  the  first  abbess  of  it.** 

Ainmire,  descended  in  the  fourth  degree 
from  Niall  the  Great,  was  chosen  monarch, 
A.  D.  568.  He  was  strongly  attached  to  re- 
ligion, and  very  strict  in  causing  its  rites  and 

«  Act.  SS.  Vit.  S.  Finian,  ad  23  Feb.  c.  24,  et 
War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  o.  26. 

t  Allem.  Monast.  Hist.  d'Irlande,  p.  68. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Cera;,  ad  5  Jan. 

§  Ibid.  Vit.  S.  Finian,  ad  2.3  Feb. 

II   Keat.  Historj'  of  Ireland,  lib.  1 

IT   Grat.  Luc.  cap.  9. 

**  Usser.  Frimord.  p.  955. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


175 


discipline  to  be  observed.  After  a  reign  of 
three  years,  he  was  killed  by  Feargiis-Mac- 
Neill,  at  Corrig-Leime-an-Eich ;  his  death 
was  revenged  the  year  following  by  his  son 
Aodh. 

In  this  reign  the  abbey  of  Seamboth,  in 
Hy-Kinseallagh,  was  founded  by  St.  Col- 
man  O'Fiachra. 

St.  Comgan,  of  the  noble  race  of  the  Dal- 
caiss,  was  abbot  of  Glean-Ussen ;  it  is  not 
certain  that  he  was  founder  of  this  abbey.* 
Allemand  says  that  Dermitus  was  abbot  of 
it,  and  afterwards  St.  Comgan. 

The  priory  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  at 
Drumlahan,  in  Brefny,  at  present  the  coun- 
ty of  Cavan,  was  founded  for  regular  canons 
of  St.  Augustin,  by  St.  Edan,  or  Maidoc, 
who  was  afterwards  archbishop  of  Ferns. f 

The  abbey  of  Roscrea,  in  the  territory 
of  Ele,  county  of  Tipperary,  was  founded 
by  St.  Cronan.| 

The  monastery  of  Cluain-Credhail,  near 
mount  Luachra,  in  Meath,  was  founded  for 
females  by  St.  Ita,  of  the  race  of  Fiacha- 
Suidhe,  brother  of  Con,  surnamed  Keadca- 
ha,  whose  tribe  had  settled  in  the  territory 
of  Deasie.^ 

Baodan,  son  of  Nineadha,  and  cousin- 
german  to  the  last  of  that  name,  succeeded 
to  the  throne  a.  d.  571 ;  his  reign  was  short, 
having  died  after  one  year,  of  a  violent  death. 

Hugue  II.,  otherwise  Aodh,  son  of  Ain- 
mire,  succeeded  Baodan,  a.  d.  572.  This 
prince  was  a  liberal  benefactor  to  the  church ; 
he  granted  to  Columb-Kill  the  territory  of 
Doire,  now  Derry,  to  build  a  monastery, 
which  he  generously  endowed  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  monks. 

The  reiterated  complaints  which  were 
urged  against  the  poets,  or  fileas,  the  great 
number  of  whom  had  become  a  burden  to 
the  people,  obliged  this  monarch  to  convene 
a  general  assembly  of  the  states  at  Drom- 
keat,  in  the  territory  of  Doire,  a.  d.  516,  to 
endeavor  to  remedy  an  evil  which  affected 
the  state  in  general  and  every  individual  in 
particular.  In  this  there  were  no  allusions 
made  to  those  bards,  or  fileas,  who  were 
employed  by  the  state  to  preserve  its  annals, 
to  whom  great  privileges  were  granted,  and 
whose  writings  were  submitted  to  investi- 
gation :  it  was  intended  only  to  suppress  a 
number  of  idle  men,  who,  strolling  through 
the  country,  and  exacting  contributions  from 

*  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Itas,  ad  15  Jan.  not. 
12,  p.  418,  et  ibid.  Vit.  S.  Comgan.  ad  27  Feb. 

t  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26,  ct  Allemand, 
Hist.  Monast.  d'Irlande,  p.  lO'J. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Cron. 

§  Ibid.  Vit.  Itae,  ad  15  Jan. 


all  who  had  the  Aveakness  to  dread  their 
satirical  attacks,  assumed  to  themselves  the 
title  of  bards.  Another  object  of  the  as- 
sembly was,  to  consider  the  measures  neces- 
sary to  be  adopted  in  order  to  make  the 
Dalraids  of  Albania  pay  that  homage  and 
tribute,  called  Eiric,  Avhich  were  due  to  the 
crown  of  Ireland ;  it  was  intended,  also,  that 
they  would  propose  that  Scanlan-More,  son  of 
Kean-Faoladh,  prince  of  Ossory,  should  be 
deposed  for  having  failed  in  payment  of  the 
tribute  due  by  his  principality  to  the  mon- 
arch, and  to  place  his  son  Jollan  in  his  stead. 
The  assembly  was  grand  and  numerously 
attended:  among  the  princes  present  were 
Criomthan-Cear,  king  of  Leinster,  and 
Finghin,  or  Florence,  son  of  Hugxie  Dubh, 
and  grandson  of  Criomthan,  king  of  Mun- 
ster,  besides  many  other  princes  from  the 
ditferent  provinces.  Columb-Kill,  abbot  of 
Hy,  attended  by  several  bishops  and  other 
ecclesiastics,  repaired  thither  with  Aidan, 
who  was  at  that  time  king  of  the  Dalraids 
of  Albania.*  The  first  subject  of  delibera- 
tion was,  the  necessity  of  banishing  the 
bards,  the  number  of  whom  had  become 
burdensome  to  the  state  ;  but  St.  Columb 
and  St.  Colman,  who  took  an  active  part  in 
the  deliberations  of  the  assembly,  proposed 
that  it  would  be  more  prudent  to  reduce 
them  to  a  limited  number,  than  to  deprive 
the  state  of  so  many  subjects,  some  of 
whom  might  become  useful :  which  Avise 
counsel  was  adopted  by  the  assembly,  and 
regulations  were  made  to  confine  them  to 
the  exercise  of  their  profession. 

The  claims  of  Aidan  upon  the  Dalraids  of 
Ulster,  formed  the  subject  of  another  matter 
of  debate.  It  has  been  already  observed 
that  the  Dalraids  of  Albania  and  those  of 
Ulster,  having  been  descended  from  Cairbre- 
Rieda,  considered  themselves  as  one  family 
and  one  tribe,  governed  by  the  same  chief, 
at  the  pleasure  of  the  monarch  of  Ireland. 
An  intercourse  of  friendship  subsisted  be- 
tween them  that  was  founded  on  the  ties  of 
consanguinity,  which  in  appearance  ceased 
when  Albania  was  made  a  kingdom.  It 
was  with  the  view  of  renewing  this  right 
over  the  Dalraids  of  Ulster,  that  Aidan,  as 
chief  of  both  people,  presented  himself  be- 
fore the  assembly  of  Dromkeath,  as  well  as 
to  dispel  a  storm  which  threatened  him,  on 
the  part  of  the  monarch,  who  intended  send- 
ing troops  to  Albania  to  oblige  him  to  pay 
the  contributions  which  he  required.  After  j[ 
much  debate,  it  was  determined  that  the 
Dalraids  of  Ulster,  being  subjects  of  the 

*  Trias.  Thaum.  Vit.  5,  S.  Columb.  lib.  3. 


176 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


monarch,  slioukl  pay  to  him,  ami  to  no  other, 
the  taxes  and  imposts  due  by  subjects  to 
their  natural  prince  ;  but  as  those  two  peopk^ 
(namely,  those  of  Albania  and  Ulster)  were 
connected  by  blood,  they  should  also  con- 
tribute to  the  penalties  which  were  imposed 
for  murder ;  Avhich,  according  to  the  laws 
established  among  them,  condemned  the 
family  of  the  person  who  would  kill  or  mu- 
tilate any  person,  except  in  self-defence, 
"  cum  moderamine  inculpatse  tutelis,"  to  pay 
to  the  injured  party  a  sum  of  money  propor- 
tionate to  the  offence. 

^V^ith  respect  to  the  monarch's  claim  on 
Albania,  St.  Columb  influenced  him  to  aban- 
don it,  and  the  two  princes  separated  in 
peace  ;  he  was,  however,  inexorable  about 
Scanlan-More,  whom  he  detained  in  a  dun- 
geon, notwithstanding  the  solicitations  of  the 
saint,  who  left  him  with  displeasure,  and 
obtained  by  prayer  the  liberty  of  that  prince 
in  a  miraculous  manner.  Thus  ended  this 
celebrated  assembly  of  Dromkeat,  after  hav- 
ing lasted  for  fourteen  months. 

In  the  time  of  Brandubh,  king  of  Leinster, 
of  the  race  of  Cahire-iNIore,  by  Feidhlim, 
son  of  Eana-Kinseallagh,  from  whom  the 
noble  tribes  of  the  O'Murphys  and  the 
O'Dowlings  are  descended,  the  monarch 
endeavored  to  exact  the  hoirive,  or  tribute, 
which  had  been  imposed  upon  that  province. 
He  marched  wdth  his  army  towards  Wex- 
ford, and  coming  up  with  the  provincialists 
at  Beallachduin,  or  Duinbolg,  he  gave  them 
battle,  in  which  he  lost  his  life,  the  ninth 
of  January,  a.  d.  599,  aged  sixty-six  years, 
having  reigned  twenty-seven.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Hugiie  HI.,  surnamed  Slaine. 

Many  abbeys  were  founded  during  this 
reign.  That  of  Teagh-Mun,  in  the  terri- 
tory of  Loughgarme,  at  present  Wexford, 
was  founded  by  St.  Munnu.* 

The  monastery  of  Leighlin  was  founded 
by  St.  Gobban,  although  some  authors  say 
that  St.  Lasrean  was  its  founder ;  he  Avas 
indeed  the  first  bishop  of  it ;  and  his  life 
even  proves  that  St.  Gobban  was  abbot  of 
it,  before  he  settled  there .f  It  is  true,  that 
in  the  time  of  St.  Lasrean,  this  monastery 
acquired  so  great  celebrity  that  he  was  said 
to  have  founded  it :  the  celebrated  assembly 
of  the  clergy  which  was  held  there  in  620, 
concerning  the  observance  of  the  Easter, 
contributed  largely  to  the  renown  of  that 
monastery. 

The    abbey   of    Cluainferta-Molua   was 


*  Act.  Sanct.  page  272,  cap.  32. 
t  Ibid.  Vit.  S.  Gobban,   ad  62  Mart,  and  Alle- 
mand,  Monast.  Hist.  d'Irl.  p.  20. 


founded  by  St.  Lugidus,  or  St.  Molua,  who 
is  said  by  St.  Bernard,  in  the  life  of  St. 
Malachi,  to  have  been  founder  of  a  hundred 
abbeys,  as  well  as  St.  Columb-Kill.*  There 
was  another  abbey  of  this  name  founded  by 
St.  Brendan  in  the  same  city ;  the  latter  was 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  river  Shannon,  in 
Connaught,  and  the  former  on  the  left  bank, 
in  Leinster. 

The  abbey  of  Liath,  or  Liath-More,  or 
Liathan-Ele,  and  the  monastery  of  Inis- 
Lannaught,  in  the  county  of  Tipperary, 
were  founded  by  St.  Pulcherius,  or  Mocho- 
mocus.f 

The  abbey  of  Annatrim,  or  Enachtruim, 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  called  in  the 
Scotic  language  Slieve-Bladhma,  in  the 
district  of  Hy-Regan,  was  founded  by  St. 
Coeman,  and  afterwards  converted  into  a 
parish  church. J 

The  monastery  of  Achad-Ur,  in  the  ter- 
ritory of  Ossory,  was  founded  by  St.  Lac- 
tin.^ 

The  monastery  of  Rath-iVodha,  or  Rath- 
Edha,  now  the  parish  of  Rahugh,  in  the 
territory  of  Kinel-Fiacha,  in  West  Meath, 
was  founded  by  St.  Aodh,  or  Aldus,  of  the 
race  of  Fiacha,  son  of  the  monarch  Niall 
the  Great,  on  a  piece  of  ground,  which, 
with  a  castle,  was  given  him  by  the  lord  of 
the  place, II  of  the  same  race  of  Fiacha,  and 
one  of  the  ancestors  of  the  tribe  of  the 
Moelmoys  and  the  Mac-Eochagains.lT 

The  abbey  of  Rathene,**  in  the  territory 
of  Fearcal,  which  belonged  to  the  tribe  of 
the  O'Molloys,  of  the  race  of  Fiacha,  son 
of  Niall  the  Great,  was  founded  by  St.  Car- 
thagh,  descended,  by  his  father  Findall, 
from  Kiar,  son  of  Feargus,  from  whom  the 
noble  tribe  of  the  O'Connors  Kerry  derive 
their  origin.  His  mother,  whose  name  was 
Meadh,  was  descended  from  the  lords  of 
Corcoduibhne,  in  the  county  of  Kerry.  This 
abbey,  situated  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
monastery  of  Land-Elo,  founded  by  St.  Col- 
man,  and    eight  miles   from  the  abbey  of 


*  Usser.Prim.  Eccles.  Brit.  Ind.Chron.page  1155, 
Allem.  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irlande,  page  30. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  ad  12  Mart,  page  855. 

t  Ibid.  Vit.  S.  Gild.  Badon,  ad  29  Jan.  note  13, 
page  192. 

I  Ibid.  Vit.  S.  Lactin,  ad  19,  et  Mart.  Vit.  Mo- 
choem.  ad  13  Mart,  note  13. 

II  Vit.  S.  Aid.  ad  28  Feb.  cap.  39,  note  3,  et  seq. 
and  Allem.  Hist   Mon.  page  39. 

IT  "  From  this  Fiaclius,  son  of  Neill,  that  part  of 
Meath  which  is  called  Kinel-Fiacha,  received  its 
name ;  from  his  seed  two  noble  families,  called 
O'Molloys  and  M'Geoghegans,  were  descended." — 
Usher,  Church  Hist.  c.  17,  p.  910. 

**  Allem.  Hist.  Monast.  p.  43. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


177 


Dearmach,  founded  by  St.  Columb-Kill,  was 
celebrated  for  its  sanctity,  and  the  number 
of  its  monks,  amounting  sometimes  to  nine 
hundred.  But  as  virtue  frequently  becomes 
the  object  of  envy,  our  saint  was  forced  to 
leave  Rathene,  where  he  had  lived  for  forty 
years,  and  retire  to  Lismore,  where  he 
founded  a  cathedral,  of  which  he  was  the 
first  bishop.  Colgan  says  that  he  took  with 
him  more  than  eight  hundred  monks,  who 
lived  similarly  to  those  of  La  Trappe,  living 
upon  herbs  and  vegetables,  which  they  cul- 
tivated with  their  own  hands.  After  the 
death  of  their  holy  founder,  most  of  them 
dispersed  throughout  Ireland,  England,  and 
Scotland,  where  they  founded  several  reli- 
gious houses  under  the  order  of  St.  Carthach, 
which  afterwards  submitted  to  that  of  the 
regular  canons  of  St.  Augustin. 

Cambos,  a  monastery  founded  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  river  Bann,  at  its  outlet  from 
Lough  Neagh,  by  St.  Congal,  was  after- 
wards converted  into  a  parish  church.* 

The  abbey  of  Cluain-Fiachal,  five  miles 
from  Ardmach,  was  founded  by  St.  Lugadius, 
of  the  race  of  Niall  the  Great.f 

The  monastery  of  Rathmat,  near  lake 
Orbsen  in  the  county  of  Galway,  founded 
by  St.  Fursee  of  Peronne,  of  the  race  of 
Lugha-Laige,  brother  of  Oilioll-Olum,  king 
of  Munster,  was  changed  into  a  parish  church 
under  the  name  of  Kilfursa.| 

The  monastery  of  Kill-Cuanna,  in  the 
district  of  Tir- Bruin,  in  the  diocese  of  Tuam, 
was  founded  by  St.  Cuanna,  brother  by  his 
mother  of  St.  Carthagh  of  Rathene,  and 
son  of  Midarn,  of  the  royal  race  of  Niall  the 
Great,  by  his  son  Eana.^ 

The  monastery  of  Rachlin,  an  island  on 
the  northern  side  of  Dalriada,  in  the  county 
of  Antrim,  AVas  founded  by  Lugaid-Laithir, 
a  disciple  of  St.  Columb-Kill. || 

The  abbey  of  Cnodain,  near  Eas-Ruaidh, 
on  the  banks  of  the  river  Erne,  in  the  terri- 
tory of  Tirconnel,  was  founded  by  St.  Conan, 
who  was  afterwards  bishop.^ 

The  abbey  of  Disert-Nairbre,  in  the  ter- 
ritory of  Desie,  and  district  of  Portlargi,  at 
present  Waterford,  was  founded  by  St. 
Maidoc  of  Ferns.** 

The  abbey  of  Dar-Inis  in  the  same  coun- 


*  Ibid.  p.  93. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  pp.  193,  606,etid.  in  Vit.  S. 
Lugad-  ad  2  Mart. 

t  Ibid.  Vit.  S.  Fuersi  ad  16  Jan.  et  26  Mart, 
page  749. 

§  Ibid.  Vit.  S.  Cuan.  ad  4  Feb. 

II  Usser.  Prim.  p.  958,  et  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  p.  193. 

T   Act.  Sanct.  Vit.  S.  Conan,  ad  8  Mart. 

**  Ibid.  Vit.  S.  Maidoc,  ad31Jan.  c.  22,  not  23, 


try,  was  founded  in  an  island  of  that  name, 
by  St.  Molanfide.* 

The  abbey  of  Cluain-Choirphte,  county  of 
Roscommon,  was  founded  by  St.  Berach, 
disciple  of  St.  Coemgene  of  Glcn-Daloch.f 

The  monastery  of  Cluain-Claidheach,  in 
the  territory  of  Hua-Conaill,  county  of  Lom- 
neach,  (Limerick,)  was  founded  by  St. 
Maidoc,  archbishop  of  Ferns. J 

The  abbey  of  Druim-Thuoma,  now  the 
parish  of  Drumhone,  in  the  territorj' of  Tir- 
connel, diocese  of  Raphoe,  was  founded  by 
St.  Erman,  of  the  race  of  Niall  the  Great, 
by  his  son,  Conall-Gulban.^ 

The  abbey  of  Rosglas,  formerly  Ross- 
Mic-Treoin,  near  the  river  Barrow,  in  Hy- 
Kinseallagh,  was  founded  by  St.  Evin,  one 
of  the  six  sons  of  Eugene,  of  the  race  of 
Oilioll-Olum,  king  of  Munster.  || 

The  abbey  of  Inbher-Dagan,  on  the  coast 
of  Wexford,  was  founded  by  St.  Dagan.^T 

The  abbey  of  Fedh-Duin,  in  the  county 
of  Tipperary,  was  founded,  pccording  to 
Colgan,  by  St.  Maidoc,  or  Momoedoc,  of  the 
royal  race  of  Leinster,  and  son  cf  the  queen, 
St.  Radagunda.** 

The  abbey  of  Teagh-Moilinj-,  otherwise 
St.  Mullens,  territory  of  Carlow,  was  founded 
by  St.  Moling,  who  was  abbot  of  it. 

The  abbey  of  Disert-Moholmoc  in  East 
Meath,  was  founded  by  St.  Colman. 

The  monastery  of  Mothil,  county  of  Wa- 
terford, was  founded  by  St.  Brogan,  who  was 
first  abbot  of  it ;  he  was  succeeded  by  St. 
Coan,  or  Coanus.ft 

The  monastery  of  Enach-Midhbreuin, 
county  of  Tipperary,  was  founded  by  Mac- 
Briccius. 

The  bishopric  of  Dromore  in  Dalaradie, 
at  present  the  county  of  Down,  was  founded 
by  St.  Colman,  of  the  race  of  the  Arads, 
first  abbot  of  Muckmore,  in  the  county  of 
Antrim,  and  afterwards  first  bishop  of  Dro- 
more. J:|:  He  is  called  Colmanel  by  Jocelin 
in  the  life  of  St.  Patrick,  in  which  he  men- 
tions a  prophecy  of  that  apostle  respecting 
him.§§   He  is  also  called  Mocholmoc,  by  the 

*  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26,  and  AUemand, 
Hist.  Monast.  d'Irlande,  p.  83. 

+  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  Berach,  ad  15  Feb. 

t  Ibid.  Vit.  Sanct.  Maid,  ad  31  Jan. 

§  Ibid.  Vit.  S.  Ernan.  ad  1  Jan. 

II  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  p.  215,  not.  1,  and  Allemand, 
page  15. 

IT  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Dagan,  ad  12  Mart. 
not.  14. 

**  Allemand,  Histoire  Monast.  d'Irlande,  p.  19- 

tt  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26. 

\t  War.  de  Episc.  Dromor.  and  Usser.  Primord.  p. 
1065. 

§§  Caput  96. 

23 


178 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


scholiast  of  the  ^Engiisian  martyroloory.* 
Cohnan  lived  in  the  sixth  century ;  he  died 
the  sixth  of  June,  but  the  year  is  not  known  ; 
some  say  it  was  in  610,  others  in  600. f 
The  successors  of  St.  Cohnan,  before  the 
arrival  of  the  English,  are  not  known,  except 
Malbrigid  Mac-Cathasaige,  who  died  in  972, 
and  Kigali,  who  is  said  to  have  died  in  11 01  .| 
It  is  probable  that  this  see  remained  without 
a  bishop  for  some  centuries,  and  that  during 
that  time  it  was  governed  by  the  metro- 
politan.^ 

Saint  Colman,  son  of  Lenin,  disciple  of 
St.  Finbarr,  bishop  of  Cork,  a  learned  and 
pious  man,  was  founder  and  first  bishop  of 
the  church  of  Cloyne  towards  the  end  of 
the  sixth  century  or  in  the  beginning  of  the 
seventh ;  he  died  the  fourth  of  November, 
604.  Cloyne,  situated  in  the  county  of 
Cork,  was  formerly  called  Cluain-Vanian, 
or  Cluain-Vama,  which  signifies  a  cell  or 
place  of  retreat. 

The  church  of  Ferns  acknowledges  St. 
Edan,  otherwise  called  Moedoc,asits  patron 
and  first  founder  ;||  he  was  son  of  Sedna, 
descended  in  the  eighth  degree  from  Colla- 
Huais,  monarch  of  the  island  about  the  be- 
ginning of  the  fourth  century  .1"  His  mother 
Ethne  was  descended  from  Amalgaid,  king 
of  Connaught  in  the  time  of  St.  Patrick. 
He  was  born  at  Inis-Breagmuin,  in  Brefny, 
now  the  county  of  Cavan  ;  in  his  youth  he 
formed  a  strict  friendship  with  St.  Laserian, 
abbot  of  Daminis,or  Devenish,in  lake  Erne. 
According  to  some  authors,  he  was,  before 
his  voyage  to  Britain,  one  of  the  hostages 
whom  the  princes  of  Brefny  had  given  to 
Ainmire,  monarch  of  Ireland,  which  is  at 
variance  with  chronology  ;  St.  David,  with 
whom  our  saint  had  spent  some  time,**  died 
in  544,  and  the  monarch  Ainmire  began  only 
to  reign,  according  to  Colgan,  in  566,  or 
according  to  others  in  568  ;  so  that  we  should 
refer  the  captivity  of  this  saint  to  the  reign 
of  Tuathal  II.,  surnamedMaolbarg,  whowas 
cotemporary  of  Saint  David,  and  died  the 
same  year  as  he.  However  this  be,  it  is 
admitted  by  all  that  Saint  Edan  went  to 
Britain,  where  he  spent  some  time  to  perfect 
himself  with  St.  David  ;  after  which  he  re- 
turned to  his  own  country  and  was  kindly 
received  by  Brandubh,  king  of  Leinster,  who 


*  Not.  106. 

tUsser.  Primord.  Eccles.  p.  1126. 
t  War.  de  Script.  Hib.  et  Annal.  4,  Magistr. 
an.  972. 

§  Colg.  Act.  Sanct.  Uib.  p.  387. 

II  War.  de  Episc.  Fernens. 

IT   Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Maid,  ad  31  Jan. 

**  Colgan,  not.  7,  in  Vit.  S.  Edan,  p.  216. 


gave  him  the  city  of  Ferns,  to  found  a  bish- 
opric in  it. 

After  the  foundation  of  the  church  of 
Ferns,  Brandubh,  king  of  the  province,  con- 
vened a  synod,  at  which  it  was  decreed  that 
the  metropolitan  dignity  of  Leinster  should 
be  always  continued  to  the  see  of  St.  Moedoc, 
in  consequence  of  which  that^saint  was 
declared  archbishop  of  Leinster.* 

In  the  early  ages  of  Christianity,  the  title 
of  archbishop  in  Ireland,  except  that  of 
Ardmach,  was  not  attached  to  any  particu- 
lar see  ;  this  title  belonged  sometimes  to  one 
city,  sometimes  to  another,  according  to  the 
merit  of  the  bishop,  and  his  reputation  for 
sanctity  ;  it  was  thus  that  St.  Fiech,  bishop 
of  Sletty,  Avas  called  archbishop  of  Leinster 
by  St.  Patrick  ;  which  dignity  was  success- 
ively conferred  on  Kildare  and  Ferns.  In 
like  manner,  Saint  Ailbe,  bishop  of  Emly, 
was  called  archbishop  of  Munster  ;  and  the 
bishops  of  Tuam  were  called,  in  the  annals 
of  the  country,  archbishops  of  Connaught, 
long  before  the  distribution  of  the  palliums 
by  cardinal  Paparo. 

The  see  of  Ferns  was  filled  for  fifty  years 
by  St.  Edan,  orMaidoc,  who,  having  foimded 
several  other  churches,  and  wrought  many 
miracles,  was  transferred  to  a  happier  life, 
the  31st  of  January,  632,  the  day  on  which 
his  festival  is  celebrated,  and  was  buried  in 
his  church  of  Ferns. 

The  bishopric  of  Kil-Mac-Duach,  in  Con- 
naught,! was  founded  by  St.  Colman,  son  of 
Duach,  of  the  noble  race  of  the  Hy-Fiachras, 
who  was  descended,  in  the  eighth  degree, 
from  the  monarch  Eocha-Moy-'Veagon,  by 
his  son  Fiachra.J  The  surname  of  iVIac- 
Duach  was  given  him  as  a  distinction  from 
several  of  his  cotemporaries,  who,  like  him, 
bore  the  name  of  Colman.  As  he  was 
attached  to  a  pious  and  secluded  life,  he 
spent  seven  years  with  one  companion  alone, 
in  solitude,  from  whence  he  was  taken  and 
invested  whh  the  episcopal  dignity.  He  then 
chose  a  suitable  place  to  build  a  cathedral 
church  upon  it,  which  was  called,  after  him, 
Kil-]Mac-Duach,  that  is,  the  church  of  the 
son  of  Duach.  Being  nearly  related  to 
Guaire,  who  was  at  that  time  king  of  Con- 
naught, his  church  was  considerably  enriched 
by  the  bounty  of  that  prince.  Our  saint 
lived  towards  the  end  of  the  sixth  century, 
t»r  the  beginning  of  the  seventh;  we  can 
therefore  nearly  determine  the  time  of  the 
foundation  of  his  church.     The  year  of  his 

*  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Maidoc,  ad  31  Jan. 
p.  211,  not.  29. 

t  War  de  PisbsuI.  Duacens. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Vit.  S.  Colm.  ad  3  Feb. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


179 


death  is  not  known  ;  but  his  festival  is  held 
the  third  of  February.  His  successors  for 
many  ages  are  unknown.  We  discover  in 
the  beginning  of  the  ninth  century  St.  In- 
drect,  bishop  of  Kil-Mac-Duach,  and  Rug- 
nad  O'Ruadan,  who  died  in  1178.* 

The  bishopric  of  Fenabore,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  country,  Kil-Fenoragh,t  situ- 
ated in  the  territory  of  Corcumroe,  in  Thuo- 
mond,  now  the  county  of  Clare,  was  the 
smallest  and  poorest  of  the  Irish  bishoprics  ; 
it  contained  but  thirteen  parishes  :  neither 
the  time  of  its  foundation  nor  the  name  of 
its  first  founder  is  known,  unless  we  ascribe 
it  to  St.  Fachnan,  patron  of  that  cathedral. 
In  the  distribution  of  bishoprics  by  cardinal 
Paparo,  this  see  was  placed  among  the  num- 
ber of  the  suffragans  of  Cashil  ;  but  since 
Charles  II.  it  has  been  annexed  to  the  arch- 
bishopric of  Tuam. 

Hugue  Slaine,  son  of  Dermod  the  mon- 
arch, made  his  kinsman,  Colman  Rimidh, 
son  of  Baodan,  and  grandson  of  Murtough- 
Mac-Earca,  partner  in  the  government,  a.  d. 
599.  Those  princes  having  governed  the 
island  in  peace  during  six  years,  were  killed 
at  a  battle  near  Lochseimdighe. 

The  abbey  of  Fathen,  situated  near  the 
borders  of  Inis-Owen,  in  that  part  of  the 
diocese  of  Derry  which  extends  into  the 
territory  of  Donnegall,  was  founded,  during 
the  above  reign,  by  St.  Murus,  or  Muranus, 
in  the  Scotic  language  Mura,  of  the  race  of 
Niall  the  Great,  and  particular  patron  of  the 
tribe  of  the  O'Neills. j: 

This  monastery  was  held  in  high  venera- 
tion, not  only  on  account  of  the  memory  of 
vSt.  Muran,  its  patron,  but  also  for  the  valu- 
able monuments  of  antiquity  Avhich  were 
preserved  in  it  for  many  centuries  :  among 
others,  there  was  a  small  volume  written  in 
Scotic  verse  by  St.  Mura,  and  a  large  book 
of  chronology,  filled  with  many  historical 
passages  concerning  the  nation  in  general ; 
this  work  was  much  esteemed,  and  is  fre 
quently  quoted  by  the  antiquarians  of  the 
country  ;  there  still  remain  some  fragments 
of  it,  says  Colgan,  which  have  escaped  the 
fury  of  the  reformers  of  latter  ages. 

The  monastery  of  Cluain-Dachrann,  in 
i  the  territory  of  Fearkeal,  was  founded  by 
St.  Cronan,  or  Mochua,  son  of  Mellm,  and 
disciple  of  St.  Cartagh  of  Rathene.^ 

The  monastery  of  Cluan-Fode,  in  the  ter- 

*  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Indrect,  ad  5  Febr. 
not.  3. 

t  War.  de  Episc.  Fenabor. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Muri,  ad  12  Mart. 
Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'lrlande,  page  97. 

§  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit  S.  Cron.  ad  1 1  Feb. 


ritory  of  FertuUach  in  Meath,  was  founded 
by  St.  Libren,  son  of  Aidius,  prince  of 
Orgiell,  of  the  race  of  CoUa-da-Crioch.* 

Hugue  IV.,  surnamed  Variodnach,  son 
of  Domhnall,  and  grandson  of  Murtough- 
Mac-Earca,  succeeded  Hugue  Slaine,  a.  d. 
605.  This  prince  was  renowned  for  his 
justice,  and  deemed  very  brave,  notwith- 
standing his  delicate  state  of  health.  His 
reign  was  disturbed  by  the  war  in  which  he 
was  engaged  against  prince  Aongus,  son  of 
Colman,  who  was  totally  defeated  with  his 
army,  at  the  battle  of  Odbha,  in  which 
Connall  Laogbreag,  son  of  Hugue  Slaine, 
lost  his  life.  This  monarch  died  at  Tara, 
after  a  reign  of  seven  years. 

Limerick,  called  Lumneach  in  the  Scotic 
language,  acknowledges  as  its  first  bishop, 
St.  Munchin,  son  of  Sedna,  who  founded  a 
church  there,  to  which  he  gave  his  own 
name  ;  it  was  formerly  a  cathedral,  but  af- 
terwards made  a  parish  church. f  The  time 
that  this  saint  lived  has  been  made  the  sub- 
ject of  much  disputation  among  authors  :  some 
say  that  he  lived  in  the  time  of  St.  Patrick, 
and  was  the  same  as  Mancenus,  whom  that 
apostle  placed  in  the  district  of  Tirawly  ; 
others  assert  that  he  was  the  same  as  Man- 
chenus,  who  died  in  651  ;  that  bishopric, 
however,  was  restored  by  the  Danes,  and 
the  cathedral  rebuilt  in  the  twelfth  century, 
by  Donald  O'Brien,  Idng  of  Limerick. 

The  priory  of  Moethel,  now  Mohill,  in 
the  district  of  Conmacne  of  Muinter-Eolas, 
the  ancient  patrimony  of  the  Mac-Granvills, 
was  founded  in  this  reign  by  St.  Manchene.| 
This  saint  also  founded  the  abbey  of  Mene- 
drochaid,  in  the  territory  of  Loise,  at  pre- 
sent the  Queen's  county. i^ 

Maolchaba,  son  of  Hugue  II.,  and  grand- 
son of  Ainmire  the  monarch,  ascended  the 
throne  a.  d.  612  ;  he  reigned  but  three 
years,  having  been  killed  by  his  successor 
at  the  battle  of  Cath-Taod. 

It  is  aflirmed  by  some  writers,  that  this 
monarch,  having  abdicated  the  throne,  be- 
came a  monk,  and  died  bishop  of  Clogher.|| 

St.  Laserian  (not  St.  Laserian,  abbot  of 
Daminis  in  Lake  Erne)  was  first  bishop  of 
Leighlin,  commonly  called  Old  Laughlin,  a 
town  situated  in  the  territory  of  Carlow,  at 
a  short  distance  from  the  river  Barrow. 

St.  Laserian  was  sometimes  called  Mo- 
laisre  :Tf  he  was  son  of  Cairel  and  Blitha, 

*  Ibid.  Vit.  S.  Ubran,  ad  11  Mart. 
t  War.  de  Episc.  Linimericens. 
t  Act.  Sanct.   Hib.  Vit.  S.  Manch.  ad   14  Feb. 
Usser.  Primord.  cap.  17,  page  9G9. 
§  War.  dc  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26. 
II  Grat.  Luc.  c.  9. 
IT   War.  de  Episc.  Leighlin. 


180 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


and  brought  up  in  his  youth  by  the  abbot  St. 
iMurin,  to  whom  his  mother,  Blitha,  daughter 
of  a  king  of  the  Picts,  had  intrusted  him. 
He  went  to  Rome,  where  he  remained  four- 
teen years,  during  which  time  he  attended 
particuUvrly  to  the  expounding  of  the  holy 
Scriptures  by  St.  Gregory,  pope,  from  whom 
he  received  the  order  of  priesthood,  and 
returned  to  his  own  country.  He  visited 
Gobban,  abbot  of  Leighlin,  some  time  after- 
wards, who  vokmtarily  resigned  to  him  his 
monastery,  and  sought  an  establishment  in 
another  place  for  himself  and  his  monks. 

The  monastery  of  Leighlin  became  cele- 
brated under  St.  Laserian ;  there  were 
monks  in  it  to  the  number  of  1500.*  The 
celebration  of  Easter  was,  at  that  time,  the 
subject  of  frequent  debates  ;  a  synod  was 
convened  on  the  banks  of  the  Barrow,  be- 
tween Laughlin  and  Sliev-Margey,  to  take 
it  into  consideration.  This  matter  was  de- 
bated between  St.  Laserian  and  Munnu, 
abbot  of  an  abbey  called  Teach-Munnu, 
which  he  had  founded  in  the  territory  of 
Kinseallagh.  As  each  was  inflexible  in  his 
own  opinion,  the  synod  terminated  without 
deciding  upon  any  thing ;  wherefore  St. 
Laserian  returned  to  Rome,  where  he  was 
honorably  received  by  Pope  Honorius  L, 
who  consecrated  him  bishop  and  sent  him 
back  to  Ireland  in  the  capacity  of  legate, 
with  instructions  for  the  faithful  respecting 
the  Easter. t  He  succeeded  so  well  in  this 
mission,  that  he  brought  back  the  southern 
Scots  to  the  observance  of  the  true  Easter. | 
He  died  the  18th  of  April,  638,  and  was 
interred  in  the  church  of  Leighlin,  which 
he  had  founded.    , 

The  bishopric  of  Cork  was  founded  by  St. 
Barr,  or  Finbar,  called  Lochan  at  his  bap- 
tism ;  he  was  from  the  province  of  Con- 
naught. §  This  saint  founded  a  cathedral 
church  in  the  seventh  century  ;  and  after 
being  bishop  of  it  for  seventeen  years,  ac- 
cording to  some  but  seven,  he  died  at  Cloyne, 
fifteen  miles  from  his  cathedral,  on  the  25th 
of  September ;  the  year,  however,  is  un- 
known. ||  His  body  was  brought  to  Cork 
and  honorably  interred  in  his  church,  where 


*  Usser.  Prim.  Eccles.  Brit.  cap.  17,  page  926. 

t  "  Pope  Honorius  sent  letters  to  the  nation  of 
the  Scots,  whom,  in  their  observance  of  the  Easter, 
he  had  found  to  be  in  error." — Bede's  C.  Hist. 
b.  2,  c.  19. 

t  "  Moreover,  the  Scots  who  inhabited  the  south 
of  Ireland,  had,  long  before  this,  paid  attention  to 
the  pope's  mandate,  for  their  observance  of  the 
Easter." — Bede. 

§  Usser.  Ind.  Chron.  note  ad  an.  630.  War.  de 
Epist.  Corcagiens. 

II  War.  de  Antlq.  c.  29. 


his  relics  were  afterwards  deposited,  in  a 
silver  shrine.*  In  his  time  there  was  a 
celebrated  school  at  Cork,  which  produced 
a  great  number  of  saints  and  learned  men. 
According  to  Dempster,  he  was  the  author 
of  the  epistle  on  the  ceremonies  of  baptism, 
which  is  generally  ascribed  to  Alcuin. 

Suibhne,  surnamed  Mean,  son  of  Fiachra, 
and  great-grandson  of  Murtough-Mac-Earca, 
succeeded  Maolchaba,  a.  d.  615.  He  reign- 
ed thirteen  years,  and  was  killed  by  Congal, 
son  of  Scanlan,  king  of  Ulster,  at  the  battle 
of  Traigbhrene,  leaving  the  sceptre  to 
Domhnall,  brother  of  the  monarch  Maol- 
chaba. 

Domhnall  II.,  brother  of  Maolchaba,  and 
son  of  Hugue  II.,  of  the  race  of  Niall  the 
Great,  by  Conall  Gulban,  ascended  the 
throne,  a.  d.  628.  This  monarch  was  both 
a  good  Christian  and  a  wise  king ;  he  gov- 
erned his  subjects  with  much  prudence, 
and  gained  several  victories  over  his  ene- 
mies. His  humility  was  so  great,  that  when 
he  asked  St.  Fechin  for  the  penance,  and 
remission  of  a  crime  he  had  committed,  he 
prostrated  himself  upon  the  earth,  and  al- 
lowed the  saint  to  walk  on  him.  The  crime 
was,  the  revision  which  that  monarch  wished 
to  make  of  the  boundaries  and  dynasties 
belonging  to  the  southern  Hy-Nialls,  and  in 
consequence  of  which  he  made  war  against 
them. 

Meath,  which  had  been  the  domain  of 
the  monarchs  of  Ireland  froiji  the  reign  of 
Tuathal-Teachtmar  in  the  second  century, 
was  divided  into  territories  and  dynasties  in 
the  reign  of  Niall,  surnamed  Noygiollach, 
at  the  end  of  the  fourth  century,  and  divided 
between  his  eight  sons  ;t  whose  descend- 
ants, called  the  Hy-Nialls,  were  formed  into 
two  tribes,  namely,  the  northern  and  south- 
ern Hy-Nialls,  from  the  situation  of  their 
respective  territories. 

The  northern  Hy-Nialls,  namely,  the  four 
sons  of  Niall,  called  Eogan,  Conall- Gulban, 
Eana,  and  Carbre,  with  their  followers,  in- 
vaded Ulster,  where  they  seized  upon  the 
vast  districts  of  Tir-Eogan,  Tirconnel,  Tir- 
Eana,  Carbre-Gaura,  and  the  environs  of 
Lough  Erne. 

It  appears  that  those  princes  had  pre- 
served their  possessions  in  Meath  for  some 
time  :  we  discover  that  in  the  time  of  St. 
Patrick,  Carbre  was  in  possession  of  Tail- 
ton  and  the  parts  adjoining  ;  that  some  lands 
in  West-Meath  and  in  Connaught,  belonged 


*  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  ad  14  Mart. 
+  Act.  Sar.ct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Fechini,  ad  20  Jan.  c 
24,  cum  notis. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


181 


to  Eana  ;  the  same  may  be  supposed  of  the 
other  two.*  Their  great  possessions,  how- 
ever, in  Ulster,  made  them  afterwards 
abandon  those  in  Meath,  which  were  not 
so  considerable,  and  which  became,  by  de- 
grees, blended  with  the  possessions  of  the 
southern  Hy-Nialls. 

As  the  monarchs  were  sometimes  chosen 
from  one  of  those  tribes,  and  sometimes  from 
another,  the  recovery  of  those  ancient  pos- 
sessions, by  placing  the  northern  Hy-Nialls 
nearer  to  the  court  of  Tara,  where  the  elec- 
tions took  place,  would  have  enabled  them 
to  secure  the  votes  in  the  elections  for  a 
monarch.  Those  were  the  political  motives 
which  influenced  Domhnall,  and  the  secret 
cause  which  induced  him  to  march  an  army 
into  Meath,  in  order  to  oblige  the  southern 
Hy-Nialls  to  accede  to  his  wishes.  Alarmed 
at  this  step  of  the  monarch,  the  southern 
Hy-Nialls  assembled  their  vassals,  made 
them  take  up  arms,  and  prepared  to  defend 
themselves  ;  but  on  seeing  that  they  were 
inferior  in  numbers  to  the  royal  army,  they 
implored  the  mediation  of  St.  Fechin,  abbot 
of  the  abbey  of  Fouar,  in  Westmeath,  of 
which  he  was  the  founder.  This  saint  was 
of  noble  descent,  but  was  still  more  cele- 
brated for  his  virtues,  and  high  reputation 
of  sanctity.  Having  complied  with  their 
request,  he  went  to  meet  the  monarch,  who 
was  advancing  with  rapid  strides  at  the  head 
of  his  army,  and  reproached  him  with  his 
rashness  and  injustice,  in  endeavoring  to 
disturb  a  possession  of  two  hundred  years. 
The  monarch  was  at  first  deaf  to  his  remon- 
strances ;  but  the  saint  having  recourse  to 
prayer,  God  displayed  such  prodigies  as 
moved  the  monarch,  whose  conscience  wa's 
timid,  and  already  under  the  influence  of 
religion  ;  thus,  seeing  hereby  that  the  ele- 
ments appeared  to  vindicate  the  Avill  of 
Heaven,  he  relinquished  his  enterprise,  made 
peace  with  the  southern  Hy-Nialls,  and 
humbly  submitted  to  the  penance  which  the 
saint  imposed  on  him.  He  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days  in  the  practice  of  pen- 
ance and  virtue  ;  among  other  good  works, 
he  endowed  the  monastery  of  Cong,  which 
St.  Fechin  had  founded,  and  which  Grati- 
anus  Lucius  calls  "  Ca;nobium  Congense." 
This  pious  monarch  died  in  the  odor  of 
j  sanctity,  at  Artfothad,  since  called  Rath- 
j!  Domhnall,  in  the  district  of  Tyrconnel,  after 
ll  a  reign  of  fourteen  years,  and  an  illness 
which  confined  him,  for  the  space  of  eighteen 
months,  to  his  bed,  in  which  state  the  sacra- 

! ;       *  Jocclin,  Vit.  S.  Pair.  c.  53,  et  Vit.  Trip.  lib.  2, 
I    cap.  4. 


ment  was  administered  to  him  every  Sun- 
day, A.D.  642.* 

The  bishopric  of  Lismore  was  founded 
about  the  beginning  of  the  seventh  century, 
by  St.  Carthagh,  who  was  also  called  Mach- 
uda.f  This  saint  was  descended  from 
Fergus,  of  the  race  of  Ire,  father  of  Kiar, 
from  whom  the  county  of  Kerry  derived  its 
name. 

Carthagh  having  left  his  native  country 
in  his  youth,  founded  a  monastery  at  Rath- 
ene,  in  Westmeath  :  he  was  first  abbot  of  it, 
and  it  is  said  that  he  was  at  the  head  of  a 
great  number  of  monks  there  for  forty  years, 
who  at  one  time  amounted  to  867. J  He 
established  a  particular  and  very  rigid  order 
for  this  house  ;  the  monks  lived  by  their 
labor,  and  on  the  vegetables  which  they  cul- 
tivated with  their  own  hands,  like  those  of 
La  Trappe.  This  order  was  afterwards 
blended  with  that  of  the  regular  canons  of 
St.  Augustin. 

The  high  reputation  for  austerity  and 
sanctity  of  the  monks  of  Rathene,  drew 
upon  them  the  envy  and  displeasure  of  those 
of  another  monastery  in  the  neighborhood, 
and  obliged  them  to  leave  their  establish- 
ment. Carthagh  led  them  to  the  district  of 
Desie,  near  Portlargi,  (Waterford,)  where 
he  was  received  with  respect  by  the  prince 
of  the  territory,  who  assigned  him  a  place 
called  Dunsginne,  and  since  Lismore.  Hav- 
ing settled  his  monks  there,  he  founded  a 
cathedral,  of  which  he  was  first  bishop,  and 
a  celebrated  school,  which  was  much  fre- 
quented, not  only  by  the  natives,  but  like- 
wise by  a  number  of  foreigners,  who  applied 
themselves  in  it  to  the  study  of  true  philo- 
sophy. § 

The  historians  of  the  country  affirm,  that 
St.  Cataldus,  afterwards  bishop  of  Tarentura, 
had  been  for  some  time  over  the  schools  at 
Lismore ;  Bartholomew  Moron  says  the  same 
tiling  in  his  life  :  St.  Cataldus  must  there- 
fore have  lived  in  the  seventh  century,  after 
St.  Carthagh,  who  had  founded  the  schools, 
rather   than  in  the  second,  as  Moron  ad- 


*  War.  de  Antlq.  Hib.  cap.  4,  Grat.  Luc.  c.  9. 

t  War.  de  Episc.  Lismor. 

t  Usser.  Prim.  c.  17,  p.  910.  Act.  Sanct.  Hib. 
10  Feb.  in  not.  ad  Vit,  S.  Cron. 

§  "  Lismore  is  a  liolj'  city,  into  the  half  of  which, 
there  being  an  asylum,  no  woman  dare  enter  :  it 
was  filled  with  cells  and  holy  monasteries,  and  a 
number  of  holy  men  are  always  in  it.  The  religious 
flow  to  it  from  every  part  of  Ireland,  England,  and 
Britain,  anxious  to  emigrate  to  Christ ;  and  the  city 
itself  is  situate  on  tiie  southern  bank  of  the  river 
formerly  called  Nem,  lately  called  Aben-Mor,  i.  e. 
a  great  river  in  the  district  of  Nandesus." — Alle- 
mand's  Monastic  History  of  Ireland. 


182 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


varices  ;  no  Christian  scliools  having  been' 
as  yet,  either  at  Lismore,  or  in  any  other 
part  of  I reland .  The  great  number  of  Chris- 
tians who  (he  says)  had  been  in  this  coun- 
try in  the  time  of  St.  Cataklus,  proves  that 
he  was  mistaken  respecting  the  age  in 
which  that  saint  lived. 

Killaloe,  situated  in  the  county  of  Clare, 
on  the  right  bank,  and  west  of  the  river 
Shannon,  near  the  famous  cataract  above 
Limerick,  which  interrupts  the  navigation  of 
the  river,  derives  its  name  from  St.  Molua, 
who  had  founded  a  church  there  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  sixth  century,  of  Avhich  he 
was  abbot.*  In  the  annals  of  Innisfail,  and 
in  most  of  the  histories  of  the  country,  this 
place  is  called  Kill-da-Lua,  which  signifies 
the  church  of  Lua,  which  was  the  real  name 
of  that  saiat.  St.  Flannan,  son  of  king 
Theodoric,  and  disciple  of  St.  Molua,  was 
consecrated  first  bishop  of  this  see  about 
the  year  639,  at  Rome,  by  Pope  John  IV. 
During  his  episcopacy,  Theodoric  endowed 
this  church  liberally,  and  was  interred  in  it 
by  his  son,  the  bishop  having  died  at  an 
advanced  age. 

The  monastery  of  Achad-Garvan,  now 
Dungarvan,  in  the  territory  of  Desie,  was 
founded  by  St.  Garban,  or  Garvan,  son  of 
Finbarr,  and  disciple  of  the  great  St.  Barr, 
bishop  of  Cork.f 

The  monastery  of  Teach-Molaige,  or 
Tidach-Mhin,  in  the  territory  of  Fera- 
Muighe,  in  the  county  of  Cork,  was  founded 
by  St.  Molagga.| 

The  abbey  of  Tirdaglass,  diocese  of  Kil- 
laloe, on  the  river  Shannon,  was  founded 
by  St.  Colman-Stellan.i^ 

In  this  reign  we  may  place  the  founda- 
tion of  two  monasteries  for  females  by  Saint 
Darerca,  surnamed  Meenen,  of  the  race  of 
the  Clanna-Rorys,  the  first  of  which  Avas 
that  of  Fochard,  in  the  territory  of  Conall- 
Murthemne,  in  the  county  of  Louth,  in  me- 
mory of  St.  Bridget,  who  was  born  in  that 
place  :  there  have  been  canonesses  to  the 
number  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  that 
house. II  The  second  was  that  of  Kilslcve, 
or  Kilslebe,  in  the  territory  of  Ardmach, 
founded  by  the  same  saint,  whom  Colgan 
takes  care  not  to  confound  with  the  abbess 
of  Lin,  who  was  sister  of  St.  Patrick,  and 
also  called  Darerca. 

St.  Aedan,  or  Aldus,  surnamed  Dubh, 
that  is,  the  Black,  king  of  Leinster,  having 

*  War.  de  Episc.  Laonens. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Garvan,  ad  26    Mart. 

t  Act.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Molag.  ad  20  Jan. 

§  Ibid.  pp.  12  et  14,  142  et  247. 

II  Usser.  Prim.  Eccles.  Ind.  Chron.  ad  an.  630. 


abdicated  the  throne,  became  a  monk,  and 
founded  a  monastery  for  regular  canons  at 
Kildare,  of  which  he  was  abbot,  and  after- 
wards bishop.* 

St.  Fechin,  an  abbot  and  anchorite,  was 
celebrated  for  the  retired  life  he  led,  and  the 
great  number  of  religious  houses  which  he 
founded  in  this  and  the  two  following  reigns. 
His  father  was  Coelcharn,  of  the  race  of 
Eocha-Fion-Fuothaii't,  brother  of  Conn- 
Keadcaha  ;  and  his  mother  Lassar  was  de- 
scended from  the  kings  of  Munster.f 

This  saint  founded  the  monasteries  of 
Easdara,  Bile-Fechin,  Kill-Na-Manach,  and 
Druim-Ratha,  for  regular  canons,  in  the 
diocese  of  Achonry,  where  he  was  born  ;  the 
abbey  of  Kill-Na-Garban,  in  the  territory  of 
Coistolo  ;  the  abbey  of  Cong,  between  the 
lakes  Mask  and  Corrib,  on  the  frontiers  of 
the  counties  of  Galway  and  Mayo. 

This  house  was  built  and  endowed  by 
Domhnall  II.,  Avho  became  monarch  of  the 
island  four  years  afterwards.  Cong  was  a 
celebrated  place,  for  having  been  the  resi- 
dence of  the  kings  of  Connaught,  and  a 
number  of  fine  churches,  as  may  be  discov- 
ered by  the  extensive  ruins  which  remain. 

The  monasteries  of  Inaidh  and  Ard-Oilen, 
two  islands  in  the  river  Shannon.  He  also 
founded  the  monastery  of  Tibraid,  in  the  ter- 
ritory of  Maine,  that  is,  in  southern  Teafna, 
which  comprised  a  part  of  Westmeath  and 
Analy,  now  the  county  of  Longford,  and  that 
of  Tulach-Fobhair,  near  Naas,  in  the  county 
of  Kildare. 

Lastly,  St.  Fechin  founded  the  monastery 
of  Foure,  in  the  territory  of  Dealna-Mor,  in 
a  pleasant  valley  called  Fobhair,  or  Fovar, 
in  which  there  were  300  monks  imder  the 
rigid  order  of  that  saint.  Mortification  was 
practised  in  it  to  a  high  degree.  Cambrensis 
says  that  women  were  not  allowed  to  enter 
the  convent,  nor  even  the  mill  belonging  to 
it.t 

Saint  Fechin  died  in  664,  of  a  plague, 
called  in  the  Scotic  language,  "  Buidhe- 
Chonnaill,"  which  had  carried  off  a  great 
number,  both  of  the  clergy  and  the  people, 
without  sparing  even  the  crowned  heads. 
Blathmac  and  Dermod  II.,  who  governed  the 
island  together,  Cais,  or  Caius  Gan-Mathuir, 


*  Trias.  Thaum.  App.  5,  ad  Vit.  S.  Brigid.  p.  629. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Fechin,  App.  c.  2. 

I  "  In  Meath,  at  Fovar,  there  is  a  mill  which  holy 
Fechinus  excavated  with  his  own  hands,  out  of  the 
side  of  a  rock.  Neither  into  this,  nor  into  the 
church  of  the  saint,  entered  a  woman  ;  the  mill 
was  held  in  equal  veneration  by  the  natives,  as  one 
of  the  churches  of  the  saint." — Allemand^s  Monas- 
tic History  of  Ireland,  page  41. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


183 


king  of  Mimster,  and  several  other  princes, 
fell  victims  to  this  contagion,  which  is  men- 
tioned by  Bede,  in  accordance  with  the  his- 
torians of  the  country.* 

Conall,  surnamed  Claon,  son  of  Maolcha- 
ba,  of  the  race  of  Niall  the  Great,  by  Conall 
Gulban,  succeeded  Domhnall,  a.  d.  642. 
This  prince,  according  to  the  general  cus- 
tom of  the  time,  shared  the  government  w^ith 
his  brother  Kellach.  They  reigned  in  peace, 
but  ended  their  lives  dift'erently  ;  the  former 
having  been  killed  in  a  combat  against  Der- 
raod,  and  the  latter  died  a  natural  death  at 
Brugh,  on  the  river  Boyne. 

St.  Sacer,  otherwise  Mosacer  and  Mo- 
sacra,  of  the  race  of  the  Clanna-Rorys, 
founded  in  the  reign  of  these  princes  the 
monastery  of  Teach-Sacra,  near  Taulaght, 
within  three  miles  of  Dublin. f 

The  monastery  of  Glasmore,  in  the  terri- 
tory of  Desies,  was  founded  about  the  same 
time  by  St.  Cronan,  known  by  the  name  of 
St.  Mochua,  disciple  of  Saint  Carthagh,  for 
regular  canons  of  St.  Augustin.  St.  Cronan 
Avas  killed  in  his  abbey  of  Glasmore,  with 
all  his  monks,  by  Danish  or  Norwegian  pi- 
rates, who  made  a  descent  on  the  country 
in  the  seventh  century. | 

We  may  also  place  about  this  time  the 
foundation  of  a  monastery  in  the  territory 
of  Hy-Cairbre,  county  of  I^omneach,  (Lime- 
rick,) called  Kil-Mochelloe,  or  Kilmallock, 
from  the  name  of  St.  Machelloc,  of  the  race 
of  Conare,  monarch  of  the  island,  by  whom 
it  was  founded.^ 

Blathmac  and  Dermod,  surnamed  Ruaidh- 
naigh,  brothers,  and  children  of  Hug-ue  III., 
ascended  the  throne,  a.  d.  854  ;  and  after  a 
reign  of  ten  years,  were  carried  off,  with  a 
considerable  number  of  their  subjects,  by  a 
plague  which  ravaged  the  whole  island, 
A.  D.  665. II 

The  abbey  of  Cluain-Dolchain,  in  the 
countyof  Dublin,  near  the  frontiers  of  Meath, 
was  founded  in  this  reign  by  St.  Machua.TI 

*  "  In  the  664th  year  of  our  redemption,  on  the 
3d  day  of  May,  about  the  tenth  hour,  in  which  year 
there  was  a  sudden  pestilence,  whereby  the  south- 
ern parts  of  Britain  were  depopulated,  and  also  ex- 
tended into  the  province  of  Northumberland.  This 
plague  spread  itself  still  more  widely,  and  destroyed 
in  its  ravages  great  numbers  of  people." — Bede's 
Church  History,  c.  27,  b.  3. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Sac.  ad  3  Mart.  Al- 
lemand.  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irlande,  page  8. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Vit.  S.  Cronan,  ad  10  Feb.  Allem. 
Hist.  Monast.  d'Irlande,  page  52. 

§  Ibid.  Vit.  S.  Mochelloc,  ad  26  Mart.  Allem. 
page  60. 

II  Bed.  lib.  3,  c.  26,  et  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  p.  603. 

IT  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Ferfugill.  ad  10  Mart. 
Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  page  8. 


The  monastery  of  luis-Bo-Fin,  a  mari- 
time island  on  the  western  coast  of  Con- 
naught,  was  founded  in  664  by  St.  Colman, 
bishop  of  Lindisfarn,  in  England.* 

The  abbey  of  Mayo  was  first  founded  by 
St.  Colman,  for  regular  canons  of  St.  Angus- 
tin,  and  afterwards  finished  by  his  disciple 
St.  Gerald,  abbot  of  Winton  in  England, 
who  accompanied  that  bishop  to  Ireland, 
whom  Ragallach,  king  of  Connaught,  sup- 
plied with  funds  for  this  purpose. f  The 
same  St.  Gerald  founded  the  abbey  of  Ely- 
theria,  or  Templegerard,  in  the  county  of 
Mayo,  for  regular  canons. | 

Lastly,  St.  Gerald  founded  a  monastery 
at  Mayo  for  nuns,  of  which  his  sister,  St. 
Segresia,  was  abbess. 

Seachnusach,  son  of  Blathmac,  succeed- 
ed his  father  and  his  uncle,  and  Avas  killed, 
after  a  reign  of  six  years,  by  Dubh  Diiin,  of 
Kenel-Cairbre,  a.  d.  671. 

Kionn-Faola,  brother  of  Seachnusach, 
succeeded  him  on  the  throne,  a.d.  671  ;  he 
reigned  but  four  years,  having  been  killed 
at  the  famous  battle  of  Kealtrach,  in  the 
territory  of  Thuomond,  a.d.  675. 

Fionachta,  surnamed  Fleadhach,  which 
signifies  hospitable,  son  of  Dunchada,  and 
grandson  of  Hugue  III.,  surnamed  Slaine, 
succeeded  Kionn-Faola. i^  This  pious  prince 
being  desirous  of  renouncing  the  Avorld,  and 
of  devoting  himself  to  the  service  of  God, 
retired  into  a  monastery  about  the  twelfth 
year  of  his  reign  ;  the  affairs  of  state,  how- 
ever, joined  to  the  solicitations  of  the  great 
men,  induced  him  to  leave  the  convent  be- 
fore the  end  of  his  novitiate,  and  resume 
the  reins  of  government. 

This  monarch  gave  battle  to  the  people 
of  Leinster,  at  Lochgabhair  in  Meath,  near 
Kells,  in  which  several  of  the  provincial 
troops  lost  their  lives  ;  he  then,  at  the  re- 
quest of  St.  Moling,  suppressed  the  tribute- 
called  "  Boiroimhe-Laighean,"  which  the 
monarch  Tuathal-Teacht-Mar,  one  of  his 
ancestors,  had  imposed  on  that  province  in 
the  second  century,  and  which  had  caused 
so  much  blood  to  flow.|| 

It  was  in  the  reign  of  this  monarch  that 
the  English,  by  order  of  Ecgfrid,  king  of 
the  Northumbrians,  made  a  descent  upon 
Ireland.  In  the  year  of  the  Incarnation  of 
our  Lord  684,  (says  Bede,)  Ecgfrid,  king  of 

*  Bede,  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  4,  c.  4. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  Gerald,  ad  13  Mart. 
War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  26. 

t  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irlande,  page  78,  et 
seq. 

§  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  8.     Keating's  Hist,  of  Ireland. 

II  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  4. 


184 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


the  Northumbrians,  having  sent  General 
Bcrte  with  an  army  to  Ireland,  plundered 
that  imofl'ending  people,  (who  had  been 
always  friendly  and  well-disposed  towards 
the  English,)  without  sparing  either  churches 
or  monasteries  ;  however,  the  Irish  used  all 
their  ellbrts,  and  repelled  force  by  force.* 
Thus,  this  attack  of  the  Saxons  was  attend- 
ed by  no  other  result  than  the  pillaging  of 
some  villages  on  the  coasts  of  the  island. 

In  the  reign  of  this  monarch,  Cumasgach, 
king  of  the  Picts,  invaded  this  island  with 
all  his  forces  ;  but  he  was  killed  by  the 
islanders  at  the  battle  of  Rathmore,  in  Meath, 
in  the  barony  of  Lune,  and  his  army  cut  to 
pieces. 

After  a  reign  of  twenty  years,  Fionnachta 
lost  his  life,  together  with  his  crown,  at  the 
battle  of  Greallach-Dolling,  a.  d.  695,  and  is 
placed  in  the  martyrology,  on  the  14th  of 
November,  the  day  on  which  he  is  honored 
as  a  saint. 

In  the  reign  of  this  pious  monarch,  some 
religious  houses  were  founded ;  namely, 
the  abbey  of  Lusk,  in  the  county  of  Dublin, 
by  St.  Colga.f 

The  abbey  of  Achadh-Dubtuigh,  in  the 
district  of  Ly,  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
Bann,  in  the  county  of  Antrim,  was  found- 
ed by  Saint  Guaire,  or  Goar,  of  the  race  of 
Colla-Huais.| 

The  abbey  of  Both-Chonais,  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Inis-Owen,  county  of  Donegal,  was 
founded  by  St.  Congellus,  of  the  race  of 
Eogan,  son  of  Niall  the  Great,  from  whom 
the  illustrious  tribe  of  the  O'Neills  are  de- 
scended. This  saint  is  not  the  same  as  he 
who  had  founded  the  abbey  of  Beanchuir, 
in  the  county  of  Down.i^ 

The  priory  of  Inchenemeo,  (an  island  of 
Lough-Derg,  in  the  river  Shannon,)  which 
signifies  the  island  of  the  living,  called  the 
priory  of  St.  Hilary,  was  founded  by  Saint 
Donan.  This  house,  which  consisted  of 
regular  canons,  was  removed  to  Corball,  or 
Kilbara,  a  small  place  on  the  borders  of  that 
lake.  II 

The  priory  of  Thome  was  founded  in  the 


*  ■"  In  the  year  of  our  Lord  684,  Egfridus,  king 
of  the  Northumbrians,  sent,  under  the  comnnand  of 
Bertus,  an  army  to  devastate  the  country,  and 
destroy  an  unoffending  people,  who  had  been  most 
friendly  to  the  English ;  neither  churches  nor  mon- 
asteries were  spared  :  they  were  repulsed  by  the 
natives." — Bede. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Colg.  ad  20  Feb. 

t  Ibid,  in  Vit.  S.  Maidoc.  ad  30  Jan.  Append,  c. 
2,  page  223. 

§  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  page  94.  Act.  Sanct. 
Hib.  Vit.  S.  Christie,  ad  3  Mart. 

II  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irlande,  page  67. 


same  century,  by  the  same  St.  Donan  ;  this 
priory  belonged  to  the  house  of  Corball, 
which  we  have  just  mentioned. 

Loingseach,  son  of  Aongus,  grandson  of 
Domhnall  II.,  and  great-grandson  of  Hugue 
II.,  surnamed  Slaine,  of  the  race  of  Here- 
mon,  succeeded  Fionnachta-Fleadhach. 

In  the  reign  of  that  monarch  the  Britons 
and  Saxons  made  an  attempt  upon  Ireland  ; 
they  laid  waste  the  plain  of  Muirtheimne,  at 
present  the  county  of  Louth  ;  but  they  were 
repulsed  by  Loingseach,  and  forced  to  aban- 
don their  enterprise.  They  were  afterwards 
totally  defeated  by  the  Ulster  troops  at 
Moigh-Cuillin,  or  Ire-Conaght,  in  the  county 
of  Galway. 

There  was  in  this  reign  a  dreadful  mur- 
rain among  the  cattle,  followed  by  a  famine, 
that  lasted  for  three  years.  After  a  reign 
of  nine  years,  this  monarch  was  killed,  with 
his  three  sons,  Ardgall,  Consac,  and  Flan, 
at  the  battle  of  Cormin,  by  Kellach,  son  of 
Ragallach,  king  of  Connaught,  a.  d.  704. 

Congall,  surnamed  Kionmaghair,  son  of 
Feargus-Fanuid,  and  descendant  of  Niall 
the  Great,  by  Conall-Gulban,  ascended  the 
throne.  He  took  delight  to  put  away  every 
year  the  hostages  which  the  provinces  were 
accustomed  to  give  the  monarchs,  in  order 
to  reclaim  them  by  arms.  He  was  always 
at  war  with  the  people  of  Leinster  to  avenge 
the  death  of  Hugh  II.,  (son  of  Ainmire,  his 
great-grandfather,)  who  had  been  killed  by 
them  at  the  battle  of  Beallach-Dunbolg. 
This  unhappy  prince  became  at  length  a 
persecutor  of  the  church  and  clergy ;  but 
the  divine  vengeance  arrested  his  career  by 
a  sudden  death,  a.  d.  711. 

Feargall,  son  of  Maolduin,  and  great- 
grandson  of  Hugh  I V .,  surnamed  Vairionach, 
succeeded  Congall.  The  inhabitants  of 
Britain,  who  frequently  made  their  attacks 
on  Ireland  for  the  sake  of  plunder,  arrived, 
during  the  reign  of  this  monarch,  in  Ulster, 
where,  after  a  bloody  engagement  fought  at 
Cloch-Mionuire,  they  were  entirely  routed 
by  the  Dalriads  and  other  tribes  of  Ulster. 

Although  Fionachta  forgave  the  people  of 
Leinster  the  tribute  which  they  were  obliged 
to  pay  to  the  monarch,  it  appears  that  some 
of  his  successors  still  laid  claim  to  it.  Fear- 
gall,  being  irritated  with  the  Leinster  men, 
whether  from  their  refusal  to  pay  the  tribute, 
or  from  some  other  motives  of  dissatisfaction, 
entered  their  country  with  an  army  of  21 ,000 
men.  Mourough-Mac-Broin,  king  of  the 
province,  at  the  head  of  but  9,000,  met  the 
monarch  at  Almhuine,  at  present  Allen,  in 
the  county  of  Kildare.  The  disproportion 
of  the  two  armies  would  seem,  at  first  view, 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


185 


to  decide  in  favor  of  the  monarch  ;  but  a 
panic  spreading  on  a  sudden  through  his 
soldiers,  lost  to  him  the  victory  and  his  life, 
besides  one  hundred  and  sixty  lords,  of  his 
attendants.  The  historians  of  the  country 
make  the  loss,  on  both  sides,  amount  to 
7,000  men,  a.  d.  722. 

Fogartach,  son  of  Niall,  and  grandson  of 
Kearnagh,  of  the  race  of  Niall  the  Great,  by 
Conall-Creamthine,  Dermod,  and  Hugh  III., 
surnamed  Slaine,  obtained  the  supreme  gov- 
ernment of  the  island  ;  but  he  saw,  almost 
at  the  same  time,  the  beginning  and  end  of 
his  reign,  as,  about  the  close  of  the  year, 
he  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Delgan,  or 
Kindelgin,  a.  d.  724. 

Kionath,  son  of  Jargallach,  and  descend- 
ed from  Niall  the  Great,  by  Conall-Cream- 
thine, Dermod,  and  Hugh-Slaine,  was  suc- 
cessor to  Fogartach. 

This  monarch  fought  a  battle  with  prince 
Flahertach  at  Dromorcain,  where  his  army 
was  entirely  defeated,  and  himself  found 
among  the  slain.* 

He  was  succeeded  by  Flahertach,  a.  d. 
727  :  this  prince  was  son  of  Loinseach  the 
monarch,  of  the  royal  race  of  Niall  the 
Great,  by  Conall  Gulban.  In  the  reign  of 
this  monarch,  Hugue,  surnamed  OUan,  at  the 
head  of  his  vassals  declared  war  against 
the  Clanna-Nialls  of  Ulster,  which  was 
ended  by  the  battle  of  Fotharta,  in  the  ter- 
ritory of  Muirthiemne,  (Louth,)  in  which 
Hugue  Roin,  king  of  that  province,  lost  his 
life.  The  cause  of  this  war  was  the  sacri- 
lege committed  by  Hugh  Roin  in  several 
churches  in  the  diocese  of  Ardmach,  which 
he  had  pillaged,  and  the  complaints  advanced 
against  him  by  Congus,  then  archbishop  and 
confessor  of  Hugue  Ollan,  in  a  poem  which 
he  had  composed  on  that  subject. f 

Flahertach,  regardless  of  the  royal  dig- 
nity and  splendors  of  the  world,  withdrew, 
after  a  reign  of  seven  years,  to  Ardmach, 
A.  D.  734,  where  he  embraced  the  monastic 
state,  and  spent  the  last  thirty  years  of  his 
life  in  the  practice  of  austerities. ;{:  This 
circumstance  occurred  while  Congus  was 
archbishop  of  that  see. 

Flahertach  was  the  last  monarch  of  Ire- 
land of  the  race  of  Conall-Gulban,  son 
of  Niall  the  Great ;  the  O'Domhnaills,  or 
O'Donnels,  the  eldest  branch  of  that  illus 
trious  tribe,  have  always  supported  the 
splendor  of  hereditary  princes  of  Tyrcon 
nel.  The  present  chief  of  that  very  an 
cient  and  noble  family  is  O'Donnel,  son  of 

*  Trias  Thaum.  7,  Vit.  S.  Part.  cap.  7,  p.  130. 
t  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Annach. 
t  Trias  Thaum.  page  294. 


Hugue,  a  general  officer  in  the  service  of 
her  majesty,  the  empress  queen,  well  known 
for  his  military  exploits,  not  only  in  the  last 
war  against  the  Turks,  but  also  in  the  pres- 
ent war  with  Prussia. 

Hugue  v.,  surnamed  Ollan,  son  of  Fear- 
gall  the  monarch,  of  the  race  of  Niall  by 
Eogan,  took  possession  of  the  throne  which 
had  become  vacant  by  the  abdication  of  Fla- 
hertach. This  prince  was  learned,  and  a 
severe  revenger  of  any  injuries  committed 
against  the  Church.  He  held  an  assembly 
at  Tirda-Glass,  in  the  district  of  Ormond, 
at  which  Cahall,  son  of  Fionguine,  king  of 
Munster,  and  several  other  princes,  were 
assembled  respecting  the  payment  of  St. 
Patrick's  tribute  throughout  the  whole  isl- 
and. In  the  reign  of  this  monarch  a  disas- 
trous war  broke  out  between  the  provinces 
of  Munster  and  Leinster  ;  the  two  armies 
having  engaged  at  Beallach-Feile,  in  the 
King's  county,  the  success  was  for  a  long 
time  doubtful ;  but  at  length  victory  declared 
in  favor  of  Cathal,  king  of  Munster,  and 
Keallach,  prince  of  Ossory,  was  found 
among  the  slain.  The  battle  of  Athsea- 
nuigh,  which  was  fought  some  time  after- 
wards between  the  people  of  Leinster  and 
the  monarch,  was  more  fatal  to  the  Provin- 
cialists,  having  lost  the  greater  part  of  their 
nobility,  with  Hugue,  son  of  Colman  their 
king,  and  about  9000  of  their  best  troops. 

Cahall,  son  of  Fionguine,  king  of  Mun- 
ster, and  Hugue  Balve,  king  of  Connaught, 
contemporaries  of  this  monarch,  both  died 
in  his  reign.  He  himself  ended  his  days, 
some  time  afterwards,  at  the  battle  of  Kean- 
nanus,  in  Meath,  which  his  successor  had 
gained  over  him. 

Domhnall  III.,  son  of  Mourrough,  de- 
scended in  the  eleventh  degree  from  Niall 
the  Great,  by  Conall  Crimthine  and  Der- 
mod the  monarch,  ascended  the  throne,  a. 
D.  743  ;  his  reign  was  long  and  peaceful. 
In  his  time  the  Picts  made  incursions  into 
Leinster  ;  they  were,  however,  totally  de- 
feated by  the  Leinster  troops  at  Rath-Bea- 
thach,  in  the  district  of  Ossory,  where  Ca- 
hasach,  their  king,  was  slain. 

Domhnall  being  a  prince  endowed  with 
the  love  of  religion,  was  induced,  through 
piety,  to  make  a  pilgrimage  to  the  island 
of  Hy-Columb-Kill,  where  he  died  in  peace, 
after  a  reign  of  20  years,  a.  d.-  763. 

We  may  place  in  this  reign  the  founda- 
tion of  two  religious  houses,  one  for  men 
and  the  other  for  females  :  namely,  the  ab- 
bey of  Taulacht,  three  miles  from  Dublin, 
which  Colffan  calls  "  Monasterium  Tamlac- 


186 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


tense,"  founded  by  Saint  Moelruan  ;*  and 
a  monastery  for  females  at  Doire-Mell,  in 
eastern  Brefny,  now  Cavan,  founded  by  St. 
Tigernaeh  for  liis  mother  Saint  Mell.f 

Niall,  surnamed  Frassach,  son  of  Fear- 
gall,  and  brother  of  Hugue  V.,  succeeded 
Domhnall  a.  d.  763. 

The  peace  which  the  kingdom  enjoyed 
during  his  reign  was  embittered  by  a  gen- 
eral famine  and  frequent  earthquakes,  which 
spread  desolation  throughout  the  land. 

This  prince,  who  ardently  desired  to  lead 
a  more  perfect  life  than  what  is  generally 
spent  upon  a  throne,  abdicated  it,  after  a 
reign  of  seven  years,  and  withdrew  to  the 
island  of  Ily,  where  he  passed  the  last  eight 
years  of  his  life  in  the  practices  of  penance, 
A.  D.  770. 

Donchada,  son  of  Domhnall  III.,  govern- 
ed the  island  after  Niall ;  and  after  a  reign 
of  twenty-seven  years,  spent  in  peace  and 
the  practice  of  good  works,  he  died  a  natu- 
ral death,  a.  d.  797. 

We  may  here  introduce  the  foundation 
of  the  priory  of  Damliag,  or  Duleek,  in  the 
territory  of  Bregh  in  Meath,  dedicated  to 
the  blessed  Virgin,  of  which  St.  Cathmas 
was  abbot  in  this  reign. 

The  abbey  of  Clontuoskirt  was  founded 
about  this  time  for  regular  canons  of  St. 
Augustin,  by  St.  Boadan,  who  was  first  ab- 
bot of  it. I 


CHAPTER  XII. 

As  we  have  now  come  to  the  period  of 
the  invasion  of  Ireland  by  the  Danes,  we 
must  interrupt  the  history  of  the  succession 
of  her  kings  to  verify  the  real  state  of  reli- 
gion among  the  Irish  at  that  time  ;  it  will 
be  found  in  the  following  chapter,  together 
with  the  wars  of  those  barbarians. 

The  church  of  Ireland  was  already  well 
founded,  from  the  time  of  the  apostleship 
of  St.  Patrick,  and  the  Christian  religion 
well  established  in  this  country.  There 
were  bishops  and  pastors  everywhere  ; 
every  canton  had  its  church,  and  every 
church  its  pastor.  It  is  probable  that  a 
diocese  was  not  then  considerable ;  where- 
as, in  the  time  of  St.  Patrick,  there  were 
more  than  three  hundred  bishops  in  this 
island,  where  at  present  there  are  not  forty. 

*  Act.  Sanct.  Vit.  S.  ^ngus.s.  ad  11  Mart. 
+  Act.  Sanct.  Vit.  S.  Mell,  ad  31  Mart. 
t  War.  de  Aiitiq.  Hib.  cap.  26.     AUem.  Hist 
Monast.  d'Irlande,  page  77. 


Without  speaking  of  the  three  first  ages 
of  Christianity — a  period  in  which  we  find, 
in  other  parts  of  Europe,  Scoto-Milesians 
who  were  eminent  for  the  sanctity  of  their 
lives  both  as  bishops  and  monks  ;  who  had 
been  fortunate  enough  to  leave  their  own 
country,  which  was  still  in  a  state  of  idol- 
atry ;  unacquainted  also  with  Christianity, 
except  what  they  learned  from  the  accounts 
of  travellers — the  fourth  century  gave  birth 
to  the  four  great  precursors  of  St.  Patrick, 
namely,  St.  Ailbe,  St.  Declan,  St.  Ibar,  and 
St.  Kieran.  These  holy  men,  who  converted 
several  districts  in  the  island,  founded  some 
considerable  abbeys,  of  which  they  them- 
selves were  abbots,  and  afterwards  bishops. 

Usher,  according  to  an  ancient  authen- 
tic manuscript,  discriminates  three  different 
classes  of  saints  in  Ireland,  which  corre- 
spond with  the  fifth  and  sixth  centuries.* 

The  first  class,  called  very  holy,  existed 
in  the  time  of  St.  Patrick,  who,  after  Jesus 
Christ,  was  head  of  them ;  this  class,  com- 
posed of  three  hundred  and  fifty  celebrated 
bishops,  was  filled  with  the  holy  spirit,  and 
were  all  the  founders  of  churches ;  they  had 
the  same  mass,  the  same  liturgy,  and  the 
same  tonsure  from  one  ear  to  the  other. 
They  celebrated  Easter  on  the  fourteenth  of 
the  moon,  after  the  vernal  equinox.  What- 
ever was  excommunicated  by  one  church, 
was  the  same  by  all :  neither  did  they 
shun  the  assistance  nor  the  conversation  of 
women,  because,  being  founded  by  Jesus 
Christ,  as  upon  a  firm  rock,  they  never 
dreaded  the  breath  of  temptation.  In  fine, 
this  class,  which  consisted  of  subjects  from 
different  nations,  but  principally  Scoto-Mile- 
sians, lasted  during  the  reigns  of  four  mon- 
archs  successively,  beginning  with  Laogare. 

The  second  class  consisted  of  priests  to 
the  number  of  three  hundred,  among  whom 
there  were  some  few  bishops.  They  ac- 
knowledged but  one  head,  namely,  Jesus 
Christ ;  they  had  different  liturgies  and  dif- 
ferent masses  ;  they  celebrated  the  Easter 
on  the  fourteenth  of  the  moon,  as  those  of 
the  first  class  ;  they  had  likev^^ise  the  same 
tonsure  from  ear  to  ear  ;  but  they  never 
spoke  to  women.  This  class  continued  also 
for  four  reigns,  beginning  with  Tuathal. 

The  principal  saints  of  this  class  v/ere 
the  two  Finians,  the  two  Brendans,  Jarlath 
of  Tuam,  Congall,  Coemgin,  Kieran,  Co- 
lumb,  Cannech,  Lasren,  Eugene  Mac-Lais- 
re,  Luge  Cormac,  Colman,  Nessan,  Lasrea, 
Barrinde,  Coeman,  Conan,  Ende,  Aide,  Ber- 
chan,  and  many  others. 

*  Usser.  Primord.  Eccles.  Brit.  cap.  17,  p.  913. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


187 


The  third  and  last  class  comprised  several 
holy  priests,  to  the  number  of  one  hundred, 
among  whom  there  were  some  bishops : 
they  inhabited  the  Avoods  and  desert  places, 
drinking  nothing  but  water,  and  lived  upon 
herbs,  which  they  cultivated  themselves,  in 
nearly  the  same  manner  as  the  monks  of  La 
Trappe.  They  possessed  no  property  ;  fol- 
lowed different  rules  and  different  liturgies ; 
had  different  tonsures — some  were  shaved, 
and  others  wore  their  hair ;  they  also  dif- 
fered in  the  celebration  of  the  Easter,  some 
observing  it  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  the 
moon,  others  the  thirteenth,  and  some  on 
the  sixteenth.  This  class  likewise  lasted 
during  four  reigns,  till  the  time  of  Hugue 
III.,  surnamed  Slaine,  in  the  beginning  of 
the  seventh  century. 

The  principal  bishops  of  this  class  were 
Petran,  Ultan,  Colman,  Edan,  Loman,  Se- 
nach,  and  others  ;  the  priests  were  Fechin, 
Foilan,  Coman,  Colman,  Ernan,  Cronan, 
and  many  others. 

The  sanctity  of  those  three  classes  is  char- 
acterized in  the  monument  quoted  by  Usher. 
The  first  class,  he  says,  was  very  holy,  the 
second  less  so,  and  the  third  still  less  than 
the  second.*  However,  those  who  composed 
the  last  class,  though  inferior  to  the  others 
in  perfection,  would  be  looked  upon  in  the 
present  age  as  inimitable  models  of  mortifi- 
cation and  sanctity. 

Usher  quotes  a  second  manuscript  which 
he  had  seen,  that  mentioned  those  three 
classes  or  orders  of  saints  in  Ireland  ;  the 
first  order,  according  to  this  manuscript,  was 
as  brilliant  as  the  meridian  sun  in  all  its 
force ;  the  second  pale  like  the  moon,  and 
the  third  shone  like  Aurora. f 

Although  it  may  be  supposed  that  those 
three  different  classes  of  saints  should  belong 
to  the  two  centuries  which  followed  the 
preaching  of  St.  Patrick,  still,  if  we  compare 
them  with  the  vision  of  that  apostle,  quoted 
by  Jocelin,  we  may  apply  them  allegorically 
to  the  different  states  of  religion  in  Ireland, 
from  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  till  the 
twelfth  century,  and  the  arrival  of  the  Eng- 
lish in  this  island. I 

St.  Patrick,  says  Jocelin,  filled  with  ap- 
prehensions for  the  church  he  had  founded, 
offered  up  a  fervent  prayer  to  God,  to  know 
what  its  destiny  would  be  in  future  ages. 

*  "  The  first  order  was  most  holy,  the  second  order 
more  holy,  and  the  third  holy  ;  the  first  was  ardent 
as  the  sun,  the  second  as  the  moon,  and  the  third  as 
a  star." 

t  "  The  first,  like  the  sun,  was  warmed  by  the 
fervor  of  its  brightness  ;  the  second,  pale  as  the 
moon  ;  the  third  shone  as  Aurora." — Usher. 

X  Vit.  S.  Part.  cap.  175. 


The  Lord  having  heard  his  prayer,  first 
presented  to  his  view  an  island  as  if  all  on 
fire,  and  covered  with  a  flame  which  raised 
itself  to  the  skies  ;  he  afterwards  beheld  only 
the  tops  of  the  mountains  burning.  Those 
first  visions  may  be  applied  to  the  four  first 
ages  of  Christianity  in  that  island,  when 
religion  was  still  in  all  its  splendor.  But 
the  eclipse  occasioned  by  the  incursions  of 
the  barbarians  of  the  north  in  the  ninth  and 
tenth  centuries,  is  strongly  represented  by 
the  darkness  which,  according  to  the  vision, 
had  succeeded  to  the  light,  and  by  the  thinly- 
scattered  sparks  which  the  saint  beheld  in 
the  valleys,  and  the  still  lighted  coals  which 
lay  concealed  beneath  the  ashes.  The  light 
which  the  apostle  saw  coming  from  the 
north,  and  which,  after  dispelling  the  dark- 
ness, lighted  the  whole  island,  implies  the 
re-establishment  of  religion  after  the  expul- 
sion of  the  Danes  ;  which  that  author  as- 
cribes to  the  zeal  of  the  learned  Celse, 
otherwise  Celestine,  Ceallach,  or,  in  the 
language  of  the  country,  Kellach,  who  was 
archbishop  of  Armagh  in  the  beginning  of 
the  twelfth  century,  and  of  his  successor,  St. 
Malachi.*  Jocelin  here  mentions,  that  the 
English  claim  the  merit  of  having  revived 
religion  in  that  island  ;  but  the  decision  of  it 
he  leaves  to  the  judgments  of  God  ;  the 
vanity  of  their  claim  on  that  head  we  shall 
discover  in  the  subsequent  part  of  this  his- 
tory. 

The  difference  which  prevailed  in  the 
liturgy  and  tonsure,  caused  no  schism  in  the 
church  of  Ireland. 

The  first  and  most  ancient  liturgy  of  this 
new  church  took  its  origin  from  St.  Mark  ;t 
it  was  introduced  into  Provence,  Languedoc, 
and  some  other  provinces,  by  St.  Cassian 
and  St.  Honoratius  ;  St.  Germain  and  St. 
Loup  established  it  in  Gaul ;  and  St.  Patrick 
brought  it  into  Ireland,  where  it  has  been 
scrupulously  observed  by  his  disciples. 

This  liturgy  afterwards  underwent  some 
changes,  both  in  this  and  other  private 
churches,  in  which  we  discover  different 
rituals  and  ceremonies.  There  were  many 
other  rites  in  this  as  well  as  in  the  Greek  or 
Eastern  church,  and  that  of  the  Romans  ;  all 
these  different  liturgies  continued  in  use  for 
a  considerable  time,  even  till  the  end  of  the 
eleventh  century,  when  Gilbert,  bishop  of 
Limerick,  and  apostolical  legate,  wrote  a 
treatise  on  the  manner  of  celebrating  the 
mass   and   the  divine  service  according  to 


*  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Armach. 
t  Usser.   Primord.  Eccles.  cap.  17,  page   916, 
et  seq. 


188 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


the  RoiiKui  ritual,  disapproving  of  every 
other.* 

With  respect  to  the  tonsure,  it  is  affirmed 
that  it  had  been  instituted  by  St.  Patrick  in 
order  to  distinguish  ecclesiastics  from  people 
of  the  world,  by  bearing  an  image  and  like- 
ness of  the  crown  of  thorns  of  our  Saviour, 
or  perhaps  to  aflbrd  them  thereby  the  oppor- 
tunity of  practising  humility,  and  rendering 
them  contemptible  in  the  eyes  of  the  Romans, 
who  considered  those  crowns  as  marks  of 
bondage  and  slavery,  because  slaves  were 
sold  by  having  a  crown  on  their  heads, 
"  sub  corona  vendere  solebant,"  to  indicate 
that  the  prince  authorized  the  sale. 

The  tonsure  of  St.  Peter  and  the  western 
church,  consisted  in  shaving  the  top  of  the 
head,  as  the  bishops,  priests,  and  Mandians 
do  at  present ;  while  the  tonsure  of  the 
eastern  church,  which  was  that  of  St.  Paul 
and  St.  James,  adopted  by  the  Benedictines, 
Celestines,  and  Bernardines,  consisted  in 
shaving  the  whole  head,  leaving  only  a  small 
circle  all  around. 

Small  tonsures  were  condemned  by  the 
council  of  Toledo  as  an  abuse  introduced 
into  Spain  by  the  heretics.!  The  Irish 
monks  applied  all  those  different  tonsures, 
which  are  still  in  use  among  the  monks  and 
friars  in  Europe.  There  were  also  some 
who  let  their  hair  grow  like  the  Nazarenes 
and  modern  Greek  priests. 

The  difference  which  prevailed  among 
the  Scoto-Milesians  respecting  the  cele- 
bration of  the  Easter,  was  of  much  greater 
importance  than  that  of  the  liturgy  and  the 
tonsure.  The  question  concerning  the  Eas- 
ter, which  was  the  subject  of  much  debate 
in  the  time  of  popes  St.  Anicetus  and  St. 
Polycarp,  and  afterwards  under  pope  St. 
Victor,  was  one  of  the  reasons  for  convening 
the  council  of  Nice,  as  the  churches  of  Syria 
and  Mesapotamia  still  followed  the  custom 
of  the  Jews  in  celebrating  the  Easter  on  the 
fourteenth  of  the  moon,  without  considering 
whether  it  was  Sunday  or  not ;  the  other 
churches,  particularly  that  of  the  west,  cele- 
brated Easter  on  Sunday.  This  affair  having 

*  "  At  the  request  and  desire  of  many  among 
you,  Omost  illustrious  brethren,  I  have  endeavored 
to  write  a  canonical  rule  for  the  houi-s  and  perform, 
ing  the  office  of  the  entire  ecclesiastical  system  ;  de- 
sirous to  obey  not  an  arbitrary  but  a  most  pious  in- 
junction on  your  part,  in  order  that  the  different  and 
schismatical  communities  with  whom  almost  the 
whole  of  Ireland  abounds,  may  submit  to  the  Roman 
Catliolic  discipline.  What  indeed  can  be  named  more 
indecorous  or  schismatical,  tiian  that  the  most  learn- 
ed of  an  order  should  become  the  idiot  and  layman 
of  another  church." — Syllogisms,  No.  30,  p.  54. 

t  Concil.  Toletan.  4,  can.  40. 


been  duly  weighed  and  examined  into,  the 
fixthers  of  the  council  agreed  to  observe  the 
Easier  on  the  same  day,  and  ordained  that 
it  should  be  fixed  upon  the  Sunday  imme- 
diately after  the  fourteenth  of  the  moon, 
which  was  nearest  after  the  vernal  equinox, 
as  it  is  indubitable  that  our  Lord  arose  from 
the  dead  on  the  Simday  nearest  to  the  pass- 
over  of  the  Jews. 

The  more  easily  to  discover  the  first  day 
of  the  moon,  and  consequently  the  fourteenth, 
the  council  ordained  that  the  cycle  of  nine- 
teen years  should  be  made  use  of,  as  at  the 
expiration  of  that  time  the  new  moons 
return  on  nearly  the  same  days  of  the  solar 
year.  Notwithstanding  this  decision  of  the 
council,  there  still  remained  some  Quarto- 
Decimans  firmly  attached  to  the  celebration 
of  Easter  on  the  fourteenth ;  among  others, 
the  schismatic  Audians  in  Mesapotamia. 

In  the  west  there  were  only  the  Scoto- 
Milesians,  Picts,  and  a  few  Britons,  who 
continued  in  error  respecting  the  Easter, 
which  they  celebrated  from  the  fourteenth  to 
the  twentieth  of  the  moon.  Their  error  was 
not  concerning  the  day,  but  the  week,  as 
they  always  celebrated  their  Easter  on  a 
Sunday  :*  in  this  they  were  not  Quarto- 
Decimans,  although  the  Romans  have  been 
pleased,  says  Usher,  to  suspect  them  of  it, 
upon  false  representations.! 

The  letters  of  Laurence,  archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  Pope  Honorius,  and  John  IV., 
one  of  his  successors,  quoted  by  the  vener- 
able Bede,  prove  the  obstinacy  of  the  Scoto- 
Milesians  in  that  custom. 

Laurence  having  succeeded  St.  Augustin, 
the  apostle  of  England,  his  zeal  was  not 
confined  to  the  English  alone,  whose  chief 
pastor  he  was  ;  he  knew  that  the  ancient 
inhabitants  of  Britain,  and  the  Scots  of  Ire- 
land, were  in  error  respecting  the  Easter, 
which  they  celebrated  from  the  fourteenth 
to  the  twentieth  of  the  moon ;  he  wrote  to 
them,  in  conjunction  with  the  other  bishops, 
a  pastoral  letter,  exhorting  them  to  preserve 
peace  and  unity  of  discipline  with  the  uni- 
versal church  of  Jesus  Christ. | 

*  "Translated  from  line  13  to  n."—Bede's 
Church  Hist,  b.3,  c.  4. 

t  "  And  still  the  Romans  were  pleased  to  call 
this  not  only  a  heresy,  but  even  a  new  one  from  the 
old.  According  to  Bede,  they  suspected  (regard 
being  had  to  the  old  Quartodecimans  whose  opinion 
being  renewed  by  the  Scots)  that  they  had  been 
deceived  by  the  reports  of  some." — Usher^s  Church 
\Hist.  c.  17,  p.  940. 

t  "  He  applied  his  care  not  only  to  the  new 
church  among  the  English,  but  he  likewise  dis- 
played a  pastoral  sohcitude  both  for  the  old  inhab- 
{itants    of  Britain,  and    to   the   Scots  who  inhabit 


CHRISTCAN    IRELAND. 


189 


Pope  Honorius  exhorts  them  to  follow 
the  decisions  and  the  decrees  of  the  councils 
respecting-  Easter :  he  says  that  a  small 
number  of  the  faithful,  in  the  most  remote 
part  of  the  earth,  should  not  think  them- 
selves more  wise  than  all  the  churches  of  the 
world.*  John  IV.,  successor  to  Severinus, 
supported  by  the  apostolical  authority  with 
which  he  was  invested,  addressed  to  them  a 
letter  full  of  erudition,  concerning  the  sub- 
ject of  the  Easter  ;  he  strongly  proves  in  it 
that,  in  conformity  with  the  council  of  Nice, 
the  Easter  should  be  celebrated  from  the 
fifteenth  to  the  twenty-first  of  the  moon  ;  he 
also  upbraids  them  that  the  Pelagian  heresy 
was  springing  up  anew  among  them,  and 
exhorts  them  to  be  guarded  against  its  poi- 
sonous effects.! 

It  appears,  however,  that  this  error  was 
new  among  the  Irish,  and  that  there  were 
but  some  individuals  among  them  that  con- 
formed to  it ;:}:  among  that  number  are  reek- 


Ireland,  neighboring  on  Britain.  If  he  knew  that 
among  the  Scots  in  their  own  country,  or  the  Brit- 
ons  in  Britain  itself,  there  were  some  who  lived  a 
less  ecclesiastical  life,  particularly  in  their  celebra- 
tion of  the  Easter,  when  they  practised  its  observ- 
ance from  the  14th  of  the  moon  to  the  20th,  as  the 
Sunday  of  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord,  he  wrote 
together  with  the  other  bishops,  an  epistolary  ex- 
hortation to  them,  wherein  he  advises  them  to  keep 
peace  and  unity  in  that  Catholic  Church  which  is 
spread  over  the  world.  The  following  is  the  be- 
ginning of  his  epistle  : — '  The  bishops  Laurence, 
Mellitus,  and  Justus,  servants  of  the  .servants  of 
God,  to  their  dearest  brethren,  the  lords  bishops  and 
abbots  throughout  all  Scotia.' " — Bede's  Church 
History^  b.  2,  c.  4. 

*  "  The  same  bishop  Honorius  sent  letters  to  the 
nation  of  the  Scots,  whom  he  found  in  error  in  their 
observance  of  the  holy  festival  of  Easter,  exhorting 
them  not  to  consider  the  paucity  of  their  numbers, 
settled  in  a  remote  corner  of  the  wona,  more  wise 
than  the  ancient  or  modern  churches  of  Christ 
which  were  spread  over  the  world,  and  to  celebrate 
no  other  Easter  than  that  approved  of  and  practised 
according  to  the  synods  of  the  popes." — Bedels 
Church  History,  b.  2,  c.  19. 

t  "  The  same  John  who  succeeded  Severinus, 
after  being  elected  to  the  popedom,  (in  order  to  cor- 
rect  the  same  error,)  sent  letters  full  of  authority  and 
erudition,  plainly  pointing  out  that  the  Sunday  of 
Easter  should  be  from  the  15th  to  the  21st  of  the 
moon,  according  to  the  council  of  Nice.  Likewise 
that  the  heresy  of  Pelagius,  which  he  understood 
had  been  revived  among  them,  should  be  guarded 
against  and  rejected.  Of  that  epistle  the  following 
is  the  beginning  : — '  To  the  dearest  and  most  holy 
Thomianus,  Columbanus,  and  the  other  doctors  as 
well  as  abbots  of  the  Scots,  Hilarius,  arch-presby- 
ter, holding  the  place  of  the  holy  apostolical  see, 
John  Diaconus,  and  in  the  name  of  God  being 
elected,  &,c.'  "—Bede's  Church  History,  b.  2,  c. 
19.  ^ 

t  "  In  the  beginning  of  this  epistle,  it  is  clearly 
pointed  out,  that,  in  very  latter  times,  this  heresy 


oned  some  of  their  greatest  saints,  viz.,  St. 
Columbanus,  St.  Columbus,  St.  Aidan,  St. 
Finian,  St.  Colman,  the  monks  of  the  abbey 
of  Hy,  and  many  others  among  the  northern 
Scots  ;  those  of  the  south  had  already  sub- 
mitted to  the  authority  of  the  sovereign 
pontiff.* 

This  species  of  schism  did  not  break  the 
link  of  charity  between  the  saints  and  the 
other  churches.  Their  conscience  made  them 
follow,  in  part,  the  example  of  St.  John,  who 
observed  the  law  of  Moses,  Avithout  consid- 
ering that,  in  the  time  of  this  apostle,  the 
church  still  adhered  in  many  things  to  the 
Jewish  law,  the  apostles  not  being  able  to  re- 
ject at  once  all  the  observances  of  a  law  which 
God  himself  had  given.  The  different  cy- 
cles that  were  in  use  at  different  periods, 
might  otherwise  have  caused  a  change  in  the 
observance  of  the  Easter,  particularly  in  a 
distant  church,  and  not  having  the  opportu- 
nity to  consider  the  customs  of  the  mother 
church.  Even  at  Rome  the  cycle  of  eighty- 
four  years  was  a  long  time  in  use  ;  the  Scots 
had  adopted  it,  with  this  difference,  that  they 
counted  from  the  fourteenth  to  the  twentieth 
of  the  moon,  instead  of  which,  the  Romans 
calculated  from  the  sixteenth  to  the  twenty- 
second,  whereby  the  one  exceeded,  perhaps, 
the  bounds  that  were  prescribed  by  the  coun- 
cil of  Nice,  as  well  as  that  the  other  had  taken 
precedence  in  it. 

The  custom  of  the  Alexandrine  cycle  of 
nineteen  years,  as  explained  by  Denis  le 
Petit,  (according  to  which  they  made  their 
calculations  from  the  fifteenth  to  the  twenty- 
first  of  the  moon,)  being  still  new  among  the 
Romans,  might  not  be  known  to  the  Scoto- 
Milesians,  and  therefore  their  opposition  to 
it  could  not  affect  their  sanctity. f  They 
performed  miracles  ;  they  drew  a  great  num- 
ber of  souls  to  God,  whom  they  loved  with- 
out affectation,  and  with  simplicity,  accom- 
panied with  goodness  of  intention  ;  and  their 
hearts  were  so  inflamed  with  the  grace  of 
charity,  that  they  were  worthy  of  being  in- 
structed upon  that  point  of  discipline.^ 


sprang  up  among  them,  and  some  of  the  whole  na- 
tion had  been  implicated  in  that  heresy." — Bede's 
Church  History,  b.  2,  c.  19. 

*  "  Moreover  that  the  nation  of  the  Scots,  who 
inhabited  the  soutii  of  Ireland,  had  long  since  heark- 
ened to  the  admonitions  of  the  pope  in  their  observ- 
ance of  celebrating  Easter." — Bede,h.  3,  c.  3. 

t  "  Neither  do  I  think  that  this  observance  of 
Easter  could  cause  any  obstruction  to  them,  as  long 
as  none  had  come  who  could  point  out  what  decrees 
of  a  more  perfect  institution  they  might  follow." — 
Bede's  Church  History,  b.  3,  c.  25. 

X  "  But  as  they  had  not  laid  aside  their  fervor  in 
charity,  they  have  merited  that  the  knowledge  of 


190 


HISTORY   OF    IRELAND. 


Adamnan,  a  priest  from  Ireland,  and  priest 
and  abbot  of  the  abbey  of  Ily,  was  one  of 
those  whom  God  inspired  to  bring  back  his 
coimtrymcn,  the  Scots,  to  the  canonical  ob- 
servance of  the  Easter.*  Having  been  sent 
by  his  country,  says  Bede,  to  Alfred,  king 
of  the  Saxons,  in  Northumberland,  he  stop- 
ped for  some  time  in  the  province,  and  liad 
himself  instructed  in  a  matter  which,  at  that 
time,  had  caused  so  much  uneasiness.f  The 
learned  of  the  country  whom  he  met  with, 
advised  him  not  to  join  in  obstinacy  with  a 
few  people  in  a  distant  corner  of  the  earth, 
against  the  universal  custom  of  the  church, 
either  in  the  observance  of  the  Easter, 
or  in  any  other  matter  which  had  been  set- 
tled. 

Adamnan  being  convinced  from  authority, 
(as  he  was  wise  and  very  learned  in  the  holy 
Scriptures,)  returned  to  his  own  monastery 
of  Hy,  with  an  intention  of  reclaiming  the 
monks  from  their  error  ;  but  meeting  with 
some  difficulty  in  the  undertaking,  he  passed 
over  to  Ireland,  where  he  was  more  success- 
ful. The  northern  Scots  he  reclaimed  almost 
entirely,  and  brought  back  to  the  true  ob- 
servance of  the  Easter  those  religious  houses 
which  were  not  dependent  on  that  of  Hy. 
He  then  returned  to  his  island,  where  he 
died  soon  afterwards,  with  deep  regret  for 
the  continued  obduracy  of  his  monks. 

The  priest  Ecgbert  succeeded  better : 
after  having  spent  some  time  in  Ireland,  hi 
the  study  of  the  holy  Scriptures,  he  went  to 
the  isle  of  Hy,|  where  he  was  honorably 
received,  and  having  made  known  there  how 
the  Easter  should  be  observed,  had  the  con- 
solation of  seeing  the  monks  relinquish  their 
unbending  obduracy,  and  whose  zeal  might, 
in  the  words  of  the  apostle,  be  termed  di- 
vine. Thus  matters  were,  says  Bede,  dis- 
posed of  by  Providence,  that  the  very  Sax- 
ons who  had  been  indebted  to  the  Scots  for 
their  knowledge  of  the  true  religion,  found 
an  opportunity  of  contributing  in  their  turn 
a  something  to  the  happiness  of  their  bene- 
factors. 

It  is  almost  beyond  conception  how  dis- 
tinguished this  nation  had  become  both  in 
religion  and  knowledge  of  the  sciences,  in 
those  ages  which  immediately  followed  the 
apostleship  of  St.  Patrick.'^    If  this  portion 

this  should  be  made  known." — Bede's  Church  His 
tory,  b.  3,  c.  25. 

*  Hist.  Eceles.  hb.  3,  cap.  16. 

t  Usser.  Primord.  cap.  15,  page  700,  et  cap.  16, 
pp.  729,  730  ;  Idem,  Ind.  Chron.  ad  ami.  703. 

\  Bed.  Hist.  Eceles.  lib.  5,  c.  23.  Usser.  Prim, 
c.  15,  pp.  701,  702,  et  Ind.  Chron.  ad  an.  716. 

§  "  Ireland  at  that  time  was  pre-eminent  above 


of  the  history  of  Ireland  rested  exclusively 
upon  the  writers  alone  of  the  country  itself, 
there  would  be  cause  sufficient  to  reject  it, 
as  of  doubtful  authority ;  but  the  united 
testimony  of  a  crowd  of  foreign  authors, 
ancient  as  well  as  modern,  from  the  time  of 
the  venerable  Bede  down  to  the  present  age, 
furnishes  proofs  that  raise  it  beyond  all 
doubt. 

Besides  the  number  of  monasteries  that 
had  been  founded  in  Ireland,  and  which  were 
peopled  with  saints  and  learned  monks  not 
inferior  to  the  fathers  of  the  deserts  for  the 
austerity  of  their  lives  and  total  abandon- 
ment of  the  world,*  this  country  supplied 
all  Europe,  during  these  ages,  with  swarms 
of  zealous  missionaries,  who  announced  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ  among  some  nations, 
and  among  others  caused  it  to  revive  :  such 
have  been  St.  Fridolin,  St.  Cataldus,  Celius- 
Sedulius,  St.  Columb-Kill,  St.  Columbanus, 
St.  Gal, -St.  Fiacre,  St.  Fursey,  St.Arbogast, 
St.  Maildulphus,  St.  Aidan,  St.  Colman,  St. 
Ult.an,  St.  Foilan,  St.  Kilian,  St.  Virgil,  and 
others.  Camden  says,  on  this  head,  that 
Christianity  made  so  rapid  a  progress  under 
the  disciples  of  St.  Patrick,  the  country  was 
called,  in  succeeding  ages,  the  island  of 
saints  .f 

By  following  the  chronology  of  Usher  and 
Ware,  we  may  refer  the  apostleship  of  St. 
Cataldus,  at  Tarentum,  in  Pouille,  and  the 
history  of  the  great  Sedulius,  to  the  fifth 
century. 


every  kingdom  of  Europe,  for  her  pursuits  in  reli- 
gion and  learning." — Usher^s  Church  History,  c.  17, 
p.  899. 

*  "  So  great  was  their  contempt  at  that  time  for 
riches  and  the  things  of  the  world,  that  they  never 
sought  them,  but  even  rejected  them  when  offered, 
even  though  their  inheritance.  Columbanus  him- 
self, as  the  abbot  Walafridus  writes,  replied  to  Sige- 
bertus,  king  of  the  Franks,  who  made  him  large 
promises  not  to  leave  his  kingdom,  (the  same  thing 
as  is  mentioned  by  Eusebius  concerning  Thaddeus,) 
viz.,  that  those  who  had  given  up  their  own  posses- 
sions for  the  name  of  Christ,  should  not  embrace 
riches  which  belonged  to  others.'' — Camd.  p.  730. 

t  "  The  disciples  of  Patrick  made  so  great  a  pro- 
gress in  Christianity,  that,  in  the  following  age,  Ire- 
land was  called  the  island  of  saints  ;  and  none  could 
be  more  holy  and  learned  than  the  Irish  monks, 
both  in  their  own  country  and  Britain,  who  sent 
swarms  of  most  holy  men  into  all  Europe.  To 
them,  Luxovium,  in  Burgundy,  Bohiense,  in  Italy, 
Hornipolis,  in  Franconiu,  S.  Gall  us,  in  Helvetia, 
Malmesburia,  in  Lindefarn,  and  many  other  mon- 
asteries in  Britain  owe  their  origin.  The  following 
saints  were  from  Ireland  : — Celius  Sedulius,  pres- 
byter, Columba,  Columbanus,  Colmanus,  Aidanus, 
Gallus,  Kilianus,  Maidulphus,  Brendanus,  and  many 
others,  who  were  renowned  for  their  sanctity  and 
learning." — Camd.  page  730. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


191 


The  history  of  the  life  of  St.  Cataldus 
was  written  in  prose,  according  to  the  ancient 
records  of  the  church  of  Tarentum,  by  Bar- 
tholomew Moron,  a  native  of  that  city  ;  and 
in  Averse  by  his  brother,  Bonaventura,  under 
the  title  of  "  Cataldiados  libri  sex,"  address- 
ed to  his  fellow-citizens,  the  beginning  of 
which  is  herein  quoted  ;*  both  these  works 
Avere  printed  at  Rome  in  1604. 

The  birth,  life,  and  country  of  St.  Cataldus 
are  detailed  in  the  above-mentioned  history. 
He  was  born  in  Ireland  ;  his  parents  were 
Euche  and  Achlene  ;  he  made  his  studies  at 
Lismore  in  Munster,  where  he  was  the  de- 
light of  the  Gauls,  English,  Scots,  Theu- 
tones,  and  other  strangers  who  resorted 
thither  to  hear  him.f  Having  performed 
the  functions  of  bishop  of  Ratheny,  or  Rach- 
uen,  in  the  same  province,  for  some  years, 
he  undertook  a  voyage  to  Jerusalem,  to  visit 
the  holy  sepulchre,  and  returning  through 
Italy,  he  re-established  the  true  religion 
among  the  Tarentines,  who  had  already 
abandoned  it  and  returned  to  the  impious 
worship  of  idols. | 

This  history  is  in  perfect  accordance  with 
the  legend  of  this  saint, ^  and  the  office  which 
is  sung  in  honor  of  him  in  the  church  of 
Tarentum, II  in  which  it  is  affirmed,  that 
when  Drogon,  archbishop  of  that  city,  had 
caused  the  tomb  in  which  the  body  of  the 
saint  reposed,  to  be  opened,  a  gold  cross  was 


*  "  The  icy  lernc  bewails  that  so  great  an  orna- 
ment of  the  west,  second  to  none  in  piety,  and  cele- 
brated in  the  ancient  laws  of  Phalantus,  should  be 
sent  to  foreign  nations  :  O  muse,  relate,  and  permit 
me  to  take  from  his  paternal  roof,  a  youth  so 
flourishing,  who  beheld  the  borders  of  Judrea,  and 
visited  the  monument  of  the  holy  sepulchre,  to 
where  the  admonitions  and  commands  of  God,  and 
his  care  for  a  falling  people,  bring,  as  their  father, 
during  every  age  to  come." — Usher's  Church  His- 
tory, c.  16,  p.  751. 

t  "  A  youth,  endowed  with  a  liberal  discipline, 
soon  attained  to  that  excellence  in  instructions,  that 
the  Gauls,  English,  Tcutones,  Scotch,  and  other 
neighboring  people  who  came  to  Lismore,  flocked 
to  hear  him." — Usher. 

"Cataldus,  bishop,  from  some  part  of  Ireland, 
was  son  of  Euchus  and  Athena." 

I  "  In  the  160th  year  of  our  Lord,  the  Taren 
tines,  returning  to  their  worship  of  idols,  as  a  dog 
to  the  vomit,  (Anicetus  Syrus  being  pope,)  the  holy 
Cataldus,  born  in  Ireland,  brought  them  back  to  the 
ancient  faith." — Joannes  Juvenis  in  Usher. 

§  "  The  holy  Cataldus  was  from  a  part  of  Ire 
land  which  glories  in  her  saints,  as  she  glories  ii 
the  Lord  ;  she  rejoices  in  her  saints,  in  Catandus,  a 
town  of  Eumenia.  Cataldus  was  the  son  of  Euchus 
and  Athena." — Usher. 

II  "  Rejoice,  O  happy  Ireland,  for  being  the  conn 
try  of  so  fair  an  offspring;  but  thou,  Tarentum, 
rejoice  still  more,  which  encloscst  (within  a  tomb) 
so  great  a  treasure." — Usher. 


found  in  it,  with  this  inscription,  "  Cataldus 
Rachav,"  "engraved  on  it,  and  that  it  was 
tied  to  the  statue  of  silver,  which  the  inhab- 
itants of  Tarentum  had  erected  in  honor  of 
him. 

A  singular  prophecy  is  ascribed  to  St.  Cat- 
aldus, respecting  the  destruction  of  the  king- 
dom of  Naples.*  Usher  and  Waref  mention 
it  in  the  following  manner,  after  Alexander 
ab  Alexandre,  who  lived  in  1500  : — "  It  is 
true  that  in  the  reign  of  Ferdinand  I .,  king  of 
Naples,  when  the  kingdom  and  city  were 
enjoying  the  sweets  of  peace,  Cataldus,  a 
religious  man,  who  was  bishop  of  Tarentum 
a  thousand  years  before,  where  he  is  still 
honored  as  the  patron  saint,  having  ap- 
peared during  the  night  to  a  virtuous  eccle- 
siastic who  had  lately  received  holy  orders, 
commanded  him  to  have  a  book  sought  for, 
(this  was  filled  with  divine  mysteries,  and 
written  during  his  life,  and  was  concealed 
in  a  certain  place,)  and  to  present  it  to  the 
king  ;  but  the  ecclesiastic  paying  no  regard 
to  this  vision,  which  was  frequently  repeated, 
Cataldus  again  appeared  in  his  pontifical 
robes,  with  the  mitre  on  his  head,  in  the 
morning,  while  he  was  alone  in  the  church, 
and  ordered  him,  under  pain  of  punishment, 
to  seek  for  the  book  of  which  he  had  already 
spoken  to  him,  and  to  present  it  to  the  king  ; 
whereupon  the  ecclesiastic  assembled  the 
people  the  next  day,  and  went  in  procession 
to  the  place  pointed  out,  where  he  found  the 
book  enclosed  in  plates  of  lead,  and  fastened 
with  iron  clasps.  This  book  contained  a 
prophecy  on  the  destruction  of  the  kingdom 
of  Naples,  and  the  calamities  and  unfor- 
tunate period  which  we  have  unhappily  lived 
to  witness."! 


*  Genialium  dierum,  lib.  3,  c.  15,  apud  Usser. 
Prim.  c.  16,  p.  758. 

t  War.  de  Script.  Hib.  Col.  Act.  Sanct.  Hib. 
p.  550. 

t  "While  the  kingdom  of  Naples  was  most 
flourishing  under  Ferdinand  the  First,  king  of  Ara- 
gon,  it  appears  that  Cataldus,  a  holy  man  who  had 
been  a  thousand  years  before  archbishop  of  Taren- 
tum, and  whom  the  Tarentines  worship  as  their 
patron  saint,  appeared,  in  the  dead  of  night,  to  a 
certain  minister  who  had  been  initiated  and  brought 
up  in  the  sacred  mysteries  of  religion,  and  com- 
manded  him  to  dig  up  and  bring  to  the  king  a  small 
book  which  had  been  written  by  him  while  living, 
and  was  secreted  in  a  private  place  :  that  divine 
mysteries  were  contained  in  it.  Little  attention 
was  paid  at  first  to  tliis  vision,  which  appearing 
again  more  frequently  in  his  sleep,  and  again  while 
the  minijitcr  was  alone  in  the  temple,  very  early  in 
the  morning,  Cataldus  himself,  robed  in  the  ponti- 
ficals which  he  wore  when  living,  and  covered  with 
!  a  fillet,  appeared  and  commanded  him,  as  soon  as 
I  possible  on  the  next  morning,  to  dig  up  the  little 


192 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


This  prophecy  was  discovered  in  1 192, 
and  Ferdinand,  after  reading  it,  cast  it  into 
the  fire. 

Ferdinand,  struck  with  terror  on  the  ap- 
proach of  the  French  army,  died  suddenly. 
He  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Alphonso, 
who  was  no  sooner  in  possession  of  the 
crown,  than  Charles  VIII.,  at  the  head  of  a 
formidable  army,  laid  waste  his  country, 
forced  him  to  fly,  and  to  pass  the  remainder 
of  his  days  in  exile  ;  after  this,  Charles 
made  a  victorious  and  triumphal  entry  into 
Naples  with  his  imperial  ensigns. 

Moron  fixes  the  arrival  of  St.  Cataldus  at 
Tarentum  in  the  year  170  :  however,  if  we 
observe  all  that  is  related  of  him  during  his 
stay  in  Ireland,  the  great  number  of  Chris- 
tians that  were  in  his  time  in  the  island,  and 
in  the  schools  of  Lismore,  which  were  not 
known  in  the  history  of  the  country  before 
the  time  of  St.  Patrick,  we  should  place 
this  event  some  centuries  later  ;  it  is  men- 
tioned by  Usher  and  Ware  to  have  taken 
place  in  the  fifth  century,  according  to  An- 
thony Caraccioli,  who  had  promised,  in  his 
edition  of  the  "  Italian  Chronologists,"  pub- 
lished at  Rome  in  1626,  to  write  a  treatise 
exclusively  on  that  subject. 

It  is  likely  that  the  zeal  of  St.  Cataldus 
was  not  confined  to  the  city  of  Tarentum 
alone,  as  he  had  been  honored,  according 
to  Volaterranus,  at  Geneva,  on  lake  Leman, 
as  bishop  and  professor ;  he  must  therefore 
have  passed  through  that  city,  and  made 
some  stay  in  it  on  his  voyage  to  the  holy 
land.* 

Dempster,  who  always  endeavors  to 
enrich  his  calendar  at  the  expense  of  his 
neighbors,  says  that  St.  Cataldus  was  a 
native  of  Knapdale,  and  had  been  brought 
up  in  the  monastery  of  St.  Philan  ;  that  he 
was  thought  by  some  to  have  been  an  Irish- 
man, because  he  was  born  in  the  mountains 
of  Scotland,  which  were  sometimes  called 


book  which  he  had  already  told  him  of,  which  had 
been  written  and  secreted  by  himself  in  a  certain 
place,  and  to  bring  the  same  to  the  king  without 
delay,  threatening  him  with  heavy  punishment  if  it 
were  not  done.  The  day  following,  this  minister, 
accompanied  in  solemn  procession  by  the  people, 
proceeded  to  the  place  where  the  little  book  lay 
concealed  for  so  long  a  time,  and  found  it  sealed 
with  tablets  of  lead,  and  locked  with  clasps.  It 
foretold  to  the  king  that  the  destruction  of  the 
kingdom  would  happen  ;  that  the  times  were  preg. 
nant  with  sorrow,  misery,  and  distress,  which 
things  soon  after  this  came  to  pass.  We  have  wit- 
nessed that  to  be  largely  rewarded,  which  furnished 
an  experiment  to  men." 

*  Raphael   Mafaeus   Volateranus,  Comment.  Ur- 
ban, lib.  3,  27,  apud  War.  de  Scriptor.  Hib. 


Hibernia ;  but  that  it  appears  by  a  manu- 
script in  the  Ambrosian  library,  and  the 
letters  of  Father  Leslie,  a  capuchin,  that  he 
was  born  in  the  isle  of  Hy. 

This  claim  of  Dempster,  says  Usher,  is 
imaginary,  ridiculous,  and  contradictory.* 
If  this  saint  was  born  in  the  mountains  of 
Scotland,  as  he  first  says,  how  could  he  have 
been  brought  up  in  the  supposed  monastery 
of  St.  Philan,  who  lived  some  centuries  after 
him  1 

Usher  proves  the  absurdity  of  Dempster's 
system,  by  the  ancient  and  modern  offices  of 
the  saint,  which  mentioned  his  having  been 
born  in  a  town  in  the  province  of  Munster, 
in  Ireland,  called  Catande,  at  a  short  dis- 
tance from  Lismore,  another  town  in  that 
province,  according  to  Bartholomew  Moron. 
He  adds  also,  that  neither  the  mountains  of 
Scotland,  nor  the  isle  of  Hy,  were  ever 
called  Hibernia. t 

Abercromby,  in  order  to  maintain  the 
system  of  Dempster,  pretends  that  the  Scots 
of  Albania  had  been  sometimes  called  Hi- 
berni ;  the  derivation  of  which  he  thinks  to 
have  discovered  in  the  name  of  a  territory 
in  Albania,  which  was  formerly  called  lerne, 
at  present  Strathern. 

To  make  this  conjecture  appear  probable, 
he  should  have  proved  that  Strathern  formed 
part  of  Dalrieda,  the  ancient  patrimony  of 
the  Scots,  as  a  people  are  not  generally 
named  after  a  country  which  does  not  belong 
to  them.  But  the  different  situation  of  those 
two  cantons,  one  of  which  (Dalrieda)  is  on 
the  western  coasts  of  Albania,  and  the  other 
towards  the  eastern  shores  of  the  same  coun- 
try, which  the  Picts  were  in  possession  of  till 
the  ninth  century,  is  opposed  to  the  above 
conjecture,  otherwise,  what  analogy  is  there 
between  Hibernia  and  Strathern  ?  The  one 
derives  its  name  from  Hibernia,  a  name  which 
the  Latins  had  always  given  to  Ireland,  and 
which  has  its  root,  as  well  as  Juverna,  lerna, 
(the  lerne  of  the  Greeks,)  in  the  word  Erin, 
a  name  always  peculiar  to  that  country. | 
The  etymology  of  Strathern  is  naturally  dis- 
coverable in  the  word  straithe,  which  signifies 
valley,  and  Erin,  the  name  of  a  river  that 


*  Quae  partim  commentitia  sunt,  partim  ridicula 
et  secum  invicem  pugnantla.  Usser.  Prim.  Eccles. 
cap.  It),  page  753. 

t  "  To  say  nothing  of  the  mountains  of  Scotia, 
who  ever  heard  that  Ireland  was  called  the  isle  of 
Jonas?" — Usher. 

\  "  Hibernia,  Juverna,  &.C.,  have  sprung  from 
lerna  ;  but  that  lerna,  the  same  as  Iris,  Juerdhon, 
and  Ireland,  and  Erin  from  the  inhabitants." — 
Camd.  p.  726. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


193 


waters  it,  and  flows  from  thence  with  the 
Tay,  and  falls  into  the  German  ocean.* 

Emnenius  and  Marcellinus  use  indiscrim- 
inately, in  the  fourth  century,  the  terms 
Irish  and  Scots  to  designate  the  same  peo- 
ple, but  they  say  that  they  came  from  Ire- 
land, "  Scotorum  a  Circio:"  they  mention 
that  they  had  been  till  then  a  wandering- 
people,  without  any  fixed  dwelling  in  Brit- 
ain, "  cum  antea  per  incerta  vagantes.""]" 

Moron  makes  mention  of  St.  Donatus,  a 
bishop  in  Italy,  who  was  brother  of  St.  Ca- 
taldus,  with  whom  he  had  led,  for  some 
time,  a  solitary  life.| 

Ireland  gave  birth  to  Sedulius,  so  cele- 
brated for  his  writings,  which  have  gained 
him  the  attention  of  a  great  number  of  au- 
thors, both  ancient  and  modern.  Some 
writers — among  others,  Sigebert,  a  monk 
of  the  abbey  of  Gemblours  in  Brabant,  in 
his  treatise  on  Illustrious  Men — place  him 
in  the  fourth  century,  under  Constans  and 
Constantius  :  "  Claruit  tempore  Constantis 
et  Constantii,  filiorum  primi  Constantini  Im- 
peratoris."  Trithemius,  with  perhaps  more 
reason,  says  he  lived  in  the  fifth  century, 
under  Theodosius  the  younger ;  Usher  and 
Ware,  for  other  motives,  place  him  about 
the  end  of  the  same  century,  and  distinguish 
him  from  another  Sedulius  from  Ireland, 
whom  they  suppose  to  have  been  the  author 
of  the  Annotations  on  the  Epistles  of  St. 
Paul. 

At  whatever  time  Sedulius  may  have  lived, 
we  have  the  following  history  of  his  life  by 
Trithemius  :  "  Sedulius  a  priest,  a  Scot  by 
birth,  and  from  his  most  tender  youth  the 
disciple  of  Hildebert,  archbishop  of  the 
Scots,  was  very  learned  in  sacred  and  pro- 
fane literature,  and  had  a  particular  taste  for 
prose  and  poetry.  The  desire  of  becoming 
perfect  in  his  studies  induced  him  to  leave 
his  country ;  he  went  to  France,  and  from 
thence  to  Italy,  Asia,  Achaia,  from  whence 
he  set  out  for  Rome,  where  he  shone  by  his 
astonishing  erudition.  He  wrote  several 
works  in  prose  and  verse,  of  which  I  have 
only  been  able  to  discover  the  following. 
There  were  other  works  of  his,  the  know- 


*  "  It  is  called  Straith  Era,  which,  in  the  ancient 
language  of  the  Britons,  signifies  the  valley  of 
Em." — Camden,  p.  765. 

t  Camd.  Brit.  Edit.  Lond.  Tit.  Scot.  p.  90. 

t  "  Others  think  that  Cataldus,  before  he  would 
come  to  Tarentum  in  Japygia,  travelled  with  Do- 
natus, whom  they  make  the  first  bishop  of  Lupa, 
and  brother  of  St.  Cataldus.  At  the  same  time, 
he  led  a  most  solitary  life,  near  a  little  town  which 
afterwards  derived  its  name  from  St.  Cataldus." — 
Bartholomy  Moron  in  Usher,  p.  760. 


ledge  of  which  has  not  reached  me.  Ho 
was  at  length,  says  Sigebert,  ordained 
bishop,  but  he  does  not  say  of  what  see.  He 
flourished  under  Theodosius,  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  430."* 

If  we  can  attach  belief  to  the  chronicle 
attributed  to  Dexter,  under  the  year  428, 
Sedulius  had  been  bishop  of  Oreta,  in  Spain,f 
and  although  Damian  a  Goez  and  Sebastian 
Munster,  in  the  description  of  Spain,  reckon 
Sedulius  among  the  number  of  Spanish 
poets,  Francis  Bivarius  says  he  was  born  in 
Ireland.;]:  The  testimony  of  Sedulius  him- 
self, who  says  he  was  a  Scot,  "  Sedulius 
Scotigena,"  in  the  beginning  of  his  epistles, 
leaves  no  doubt  on  this  subject ;  and  the 
title  of  his  annotations  on  the  epistles  of 
Saint  Paul,  published  according  to  a  very 
ancient  copy  in  the  abbey  of  Fulde,  by  John 
Sichard,  in  which  he  is  called  a  Scot  from 
Ireland,  "  Sedulii  Scoti  Hiberniensis  in  om- 
nes  Epistolas  Pauli  collectaneum,"  naturally 


*  "  Sedulius,  presbyter,  a  native  of  Scotia,  was 
disciple,  from  his  earliest  youth,  of  Heidebertus, 
archbishop  of  the  Scots ;  he  was  conversant  in 
divine  learning,  and  very  skilled  in  profane  litera- 
ture ;  he  excelled  in  poetry  and  prose,  and  leaving 
Scotia  (Ireland)  for  the  sake  of  informing  himself, 
he  came  to  France ;  after  this  he  traversed  Italy, 
Asia,  Achaia,  from  whence  he  proceeded  to  Rome, 
where  he  became  illustrious  for  his  erudition.  He 
wrote  several  small  works  both  in  prose  and  verse, 
from  among  which  I  have  discovered  the  following : 
to  a  work  eminently  written  to  the  abbot  of  Mace- 
donia, comprising  a  series  of  the  gospel,  he  gave  the 
title  of  '  paschal  poem  and  paschal  feasts,  in  4 
books  ;'  '  14  books  in  prose  on  the  epistles  of  Paul ;' 
'  apostolical  words  ;'  '  one  book  on  the  miracles  of 
Christ ;'  '  From  the  East,  1  book  to  Theodosius 
emperor,  while  conductor  of  the  famed  Romulus  :' 
'  book  1,  on  the  larger  volume  of  Priscianus  ;'  '  book 
1,  on  the  second  edition  of  Donatus  ;'  '  book  1,  ex- 
hortation to  the  faithful ;'  '  let  us  sing,  O  compan- 
ions, to  the  Lord  ;'  '  book  1,  on  many  epistles  to 
various  people  ;'  '  Sedulius  an  Irishman  ;'  '  two 
books  on  the  miracles  of  Christ,  written  in  prose.' 
Besides  these,  there  were  some  other  works  which 
have  not  come  to  be  known.  He  was  at  length,  as 
Sigebertus  writes,  made  bishop,  but  of  what  city  or 
place,  it  is  not  mentioned.  He  flourished  under 
Theodosius,  anno  438." — Trithemius  in  Usher,  c. 
16,  p.  769. 

t  "  Isaac,  a  monk  of  Palestine,  succeeded  Foeta- 
dius,  archbishop  of  Toul ;  he  kept  him  there  and 
his  friend  Sedulius,  also  Bishop  Orelanus,  for  the 
sake  of  preaching  ;  the  latter  was  eminent  as  a 
preacher,  and  composed  many  books." — Usher,  p. 
770. 

T  "  After  this  we  have  Sedulius  Oretanus,  who 
was  bishop  in  Spain,  but  he  does  not  say  that  he 
had  been  born  in  Ireland,  as  many  think.  Isicius 
himself,  who  was  bishop  of  Toul,  had  been  a  monk 
of  Palestine,  and  there  was  also  a  monk  Palestinus. 
But  whether  there  were  two  Seduliuses  who  were 
renowned  for  poetry,  or  but  one,  we  shall  not  con- 
tend it  in  this  place." — Usher. 


194 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


indifatea  his  county,  which  was  Ireland ; 
notwithstanding  the  surprise  of  Dempster; 
that  the  theologians  ol'  Cologne  should  have 
added  the  word  Ilibernensis  to  Scotus,  in 
the  last  edition  of  the  library  of  the  holy 
fathers,*  the  same  title  is  at  the  head  of  the 
Basle  edition  of  this  author's  works,  and 
also  of  that  which  is  in  the  library  of  an- 
cient writers,  edited  in  Paris. 

The  works  of  Sedulius  were  highly  es- 
teemed by  the  ancients ;  to  which  a  coun- 
cil, composed  of  seventy  bishops,  assembled 
at  Rome  during  the  pontificate  of  Gelasius, 
bears  a  favorable  testimony.  We  think 
highly,  said  the  fathers  of  the  council,  of 
the  paschal  work-written  in  heroic  verse 
by  the  venerable  Sedulius. t 

Hildephonsus,  archbishop  of  Toledo,  says 
of  our  author  that  he  was  an  evangelical 
poet,  an  eloquent  orator,  and  a  Catholic 
writer  :  "  Bonus  ille  Sedulius  poeta  evange- 
licus,  orator  facundus,  Scriptor  Catholicus." 

Lastly,  the  church  inserted,  "  A  solis 
ortus  cardine,"and  "  Hostis  Herodes  impie," 
(taken  from  the  writings  of  Sedulius,)  in  the 
breviary  of  hymns  ;  the  first  at  the  nativity 
of  our  Saviour,  and  the  last  at  the  Epiphany, 
with  the  "  Salve,  sancta  parens,  enixa  puer- 
pera  Regem,"  which  is  used  as  an  Inlroit 
at  the  masses  of  the  blessed  Virgin. 

St.  Fridolinus,  son  of  an  Irish  king, 
having  embraced  a  monastic  life,  left  his 
country  and  travelled  through  several  parts 
of  Germany  and  France,  about  the  end  of 
the  fifth  centuiy,  and  in  the  time  of  Clovis, 
first  Christian  king  of  the  Franks  ;  on  which 
account  he  was  called  "  Fridolinus  the  trav- 
eller," by  Judocus,  Coccius,  Possevin,  and 
others.;}:  After  preaching  the  gospel  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  Gaul,  he  withdrew  for  some 
time  to  the  monastery  of  St.  Hilary,  at 
Poitiers,  of  which  he  was  created  superior. 
Having  been  encouraged  by  the  monarch, 
he  caused  this  monastery  to  be  rebuilt, 
whither  he  removed  the  body  of  St.  Hilary. 

He  afterwards  founded  several  religious 
houses  in  Thuringia,  Alsace,  Strasbourg, 
and  on  the  frontiers  of  Switzerland ;  Col- 
gan  reckons  eight,  six  of  which  were  dedi- 


*  "  Tliat  Demps'er  may  not  feel  surprise  how 
theologians  of  the  colonies  have  been  placed  in  the 
last  edition  of  the  library  of  the  Holy  Fatlicrs,  and 
that  the  adjective  Ilibernicnsis  was  added  to  Sco- 
tus."—  Usher,  c.  16,  p.  771. 

t  "  A  paschal  work  of  the  venerable  Sedulius, 
written  in  heroic  ver.se,  is  entitled  to  our  praise." — 
Usher,  c.  16,  p.  777. 

t  Act.  Sancl.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Fridolln,  ad  6  Mart. 
War.  de  Script.  Hib.  lib.  1,  cap.  1.  Serm.  S.  Petr. 
Dainian,  de  tranilat.  S.  Hilar. 


cated  to  St.  Hilary,  for  whom  this  saint  had 
a  particular  devotion.  Lastly,  he  founded 
a  monastery  for  females  in  an  island  in  the 
Rhine,  called  Seeking,  or  Secane,  where  he 
was  interred  in  514.  According  to  Baleus, 
he  wrote  some  works  of  piety  which  have 
been  lost. 

Dempster  ascribes  other  works  to  him ; 
but  as  he  is  the  only  one  who  mentions 
them,  his  testimony  must  appear  doubtful. 

Modern  Scotch  writers  place  St.  Frido- 
linus in  their  calendar.  Some  foreigners, 
and  among  others,  Arnold  Wion,  Menard, 
and  Wilson,  have  not  doubted  their  integrity, 
but  antiquity  proves  the  contrary.  Besides 
the  Irish  authors  who  claim  him,  but  whose 
veracity  might  be  disputed,  Baltherus,  a 
monk  and  canon  of  Seeking,  and  the  most 
ancient  author  of  the  life  of  St.  Fridolinus, 
calls  him  a  native  of  Ireland.*  Gaspard 
Bruschius  afiirms  that  he  was  son  of  an 
Irish  king.f  Canisius  aflirms  that  ancient 
historians  agree  that  Fridolinus  was  of  royal 
blood  in  Scotia,  which  is  called  Ireland. | 
St.  Fridolinus,  says  Guilliman,  an  Irishman 
by  birth,  of  noble  descent,  and  a  monk  by 
profession,  having  come  to  Switzerland, 
preached  the  gospel  there  and  in  the  neigh- 
boring countries.^  Fridolinus,  the  traveller, 
says  Possevin,  a  son  of  the  king  of  the  Irish 
Scots,  wrote,  it  is  said,  some  pious  exhorta- 
tions. 1|  Gesnerus,  Baleus,  Hanmerus,  and 
others,  whose  integrity  cannot  be  questioned, 
say  the  same  thing.  To  have  a  more  copious 
detail  of  the  life  of  St.  Fridolinus,  we  must 
have  recourse  to  the  chronology  of  the  Ger- 
manic monasteries,  by  Gaspard  Bruschius, 
and  an  anonymous  author  published  in  1606, 

*  "  It  is  not  doubted  that  St.  Fridolinus  was  born 
in  a  distant  part  of  Scotia  ;  the  inhabitants  of  Hi- 
bernia  (Ireland)  are  called  ScoligenEe." — Life  of 
St.  Fridolinus,  c.  1. 

t  "  The  convent  of  Seeking  was  commenced  by 
St.  Fridolinus,  who  was  son  of  a  king  of  the  Scots  ; 
he  was  eminent  for  his  studies  in  philosophy." — 
Bruschius  on  German  Monasteries. 

t  "  Old  historians  are  agreed  in  this,  that  Frido- 
linus was  of  royal  descent — that  he  was  born  in 
lower  Scotia,  which  is  called  Ireland." — Peter  Ca- 
nisius, Life  of  St.  Fridolinus. 

§  "  Before  these  three,  under  Clovis,  first  Chris- 
tian king  of  the  Franks,  Fridolinus,  an  Irishman 
by  birth,  and  of  royal  lineage,  spent  a  long  time  in 
Switzerland,  and  planted  in  it  the  name  and  faith 
of  Christ,  where  he  likewise  performed  many  mira- 
cles. He  converted  the  country  of  Claronensis, 
and  the  neighboring  parts,  some  of  which  he 
strengthened  in  their  faith." — Guillimanus  on 
Swiss  Affairs. 

II  "  Fridolinus,  the  traveller,  was  son  of  a  king 
of  the  Irish  Scots  :  be  is  said  to  have  written  some 
pious  exhortations;  he  lived  anno  595." — Fosse- 
vinus. 


CHRISTLAN    IRELAND. 


195 


among  the  Germanic  writers,  by  Melchoir 
Goldastus. 

St.  Columb,  surnamed  Kill,  of  whom  I 
have  already  spoken,  after  having  converted 
the  northern  Picts,  founded  the  abbey  of 
Hy,  or  Jona,  on  the  coasts  of  Great  Britain,* 
celebrated  both  for  the  multitude  of  saints 
who  received  their  education  there,  and  for 
having"  been  the  burial-place  of  the  kings  of 
Scotland,  who  had  chosen  it  through  re- 
spect ;  and  the  great  number  of  monuments 
of  antiquity,  written  in  the  Scotic  or  Irish 
language,  which  were  preserved  there. 

St.  Columb  composed  several  works  in 
prose  and  verse  ;  among  others,  a  rule  for 
monks,  which  still  exists,  commonly  called 
the  rule  of  Columb-Kill  ;t  the  life  of  St. 
Patrick ;  and  a  hymn  in  praise  of  St.  Kie- 
ran,  abbot  of  Clonmacnoisk. 

lie  also  composed  three  hymns,  the  first 
of  which  begins  thus  : 

"  Altus  Prosator,  vctustus  dierum  et  ingcnitus." 

This  hymn  was  presented  to  Pope  St. 
Gregory,  who  thought  it  very  fine,  except 
that  the  author  had  spoken  with  too  nuich 
reserve  of  the  blessed  Trinity ;  which  gave 
rise  to  the  following  hymn,  in  which  he  is 
more  explicit  on  that  subject,  and  begins 
with — 

"  In  te  Christe,  credentium." 

St.  Columb  composed  a  third  hymn,  be- 
ginning with  the  words — 

"  Noli,  Pater,  indulgere." 

There  are  also  several  works  of  piety  and 
prophecies  under  the  name  of  this  saint,  of 
which  Colgan  gives  an  account  in  his  life. 

St.  Columb  died  in  his  abbey  of  Hy,  the 
9th  of  June,  597,  where  he  was  interred, 
leaving  as  his  successor  in  that  house,  Bai- 
then,  who  lived  but  two  years.  According 
to  the  Irish  tradition,  the  relics  of  St.  Co- 
lumb were  removed  in  the  beginning  of  the 
ninth  century  to  the  monastery  of  Down, 
in  Ireland,  and  deposited  with  those  of  St. 
Patrick  and  St.  Bridget. j: 

St.  Columbanus,  a  native  of  the  province 
of  Leinstcr,  applied  himself  in  his  youth  to 
the  study  of  grammar  and  the  liberal  arts, 
in  which  he  made  considerable  progress  ; 
he  afterwards  attached  himself  to  Senell,  a 

*  Bede,  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  3,  cap.  44. 

+  Trias.  Thaum.  Vit.  S.  Columb.  Append.  3,  part 
2  et  3. 

t  Jonas  Abbas.  Vit.  S.  Columban.  apud  Mes- 
singh.  War.  de  Script.  Hib.  cap.  3.  Act.  Sanct. 
Hib.  Vit.  S.  Deicol.  ad  18  Jan. 


venerable  man,  and  ably  conversant  in  the 
holy  Scriptures. 

Columbanus  made  such  a  rapid  progress 
under  this  skilful  master,  that,  though  very 
young,  he  wrote  an  elegant  explanation  on 
the  book  of  Psalms,  and  many  other  instruc- 
tive works  ;  he  afterwards  placed  himself 
under  the  guidance  of  St.  Congall,  in  the 
abbey  of  Beanchuir,  or  Bangor,  from  whence 
he  departed,  with  twelve  disciples,  among 
the  number  of  whom  was  St.  Gall,  to  go  to 
Britain,  and  from  thence  to  Burgimdy,  where 
he  arrived  in  the  reign  of  Sigebert,  then  king 
of  Austrasia  and  Burgundy,  who  received 
him  with  much  honor  and  respect.  •  The 
prince,  perceiving  his  inclination  for  a  re- 
tired life,  gave  him  the  choice  of  a  suitable 
place  in  his  states,  and  begged  of  him  ear- 
nestly to  select  in  his  kingdom,  instead  of 
seeking  an  asylum  in  the  neighboring 
countries.*  This  saint,  filled  with  gratitude, 
withdrew  with  his  companions  into  the  des- 
erts of  Vosge,  and  stopped  in  a  place  called 
Anagrates,  where  there  was  one  old  ruined 
castle,  in  which  he  remained  for  some  time  ; 
but  his  reputation  for  sanctity  having  at- 
tracted a  number  of  persons  who  were  de- 
sirous of  living  under  his  discipline,  he  was 
obliged  to  seek  a  more  commodious  habita- 
tion. Luxeu,  in  the  same  desert,  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountains  of  Vosge,  appearing  to  him 
a  suitable  place,  he  founded  a  celebrated 
monastery,  where  he  established  his  order, 
and  the  perpetual  psalmody,  by  different 
choirs,  who  relieved  each  other  day  and 
night.  He  was  the  first  who  established 
the  monastic  order  among  the  French. f 
The  order  of  St.  Columbanus  was  then  con- 
sidered as  the  model  of  a  retired  life,  and 
Luxeu  as  the  centre  of  perfection.  The 
number  of  persons,  of  every  rank  and  con- 
dition, who  wished  to  submit  to  the  law  of 
St.  Columbanus,  was  so  great,  that,  in  order 
to  lighten  the  burden  on  the  house  of  Luxeu, 
he  was  obliged  to  found  another  at  Fontaine, 
in  the  same  country. 

Columbanus  had  been,  for  nearly  twenty 
years,  at  the  head  of  the  monastery  of  Luxeu, 
when  he  was  expelled  through  the  influ- 
ence of  Brunehaut.  This  ambitious  queen 
shared  the  government  of  Burgundy  with 
her  grandson  Thierry  II.,  who  was  king. 
Fearing  that  the  marriage  of  this  prince 
would  diminish  her  authority,  she  endeav- 
ored to  dissuade  him  from  it  by  procuring 
him  illicit  pleasures  ;  which  excited  the 
zeal  of  St.  Columbanus,  who  reproached  him 

*  Camd.  Brit,  page  730. 

t  Jonas,  Vit.  S.  Columb.  cap.  9,  et  Breviar.  Pa- 
risiens,  ad  21  Nov. 


196 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


severely  for  the  shameful  life  ho  led.  The 
prince,  who  had  a  high  opinion  of  the  sanc- 
tity of  St.  Colunibanus,  heard  him  patiently, 
but  the  intrigues  of  Brunehaut,  who  had 
prejudiced  all  the  noldcs  of  the  kingdom 
against  him,  forced  him  to  yield  to  the  storm, 
by  leaving  his  monastery  at  Luxeu. 

Notwithstanding  this  disgrace,  our  saint 
was  favorably  received  by  Clothaire  II., 
king  of  Suissoins,  to  whom  he  foretold  that 
in  three  years  the  French  monarchy  would 
be  united  in  his  person,  which  prophecy  was 
afterwards  accomplished  ;  Theodebert  II. 
having  been  defeated  by  his  brother  Thierry, 
and  taken  at  Cologne,  where  he  was  assas- 
sinated by  order  of  I3runehaut.*  Thierry 
died  of  a  dysentery,  when  going  to  make 
war  against  Clothaire,  and  Brvmehaut  was 
put  to  death  by  order  of  the  latter. 

St.  Columbanus  having  preached  the  word 
of  God  in  several  provinces  in  France,  and 
confirmed  his  doctrine  by  miracles  too  nu- 
merous to  be  introduced  here,  went  to  Italy, 
where,  with  the  approbation  of  Aigilulph, 
king  of  the  Lombards,  he  founded  the  abbey 
of  Bobbio,  in  JMilan,  over  which  he  pre- 
sided but  one  year,  having  died  there  on 
the  21st  of  November,  615,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  a  native  of  Burgundy,  called  At- 
tala. 

The  Augustine  monks  affirm  that  St.  Co- 
lumbanus was  of  their  order  ;  but  Reyner 
says  that  he  was  a  Benedictine. f  It  is, 
however,  certain,  that  this  saint  had  estab- 
lished a  particular  order,  and  introduced  it 
into  France  ;:{:  his  disciples  afterwards  con- 
formed to  the  rule  of  St.  Benedict,  which 
had  been  established  some  years  before  at 
Glan-Feuille,  by  St.  Maur,  still  preserving 
the  statutes  of  their  father  Columbanus. 

St.  Columbanus  wrote  many  works  in 
Latin,  which  are  quoted  by  Ware  and  oth- 
ers :  namely,  a  book  of  commentaries  on  the 
Psalter  ;  a  work  against  the  Arians,  which 
Jonas  calls,  "  a  work  of  floAvery  erudition  ;" 
"  Contra  quos  etiam  libellum  florentis  sci- 
entiae  edidit  ;"^  thirteen  homilies  published 


*  Abrcge  Chron.  de  I'Histoire  de  France. 

t  Crnseniiis.  Monast.  Augiistin.  part  2,  c.  11, 
Apostolat.  Benedict,  in  Anglii,  page  156. 

t  "  The  monks  being  therefore  settled  in  these 
parts,  he  mixed  in  his  turn  among  them,  and  filled 
with  the  holy  spirit,  he  composed  the  regulations 
which  they  should  keep." — Abbot  Jonahs  Life  of 
St.  Columb.  c.  9. 

§  "  This  father  of  wonderful  sanctity,  labored 
among  the  most  zealous  :  he  shone  gloriously  among 
worldlings  by  his  miracles,  aqd  taught  by  the  holy 
spirit ;  he  established  monastic  regulations,  and  was 
the  first  who  delivered  them  to  the  Gauls." — Ode- 
ricus  Vitale's  Church  Hist.  b.  8. 


by  Messingham,  according  to  an  ancient 
manuscript  in  the  abbey  of  Bobbio  ;  epistles 
to  difTerent  persons,  some  of  Avhich  were 
published  by  Goldastus  ;  "  Carmen  Monas- 
ticlion,"  or  a  monastic  poem,  copied  from 
an  ancient  manuscript  of  Freisingen,  in  Ba- 
varia, by  Henry  Canisius  ;  the  monastic  rule 
which  this  saint  had  introduced  into  France, 
published  by  Messingham,  after  the  original 
manuscript  in  the  abbey  of  Bobbio ;  a  book 
of  the  daily  penance  of  the  monks  ;  a  manu- 
script in  the  abbey  of  St.  Gall  in  Switzer- 
land ;  an  epigram  on  the  form  and  manner 
to  be  observed  in  the  prescribing  of  penance 
on  the  seven  deadly  sins,  and  on  the  vanity 
and  misery  of  human  life,  written  in  verse. 
Lastly,  he  wrote  two  epistles  to  Pope  Boni- 
face, which  are  still  in  being,  and  his  apol- 
ogy respecting  the  celebration  of  the  Easter, 
when  he  was  summoned  to  attend  the  synod 
of  Macon. 

St.  Gall,  who  was  born  of  noble  parents 
in  Ireland,  was  placed  at  an  early  age,  ac- 
cording to  his  life,  Avritten  by  Wallafridus 
Strabo,  an  author  of  the  ninth  century,  un- 
der the  guidance  of  St.  Columbanus,  with 
whom  he  made  considerable  progress  in  the 
study  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  the  liberal 
arts,  grammar,  and  poetry,  and  in  the  prac- 
tice of  regular  discipline  ;  having  received 
the  order  of  priesthood  in  obedience  to  his 
master's  wishes,  he  was  his  constant  com- 
panion in  his  travels  through  Britain,  France, 
and  Germany,  when  he  was  expelled  from 
his  monastery  of  Luxeu  by  the  intrigues  of 
Queen  Brunehaut.*  Having  arrived  in  Ger- 
many, and  being  desirous  of  settling  in  a 
place  called  Tucconia,  near  Lake  Turicin, 
or  Tigurin,  now  called  the  lake  of  Zurich, 
in  Switzerland,  St.  Gall,  moved  with  zeal, 
set  fire  to  a  temple  in  which  the  pagans 
were  sacrificing  to  demons,  and  caused  their 
offerings  to  be  thrown  into  the  neighboring 
lake.  The  pagans,  exasperated  at  the  con- 
duct of  the  saint,  resolved  to  put  him  to 
death,  but  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  es- 
cape from  their  hands,  with  St.  Columbanus, 
and  to  reach  the  castle  of  Arbona,  or  Arbon, 
situated  on  a  river  of  that  name  which  falls 
into  the  lake  of  Constance,  where  they  were 
hospitably  detained  for  seven  days  by  the 
priest  VVillimar.  During  this  interval,  they 
sought  a  suitable  place  for  a  retreat ;  Wil- 
limar  informed  them  of  an  old  building, 
called    Brigantium,   in   Rha?tia,  at  present 


Wallafrid.  Strabo,  Ab.  Augiens,  Vit.  S.  Coll, 
apud  Messingh.  Marlyrol.  Notkeri.  Balbut.  ibid. 
Petr.  de  Nata  lib.  de  Gest.  Sanct.  lib.  9,  cap.  72, 
et  War.  de  Script.  Hib.  cap.  3. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


197 


Bregent,  in  the  country  of  the  Orisons  ;  he 
furnished  tliem  with  a  boat,  and  every  thing 
necessary  for  their  voyage,  and  a  deacon  to 
escort  them.  Having  found  in  that  phice  an 
ancient  oratory  dedicated  to  St.  Aurelia, 
but  apparently  converted  into  a  pagan  tem- 
ple, they  broke  in  it  three  bronze  idols, 
which  formed  the  object  of  the  worship  of 
the  people  who  frequented  it,  and  to  which 
they  sacrificed,  as  the  tutelary  gods  of  the 
country.  Those  saints,  having  repaired  this 
church,  which  had  been  profaned  by  the  pa- 
gans, dedicated  it  anew  to  its  former  patron. 
St.  Gall  preached  the  gospel  to  the  irdiab- 
itants  of  the  canton,  several  of  whom  he 
converted  ;  but  the  pagan  party  being  too 
strong,  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  his  un- 
dertaking. 

The  two  saints  then  resolved  to  go  to- 
gether to  Italy  ;  but  St.  Gall  having  been 
prevented  by  a  fever,  they  separated.  St. 
Columbanus  set  out  for  Italy,  and  St.  Gall 
returned  to  the  priest  Willimar,  with  whom 
he  remained  till  he  was  perfectly  recovered. 
The  desire  of  leading  a  retired  life,  induced 
him  to  return  to  the  desert ;  he  chose  a 
habitation  on  the  banks  of  a  small  river, 
called  Stein  aha,  now  Stinace,  near  lake  Con- 
stance, where  he  built  a  cell. 

The  bishopric  of  Constance  being  vacant, 
prince  Gunzo  wrote  to  our  hermit,  to  beg  of 
him  to  assist  at  a  synod  which  was  to  be  j 
held  for  the  election  of  a  successor  in  that  j 
see.  The  saint  repaired  thither,  attended 
by  a  deacon  called  John,  who  had.  been  his 
disciple  for  three  years,  and  another  named 
Magnoald. 

The  great  reputation  for  science  and  vir- 
tue which  St.  Gall  had  acquired,  gained  him 
the  suffrages  of  the  whole  assembly,  to  fill 
the  see  of  Constance  ;  but  his  great  humility 
not  allowing  him  to  accept  of  that  dignity, 
he  proposed  in  his  stead  his  deacon  John, 
who  was  received  by  the  meeting,  and  con- 
secrated bishop  of  Constance.  St.  Gall 
having  spent  seven  days  with  the  new  pre- 
late, returned  to  his  cell,  where  he  caused  a  j 
monastery  to  be  built  for  himself  and  twelve  j 
of  his  disciples,  who  were  desirous  of  em-  j 
bracing  the  monastic  state  with  him.  i 

Eustachius,  who  succeeded  St.  GaU  in 
the  monastery  of  Luxeu,  having  died,  the '[ 
monks  deputed  six  of  their  fraternity,  all 
Irish,  to  St.  Gall,  to  influence  him  to  under- 
take the  government  of  their  house,  with 
the  title  of  abbot ;  but  the  saint  declined  this 
honor  likewise.  He  afterwards  died  at 
priest  Willimar's  on  the  16th  of  October, 
635,  aged  95  years;  others  say  that  he 
died  in  625. 


The  cell  of  St.  Gall  became  afterwards 
a  celebrated  abbey,  from  the  renown  of  its 
patron  and  the  liberality  of  Sigebert  II., 
king  of  Austrasia,  and  some  neighboring 
princes.  A  large  and  populous  town,  which 
still  bears  the  name  of  St.  Gall,  was  built 
in  the  same  place. 

The  abbot  of  St.  Gall  is  prince  of  the 
empire  ;  he  sits,  with  right  of  suffrage,  in  the 
general  diet :  his  jurisdiction  is  very  exten- 
sive, and  his  annual  revenue  estimated  at 
100,000  ducats  :  he  has  a  mint,  and  when 
the  Helvetic  diet  has  need  for  his  aid,  can 
raise  an  army  of  12,000  men. 

The  life  of  St.  Gall  has  been  written  in 
verse  by  Notquer  le  Begue,  part  of  which 
was  published  by  Henry  Canisius.  Demp- 
ster, as  was  usual  with  him,  numbers  this 
saint  among  the  Scots  of  Albania,  but  his 
assertionis  opposed  by  Wallafridus,  Strabo,* 
Notquer  le  Begue,t  Petrus  de  Natalibus,J 
Vollateran  and  others,  who  maintain  that  he 
was  an  Irishman.  We  have  some  of  St.  Gall's 
works,  viz.,  a  sermon  which  he  preached  in 
the  church  of  St.  Stephen  of  Constance,  at 
the  ceremony  of  the  consecration  of  St. 
John,  bishop  of  that  city — some  epistles 
published  by  Henry  Canisius — a  discourse 
upon  the  church  government,  which  he  pro- 
nounced in  presence  of  the  bishop  of  Con- 
stance, the  original  manuscript  of  which  is 
preserved,  according  to  Possevinus,  in  the 
Ubrary  of  St.  Gall ;  his  Psalter,  of  which 
Joachim  Vadiamus  speaks,  in  his  treatise 
of  colleges  and  monasteries  in  Germany, 
and  which  he  mentions  to  have  been  trans- 
lated into  German  by  Notquer  le  Begue. 

BoUandus  published,  with  notes,  the  life 
of  St.  Deicol,  written,  as  he  calculates,  more 
than  eight  hundred  years  ago,  according  to 
memoirs  in  the  monastery  of  Lure.i^  This 
saint  was  a  native  of  Ireland, ||  and  called  in 


*  "  While  this  illustrious  Saint  Columbanus  was 
engaged  in  Ireland,  the  noble  parents  of  the  sanc- 
tified Gallus  offering  their  son  in  his  early  youth  to 
God,  with  gifts  placed  him  under  his  instruction." 
— Wallafrid.  in  his  Life  of  St.  Gallus. 

t  "  On  the  same  day,  the  anniversary  of  the 
death  of  the  most  holy  Gallus,  confessor,  who  was 
an  Irishman,  is  celebrated  among  the  Germans. 
Under  an  instinct  of  divine  love,  travelling  with  his 
master  and  abbot  Columbanus  tin-ougli  Gaul,  he  en- 
tered Germany.'' — Martijrology  of  Notker  Balhut. 

X  "  Gallus  descended  from  illustrious  parentage, 
in  Ireland,  and  being  placed  under  the  instructions 
and  guidance  of  St.  Columbanus,  was  advanced  from 
being  a  monk,  to  the  order  of  priesthood."' — Petrus 
de  Natalibus,  St.  G. 

§  Ad.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Deicol,  ad  18  Jan. 

II  "  Among  these  things,  it  is  to  be  remarked 
that  St.  Deicolas  was  an  Irishman,  for  he  himself 
said  to  the  pope  that  he   was   from  that  country, 


198 


HISTOKV    OF    IRELAND. 


the  Irish  or  Scotic  language,  Dichuill,  in 
Latin  DichuUus  and  Doicola ;  ho  was  half- 
brother  of  St.  Gall,  and,  like  him,  a  disciple 
of  St.  Columbanus.  The  infirmity  of  his 
health  not  allowing  him  to  accompany  Father 
Columbanus  into  Italy,  he  obtained  permis- 
sion from  him  to  remain  in  Burgundy,  where 
he  founded,  at  a  few  leagues  from  Luxeu, 
the  celebrated  monastery  of  Lure,  in  Latin 
Lutra,  or  "  liUtrense  monastcrium,"  the  care 
of  which  he  confided  to  St.  Columbanus,  his 
spiritual  son  and  disciple,  and  caused  an 
oratory  to  be  built  for  himself  near  the  con- 
vent ;  where,  after  spending  the  remainder 
of  his  life  in  meditation  and  penitential  prac- 
tices, he  died  at  an  advanced  age,  and  was  in- 
terred on  the  15th  of  the  calends  of  February, 
the  day  on  which  his  memory  is  honored.* 

Canisius  quotes  the  life  of  St.  Magnoald, 
or  Magne,  written  by  his  cotemporary  Theo- 
dore, a  monk  of  St.  Campden.f  This  saint, 
Avhohad  accompanied  St.  Gall  to  Ireland,  of 
which  he  was  a  native,^  shared  with  him  the 
labors  of  the  apostleship  ;  after  the  death  of 
St.  Gall  he  founded  two  cells  in  Germany  ; 
one  at  Campden,  or  Campidana,  the  govern- 
ment of  which  he  confided  to  his  colleague, 
Theodore  ;  and  the  other  at  Fuessen,  in 
Latin  "  ad  Fauces,"  at  the  foot  of  the  Alps. 
Those  cells  having  been  richly  endowed  by 
King  Pepin,  became  afterwards  celebrated 
abbeys.  This  saint  having  been  at  the  head 
of  the  latter  for  twenty-six  years,  died  in 
the  odor  of  sanctity,  on  the  eighth  of  the 
ides  of  September,  aged  seventy-three  years. 

Among  the  disciples  of  Saint  Columbanus, 
may  be  reckoned  Jonas,  abbot  of  Luxeu  be- 
fore the  middle  of  the  seventh  century.  Ac- 
cording to  Trithemius,  Coccius-Sabellicus, 
Arnold  Wion,  Molanus,  and  others,  who,  in 
the  old  style  call  him  Scot,  "  de  vetefi  Sco- 

i.  e.  from  the  Scots  who  inhabited  Ireland."- -/fug'o 
Menardus. 

*  "  On  the  same  day,  the  remains  of  St.  Deicolas 
were  deposited  in  the  monastery  of  Lutra  ;  of  which 
he  was  first  abbot,  having  been  a  disciple  of  St. 
Columbanus  :  he  was  renowned  for  his  many  virtues, 
and  the  splendor  of  his  miracles  ;  he  gave  up  to  the 
care  of  St.  Columbanus,  his  solicitude  for  that 
place  ordained,  according  to  the  will  of  God,  for 
the  sake  of  religion.  He  withdrew  to  a  more  se- 
cluded retreat,  in  order  to  devote  himself  to  the  con- 
templation of  heavenly  avocations,  that  he  might 
breathe  forth  his  soul  to  God  with  attention,  and 
with  prayer  pass  unto  him  :  after  his  happy  death, 
his  splendid  miracles  attested  his  admission  to 
Christ." — Lnussnius,  the  Gallican  Mnrtyrolngy. 

t  Messmg.  Florileg.  Insul.  Sanct.  Vit.  S.  Magni. 

X  "  When  St.  Columbanus,  together  with  St. 
Galius,  was  passing  from  Ireland,  a  certain  brother 
named  Magnoaldus,  descended  from  the  aforesaid 
country,  Hibernia,  (Ireland.)" — Life  of  St.  Magnus. 


tia,"  that  is,  Irish,  whichhehimselfindicates 
in  his  preface  to  the  life  of  St.  Columbanus.* 

Jonas  wrote,  in  Latin,  the  life  of  St.  Co- 
lumbanus, to  which  he  had  been  an  eye- 
witness :  he  also  wrote  the  lives  of  Attala 
and  Eustachius,  both  disciples  and  suc- 
cessors of  St.  Columbanus  ;  the  former  at 
Bobbio,  the  latter  at  Luxeu.  To  him  are 
also  attributed  some  hymns,  and  the  lives  of 
Bertulph,  successor  to  Attala  in  the  monas- 
tery of  Bobbio,  and  of  Burgandeford  ;  of 
these  lives  Bede  is  not  the  author,  though 
published  among  his  works.  Lastly,  Jonas 
wrote  the  life  of  John,  fovmder  and  first 
abbot  of  a  monastery  in  the  diocese  of 
Langres,  at  the  solicitation  of  Hunn,  who 
was  abbot  of  it.  This  life  was  published 
in  Paris  in  1637,  by  Pierre  Rouere 

Fiacre,  born  of  noble  parents  in  Ireland, 
being  desirous  of  devoting  himself  to  God 
in  solitude,  left  his  country,  and  went  to 
France  accompanied  by  some  disciples  :  he 
addressed  himself  to  Faron,  bishop  of  Meaux, 
who  received  him  with  kindness. f  This  holy 
prelate,  observing  that  he  was-  possessed  of 
much  mildness  and  simplicity,  asked  him 
his  country,  the  intention  of  his  voyage,  and 
his  name. I  Fiacre  answered  that  Ireland, 
the  island  of  the  Scots,  was  his  country,  and 
that  of  his  ancestors  ;  that,  wishing  to  lead 
a  secluded  life,  he  had  left  his  country  and 
his  friends,  to  seek  a  place  suitable  for  that 
purpose;  and  that  his  name  was  Fiacre. 
The  good  bishop  seeing  the  holy  disposition 
of  Fiacre,  gave  him  the  forest  of  Brodole, 
which  belonged  to  him,  with  permission  to 
settle  there.  Fiacre  having  thanked  his 
benefactor,  caused  a  part  of  the  wood  to  be 
cleared,  and  foimded  a  monastery,  dedicated 
to  the  blessed  Virgin,  where  he  led  the  life 
of  a  hermit.^     This  saint  was  so  celebrated 


*  Idem.  Vit.  S.  Columban.  War.  de  Script.  Hib.  3. 

t  Messing.  Florilg.  Insul.  Sanct.  Vit.  S.  Fiacrii. 
War.  de  Script.  Hib.  c.  3. 

\  Act.  Sanct.  Vit.  S.  Connan.  ad  13  Jan.  not.  10. 

§  "  St.  Fiacrius,  confessor,  was  born  of  very 
noble  parents  in  Ireland,  and  of  a  sanctified  char- 
acter tiirough  life.  At  the  time  that  St.  Faro  was 
archbishop  of  Meldi,  St.  Fiacrius  and  his  compan- 
ions sought  his  friendship,  which  the  pious  Faro 
freely  gave.  Viewing  the  simplicity  of  his  coun- 
tenance, he  said,  I  pray,  my  dearest  friend,  that 
you  tell  me  your  origin,  your  country,  and  the  ob- 
ject of  your  journey,  and  name.  The  holy  Fiacrius 
replied,  O  most  reverend  father,  I  am  from  the 
country  of  the  Scots,  and  my  ancestors  the  same." 
— Capgravius  in  his  Legends. 

"  Fiacrius  was  born  of  noble  parents  in  Ireland, 
which  is  called  Scotia  bj'  the  ancients  ;  from  a  de- 
sire to  lead  a  secluded  life,  he  came  to  St.  Faro,  to 
Meldi,  together  with  some  companions." — Breviary 
of  Paris  in  Messingham. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


199 


for  the  austerity  of  his  life,  and  the  many 
miracles  which  God  wrought  through  his 
intercession,  both  before  and  after  his  death, 
some  of  which  are  mentioned  by  Capgra- 
vius  and  Surius,  that  he  became  an  object 
of  veneration  to  the  faithful,  and  an  office  of 
nine  lessons  in  honor  of  him  was  inserted 
in  most  of  the  breviaries  throughout  France  ; 
it  contains  a  hymn,  the  beginning  of  which 
is  subjoined,  as  underneath.* 

Hector  Boetius  and  others  affirm,  that 
St.  Fiacre  was  son  of  Eugene  IV.,  king  of 
Scotland :  this  opinion  was  adopted  by  some 
foreigners  without  examining  into  it.  Ac- 
cording to  Dempster,  our  saint  wrote  to  his 
sister  Syra  a  treatise  on  the  excellence  of 
a  monastic  life,  the  original  manuscript  of 
which  is  preserved,  it  is  said,  at  Meaux, 
and  a  book  of  meditations. 

Aidan,  a  monk  of  the  abbey  of  Hy,  was 
the  apostle  of  the  kingdom  of  Northumber- 
land in  England.!  King  Oswald,  who  had 
embraced  Christianity  during  his  retreat 
among  the  Scots,  being  re-established  on 
the  throne,  amd  desirous  of  having  his  sub- 
jects instructed  in  the  religion  that  he  pro- 
fessed, sent  for  St.  Aidan,  from  the  abbey 
of  Hy,  and  was  consecrated  bishop  for  this 
mission.  The  saint  preached  the  gospel 
everywhere  with  success,  and  as  he  was  not 
well  acquainted  with  the  Saxon  language,  it 
was  edifying  to  behold  the  prince,  who  was 
master  of  the  Scotic,  acting  as  interpreter 
between  this  missionary  and  the  people. 

St.  Aidan  first  founded  an  episcopal  see, 
of  which  he  was  first  bishop,  in  an  island 
on  the  eastern  coast,  called  Lindisfarn, 
which  that  pious  prince  granted  him  for 
the  purpose  ;  he  also  founded  several  other 
churches  and  monasteries  m  different  pla- 
ces, where  he  caused  the  people  to  be  in- 
i  structed  in  the  Christian  religion  and  eccle- 
siastical discipline.  The  life  of  Aidan,  says 
Bede,  was  widely  different  from  that  negli- 
gence and  inactivity  which  prevail  at  pres- 
ent. All  who  attended  him,  both  monks  and 
laity,  were  obliged  to  occupy  themselves 
either  in  reading  the  Holy  Scriptures,  or 
learning  psalms  ;  such  was  his  daily  em- 
ployment, and  that  of  the  brothers  who  ac- 

"  The  holy  Fiacrius,  from  a  part  of  Ireland  ;  af- 
ter leaving  his  country,  he  came  to  Faro,  bishop  of 
Meaux,  seeking  his  protection:  he  was  illustrious 
for  his  innumerable  virtues." 

*  "  Ireland  is  dignified  by  the  lustre  of  a  new 
lamp  :  that  island  glitters,  to  the  Meldi,  by  the  pres- 
ence of  so  great  a  liglit.  The  former  sent  Fiacrius  ; 
Meaux  received  the  ray  which  was  sent.  The  joy 
of  both  is  in  common ;  the  latter  possesses  a  father, 
the  former  a  son." — Bede's  History  of  the  Church. 

+  Bede,  Hist.  Ecclcs.  lib.  3,  c.  3,  et  seq. 


companied  him,  in  all  the  places  where  they 
went.  He  was  never  influenced,  through 
fear,  to  spare  the  rich,  but  frequently  rebuked 
them  for  their  faults  ;  and  the  money  which 
he  received  from  them  was  applied  in  re- 
lieving the  poor,  and  in  the  ransom  of  slaves. 
He  kept  his  passions  in  subjection,  and  en- 
tirely free  from  avarice,  pride,  or  self-love  : 
in  fine,  his  life  was  an  example  of  charity, 
chastity,  humility,  and  every  virtue.  This 
celebrated  doctor,  having  filled  the  see  of 
Lindisfarn  for  nearly  seventeen  years,  and 
having  converted  the  Northumbrians  to  the 
faith  of  Jesus  Christ,  died  on  the  31st  of 
August,  651  ;  he  was  interred  at  first  in  the 
cemetery  of  the  church  at  Lindisfarn,  and 
when  the  church  was  rebuilt  some  time  af- 
terwards, his  relics  were  deposited  on  the 
right  of  the  altar.  No  doubt  can  be  enter- 
tained respecting  the  country  of  Aidan ;  Col- 
gan,  after  the  Martyrologies  of  Dunagall, 
Taulaght,  and  Cashel,  and  the  annals  of 
Roscrea,  says  that  he  was  a  native  of  Ire- 
land.* This  opinion  is  supported  by  the 
authority  of  Edwald  Mahew,  an  English- 
man, who  published  the  life  of  St.  Aidan 
on  the  31st  of  August  ;  and  by  the  author 
of  the  life  of  St.  Oswald,  on  the  fifth  of  the 
same  month,  in  which,  when  speaking  of 
St.  Aidan,  he  says  he  was  undoubtedly  an 
Irishman,  as  in  that  age  none  but  the  Irish 
were  called  Scots.  Besides,  St.  Aidan  was 
a  monk  of  the  abbey  of  Hy,  the  members 
of  which  were  Scots  from  Ireland,  whereas 
the  Picts  had  given  that  island  to  St.  Co- 
lumb-Kill,  and  to  the  Scotic  monks  who  had 
preached  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  among 
them.'t  From  that  abbey,  therefore,  were 
the  twelve  disciples  who  had  accompanied 
this  apostle  to  Britain,  as  is  remarked  in  his 
life,  besides  some  others  who  had  after- 
wards followed  him  from  Ireland. :j: 

St.  Finian,  a  native  of  Ireland  and  a  monk 
of  the  abbey  of  Hy,  succeeded  St.  Aidan 
in  the  episcopal  see  of  Lindisfarn,  and  in  the 
mission  of  the  kingdom  of  Northumberland. 
He  caused  to  be  built  in  the  Isle  of  Lindis- 
farn, says  Bede,  a  church  suitable  for  an 
episcopal  see,  not  of  stone  but  of  oak,  after 
the  manner  of  the  Scots  ;§  he  labored  per- 
severingly  for  the  conversion  of  souls  ;  he 
baptized  Penda,  king  of  the  interior  provin- 
ces, and  Sigebert,  king  of  the  East-Angles, 

*  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  p.  677,  not.  7. 

t  "  Which  island  was  a  gift  of  the  Picts,  who 
inhabited  those  parts  of  Britain,  to  the  monks  of 
Ireland,  who  preached  to  them  the  faitii  of  Christ." 
— Bedels  Church  History,  b.  3,  c.  3^. 

t  Trias  Thaum.  Vit.  5,  S.  Columb.  lib.  2. 

§  Bede,  Ecelesiast.  lib.  3,  cap.  25. 


200 


HISTORY    OP   IRELAND. 


with  the  lords  of  their  rctiauc,  and  sent 
priests  to  instruct  and  baptize  their  sub- 
jects.* He  consecrated  Cedda,  who  had  la- 
bored much  in  converting  this  people,  bishop 
of  the  kingdom  of  the  East-Angles.  This 
holy  prelate  died  at  Lindisfarn,  having  been 
at  the  head  of  that  church  for  ten  years. 

St.  Colman,  a  native  also  of  Ireland,  suc- 
ceeded St.  Finian  in  the  bishopric  of  Lin- 
disfarn. Those  three  prelates  were  cele- 
brated for  the  sanctity  and  purity  of  their 
morals,  their  zeal  for  the  propagation  of  the 
faith,  and  the  exercise  of  every  virtue  ;  it 
can  be  aflirmcd  that  the  Saxons  of  the  north- 
ern provinces  were  indebted  to  them  for  the 
knowledge  of  the  true  God  ;  though  they 
were  in  error  respecting  the  celebration  of 
the  Easter,  which  was  a  matter  of  discipline. 
It  appears  that  there  was  a  degree  of  harsh- 
ness with  which  bishop  Colman  was  treated 
by  Wilfrid,  at  the  conference  of  Strenaes- 
halch  ;  he  was  obliged  to  leave  Britain,  and 
withdraw  to  the  isle  of  Inis-Bo-Fin,  on  the 
western  coast  of  Ireland,  where  he  founded 
a  monastery.! 

St.  Fursey  was  descended  from  noble  pa- 
rents in  Ireland,  his  father  was  Fintan,  son 
of  Finloge,  prince  of  southern  Munster,  and 
brother  of  St.  Brendan  of  Clonfert  ;  his 
mother,  Gelgesia,  was  daughter  of  ^Ed,  or 
Hugiie,  surnamed  Fin,  that  is,  lokite,  prince 
of  the  Hy-Brunes  in  Connaught,  from  whom 
the  noble  tribes  of  the  O'Rourkes  and  the 
O'Reillys  are  descended.^  Fursey  was  bap- 
tized and  brought  up  in  a  religious  life,  by  his 
uncle  Brendan.^  Having  attained  the  age  of 
maturity,  he  founded,  with  the  consent  of  his 
uncle,  a  monastery  in  an  island  called  Rath- 
mat,  near  lake  Orbsen,  in  the  county  of  Gal- 
way,  which  Colgan  thinks  is  the  present  par- 
ish church  of  Kill-Fursa,  in  the  diocese  of 
Tuam.ll 

St.  Fursey  having  labored  in  the  conver- 
sion of  souls  in  Ireland  for  the  space  of 
twelve  years,  went,  about  the  year  637,  with 
some  disciples,  to  England,  where  he  was 
kindly  received  by  Sigebert,  king  of  the  east 
Saxons  :^  this  saint,  having  rescued  some  of 
the  Picts  and  Saxons,  who  had  escaped  the 
zeal  of  the  preceding  missionaries,  from  the 
superstitions  of  idolatry,  and  brought  them 
to  the  worship  of  the  true  God,  founded  the 


*  Bede,  Ibid.  cap.  22. 

t  Bede,  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  3,  cap.  25. 

\  Messing.  Floril.  usul.  Januar.  Vit.  S.  Furs, 
Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Furs,  ad  19  Januar.  Ibid, 
ad  9  Febr.     War.  de  Script,  cap.  3. 

§  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Furs.  lib.  1,  note  7. 

II   Ibid,  page  89,  note  14. 

IT  Bede,  Hist.  Eccl.  lib.  3,  cap.  19. 


abbey  of  Cnobcrsburgh,  now  Burgh-Castle, 
in  the  county  of  Sudblk,  on  some  land  which 
the  king  had  given  him ;  he  afterwards  indu- 
ced this  pious  prince  to  abdicate  the  throne, 
and  become  a  monk.  This  monastery  was 
aftenvards  considerably  enlarged  by  the  lib- 
erality of  Anna,  who  succeeded  Sigebert,  and 
some  lords  of  the  kingdom.  The  desire  of 
leading  a  retired  life  made  our  saint  relinquish 
the  government  of  his  monastery,  which  he 
confided  to  his  brother  Foilan,  and  to  the 
priests  Gobban  and  Dicull ;  he  then  with- 
drew to  a  place  of  solitude  with  his  brother 
Ultan,  where  he  spent  a  year  in  prayer  and 
continence,  living  only  on  the  fruits  of  the 
earth  produced  by  his  labor. 

The  troubles  caused  by  the  incursions  of 
the  Normans  into  England,  and  the  dangers 
that  threatened  the  monasteries,  induced  St. 
Fursey  to  go  to  France,  where  he  was  pre- 
sented to  Clovis  II.  by  Erchinoald,  or  Her- 
cenald,  mayor  of  the  palace.  The  king  being 
informed  by  Erchinoald  of  the  saint's  inten- 
tion, and  wishing  to  encourage  him  to  remain 
in  his  kingdom,  gave  him  choke  of  a  suit- 
able place  for  building  a  monastery.  St. 
Fursey  availed  himself  of  this  offer,  and 
settled  at  Latiniacum,  (Lagny,)  on  the  river 
Marne,  six  leagues  from  Paris  ;  where  he 
caused  three  chapels  to  be  built,  the  first  of 
which  he  dedicated  to  our  Saviour,  the 
second  to  St.  Peter,  and  the  third  was  called, 
when  he  died,  after  his  own  name,  through 
the  devotion  of  the  faithful.  Being  after- 
wards joined  by  several  monks,  his  disciples, 
who  had  followed  him  from  Ireland,  among 
others,  iEmilianus,  Euloquius,  Mombulus, 
&c.,  and  seconded  by  the  liberality  of  the 
king  and  lords  of  the  country,  he  founded  a 
monastery  which  he  himself  governed. 

His  zeal  was  not  confined  to  the  interior 
of  his  convent ;  he  labored  with  success  in 
the  conversion  of  souls  at  Brie  and  in  its 
neighborhood,  and  his  preaching  was  al- 
ways accompanied  by  miracles. 

St.  Fursey  was  not  forgetful  of  his 
brothers,  nor  the  monastery  he  had  founded 
in  the  country  of  the  east  Saxons  :  having 
formed  the  design  of  visiting  them,  he  ap- 
pointed his  disciple  Emilianus  to  govern  the 
monastery  of  Lagny  in  his  stead,  and  set  out 
for  England  ;  but  falling  sick  at  Mezieres, 
he  died  the  16th  of  January,  648  :  his  body 
was  removed  to  Peronne  by  order  of  Her- 
convald,  and  placed  in  a  galleiy  till  the 
dedication  of  the  church,  which  took  place 
twenty-six  days  after.  On  the  day  of  the 
ceremony,  the  body  of  the  saint  was  placed 
in  the  choir,  and  found  to  be  as  whole  and 
untainted   as   the  day  on  which  he  died. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


201 


Four  years  afterwards  a  chapel  Avas  built, 
to  the  east  of  the  altar,  in  which  the  saint's 
body  was  deposited,  and  where  it  might  be 
seen  in  the  time  of  Bede,  without  stain  or 
corruption.  The  festival  of  St.  Fursey  is 
kept  to  the  16th  of  January  at  Peronne, 
Avhere  he  is  honored  as  the  patron  saint. 
Dempster  says  that  he  composed  a  book  on 
the  monastic  life,  and  a  prophecy  in  the 
Scotic  language.  Colgan  published,  after 
Arnold  Wion,  some  hymns  which  were 
written  in  his  praise. 

James  Desmay,  of  the  faculty  in  Paris, 
doctor  in  theology,  and  canon  of  the  colle- 
giate church  of  St.  Fursey,  wrote  an  ample 
history  of  the  life  of  that  saint  in  French ;  it 
was  translated  into  Latin  by  the  Rev.  father 
Eugene  O'Gallagher,  a  monk  of  the  order  of 
Louvain.  This  author  supposes  that  St. 
Fursey  had  gone  to  Rome,  from  Avhence  he 
returned  through  Austria,  Flanders,  Bra- 
bant, Liege,  and  Namur,  before  he  founded 
the  monastery  of  Lagny.  He  also  men- 
tions, after  Bede  and  other  ancient  monu- 
ments, the  wsions  of  that  saint,  and  mira- 
cles which  he  wrought. 

Saint  Arbogast,  a  native  of  Ireland,  came, 
says  Gaspard  Bruschius,  as  a  stranger  and 
hermit  to  Alsace,  where  he  built  an  oratory 
in  nearly  the  same  place  where  the  present 
city  of  Hagueneau  is  built,  and  devoted 
himself  to  the  service  of  God  in  fasting  and 
prayer.*  His  charity  made  him  sometimes 
leave  his  retreat,  to  instruct  the  people  in 
the  knowledge  and  fear  of  God,  and  to  in- 
voke the  Father,  and  his  divine  .Son  Jesus 
Christ,  to  draw  them  from  their  idolatrous 
worship  and  superstition.!  His  conduct 
having  attracted  the  notice  of  king  Dago- 
bert,  this  prince  appointed  him  to  succeed 
St.  x\mancl  in  the  see  of  Strasburg,  in  646. 
Having  filled  that  bishopric  for  twelve  years, 
he  died  658.  He  was  interred,  as  he  had 
requested,  in  the  place  of  public  execution 
called  Mount  Michel,  being  desirous  of 
imitating  Jesus  Christ,  who  suffered  without 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  in  the  place  where 
criminals  suffered ;  a  monastery  was  founded 
long  afterwards,  where  his  tomb  stood,  and 
dedicated  to  his  name,  near  which  was  built 
the  great  church  of  that  city.  It  is  said  that 
he  composed  a  book  of  homilies  and  learned 
commentaries  on  the  epistles  of  St.  Paul.| 

Maildulphus,  an   Irish    monk,   and  very 

*  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  pages  .36,  37,  117.  War.  de 
Script.  Hib.  cap.  3,  et  Brusch.  de  Epis.  Germ, 
page  55. 

t  Henric.  Pantaloon,  prosopog.  viror.  illustr.  Ger- 
mauia?,  et  Sebast.  Muns.  Cosmograph. 

t  Baleus,  et  Flaming.  Collect.  Sacr.  page  183. 


learned  man,  went  to  England  in  676  ;  he 
founded  a  monastery  and  established  a  school 
at  Ingleborne  in  Wiltshire  ;  this  place  Avas 
called  after  him,  Maildulfesburgh,  (Maildul- 
fiurbs,)  at  present  Malmsbury.*  This  school 
was  celebrated  for  the  great  number  of  stu- 
dents, eminent  for  their  learning  and  piety, 
who  had  received  their  education  there, 
among  others,  St.  Aldelm,  Avho  succeeded 
him,  and  Avas  the  first  Saxon  that  wrote 
in  the  Latin  tongue,  either  in  prose  or 
verse. t 

This  monastery  became  a  celebrated  ab- 
bey, through  the  liberality  of  king  Athelstan, 
and  other  benefactors.  St.  Maildulphus 
wrote  on  the  observance  of  the  Easter,  on 
the  tonsure,  on  celibacy,  and  on  rules  for  the 
arts  and  natural  philosophy :  he  composed 
hymns,  dialogues,  epistles,  and  several  other 
works  which  have  been  lost.  This  holy 
man  died  at  an  advanced  age,  in  his  convent 
of  Malmsbury,  Avhere  he  Avas  interred. 

St,  Cuthbert,  son  of  an  Irish  prince,  was 
born  at  Kenanuse,  otherwise  Kells,  in  Meath, 
or,  according  to  others,  at  Kilmacudrick, 
within  four  miles  from  Dublin. J  Sabina, 
his  mother,  having  undertaken,  according  to 
the  taste  of  the  times,  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome, 
left  him  in  the  abbey  of  Mailross,  Avhere  he 
became  a  monk  and  afterwards  prior  ;§  he 
acquitted  himself  honorably  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  in  this  abbey,  and  was 
summoned  to  Lindisfarn  by  Eata,  bishop  of 
that  see  ;  from  thence  he  Avent  to  an  island 
called  Fame,  some  leagues  in  the  sea,  where 
he  lived  as  a  hermit  till  he  Avas  appointed 
bishop  of  Lindisfarn ;  with  reluctance  he 
accepted  that  dignity,  but  Avas  constrained  to 
yield  to  the  solicitations  of  king  Egfrid,  and 


*  Guilliem.  Malmesb.  de  Gest.  Reg.  Angl.  lib.  1, 
cap.  2,  et  War.  de  Script.  Hib.  cap.  3. 

t  "  Nor  was  it  known  by  any  other  name,  for  a 
long  time,  than  Ingelborn,  till  Maildulphus,  a  certain 
Hibernian  Scot,  a  man  of  the  soundest  erudition  and 
a  peculiar  sanctity  of  life,  being  taken  by  the  deli- 
ciousness  of  the  grove.  After  this,  opening  a 
school,  and  devoting  himself  with  his  congregation 
to  a  monastic  life,  he  built  a  monastery  in  it :  from 
hence  it  began  to  be  called  by  Maildulphus,  instead  of 
Ingleborne,  the  town  of  Maildulphesburg  ;  by  Bede, 
the  city  of  Maildulphus,  and  afterwards  contracted 
into  Malmsburj'.  By  some  historians,  from  pres- 
ents which  were  formerly  made  to  this  place,  it  is 
called  Meldunum,  Malduburg,  and  Maldunsburg. 
Among  the  disciples  of  Maildulphus,  Aldelmus,  who 
had  been  appointed  his  successor,  was  particularly 
noted  ;  for  he  was  the  first  of  the  English  people 
who  wrote  in  Latin,  and  was  the  first  who  taught 
the  English  to  compose  Latin  verse." — Camden,  p. 
176. 

t  Bede,  Hist.  Eccl.  lib.  4,  cap.  27,  28. 

§  War.  de  Script.  Hib.  cap.  3. 


202 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


some  bishops  whom  he  hail  assemblcil  in 
synod  for  that  purpose. 

He  was  consecrated  bishop  in  presence 
of  the  king,  at  York,  on  Easter-day,  684,  by 
the  archbishop  Theodore  ;  after  continuing 
for  two  years  in  that  diocese,  he  returned  to 
his  monastery  in  the  isle  of  Fame,  where  he 
died  on  the  20th  March,  686.  According 
to  Baleus,  he  wrote  a  treatise  on  the  ordi- 
nances of  his  church,  and  another  entitled 
"  Precepts  for  the  Monastic  Life."  Tin- 
mouth  and  Capgrave,  wlio  published  his  life, 
mention  the  monastic  rules  which  he  had 
given  to  his  monks,  and  which  Dempster 
calls  "  Exhortationes  ad  fratres." 

Saint  Gertrude  having  become,  on  the 
death  of  her  mother  Itte,  abbess  of  Nivelle, 
in  Brabant,  sent  to  Rome  for  relics  of  the 
holy  martyrs,  and  for  books  of  piety  ;*  she 
also  sent  to  Ireland  for  learned  men  to  ex- 
pound the  holy  Scriptures,  and  instruct  the 
nuns  in  them,  and  to  preach  the  word  of 
God  in  the  country  around.  Among  this 
number  were  two  brothers  of  St.  Fursey, 
Foilan  and  Ultan,  commonly  called  St. 
Foignan  and  St.  Outain.  St.  Gertrude  af- 
terwards conferred  on  St.  Outain  the  lands 
of  Fosse,  in  the  diocese  of  Maestricht,  be- 
tween the  Meuse  and  the  Sambre,  to  build 
a  monastery  and  an  hospital. f 

St.  Kilian,  a  native  of  Ireland,^  called  the 
apostle  of  Franconia,  left  his  country  with 


*  Baillet,  Lives  of  the  Saints,  17tii  Marcli. 

t  "  Romo  at  that  time  took  care  to  have  the  rel- 
ics of  the  saints  and  holy  books  brought  to  her  ;  she 
sent  to  Ireland  for  learned  men  to  expound  to  her- 
self and  to  her  people  the  canticles  of  the  holy  law, 
which  the  Irish  had  almost  by  heart.  The  monas. 
tery  of  Vossuensis  was  built  on  the  banks  of  the 
Sambre  for  receiving  the  saints  Fullanus  and  Ulta- 
nus,  brothers  of  St.  Furscus." — Breviary  of  Paris. 

t  "  From  a  district  of  Austria,  and  a  castle  called 
Wirtzburg  near  the  river  Meuse,  the  birthplace  of 
the  martyr  Chilianus  and  two  of  his  companions, 
who  after  coming  from  the  island  of  Scotia,  (Ire- 
land,) preached  the  gospel  of  Christ  in  the  above 
places." — Marlyrology  of  Rhabanus. 

"  The  holy  Kilianus,  born  in  the  island  of  Hiber- 
nia,  (Ireland,)  is  considered  as  a  renowned  bishop  of 
Wirtzburg." — Marianus  Scotus. 

"  Saint  Kilianus,  an  Irish  monk,  preached  in 
these  times  the  evangelical  doctrine  to  the  eastern 
Francs,  and  is  called  their  apostle." — Chronicles 
of  Cardinal  Bellarmini. 

"  In  a  district  of  Austria,  where  stood  a  castle 
of  New  France,  nay  a  city  as  in  the  Teutonic  dia- 
lect, Wirtzburg,  situate  near  the  river  Meuse,  sig- 
nifies the  martj'rdom  of  St.  Kilianus,  the  first  bishop 
of  that  city,  and  that  of  his  two  disciples,  Colona- 
tus  a  presbyter,  and  Totnanus  a  deacon,  took  place. 
They  came  from  Ireland,  the  island  of  the  Scots, 
and  after  receiving  the  authority  of  the  apostolical 
see,  they  preached  the  name  of  Christ  to  that  city 
and  district." — Marlyrology  of  Notker. 


two  companions  called  Colonat  and  Totnan, 
the  one  a  priest  and  the  other  a  deacon  : 
being  desirous  to  visit  the  church  of  Rome, 
he  took  his  route  through  Flanclers  and 
Germany;  on  his  arrival  in  Rome,  having 
been  presented  to  Pope  Conon,  the  holy 
father  found  him  to  be  possessed  of  so  much 
wisdom,  and  so  perfect  in  his  knowledge 
of  the  holy  Scriptures,  that  he  ordained  and 
appointed  him  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the 
infidels  of  Franconia,  where,  having  con- 
verted duke  Gosbert,  and  a  great  number  of 
his  subjects,  he  fixed  his  see  at  Wirtzburg, 
of  which  he  was  the  first  bishop,  and  was 
afterwards  honored  as  a  martyr.* 

Gosbert,  while  he  was  a  pagan,  married 
Gielana,  his  brother's  wife  ;  but  being  con- 
verted to  Christianity,  St.  Kilian,  like  ano- 
ther John  the  Baptist,  reproached  him,  with 
tridy  apostolical  freedom,  for  this  incestuous 
marriage,  and  advised  him  to  separate  from 
her  :  Gielana,  exasperated  at  the  holy  pre- 
late's reproof,  caused  him  and  his  com- 
panions to  be  assassinated  on  the  8th  of 
July,  689,  the  day  on  which  they  are  hon- 
ored by  the  church  as  martyrs. 

The  removal  of  these  holy  bodies  by  St. 
Burchard,  bishop  of  that  see,  gave  rise  to 
the  Hexastich,  as  subjoined  ;-|-  it  was  writ- 
ten in  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, by  Doctor  Engilhard  Funkius.  Some 
works  are  attributed  to  St.  Kilian,  namely, 
a  treatise  against  Arianism,  and  one  against 
extraneous  worship. 

Sedulius,  surnamed  the  younger,  to  dis- 
tinguish him  from  the  Great  Sedulius,  of 
whom  we  have  spoken  in  the  fifth  century, 
assisted  at  a  council  held  at  Rome,  against 
illicit  marriages,  the  fifth  of  April,  721,  under 
the  pontificate  of  Gregory  II. |  He  left  to 
posterity  compilations  on  the  Gospel  of  St. 
Matthew,  which  are  still  to  be  seen  in  manu- 
script in  some  of  the  libraries  in  Paris.  It 
is  said  that  he  wrote  the  commentaries  on 
the  large  volume  of  Priscianus  ;  on  the  sec- 
ond edition  of  Donatus,  and  on  the  art  of  Eu- 
tychius  ;  he  is  thought  to  be  the  author  of  a 
work  that  was  written  in  Gothic  characters, 


*  Usser.  Prim.  c.  16,  p.  732,  Messingh.  Florileg. 
insul.  Sanct.  Vit.  S.  Kilian,  War.  de  Script.  Hib.  c. 
3,  ct  Fleur.  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  40. 

t  "  These  are  the  masters  of  Herbipolis,  who 
have  taught  thee  how  to  worship  the  true  God  ; 
the  wicked  Gielana  ordered  them  at  length  to  be 
put  to  death,  and  concealed  beneath  this  place 
their  martyred  bones,  which  Burkardus  now  places 
beneath  this  monument,  lest  they  should  lie  in  a  i 
filthy  spot,  without  praise  and  the  rites  of  burial." 
— Wore  on  Irish  Writers. 

X  War.  de  Script.  Hib.  c.  4,  et  Sevcrinus  Binius, 
Concil.  torn.  5. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


203 


on  parchment,  found  in  a  monastery  in  Gal- 
licia,  and  has  given  rise  to  the  opinion  of  his 
having  been  bishop  of  Oreto  in  Spain  ;  it 
was  entitled  "  Concordantia  Hispaniae  atque 
Hiberniae  a  SeduHo  Scoto,  genere  Hiberni- 
ensi  et  Episcopo  Oretensi." 

Albuin,  an  Irish  monk,  filled  with  zeal  for 
the  propagation  of  the  faith,  left  his  country, 
says  Trithemius,  and  went,  in  742,  to  Thu- 
ringia,  a  part  of  Upper  Saxony,  where,  by 
the  mildness  of  his  preaching,  he  converted 
a  great,  number  of  Gentiles  to  the  faith  of 
Jesus  Christ ;  after  which  the  pope  nomi- 
nated him  bishop  of  Fritzlar,  or  rather  of 
Buraburgh  ;  Arnold  Wion  gives  him  the 
title  of  the  apostle  of  the  Thuringians.  Ac- 
cording to  Serarius,this  bishopric  was  united 
to  Paderborn,  in  794.* 

Saint  Virgilius,  sometimes  called  Soliva- 
gus,  from  his  love  of  solitude,  was  born  of 
an  ancient  and  noble  family  in  Ireland,! 
where  he  distinguished  himself  by  his  learn- 
ing. Having  gone  to  France,  King  Pepin 
was  highly  taken  with  him,  on  account  of 
his  mildness  and  profound  erudition.]:  This 
prince  having  detained  him  two  years, 
recommended  him  to  Otilo,  duke  of  Bava- 
ria, and  had  him  appointed  to  the  bishopric 
of  Juvave,  since  called  Salsburg,  in  772.'^ 
Pepin  caused  to  be  convened  the  council  of 
Dingolvingue,  at  which  six  bishops  assisted, 
the  most  celebrated  of  v/hom  was  St.  Vir- 
gilius of  Salsburg. II  Virgilius  remained  for 
two  years,  without  being  ordained  bishop  ; 
the  duties,  however,  of  the  see,  he  got 
Dobha,  a  bishop  who  went  with  him  from 
Ireland,  to  perform.  He  rebuilt  the  monas- 
tery of  St.  Peter  of  Salsburg,  in  a  magnifi- 
cent manner,  of  which  he  was  abbot  before 
he  was  consecrated  bishop. 

Chetimar,  duke  of  the  Carinthians,  be- 
sought St.  Virgilius  to  visit  his  people  and 
confirm  them  in  the  faith  ;  but  being  unable 
to  go,  he  sent  the  bishop  of  Modestus,  with 
four  priests,  some  deacons,  and  clerks,  con- 
ferring on  him  the  power  of  consecrating 
churches,  and  to  ordain.  He  went  thither 
himself  afterwards,  where  he  consecrated 
several  churches,  ordained  clerks,  and  pro- 

*  Act.  Sanct.  Vit.  S.  Albruin.  ad  15  Mart.  War. 
de  Script.  Hib.  c.  3,  Lig.  Vit.  lib.  2,  c.  42,  Rer. 
Moguntin.  lib.  .3,  ct  Trith.  de  Vir.  illus.  Ord.  Bene- 
dict, lib.  4,  c.  190,  lib.  3,  0.367. 

t  "  Saint  Virgil  was  descended  from  a  noble 
family  in  Ireland.  He  was  a  man  of  extraordinary 
piety  and  learning." — Gasp.  Brus.  on  German  Mon- 
asteries. 

t  Messingh.  Florileg.  insul.  Sanct.  Vit.  S.  Virgil. 
ct  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  pp.  760,  764,  769. 

§  War.  de  Script.  Hib.  c.  4. 

II   Fieuri,  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  44. 


ceeded  as  far  as  the  boundaries  of  the  Huns, 
where  the  Drave  falls  into  the  Danube. 
While  Virgilius  was  bishop  of  Salsburg,  a 
dispute  arose  between  him  and  Boniface, 
archbishop  of  Mayence,  concerning  baptism. 
Boniface  asserted  that  the  baptism  adminis- 
tered by  a  priest  of  the  country,  who,  through 
ignorance  of  the  Latin  tongue,  had  corrupted 
the  form  by  saying,  "  In  nomine  Patrip,  et 
Filia  et  Spiritu  Sancta,"  was  invalid,  and 
should  be  renewed.  Virgilius,  on  the  con- 
trary, maintained,  that  this  change  in  the 
form  of  the  baptism  being  merely  accidental, 
could  not  affect  the  validity  of  the  sacra- 
ment. The  debate  became  warm  on  both 
sides,  and  the  matter  was  referred  to  the 
pope  :  on  this  occasion,  Virgilius,  bishop  of 
Salsburg,  and  Sidonius,  archbishop  of  Ba- 
varia, wrote  a  letter  to  Pope  Zachary,  who 
decided  in  their  favor,  against  Boniface, 
whom  he  accused  of  being  in  error. 

Virgilius  was  not  so  favorably  treated  on 
another  occasion  ;  he  was  summoned  to  the 
court  of  Rome,  concerning  a  treatise  on  the 
Antipodes,  wherein  he  did  not  agree  with  the 
opinion  of  the  ancients,  who  thought  that 
the  earth  had  a  flat  surface,  that  there  were 
no  antipodes,  and  that  the  sky  met  the  earth 
at  the  horizon.  This  saint,  who  excelled 
in  every  kind  of  learning,  was  a  subtle  phi- 
losopher, and  an  able  mathematician  ;  he 
was  of  the  opinion  of  Ptolemy,  who  was 
the  first  to  reduce  geography  to  a  system ; 
he  maintained  that  the  earth  was  spherical, 
a  great  part  of  which  was  therefore  un- 
known ;  that  every  nation  had  its  anti- 
podes, and  inhabitants  diametrically  oppo- 
site ;  which  opinion  being  unknown  to  the 
ancients,  and  apparently  opposed  to  some 
passages  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  fathers 
of  the  church,  Virgilius  was  represented  by 
Boniface  as  having  broached  an  erroneous 
doctrine,  and  declared  heretical  by  Pope 
Zachary,  as  it  appears  by  his  epistle  to 
Boniface.  If,  says  he,  Virgilius  maintains 
that  there  is  another  world,  and  other  men 
under  the  earth,  another  sun,  and  another 
moon,  he  must  be  suspended  in  council  from 
the  church,  and  from  the  priesthood.* 

By  this  decision  of  the  pope,  it  would  ap- 
pear that  the  matter  had  been  badly  repre- 
sented to  him,  whereas  he  did  not  compre- 
hend the  opinion  of  Virgilius  respecting  the 
antipodes  ;  it  appears,  also,  that  the  above 
sentence  was  never  put  into  execution  against 
him.  The  dispute  between  Virgilius  and 
Boniface  is  well  described  by  Canisius, 
Aventinus,  and  Velser,  historians  of  Bavaria. 

*  Usser.  Epis.  Hiber.  Syllog.  Epist.  16,  17. 


204 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


jMclchoir  Goklastiis,  in  his  notes  on  the 
life  of  St.  Cohinibanus,  quotes  a  glossary, 
which  is  attrilnUod  to  Virgilius.  This  saint 
^dicd  the  27lh  November,  785  ;  he  was 
looked  upon  as  a  man  of  piety,  and  very 
learned  in  philosophy  and  the  mathematics  ; 
he  was  canonized  by  Pope  Gregory  IX.,  in 
1233. 

St.  Donatus  left  Ireland  with  his  com- 
panion Andrew  ;  and  after  travelling  through 
France  and  Italy,  settled  in  Etruria,  now 
Tuscany,  where  he  led  the  life  of  a  hermit 
for  some  time,  after  which  he  was  nominated 
bishop  of  Fiesole.*  He  remained  for  a  con- 
siderable time  at  the  head  of  that  church, 
and  became  celebrated  for  the  brilliancy  of 
his  virtues.  It  is  affirmed  that  the  Domini- 
cans at  Rome  have  his  life  in  manuscript : 
he  wrote  his  travels,  the  office  of  his  church, 
and  commentaries  on  the  Holy  Scriptures  : 
he  gave  also  a  description  of  Ireland  in  hex- 
ameter and  pentameter  verse,  some  frag- 
ments of  which  are  quoted  by  Colgan.f  This 
saint  flourished  in  840,  and  his  festival  is 
celebrated  on  the  22d  of  October.  Demp- 
ster ascribes  to  Andrew,  the  companion  of  St. 
Donatus,  and  archdeacon  of  Fiesole,  some 
tracts,  viz.,  on  the  usefulness  of  penance,  the 
good  of  giving  alms  ;  to  the  brothers  who 
had  received  the  habit  from  him,  the  acts  of 
his  master  Donatus,  and  a  work  on  morality. 
Philip,  a  Florentine,  and  ambassador  of  Pope 
Boniface  IX.,  published  the  lives  of  Andrew 
and  his  sister  Bridget  in  1390,  according  to 
a  marmscript  in  an  abbey  in  Florence,  where- 
in, among  other  things,  he  says  :  "  Andrew, 
a  holy  man,  from  the  island  of  Ireland,  more 
generally  called  Scotia,"  &c. 

About  this  time,  says  Ware,  lived  St. 
Findan,  whose  life  was  published  in  795  by 
Melchoir  Goldastus.]:  When  Ireland  began 
to  be  infested  with  the  Danes,  St.  Findan, 
son  of  a  prince  of  Leinster,  was  made  pris- 
oner by  those  barbarians  ;  but  having  es- 
caped in  a  miraculous  manner,  he  went  to 
Rome,  from  whence  he  travelled  to  Germany, 
where  he  remained  for  twenty-seven  years  ; 
he  was  first  a  hermit,  and  afterwards  abbot 
of  the  monastery  of  Richnaw,  which  he  had 
founded  on  a  peninsula  in  the  Rhine,  where 
he  died  in  827. 

St.  Buo,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  Ernul- 
phus,  from  the  same  country,  went  to  Ice- 
land, where  they  preached  the  gospel  with 
success  ;  they  burned  the  temples  in  which 
the  pagans  offered  up  human  sacrifices,  and 

*  War.  de  Script.  Hib.  c.  6. 
+    Dempst.   Hist.    Eccles.   Scot.   lib.  4,   n.   366. 
Trias  Tliaum.  pp.  255,  582.     Ibid.  lib.  1,  n.  31. 
t  Script,  Rer.  Alleman.  torn.  p.  318. 


founded  a  church  dedicated  to  St.  Columb, 
in  the  city  of  Esinberg.  They  are  looked 
upon  as  the  apostles  of  Iceland. 

Dempster  says  that  St.  Buo  wrote  a  book 
of  homilies  to  the  Icelanders  ;*  very  dis- 
lionorably,  however,  he  calls  him  a  Scot 
from  Albania,  although  his  account  is  taken 
from  Arngrim  Jonas,  an  historiographer  of 
the  Icelanders,  who  expressly  calls  Ernul- 
phus  an  Irish  Christian,  "  Irlandum  homi- 
nem  Christianum  ;"  and  Buo,  a  young  man 
from  the  same  country,  "  ejusdem  provincial 
juvenem."  The  memory  of  St.  Buo  is  cele- 
brated on  the  5th  February,  but  the  year  of 
his  death  is  not  known. 

The  public  schools,  namely,  Ardmach, 
Lismore,  Ros  Ailithir,  otherwise  Ros  Car- 
bery,  Clonard,  &c.,  and  the  learned  profes- 
sors who  presided  over  them,  attracted  many 
students  from  the  neighboring  nations. 

The  almost  universal  inundation  of  Eu- 
rope, in  those  ages,  by  the  barbarians,  who 
were  opposed  to  all  civilization  and  litera- 
ture, caused  them  in  a  great  degree  to  con- 
centrate themselves  in  Ireland,  which  was 
then  the  only  asylum  that  remained  for  them ; 
besides  this,  it  was  a  nation  very  well  dis- 
posed to  cultivate  them  ;  as  it  has  been  seen 
that  the  Greeks,  after  the  taking  of  Constan- 
tinople by  the  Turks,  carried  with  them  into 
Italy,  and  the  neighboring  countries  of  Eu- 
rope, philosophy,  the  sciences,  and  fine  arts, 
from  Greece. 

The  venerable  Bede  mentions  a  great 
number  of  English,  hoih  nobles  and  others, 
who  came  to  Ireland  in  the  time  of  the  holy 
bishops  Finanus  and  Colmanus,  to  be  in- 
structed in  divine  learning,  and  perfect  them- 
selves in  the  practice  of  a  monastic  life.  He 
then  adds  that  the  Scots  provided  them  gra- 
tuitously with  every  thing  that  they  needed, 
even  with  books  for  study. f  "  Our  Anglo- 
Saxons,"  says  Camden,  "  went  in  those  times 
to  Ireland,  as  if  to  a  fair,  to  purchase  know- 
ledge ;  and  we  often  find,  in  our  authors, 
that  if  a  person  were  absent,  it  was  generally 
said  of  him,  by  way  of  a  proverb,  that  he 
was  sent  to  Ireland  to  receive  his  education. 


«  Hist.  Eccles.  Scot.  lib.  2,  n.  168. 

+  "  This  country  pressed  upon  Ireland  likewise 
with  the  like  carnage.  There  were  in  it  (at  that 
time)  many  nobles  and  gentry  from  among  the 
English,  who,  in  the  time  of  bishops  Finanus  and 
Colmanus,  having  withdrawn  themselves  thither, 
for  either  the  sake  of  divine  study  or  to  lead  more 
chaste  lives,  some  gave  themselves  up  to  a  monas- 
tic life,  and  others  attended  in  tlic  monasteries  to 
hear  the  professors.  All  of  them  the  Scots  most 
freely  admitted,  and  supplied  them  gratis  with  daily 
sustenance,  with  books,  and  masters." — Bede's 
Church  Hist.  b.  3,  c.  27. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


205 


It  even  appears,"  continues  he,  "  that  our 
ancestors,  the  ancient  Anglo-Saxons,  had 
learned  the  use  of  characters  in  Ireland."* 

Edilvinus,  after  having  studied  there,  was 
bishop  of  the  province  of  Lindisse,  where  he 
governed  his  church  as  a  true  pastor  ;  Alfred, 
king  of  the  Northumbrians,  went  also  to 
Ireland  to  perfect  himself  in  the  study  of 
philosophy  and  the  sciences  :  "  In  Hibernia 
magno  otio  litteris  imbutus,  omni  philosophia 
composuerat  animum."t  Young  Willibrordus, 
struck  with  the  great  reputation  for  learning 
which  the  Irish  possessed,  and  influenced  by 
the  example  of  St.  Egbert,  a  bishop,  and  the 
venerable  Wicbert,  a  priest,  who  had  aban- 
doned all  to  devote  themselves  to  study  and 
contemplation  in  Ireland,  left  his  monastery, 
with  the  consent  of  his  abbot,  to  go  thither 
and  prepare  himself  for  the  mission  which 
God  intended  him  for  ;|  and  after  spending 
twelve  years  in  Ireland,  was  appointed  arch- 
bishop of  Utrecht,  and  converted  the  Bata- 
vians,  the  Frieslanders,  and  the  people  of 
Antwerp,  to  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ.^ 


*  "  Our  Anglo-Saxons,  at  that  time,  flocked  to 
Ireland  as  il'  to  purchase  goods.  Hence  it  is  fre- 
quently read  in  our  historians  on  holy  men,  '  he  has 
been  sent  to  Ireland  to  school.'  In  the  life  of  Sul- 
genus,  who  flourished  600  years  before,  it  is  read  : — 

"  '  Moved  by  the  example  of  our  fathers  for  a  love 
of  reading,  he  went  to  the  Irisli,  renowned  for  their 
philosophy.' 

"  From  the  Irish  our  ancient  English  ancestors 
appear  to  have  received  their  method  of  forming 
letters,  and  obviously  made  use  of  the  same  charac- 
ters which  the  Irish  now  make  use  of." — Camd.  Brit. 
Edit.  p.  730. 

t  "  Who  himself  went,  the  age  following,  for  the 
sake  of  reading,  and,  being  well  instructed,  re- 
turned to  his  country,  and  being  appointed  bishop  for 
the  province  of  Lindisse,  he  ruled  his  church  for  a 
long  time  most  nobly." — Bede's  Church  History, 
p.  3,  c.  27. 

\  Guill.  Malmes.  lib.  1,  de  gest.  Regum.  Anglor. 
Fleury,  Hist.  Eccles.  1,40. 

§  "  Because  he  heard  that  scholastic  erudition 
flourished  in  Ireland  ;  he  was  roused  by  his  inter- 
course with  some  holy  men,  and  by  report,  particu- 
larly by  Egbertus,  a  most  holy  father  and  bishop, 
(he  had  the  Surname  of  saint,)  likewise  by  Wicber- 
tus,  a  holy  man  and  a  priest  of  God  ;  both  of  them 
from  their  love  of  heaven  abandoned  their  home, 
their  country  and  relations,  and  withdrew  to  Ireland, 
that  they  might  inhale  in  retirement  the  love  of 
God,  and  the  sweetest  fruits  of  contemplation  from 
above.  The  holy  youth,  desirous  to  rival  their  re- 
ligious avocations,  with  the  consent  of  his  abbot 
and  brethren,  he  speedily  proceeds  to  Ireland,  uni- 
ting himself  in  friendship  with  the  above  fathers  ;  in 
order  that,  like  the  prudent  bee,  he  might  gather 
honey  from  flowers  of  piety,  and  in  the  hive  of  his 
breast  construct  the  combs  of  virtue.  There,  during 
twelve  years,  he  was  taught  among  the  most  pious 
and  religious  masters,  that  he  would  become  a 
preacher  to  many  people."— ^Zcuin  in  his  Life  of 
Willibrordus. 


Timuthensis  and  Leland  make  mention  of 
St.  Petrocus,  who,  after  renouncing  the 
crown  of  his  father,  Avho  was  king  of  Cum- 
berland when  he  died,  and  leading  a  monastic 
life  for  some  years,  together  with  sixty  per- 
sons with  whom  he  had  imited  himself,  went 
to  Ireland,  where  he  devoted  twenty  years 
to  the  study  of  literature  and  the  holy  Scrip- 
tures.* 

Mark,  a  native  of  Britain,  was  brought 
up  in  Ireland,  and  after  exercising  the  epis- 
copal functions  with  sanctity,  he  was  induced 
to  go  to  France,  by  the  liberality  of  Charles 
the  Bald,  and  withdrew  into  the  monastery 
of  the  Saints  Medard  and  Sebastian,  where 
he  lived  as  a  hermit  and  a  wise  philosopher.'!' 

Two  English  priests,  who  were  both  called 
Evaldus,  having  studied  in  Ireland,  went  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  the  Saxons  in  Germany".:}: 

The  Saxons  were  not  the  only  people  who 
came  to  seek  after  the  sciences  in  Ireland.^ 
Bede  affirms  that  Agilbert,  a  native  of 
France,  having  studied  the  Scriptures  for  a 
long  time  in  it,  w^as,  on  his  return  to  his  own 
country,  nominated  bishop  of  Paris,  where 
he  died  at  a  very  advanced  age.|| 

"  There  came  a  certain  man  from  the  western 
bouudaries  of  the  world,  powerful  in  virtue,  filled 
with  divine  love,  acute,  vigilant,  and  fervent — he 
came  to  thee,  O  happy  France,  in  the  time  of  king 
Pepin :  fruitful  Britain  was  his  mother,  but  learned 
Ireland  nurtured  him  in  sacred  study  ;  his  name  was 
Willibrordus." — Usher's  Syllogisfns. 

*  "  The  blessed  Petrocus  was  from  the  county  of 
Cumberland.  Being  the  son  of  a  king,  and  his  father 
having  died,  the  chief  men  among  his  subjects,  sec- 
onded by  the  people,  endeavored  to  prevail  on  him 
to  succeed  the  father  as  heir  to  the  crown.  He,  how- 
ever, slighted  the  pomp  of  royalty,  and  taking  with 
him  sixty  companions,  entered  a  monastery,  where 
he  took  the  habit  of  their  order.  In  some  years 
after  this,  proceeding  to  Ireland,  he  spent  twenty 
years  in  the  study  of  the  Scriptures  and  sacred  disci- 
pline. 

"  Burning  with  an  unusual  love  for  study,  he 
consulted  the  most  learned  masters,  nor  did  he  de- 
sist until  he  passed  20  complete  years  in  reading 
good  authors.  A  treasure  was  found  at  length  by 
so  assiduous  a  regard  for  study,  which,  lest  it  should 
lie  hidden,  the  finder  transferred  this  Irish  treasure 
to  Cumberland,  that  he  might  exhibit  it  to  the  view 
of  aW— Usher,  c.  14,  p.  563. 

t  "  Marcus,  a  native  of  Britain,  was  educated  in 
Ireland,  and  having  passed  a  long  lime  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  episcopal  functions,  undertook  to  travel. 
Having  gone  to  France,  and  influenced  by  the  liber- 
ality of  the  most  pious  king  Charles,  he  entered  the 
monastery  of  Saints  Medard  and  Sebastian,  where 
he  led  the  life  of  an  hermit.  In  our  time  he  was  a 
philosopher  of  peculiar  sanctity." — Antisidorensis 
in  Usher's  Syllogisms. 

t  Fleury,  Hist.  Eccles.  liv.  41. 

§  Ibid.  liv.  39. 

II  "  A  certain  bishop  named  Agilbertus  came  into 
the  province  from  Ireland.  He  was  a  native  of 
France,  but  for  the  sake  of  studying  the  Scriptures 


206 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


Usher  speaks  of  several  illustrious  persons 
who  had  spent  part  of  their  time  in  Ireland 
to  perfect  themselves  both  in  piety  and  learn- 
ing :  among  this  number  were  St.  Sampson, 
archbishop  of  York,  and  afterwards  bishop 
of  Dol,  in  Brittany  ;  St.  Magloire,  his  suc- 
cessor in  that  see,  and  St.  Maclou,  bishop 
of  Aleth,  at  present  St.  Malo. 

lie  likewise  mentions  Petranus,  a  noble 
Briton,  of  Armorica,  who  had  left  his  country 
to  go  and  spend  the  remainder  of  his  life  in 
Ireland,  in  the  practices  of  temperance  and 
every  virtue,  and  whose  son  Paternus  after- 
wards followed  him  :  "  Hiberniam  petiit  ibi- 
que  magna  vitae  abstinentia  et  virtutibus  Deo 
placuit."  It  is  well  known  that  Dagobert,  son 
of  Sigebert  III.,  and  grandson  of  Dagobert 
I.,  king  of  Austrasia,  was  sent  into  Ireland 
by  Grimoald,  mayor  of  the  palace,  where  he 
remained  for  twenty  years.* 

The  zeal  of  the  Scoto-Milesians  for  the 
instruction  of  their  brethren  was  not  con- 
fined to  the  limits  of  their  own  island  ;  they 
sent  learned  men  into  foreign  countries  to 
found  universities  and  schools  for  science 
and  literature. 

Besides  the  Irish  Scots  who  instructed 
the  Saxon  youth  in  England  in  the  time  of 
king  Oswald,t  Fleury  mentions  the  abbot  of 
St.  Dunstan,  who  was  brought  up  in  the 
monastery  of  Glastonbury  in  the  ninth  cen- 
tury, by  Irishmen  who  were  employed  in 
instructing  the  youth  of  that  house.:}: 

"  In  those  early  ages,"  says  Camden,  when 
speaking  of  the  uionastery  of  Glastonbury, 
"  the  Iri.sh  were  eminent  for  their  sanctity  in 
serving  God ;  they  were  supported  at  the 
king's  expense,  for  instructing  the  youth  in 
piety  and  the  liberal  arts.  They  embraced 
j  a  retired  life,  in  order  to  devote  their  time 
more  calmly  to  the  study  of  sacred  litera- 
ture, and  learn  to  bear  the  cross  by  leading 
a  life  of  austerity.  At  length  Dunstan,  a 
man  of  cultivated  mind,  and  whose  sanctity 
and  doctrine  had  gained  him  the  esteem  of 
princes,  introduced  Benedictine  monks  into 
that  monastery,  of  which  he  was  first  abbot. "§ 


he  passed  a  considerable  time  in  Ireland,  from  which 
country  Agilbcrtus  returned  to  Gaul :  lie  was  then 
appointed  bishop  of  Paris,  where  he  lived  to  a  very 
advanced  age  and  died." — Bede's  Church  Historu, 
b.3,c.7.    ^ 

*   Fleury,  Hist.  Eccles. 

t  Iiiibuebantur  praeceptoribus  Scotis  parvuli  An- 
glorum  una,  cum  majoribus,  studiis  et  obscrvatione 
disci,  linae  regularis.  Bed.  Hist.  Eccles.  Anglor.  lib. 
3,  e.  3,  et  alibi. 

X  Fleury,  Hist.  Eccles.  Usser.  Primord.  cap.  6 
page  110. 

I  Translated  in  same  page,  from  line  14  to  line 
25,  included. 


I  have  already  spoken,  after  the  same  au- 
thor, of  Maildulphus,  an  Irish  monk  ;*  he 
was  a  learned  man,  and  founded  a  monastery 
and  a  school  at  Ingleborn,  in  Wiltshire,  in 
England,  which  became  celebrated  for  the 
number  of  persons  who  received  their  edu- 
cation in  it,  and  were  distinguished  for  their 
piety  and  learning. 

Clement,  otherwise  called  Claude  Clem- 
ent, and  John  Scot,  known  by  the  name  of 
Albinus,  were  both  natives  of  Ireland  ;  they 
left  their  country  on  account  of  the  tumults 
of  war,  and  went  to  France,  where  their 
learning  and  other  good  qualities  soon  gained 
them  the  esteem  of  Charlemagne,  the  Solo- 
mon of  those  ages  of  ignorance. f  About 
the  year  792,  this  monarch  having  founded 
two  universities,  or  schools,  (academy,  uni- 
versity, and  school,  among  the  ancients,  sig- 
nified the  same  thing,)  one  at  Paris  and  the 
other  at  Pavia,  confided  the  care  of  them  to 
those  two  learned  men.:j:  He  settled  Clem- 
ent at  Paris,  and  sent  Albinus  to  Pavia. 
Polidore  Virgil  speaks  of  them  in  the  fol- 
lowing words : — Alcuin,  a  native  of  England, 
being  in  France,  began  to  teach  the  sciences 
at  Paris.  By  his  advice  Charles  was  the 
first  who  founded  a  school  in  that  city,  and 
another  at  Ticinum,  now  Pavia,  in  Italy.  It 
was,  continued  he,  in  the  year  792,  that  two 
monks  from  Ireland,  or  rather  from  Scotia, 
came  to  France,  where  they  publicly  cried, 
"  Wisdom  to  sell,"  and  as  a  remuneration 
for  their  learning,  asked  only  food  and  cloth- 
ing ;  one  of  them,  called  Clement,  was  kept 
at  Paris  by  Charles,  where  the  young  men 
of  the  city,  of  every  rank  and  station,  were 
placed  under  his  discipline ;  and  the  other 
was  sent  into  Italy,  where  he  taught  at  Tici- 
num. 

Polidore  here  supposes  that  Alcuin  was 
in  France  before  the  arrival  of  the  monks 
from  Ireland,  and  that  he  had  begun  to  teach 
the  sciences  at  Paris  ;  this  is  a  point  of 
criticism  which  merits  attention. 

It  is  true  that,  according  to  Fleury,  Alcuin 
passed  through  Pavia,  where  meeting  with 
king  Charles,  in  780,  he  was  invited  by  him 
to  go  to  France  ;  where,  according  to  our 
author,  he  set  out  for  England  about  the  year 
790.  He  fixes  his  return  afterwards  to 
France,  in  the  year  792,  which  was  the 
time  of  the  arrival  of  the  Irish  monks,  ac- 
cording to  Polidore. 

There  are  several  grave  authors,  however, 
who  assert  that  the  schools  at  Paris  were 
founded  by  Clement  before  the  arrival  of 

*  Camd.  Brit.  Edit.  Loud.  p.  176. 

t  War.  de  Script.  Hib.  cap.  6,  et  Ibid.  cap.  15. 

I  Hist.  Anglic,  lib.  5,  page  264. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


207 


Alciiin  in  France :  among  whom  are  Notker 
le  Begue,  the  Chronicle  of  Aries,  quoted  by 
Vincent  de  Beauvais,  Paulas  Emilius,  Anto- 
ninus, Lupoldus,  and  others,  that  are  cited 
by  Colgan.*  Alcuin  himself,  in  the  first 
book  of  his  treatise  against  Elipandus,  ad- 
dresses him  in  these  words  :  "  Before  I 
came  into  France,  by  order  of  King  Charles, 
your  error  was  examined  at  Ratisbon,  the 
king  himself  presiding  at  the  assembly,  and 
Felix  present,  where  it  was  condemned  by 
the  authority  of  the  bishops." 

According  to  French  annals  which  were 
written  by  an  anonymous  author,  quoted  and 
followed  by  Baronius,  the  synod  of  Ratisbon 
was  held  in  792. 

"  The  year  following,  792,"  says  Floury, 
"  King  Charles  caused  Felix  of  Urgel  to 
be  brought  to  Reginum,  or  Ratisbon,  in  Ba- 
varia, where  he  had  spent  the  winter,  and 
assembled  a  council  there,  in  which  Felix 
was  heard,  and  being  convicted  of  error, 
was  sent  to  Rome  to  Pope  Adrian."! 

It  is  obvious,  therefore,  from  the  words 
of  Alcuin  himself,  addressed  to  Elipandus, 
and  from  the  authority  of  Fleury,  that  this 
learned  man  did  not  go  to  France  till  after 
the  council  of  Ratisbon,  and  the  year  792, 
and  consequently  after  the  establishment  of 
the  schools  at  Paris,  the  same  year,  by  Cle- 
ment ;  unless  we  were  to  suppose  with 
Fleury,  that  he  had  already  been  there,  and 
that  it  is  to  his  return  only  to  that  country 
allusion  is  here  made. 

Notker  is  opposed  to  this  explanation  :  he 
says  that  Albinus,  an  Englishman,  (the  same 
undoubtedly  as  Alcuin,  Avhereas  he  had 
taken  the  Latin  name  of  Flaccus  Albinus, 
and  was  well  known  under  the  name,  not  the 
same  as  Albinus  of  Pavia,)  being  informed 
of  the  encouragement  which  Charles  had 
given  to  learned  men,  (speaking  of  Clement 
and  Albinus,)  went  to  offer  him  his  services.;}: 
The  matter  appears,  notwithstanding,  beyond 
dispute,  that  Alcuin  neither  taught  nor  found- 
ed schools  at  Paris  :  Andre  Duchene,  who 
published  his  works,  proves  it  by  incontesta- 
ble arguments  ;  he  observes,  no  mention  is 
made  in  any  of  his  works  of  his  having  been 
at  Paris, muchlessofhavingfounded  schools 
in  it ;  while  he  is  very  precise  in  his  account 
of  all  the  places  he  had  lived  or  taught  in. 
He  speaks,  in  his  tenth  epistle,  of  the  latitude 
of  Belgium,  where  he  had  lived,  "  in  Bel- 
gica  latitudine  :"  in  the  prologue  to  the  life 
of  St.  Riquier,  he  mentions  the  monastery 

*  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Clem,  ad  20  Mart, 
t  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  44.  Calmet,  Abreg^  Chronol. 
d.  I'an  972. 

i  Fleury,  Hist.  Eccles.  liv.  44. 


of  Centule,  where  he  had  been.  He  says,  in 
his  55th  epistle,  that  he  had  spent  some 
time  at  St.  Amand  ;  and  in  several  others 
he  speaks  of  Tours,  where  he  lived  and  had 
taught  for  a  long  time.  He  does  not  even 
mention  Paris  in  any  of  his  writings,  except 
once  in  his  homily  on  the  nativity  of  St. 
Willebrordus,  without  giving  cause  to  sup- 
pose, in  any  shape,  that  he  either  lived  or 
had  taught  there.  However, the  establishing 
a  celebrated  school  in  a  capital  city  is  not  of 
such  a  nature  that  it  would  be  passed  over 
in  silence  by  him,  whose  glory  was  interest- 
ed in  it. 

It  is  remarkable,  indeed,  that  Fleury,  who 
expatiates  largely  upon  the  merit  and  virtues 
of  x\lcuin,  makes  no  mention  of  his  having 
founded  any  establishment  in  Paris  ;  he  says 
that  he  instructed  Charlemagne  in  rhetoric, 
logic,  and  particularly  in  astronomy  ;  that 
he  had  instructed  the  princesses  Gisele  and 
Rictrude,  daughters  to  Charles  ;  Angilbert, 
afterwards  abbot  of  Centule  ;  Riculfe,  arch- 
bishop of  Mayence,  and  some  others  :*  which 
he  calls  the  school  of  the  palace,  which  was 
fixed  at  Aix-la-Chapelle,  and  was,  he  says, 
governed  after  Alcuin  by  a  Scot,  or  rather 
an  Irishman.  In  a  word,  it  appears  that 
from  the  arrival  of  Alcuin  in  France,  he  had 
been  always  attached  to  the  court,  until  he 
was  appointed  to  different  abbeys  ;  among 
others,  to  that  of  St.  Martin  of  Tours, 
whither  he  withdrew  and  continued  till  his 
death,  which  happened  in  804. 

Some  authors,  such  as  Possevinus,  Robert 
Gaguin,  &c  ,  give  Clement  a  share  in  the 
glory  of  having  founded  the  university  of 
Paris,  by  giving  him  for  colleagues  in  that 
undertaking,  not  only  his  fellow-citizen  John 
Scot,  the  same  as  Albinus  of  Pavia  ;  but 
also  Alcuin,  and  Raban,  afterwards  arch- 
bishop of  Mayence.  Others  say,  with  Wion 
and  Vincent  de  Beauvais,  that  these  four  doc- 
tors had  been  disciples  of  the  venerable  Bede. 

We  have  already  observed  that  John  Scot, 
otherwise  Albinus,  was  sent  to  Pavia  by 
Charlemagne  at  the  time  that  he  settled 
Clement  in  Paris,  and  when  Alcuin  pre- 
sided over  the  schools  of  the  palace,  and 
afterwards  over  those  of  Tours,  till  his 
death,  without  any  mention  of  his  having 
taught  at  Paris.  With  respect  to  Raban, 
he  was  not  more  than  born  at  the  time  of  the 
foundation  of  the  schools  at  Paris,  in  792. 

Raban,  according  to  Nicholas  Serarius, 
was  nominated  abbot  of  Fulde  in  825,  at  the 
age  of  thirty  years.f     We  should,  therefore, 

*  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  45. 

t  Lib.  4,  de  reb.  Moguntin.  fn  6,  ejusdem  sedis 
Archiepiscop. 


208 


HISTORY   OF    IRELAND. 


place  his  birth  in  795,  which  was  subsequent 
to  the  foundation  of  the  Paris  schools  ;  and 
wore  we  even  to  suppose  that  he  was  ten 
years  ohier  at  the  timi^  of  his  appointment  to 
be  abbot  of  Fulde,  it  woukl  not  be  correct ; 
he  was  too  younjr  to  be  a  scholar  in  792,  or 
the  founder  of  schools. 

The  opinion  that  these  four  masters  were 
disciples  of  Bede,  has  not  been  supported  ; 
the  contrary  appears  more  like  truth.  Al- 
though Alcuin,  in  speaking  of  the  venerable 
Bede,  sometimes  calls  him,  through  respect, 
"  Bede  the  master,"  and  sometimes  "  the 
noble  and  celebrated  master  of  his  time,"  he 
never  says  that  he  had  been  his  ;  on  the 
contrary,  he  speaks  of  himself  to  have  been, 
from  his  earliest  youth,  the  pupil  of  Egbert, 
bishop  of  York,  as  appears  from  his  letter 
to  Eanbald,  who  succeeded  Egbert  in  that 
see.  All  that  I  have  said  respecting  the 
time  when  Raban  lived,  is  sufficient  to 
prove  that  he  was  not  the  disciple  of  Bede 
who  died  in  735.*  That  opinion  is  not 
maintained  by  any  ancient  monument ;  as  to 
Claude  Clement  and  John  Scot,  the  authors 
who  speak  of  them  say  that  they  came  from. 
Ireland  ;  it  is  Avell  understood  that  the  Irish 
did  not  go,  in  those  ages,  to  seek  the  sciences 
among  the  English  ;  it  was  the  very  con- 
trary, "  Anglo-Saxones  nostri  ilia  setate,  in 
Hiberniam  tanquam  ad  bonarum  litterarum 
mercaturam  confluxerunt."t 

The  difficulty  lies  in  determining  which 
was  the  country  of  Clement  and  Albinus  : 
modern  Scotch  authors  place  them  among 
the  number  of  their  countrymen,  as  well  as 
all  who  distinguished  themselves  by  their  vir- 
tue and  learning  in  foreign  countries  under 
the  name  of  Scots  ;  which  Buchanan  sings 
in  some  fair  lines,  that  prove  that  this  poet 
possessed  more  talent  than  honor,  and  which 
are,  says  Usher,  more  applicable  to  Ireland 
than  Scotland,  as  Notker  le  Begue,  a  monk 
of  St.  Gall,  who  wrote  the  life  of  Charle- 
magne about  70  years  after  his  death,  as- 
serts with  confidence  that  these  doctors  were 
from  Ireland. I 


*  Calmet,  Abr^g^  Chronol.  k  Pan  735. 

+  Camd.  Brit.  edit.  Lond.  p.  730. 

t  "  What  an  able  poet  has  written  of  his  own 
country,  can  be  more  fitly  applied  to  our  Scotia : 

"  '  While  rude  Mars  was  disturbing  Latium  and 
the  world,  this  was  the  only  country  which  hospi- 
tably received  the  muses  that  were  expelled.  From 
her  Charles  transferred  the  wisdom  of  Greece  and 
of  Latium  to  the  Celtae,  and  from  her  he  obtained 
the  doctors  and  instructors  of  the  uninstructed 
youth.' 

"  Notkerus  Balbulus,  a  monk  of  St.  Gall,  who 
wrote  the  history  and  life  of  Charles  the  Great, 
70  years  after  his  death,  clearly  proves  that  the  above 


The  testimony  of  the  monk  of  St.  Gall 
should  undoubtedly  have  weight  on  this 
subject,  with  every  man  of  discernment.  He 
lived  in  the  ninth  century,  a  period  not  dis- 
tant from  that  of  which  he  wrote  the  history, 
and  was  a  very  learned  man,  having  pre- 
sided over  the  schools  of  St.  Gall  after  Mar- 
cellus.  He  wrote  the  life  of  Charlemagne, 
which  enabled  him  to  know  what  had  oc- 
curred during  his  reign ;  his  works  were 
published  by  Canisius,in  1601,  from  an  an- 
cient manuscript.  Among  other  things  he 
mentions  the  following  : — 

"  When  Charles  began  to  reign  alone  in 
the  west,  and  that  literature  had  been  for- 
gotten almost  everywhere,  it  happened  that 
two  Scots  from  Ireland,  who  were  exceed- 
ingly learned,  called  Clement  and  Albinus, 
came  with  some  British  merchants  to  the 
coast  of  France,  and  having  no  other  com- 
modity to  dispose  of,  they,  in  order  to  satisfy 
the  people  that  surrounded  them,  cried, 
'  Science  to  sell ;'  their  hearers,  thinking 
them  to  be  mad,  communicated  the  news  to 
Charles.  This  great  prince,  who  was  de- 
sirous that  learning  might  be  revived  in  his 
empire,  made  them  be  brought  to  court,  and 
after  questioning  them,  he  was  filled  with 
joy,  and  made  them  remain  with  him  ;  but 
being  obliged  some  time  afterwards  to  go 
to  Avar,  he  established  Clement  in  France, 
and  gave  orders  to  have  him-provided  with 
every  necessary  for  his  support,  and  Avith  a 
suitable  dwelling  for  himself  and  the  pupils 
AA^hom  he  placed  under  his  discipline.  Al- 
binus was  sent  into  Italy,  and  the  monastery 
of  St.  Augustin,  near  the  city  of  Ticinum, 
granted  to  him,  where  all  who  Avere  desirous 
to  receive  instructions  might  resort  to  him." 

He  adds  also,  that  another  Albinus,  an 
Englishman  by  birth,  being  informed  of  the 
reception  AA'hich  those  learned  men  met  Avith 
from  the  monarch,  came  to  offer  him  his 
services  ;*  it  Avould  appear  that  he  Avas  the 

doctors  had  been  brought  from  Ireland." — Usher,  in 
an  old  epistle  upon  Ireland, 

*  "  When  Charles  began  to  reign  alone  in  the  west, 
and  that  learning  had  almost  everywhere  become 
extinct,  it  happened  that  two  Scots  from  Ireland  ar- 
rived on  tiie  shores  of  Gaul,  with  some  British  mer- 
chants ;  tliese  two  men  were  incomparably  skilled 
in  sacred  and  profane  learning.  While  they  dis- 
played nothing  for  sale,  they  cried  out  to  those 
who  came  to  purchase,  '  If  any  one  be  desirous  of 
wisdom,  let  him  come  to  receive  it.'  They  were 
invited  to  the  presence  of  Charles,  who  questioned 
them,  and  was  overjoyed  after  they  were  examined  : 
he  kept  them  for  some  time  with  him.  Charles, 
soon  after  this,  being  obliged  to  go  to  war,  ordered 
the  one  named  Clement  to  reside  in  Gaul.  He  re- 
commended to  them  some  very  noble  youths,  some 
of  the  middle  classes,  and  several  of  the  lowest 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


209 


same  as  Alciiin,  but,  according  to  Notker, 
different  from  Albinus  of  Pavia.  Vincent 
de  Beauvais  and  some  others,  quoted  by 
Usher,  give  the  same  account  as  the  chron- 
icles of  Aries,  which  were  written  in  or 
about  the  tenth  century.* 

The  writers  of  every  age  and  country 
have  adopted  the  opinion  of  Notker,  and  the 
chronicles  of  Aries,  respecting  the  country 
of  Clement  and  Albinus,  and  the  foundation 
of  the  schools  at  Paris  by  the  former  ;t  they 
are,  Vincent  de  Beauvais,  a  Frenchman,  who 
flourished  in  the  thirteenth  century;  Lupol- 
dus  Bebenburgius,  a  German,  in  the  four- 
teenth ;  St.  Antonius  and  Antonius  Sabelli- 
cus,  Italians  ;  Joannes  Rossus,  an  English- 
man, and  Gaguimis,  a  Fleming,  in  the  fif- 
teenth ;  Huldericus  Mutius,  a  German  ; 
Polidore  Virgil,  an  Italian  ;  Wion,  a  Flem- 
ing ;  and  Cassoneus,  a  Burgundian,  have 
adopted  the  same  opinion  in  the  sixteenth 
century,  as  well  as  Joannes  Magnus,  and 
Claudius  Roberti,  a  Frenchman,  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  seventeenth.  In  fine,  we 
may  add  the  authority  of  Trithemius,  in  his 
treatise  on  ecclesiastical  authors,  and  the 
illustrious  men  of  the  order  of  St.  Benedict, 
and  that  of  Possevinus,  in  his  sacred  com- 
pendium. 

The  reputation  of  Claude  Cleinent  drew 
disciples  to  him  from  all  parts .:]:  Among 
others,  he  had  Brunon,  Einardus,  Modestus, 
and  Candidus,  monks  of  the  abbey  of  Fulde, 
whom  Ratger,  their  abbot,  had  sent  thither 
to  be  perfected  in  the  sciences,  and  who  af- 
terwards became  celebrated  for  their  learn- 
ing and  writings."^ 


ranks  ;  it  was  also  ordered  by  the  king,  that  every 
thing  necessary  for  their  support  should  be  supplied 
to  them,  and  convenient  houses  for  their  accommo- 
dation were  provided.  The  other,  named  Albinus, 
was  sent  to  Italy,  where  the  monastery  of  St.  Au- 
gustin,  near  the  city  of  Ticinum,  was  given  him, 
that  all  who  wished  to  be  instructed  might  come  to 
learn.  It  was  heard  how  graciously  Charles,  the 
most  religious  of  kings,  received  Albinus,  who  was 
an  Englishman,  &c." — Speculum  HistoricB,  b.  23, 
c.  173. 

*  "  In  these  happy  days,  when  the  liberal  sci- 
ences flourished  in  Ireland  above  every  other 
country,  two  Scots  came  from  Hibernia,  with  Brit- 
ish merchants,  to  Gaul :  one  of  them,  named  Cle- 
ment, was  appointed  to  settle  at  Paris." — Usher's 
Syllogis?ns. 

t  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Clement,  ad  20  Mart. 
p.  701. 

t  Browerius  de  Reb.  Fuldens,  lib.  1,  c.  14. 

§  "  Rabanus  and  Halton  of  Turin,  were  sent  to 
Albinus,  master,  to  learn  from  him  the  liberal  arts. 
Brunon  and  Eindardus,  a  most  skilful  instructor  in 
various  arts,  were  sent  to  Clement,  a  Scot,  to  study 
grammar." — Browerius's  Notes  on  Rabanus,  pacfe 
118. 


Our  Clement  should  not  be  mistaken  for 
Clement,  a  Scotchman,  who  was  opposed 
to  St.  Boniface  of  Mayence,  and  was  con- 
demned, first  in  744,  with  Adalbert,  a  native 
of  Gaul,  his  accomplice,  at  the  council  of 
Soissons,  and  afterwards  at  the  council  of 
Rome,,  held  in  745,  by  Pope  Zachary  ; 
neither  does  it  appear  that  he  was  the  same 
as  Clement,  bishop  of  Auxerre,  although  it 
has  been  advanced  by  some  authors.* 

Clement  wrote  some  rules  on  grammar, 
which  were  quoted  by  Melchior  Goldastus. 
He  is  thought  to  be  the  same  as  Clement, 
author  of  the  life  of  Charlemagne,  mentioned 
by  Wolfgangus  Lazius,  in  his  commentaries 
on  the  Roman  republic. 

If  Claude  Clement  be  the  same  as  Claude, 
a  pious  and  learned  man  mentioned  by 
Trithemius,  who  flourished  in  the  time  of 
Louis  le  Debonnaire,  that  is,  in  815,  but 
whom  that  author  erroneously  calls  a  dis- 
ciple of  Bede,  who  died  some  years  before; 
other  works  are  attributed  to  him,  namely, 
commentaries  on  St.  Matthew,  on  the  Epis- 
tles of  St.  Paul,  the  Pentateuch,  the  books 
of  Joshua,  of  the  Judges,  Ruth,  the  Psalms, 
historical  memoirs,  a  summary  of  homilies, 
and  on  the  accordance  of  the  Evange- 
lists.! 

Lupoldus  Behenburgius,  who  flourished 
in  1340,  makes  mention  of  Clement.|  The 
French,  says  he,  may  be  compared  to  the 
Romans  and  Athenians,  on  account  of  the 
works  of  Clement,  an  Irishman. 

It  is  remarkable  how  Henry  of  Auxerre 
speaks  of  this  nation,  when  writing  to  Charles 
the  Bald  :  "  What  shall  I  say  (he  says)  of 
Ireland,  which,  notwithstanding  the  dangers 
of  the  sea,  sends  crowds  of  philosophers  to 
our  shores,  the  most  learned  of  whom  con- 
demn themselves  to  a  voluntary  exile,  to 
devote  themselves  to  the  service  of  the 
wise  Solomon. "i^ 

Charles  the  Bald,  emperor  and  king  of 
France,  is  praised,  says  Fleury,  for  having 
by  his  authorit)''  and  munificence  revived 
literature,  which  had  been  begun  by  his 
grandfather    Charlemagne,    attracting    the 

*  Fleury,  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  42,  Usser.  Syllog. 
Epist.  Hib.  Epist.  15,  Usser.  Prasf.  Epist.  Syllog. 

t  De  Vit.  lUust.  Ordin.  Bened.  hb.  2,  c.  28, 
Bellarmin.  de  Script.  Eccles.  et  Possevinus  in 
apparatu. 

t  Let.  de  zelo  vet.  Princip.  German. 

§  "What  shall  I  say  of  Hibernia,  (Ireland,)  which, 
despising  the  dangers  of  the  sea,  emigrates  with 
crowds  of  philosophers  to  our  shores  ?  Whosoever 
among  them  is  the  more  skilled,  he  enjoins  exile  on 
himself,  to  familiarize,  in  his  vows,  himself  with 
Solomon,  the  wisest  of  men." — Henricus  in  Cam- 
den,  p.  730. 

27 


210 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


learned  from  all  quarters,  among  others 
from  Ireland,  and  supporting  a  school  in 
his  palace.* 

Moengal,  also  called  Marcellus,  was  fellow- 
citizen  of  St.  Columbanus  and  St.  Gall,  and 
like  them,  a  native  of  Ireland.!  He  came 
from  Rome,  says  Eckerhard,  to  the  abbey  of 
St.  Gall,  with  his  uncle,  the  bishop  Mark,  to 
visit  their  countryman  Grimoald,  who  was 
elected  abbot  of  that  monastery  about  the 
year  840.  "  He  remained  there  at  the 
solicitation  of  Notker  le  Begue,  and  other 
monks  of  the  house,  having  sent  his  other 
companions  back  to  Ireland. "|  The  same 
author,  in  the  life  of  Notker  le  Begue, 
says  that  Marcellus  was  intrusted  Avith 
the  government  of  the  schools  of  the  clois- 
ters. 

Gaspard  Bruschius  extols  those  schools 
highly,  while  under  his  direction. §  "  Under 
the  abbot  Grimoald,"  says  he,  "  a  number  of 
excellent  books  have  been  written,  at  a  con- 
siderable expense,  and  at  that  time  the  abbey 
of  St.  Gall  was  a  celebrated  school,  in  which 
the  children  of  princes  and  nobles  were  in- 
structed in  wisdom,  and  rendered  capable 
of  conducting  public  affairs."  To  Moengal 
the  merit  of  those  schools  should  be  attrib- 
uted, who  presided  over  them,  under  Grim- 
oald the  abbot.  He  died  in  that  monastery, 
the  30th  September,  but  the  year  is  not 
known.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  disciple, 
Notker  le  Begue,  sometimes  called  the  monk 
of  St.  Gall.  According  to  Judocus  Metzler, 
he  wrote  upon  the  gospel  a  homily,  which 
still  exists. II 

John  Scot,  surnamed  Erigena,  that  is,  a 
native  of  Erin,  or  Eire,  which  was  in  the 
language  of  the  country  the  true  name  of 
Ireland,  was,  says  Malmsbury,  a  man  of  a 
strong  and  eloquent  mind  ;  from  his  earliest 
years,  he  applied  himself  in  his  own  country 
to  study,  and  Avent  afterwards  to  France, 
where  he  was  presented  to  Charles  the 
Bald.^  Being  very  learned  in  the  peripa- 
tetic philosophy,  the  Greek  language,  and 
other  branches  of  literature,  he  soon  caught 
the  esteem  of  that  prince,  who  was  the  pa- 
tron of  the  learned. 

At  that  time  the  question  respecting  grace 
and  predestination  was  a  subject  of  much 
debate,  and  the  ablest  pens  were  employed 
in  clearing  up  the  difficulty  ;   Erigena  was 

*  Hist  Eccles.  lib.  25. 
t  Fleury,  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  54. 
t   De  Casib.  Monast.  S.  Galli.  p.  36. 
§  Do  Monast.  German,  sub  Grimoaldo. 
II   De  Viris  Illust.  Monast.  S.  Galli. 
IT  War.  de   Script.  Hib.  c.    6.     De   Gest.  Reg. 
Ang.  lib.  2,  cap.  4,  et  Vide  Porr.  Rog.  Hovcd. 


consulted  by  Hincmar,  archbishop  of  Rhcims, 
and  Pardulus,  bishop  of  Laon  ;  at  the  soli- 
citation of  these  prelates,  he  wrote  a  treatise 
against  the  doctrine  of  two  predestinations.* 
This  treatise  was  opposed  by  Prudentius, 
bishop  of  Troyes,  who  maintained  in  the 
preface  to  his  book  that  Erigena  had  fol- 
lowed Pelagius,  Celestius,  and  Julian,  con- 
cerning grace  ;  that  he  had  impugned  the 
justice  of  God  by  denying  original  sin,  and 
that  he  broached  a  dangerous  doctrine. 
These  imputations,  however,  seem  to  have 
been  caused  by  forced  results,  which  Pru- 
dentius had  deduced  from  the  work  of  Eri- 
gena, as  he  admitted  of  original  sin,  and  the" 
necessity  of  grace. f  Our  author  was  sus- 
pected of  having  been  in  error  concerning 
the  real  presence,  in  a  work  which  he  wrote 
in  two  parts,  on  that  subject. 

Erigena  translated  after  this,  from  Greek 
into  Latin,  works  which  were  generally  at- 
tributed to  St.  Denis,  the  Areopagite,  which 
he  dedicated  to  Charles  the  Bald.  As  this 
work  was  filled  with  metaphysical  and  ob- 
scure questions  on  the  divine  nature  and 
attributes,  Pope  Nicholas  I.  wrote  a  letter 
to  Charles,^  in  which  he  observed  that 
"  John,  one  of  the  nation  of  the  Scots,  had 
translated  into  Latin  the  works  of  Denis  the 
Areopagite,  concerning  the  names  of  God, 
and  the  celestial  hierarchy,  v/hich  book 
should  have  been  sent  to  him  for  his  ap- 
proval, particularly  as  John,  though  in  other 
respects  a  man  of  profound  learning,  was 
suspected  of  an  error  of  faith  ;  he  conse- 
quently begged  of  him  to  send  the  book  and 
its  author  to  Rome,  or  to  expel  him  from 
the  Paris  university."  The  king  being  de- 
sirous to  keep  in  with  the  pope,  without 
giving  umbrage  to  John  Erigena,  advised 
him  to  return  to  his  own  country,  in  order 
to  avoid  the  storm.  In  obedience  to  the 
king's  desire,  John  returned  to  Ireland, 
where  he  died  in  874. § 

In  accordance  Avith  the  English  authors. 
Ware  changes  the  circumstances  and  time 
of  the  death  of  Erigena,  which  he  fixes  ten 
years  later.  He  came,  he  says,  to  England 
in  884,  at  the  solicitation  of  king  Alfred, 
Avho  employed  him  some  time  afterwards  in 
re-establishing  the  schools  at  Oxford.  He 
adds,  that  Isaac  Wake  informs  us  that  the 
statutes  of  Alfred  and  Erigena,  a  Gothic 
work,  Avere  preserved  there  in  his  time,  as 
monuments  of  antiquity.    Lastly,  after  Cam- 


*  Fleury,  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  48. 
t  Diipin,  Hist.  Eccles.  cent.  9,  page  82. 
t  Spotiswood,  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  2,  page  26. 
§  Dupin,  cent.  9,  page  83. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


211 


den  and  Harpsfield,  he  quotes  on  that  sub- 
ject the  annals  of  the  new  monastery  at 
Winchester,  in  the  following  t^rms  :*  "  In 
the  year  of  our  redemption  886,  the  second 
year  after  the  arrival  of  St.  Grimboald  in 
England,  the  university  was  begun  at  Ox- 
ford :  the  first  lecturers  in  theology  were, 
the  abbot  of  St.  Neoth,  a  learned  man,  and 
St.  Grimboald,  an  able  interpreter  of  the 
holy  Scriptures.  Asser,  a  monk,  was  pro- 
fessor of  humanity  ;  John,  a  monk  of  the 
church  of  St.  David,  instructed  in  logic, 
music,  and  arithmetic  ;  John  Erigena,  a 
monk  and  companion  of  St.  Grimboald,  a 
man  of  penetrating  mind,  and  ably  conver- 
sant in  all  the  sciences,  was  the  first  who 
gave  instructions  there  in  geometry  and  as- 
tronomy, in  presence  of  the  glorious  and  in- 
vincible king  Alfred,  whose  memory  will  be 
always  dear,  both  to  the  clergy  and  laity  of 
his  kingdom.  This  wise  king  gave  orders 
that  the  children  of  all  the  nobles,  or  those 
of  their  servants  who  possessed  a  taste  for 
study,  should  be  sent  thither  to  be  instructed 
in  literature." 

Erigena,  whom  some  confound  with  John 
of  Mailross,  the  disciple  of  Bede,  others  with 
John  of  St.  David,  withdrew,  after  three 
years,  to  the  abbey  of  Malmesbury,  to  avoid 
a  disagreement  which  arose  between  Grim- 
boald and  the  old  scholars  of  Oxford,  where, 
it  is  said,  he  died  of  the  wounds  he  receired 
from  his  scholars,  and  where  he  is  considered 
as  a  martyr  ;  he  was  interred  on  the  left, 
near  the  altar,  where  the  subjoined  inscrip- 
tion is  to  be  seen  upon  his  tomb.f  His 
festival  is  celebrated  on  the  10th  of  Novem- 
ber, according  to  the  Roman  martyrology, 
published  at  Antwerp  in  1586,  by  order  of 
Pope  Gregory  XIII.  As  there  were  at  that 
time  several  learned  men  in  England  of  the 
name  of  John,  the  English  writers  may  have 
confounded  John  Erigena,  with  John  abbot 
of  Etheling,  who,  it  is  said,  was  assassinated 
at  the  instigation  of  his  monks  ;  particularly 
as  Malmesbury,  who  mentions  this  fact, 
appears  to  have  given  it  from  hearsay,  "  ut 
fertur  ;"  and  moreover,  as  neither  Beren- 
garius  nor  his  disciples,  who  have  so  highly 
extolled  Erigena,  who  seems  to  have  favored 
their  error  respecting  the  real  presence, 
speak  of  him   as   a  martyr.      It   appears. 


*  Britan.  p.  267,  Hist.  Eccles.  Anglor.  seeul.   9, 
cap.  5. 
t  "  Within  this  tomb  John  Erigena  lies, 

Who,   while    living    was    wonderfully   endowed 

with  knowledge, 
By  martyrdom  he  at  length  ascends  to  Christ, 
With   whom  he  has  merited   to  reign  for  ever, 
together  with  the  saints." 


however,  that  Erigena  was  one  of  the  most 
learned  men  of  his  time,  and  the  most  per- 
fect master  of  the  Greek,  Chaldaic,  and 
Arabic  languages. 

John  Erigena  composed  several  works ; 
besides  his  treatises  on  predestination  and 
the  eucharist,  and  his  translation  of  the  works 
of  Denis  the  Areopagite,  of  which  I  have 
already  spoken,  Baleus  affirms  that  he  trans- 
lated the  ethics  of  Aristotle  on  the  secret 
of  secrets,  or  the  government  of  princes, 
into  three  different  languages,  namely,  the 
Chaldaic,  Arabic,  and  Latin  ;  according  to 
the  same  author,  he  wrote  a  treatise  on  the 
immaculate  mysteries  of  faith,  against  the 
barbarians  ;  a  work  which  was  paraphrased 
for  the  instruction  of  youth  ;  some  dogmas 
on  philosophy  ;  also  poems,  epistles,  and 
homilies.*  He  is  thought  to  have  been  the 
author  of  extracts  on  the  difference  and  con- 
nection of  the  Greek  and  Latin  syntax,  found 
among  the  writings  of  Macrobius,  to  which 
the  following  note  is  subjoined  :  "  Here 
ends  the  garland  which  John  had  gathered 
in  the  books  of  Ambrosius,  Macrobius,  and 
Theodosius,  which  elucidate  more  fully  the 
rules  on  Greek  verbs."  It  is  said,  that  in 
the  library  of  M.  de  Thou,  there  were  two 
books  on  the  division  of  nature,  which  were 
attributed  to  John  Scot  Erigena.  Ranulphus 
Higden,  a  monk  of  the  order  of  Citeaux, 
mentions  them  in  his  Polychronicon  ;t  it  is 
probable  that  Honorius  Augustodunensis 
alludes  to  this  work,  when  he  says  that  John 
Scot,  or  Chrysostom,  a  man  who  was  ex- 
tremely learned  in  the  holy  Scriptures,  wrote 
in  a  style  of  elegance,  a  work  on  the  nature 
of  all  things,  "  de  natura  omnium  rerum.";}; 

Dupin  says  he  was  author  o^  two  books 
on  predestination,  five  on  nature,  or  the 
division  of  nature,  and  a  book  of  visions.^ 
Those  books  on  nature  were  printed  at  Ox- 
ford in  1681  ;  but  his  book  of  visions  is  still 
in  manuscript.  He  adds  that  Erigena  had 
translated  some  commentaries  of  Maximus 
on  the  books  of  Denis  the  Areopagite  ;  that 
his  translation  of  the  commentaries  of  Max- 
imus on  St.  Gregory  of  Nazianzen  had  been 
printed  at  Oxford  in  1681  ;  that  Trithemius 
mentions  a  commentary  on  the  gospel  of  St. 
Matthew,  and  a  book  of  offices  composed  by 
John  Scot.  Dupin  also  adds  that  Erigena 
had  some  knowledge  of  the  sciences,  and 
was  an  able  logician  and  mathematician  ; 
but  that  he  was  of  an  arrogant  disposition, 
a  weak  reasoner,  and  poor  theologian ;  how- 

*  Usscr.  Epist.  Hib.  recensio,  page  133. 

t  De  Luminat.  Ecoles.  lib.  3. 

t  Lib.  5,  cap.  32. 

§  Hist.  Eccles.  ant.  9,  page  95. 


212 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


ever,  this  opinion  should  be  considered  as 
the  effect  of  prejudice  and  oi"  party  spirit,  as 
INIahnesbury,  Iloveden,  and  others,  represent 
him  to  have  been  possessed  of  great  pene- 
tration, and  universal  knowledge  in  learning ; 
and  that  Anastasius  the  librarian,  his  con- 
temporary, in  his  letter,  23d  March,  875,  to 
Charles  the  Bald,  says,  "  that  he  was  a  man 
eminent  for  his  sanctity,  and  that  he  ascribes 
to  the  special  influence  of  the  spirit  of  God, 
his  translation  of  the  works  of  St.  Denis, 
finding  it  extraordinary  that  such  a  work 
could  have  been  written  by  a  barbarian  (this 
epithet  is  unfit)  of  Scotia,  situated  at  the 
extremity  of  the  earth,  without  the  special 
aid  of  the  spirit  of  God."  Dempster,  says 
Ware,  vainly  endeavors  to  change  the  coun- 
try of  John  Erigena,  because  his  contempo- 
raries called  him  Scotus  ;  which,  however, 
was  the  general  name  of  the  Irish  in  that 
century  :  Erigena  signifies,  indeed,  a  native 
of  Erin,  which  is  the  real  name  of  Ireland  ; 
as  Angligena  signifies  an  Englishman,  and 
Francigena  a  Frenchman. 

When  we  consider  the  advantages  which 
the  Scoto-Milesians  enjoyed  with  respect  to 
religion  and  the  sciences  in  the  first  ages  of 
Christianity,  could  we  suppose  them  not  to 
have  possessed,  likewise,  cultivated  minds 
and  polished  manners  ?  The  sciences  which 
enlighten  and  ornament  the  understanding, 
flourished  among  them  more  than  in  any 
other  nation.  That  Christian  morality  which 
regulates  the  motions  of  the  heart,  formed 
men  among  them  who  were  celebrated  for 
the  sanctity  of  their  morals.  Notwithstand- 
ing these  advantages,  an  astonishing  mixture 
of  vice  and  virtue  was  discoverable  among 
them,  and,  as  a  certain  author  remarks, 
"  they  were  ardent  in  every  thing,  whether 
good  or  evil  :  '  In  onines  affectus  vehemen- 
tissimi.'  "  While  one  part  of  that  people 
devoted  themselves  to  God,  by  renouncing 
all  intercourse  with  the  world,  and  thereby 
served  as  a  model  to  the  neighboring  na- 
tions ;  the  spirit  of  discord  was  still  kept 
up,  either  by  the  tyranny  of  their  princes 
the  ambition  of  their  nobles,  or  the  frequent 
revolts  of  their  subjects.  Instead  of  pre 
serving  their  conquests  abroad,  and  enforc- 
ing the  tribute  which  their  pagan  ancestors 
had  imposed  on  the  Picts,  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Orkneys,  Hebrides,  and  the  Isle  of 
Man,  they  were  always  in  arms,  one  against 
the  other  ;  and  the  gospel  which  they  had 
just  received  with  so  much  respect,  was  not 
able  to  remove  that  spirit  of  discord  which 
was  the  cause  of  such  disorders. 

It  appears  that  war  was  the  chief  occupa- 
tion of  the  Irish,  whose  genius  made  them 


consider  that  passion,  which  in  truth  savors 
of  ferocity,  as  a  virtue,  and  as  true  heroism. 

Every  man  in  particular  has  some  ruling 
propensity,  and  it  is  almost  the  same  with 
nations. 

The  passions  have  different  shades  and 
different  degrees  of  enormity  among  different 
people. 

Like  other  nations  which  were  their  con- 
temporaries, the  Scoto-Milesians  possessed 
a  mixture  of  virtue  and  vice  ;  they  were 
superstitiously  attached  to  their  religion, 
noble  in  their  sentiments,  humane,  hospita- 
ble, and  sincere  friends,  but  implacable  ene- 
mies. They  considered  it  a  dishonor  to 
seek  redress  for  an  insult  by  resorting  to 
justice  ;  and  a  spirit  of  revenge,  common  to 
both  prince  and  people,  was  the  cause  of 
their  frequent  wars. 

Their  kings,  unattended  by  guards,  com- 
manded their  armies  in  person,  always 
marching  at  the  head  of  their  troops.  The 
manner  of  fighting  at  that  time  was  very 
different  from  what  it  is  at  present,  and  their 
battles  much  more  bloody,  from  which  it 
cannot  be  a  matter  of  surprise  that  so  many 
lives  were  lost  in  war. 

It  might  appear  that  this  martial  spirit, 
and  their  frequent  wars,  must  have  injured 
agriculture,  trade,  and  literature  ;  but  as 
their  campaigns  were  of  short  duration,  and 
that  a  war  was  frequently  terminated  by  a 
single  battle,  they  had  sufficient  time  for 
cultivating  their  lands  and  feeding  their 
flocks  ;  two  things  which  essentially  formed 
the  sources  of  wealth,  and  maintained,  both 
in  their  food  and  raiment,  that  noble  sim- 
plicity which  prevailed  universally  among 
them.  Luxury,  which  commonly  implies 
abundance  among  a  certain  number,  and  in- 
digence among  others,  was  unknown  to  the 
Irish,  who  were  accustomed,  for  many  ages, 
to  live  on  the  productions  of  the  earth. 
Each  tribe  possessed  their  hereditary  right 
of  territory,  and  the  chief  distributed  among 
the  different  branches  of  his  tribe,  fiefs  and 
lands,  from  whence  they  easily  derived  their 
subsistence.  They  were  unacquainted  with 
that  pomp  and  false  splendor  which  fre- 
quently place  people  of  the  lowest  rank 
above  men  of  honor  :  virtiie,  birth,  and  a 
diversity  of  colors  iii  their  dress,  were  the 
distinguishing  marks  of  rank  among  them  ; 
the  great  did  not  despise  the  little,  and  the 
latter  joyfully  acknowledged  their  depend- 
ence. 

Avarice  was  not  known  among  a  people 
who  amassed  nothing ;  whatsoever  they 
themselves  had  no  need  of,  was  appropriated 
to  the  wants  of  hospitality,  and  their  houses 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


213 


were  always  open  to  the  strangers  ;  a  taste 
for  history,  poetry,  and  music,  procured  him 
at  all  times  an  easy  access,  and  no  inquiries 
were  made  after  the  name,  or  whence  he 
came. 

In  ancient  times  the  intercourse  with 
foreigners  was  inconsiderable,  Avhen  com- 
pared to  what  it  has  been  for  some  centuries 
back.  It  is  certain  that  the  Phoenicians  car- 
ried on  a  trade  with  Ireland,  where  their 
principal  objects  were  the  mines  and  metals 
v>'ith  which  this  island  abounded  ;  and  with 
Britain,  where  they  obtained  tin  from  Corn- 
wall.* In  after  ages  the  Milesians  traded 
with  the  Gauls,  Britons,  and  people  of  the 
north  ;  to  which  Tacitus  alludes,  when  he 
says  that  the  harbors  in  Ireland  were  more 
commodious,  and  better  known  to  merchants 
than  those  of  Britain.! 

Leisure  was  not  less  requisite  for  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  sciences,  than  for  agriculture 
and  commerce  ;  however,  it  has  been  proved, 
that  in  the  sixth,  seventh,  eighth,  and  ninth 
centuries,  literature  had  been  more  flourish- 
ing in  this  island,  notwithstanding  the  tumults 
of  war,  than  in  the  neighboring  countries. 

This  nation  having  been  always  free,  and 
never  subjected  to  a  foreign  yoke,  were  uni- 
form in  their  manners  and  customs  ;  so  that 
a  description  of  them,  during  one  century, 
can  be  applied  to  every  other.  It  is  not 
believed,  says  Camden,  that  that  nation  ever 
submitted  to  the  dominion  of  the  Romans, 
which,  he  adds,  would  have  been  an  advan- 
tage to  its  inhabitants,  whereas  they  would 
have  been  thereby  the  sooner  despoiled  of 
their  barbarity. 

It  is  true,  according  to  the  general  opinion, 
that  the  Ron:iaris  had  polished  every  nation 
which  they  conquered.  If  the  merit  of  a 
polished  people  rests  upon  a  knowledge  of 
building  with  stone  and  cement,  instead  of 
with  wood  :  if  it  be  derived  from  a  number 
of  arts,  which  generally  tend  to  support 
luxury,  false  splendor,  and  to  corrupt  the 
morals  ;  in  fine,  if  true  glory  consists  in  an 
immoderate  ambition,  and  a  desire  of  subdu- 
ing and  enslaving  every  other  nation  at  the 
expense  of  the  blood  of  many  millions  of  men, 
and  a  wish  to  deprive  them  of  that  liberty 
so  natural  to  all.men,  and  to  call  those  gene- 
rous people  barbarians  who  had  the  forti- 
tude to  spurn  their  chains,  and  despise  their 
foreign  customs,  the  Romans  would  undoubt- 
edly deserve  that  eulogium  ;  but  if  that  glory 
were  the  reward  of  simplicity  and  innocence 
of  manners,  of  noble  actions,  uprightness, 

*  Bochart  Geograph.  Sec.  lib.  1,  cap.  39. 

t  Vit.  AgricoliB,  p.  499,  apud.  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  12. 


and  benevolence,  of  what  service  would  those 
brilliant  arts,  which  form  the  delight  of  our 
frivolous  times,  have  been  to  a  nation  whose 
government  M^as  founded  on  the  laws  of  na- 
ture, and  the  virtues  which  arise  from  it  ? 
Several  nations,  no  doubt,  needed  such  mas- 
ters ;  but  the  Scoto-Milesians,  who  were  a 
lettered  people  before  the  Romans  were  in 
being,  might  easily  dispense  with  them  in 
the  acquirement  of  the  sciences. 

The  account  which  Camden,  after  Cam- 
brensis,  gives  at  the  end  of  his  Britannia,  of 
the  manners  and  customs  of  the  ancient  Irish, 
is  so  trifling  and  incorrect,  that  it  does  not 
merit  to  be  either  quoted  or  refuted. 

Christianity  produced  no  change  in  the 
fundamental  constitution  of  the  state.  Men 
learned  thereby  to  command  and  obey,  by 
the  purest  principles  of  equity  and  justice, 
of  which  God  was  the  source  and  object,  as 
he  was  to  be  also  their  reward. 

Although  the  clergy,  as  being  the  substi- 
tutes of  the  druids,  enjoyed  a  share  in  the 
legislative  authority,  still,  as  they  followed 
no  other  rules  than  those  of  the  gospel,  and 
as  their  lives,  which  were  exemplary,  af- 
forded ample  security  for  their  conduct, 
there  was  nothing  to  be  feared  from  their 
abuse  of  power. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  laity  claimed  no 
share  in  that  power  which  the  clergy  held 
from  God  alone  ;  so  that  there  was  no  con- 
flict between  them  for  the  spiritual  and  tem- 
poral authority,  which  were  altogether  inde- 
pendent of  each  other ;  and  this  harmony 
contributed  much  to  the  happiness  of  the 
state  in  general. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Hugh  VI.,  surnamed  Oirnigh,  son  of 
Niall-Freasach,  ascended  the  throne  of  Ire- 
land on  the  death  of  Donchada,  a.  d.,  797. 
He  governed  the  island,  as  monarch,  for 
about  twenty -two  years. 

The  reign  of  this  prince  is  remarkable 
for  the  invasion  of  the  country  by  the  bar- 
barians of  the  north,  who  had  been,  hither- 
to, unknown  to  the  Irish. 

This  may  be  considered  as  the  period  of 
the  decline  of  religion  in  Ireland,  and  the 
termination  of  the  brightest  days  of  the  Irish 
church  :  for  the  incursions  of  the  barbarians 
were  at  the  cominencement  marked  by  blood 
and  slaughter  ;  burning  of  towns,  churches, 
and  monasteries  ;  putting  the  clergy  and  the 
faithful  to  death,  or  carrying  them  away  as 


214 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


slaves ;  and  spreading  terror  and  devasta- 
tion everywhere.  l?ut  God  had  not  castofi" 
his  people,  or  ibrgotten  his  promises,  and 
the  Irish  have  always  preserved  their  reli- 
gion, although  with  less  of  splendor  than 
before. 

Before  we  enter  into  a  detail  of  the  wars 
of  the  Nonnans,  it  is  necessary  to  examine 
the  origin  of  that  nation,  which  was  so  for- 
niidahle  to  a  great  part  of  Europe  in  the 
ninth  century. 

Scandinavia,  situated  in  the  north  of  Eu- 
rope, comprised  Norway,  Sweden,  and  all 
the  country  to  the  west  of  the  gidf  of  Bothnia. 
According  to  the  historians  of  that  country, 
it  was  peopled  a  short  time  after  the  deluge, 
by  two  Asiatic  colonies,  namely,  the  Goths 
and  Swedes,  who  each  founded  an  extensive 
kingdom.  Most  of  the  barbarians  who 
ravaged  Europe  during  the  decline  of  the 
Roman  empire,  were  colonies  from  these 
two  nations,  who  were  sometimes  at  peace, 
and  sometimes  at  war  with  each  other.  In 
course  of  time,  the  territory  of  the  Goths 
being  overburdened  with  inhabitants,  was 
obliged  to  send  colonies  to  the  islands  of  the 
Baltic  sea,  and  to  the  surrounding  countries 
extending  as  far  as  the  CimbrianChersonesus 
since  called  Jutland.  These  colonies  although 
dispersed,  always  acknowledged  the  Gothic 
kings  as  their  sovereigns  ;  but  at  length 
having  chosen  Dan,  son  of  Humel,  for  their 
monarch,  they  separated  from  the  Goths 
and  assumed  the  appellation  of  Dani  or 
Danes,  from  which  is  derived  the  name  of 
Denmark.  The  Norwegians  were  also  a 
colony  of  the  Goths,  from  whom  they,  as  well 
as  the  Danes,  were  descended.  These  two 
nations  afterwards  became  powerful,  and 
capable  of  making  war,  even  against  those 
from  whom  they  sprang.  The  situation  of 
their  country,  intersected  by  arms  of  the  sea, 
and  the  great  quantity  of  materials  it  sup- 
plied for  the  construction  of  vessels,  having 
inspired  them  with  a  taste  for  navigation, 
they  were  enabled  to  make  incursions,  the 
effects  of  which  were  but  too  severely  felt  in 
France,  England,  and  Ireland.  As  the  popu- 
lation increased  rapidly  in  those  cold  cli- 
mates, Denmark  and  Norway  were  frequent- 
ly obliged  to  send  out  colonies,  in  order  to 
relieve  the  parent  countries  ;  while  a  hope 
of  booty  induced  the  colonists  readily  to 
leave,  under  the  pretext  of  seeking  new  habi- 
tations. Olaus  Wormius  affirms,  that  piracy 
was  formerly  tolerated,  and  even  considered 
honorable  among  the  Danes,  and  that  the 
most  celebrated  and  strongest  wrestlers  were 
employed  in  the  exercise  of  it  by  the  kings 


and  their  children.*  The  success  of  the 
tirst  adventurers  induced  others  to  follow  in 
quest  of  fortune.  They  formed  companies, 
and  etpiipped  vessels,  like  the  corsairs  of 
Barbary,  or  privateers  in  time  of  war.  As 
they  shared  the  booty  with  their  kings,  the 
latter  provided  them  with  general  officers,  or 
commanded  in  person,  when  there  was  any 
considerable  prize  to  be  taken.  Instead  of 
regular  troops,  they  formed  free  and  inde- 
pendent companies,  whose  aim  was  pillage, 
rather  than  conquest,  and  who,  succeeding 
each  other,  left  to  the  nations  they  invaded 
no  time  for  repose.  Such  was  the  enemy 
that  ravaged  the  coasts  of  Europe  in  the 
ninth  century,  and  checked  the  progress  of 
Charlemagne  in  the  conquest  of  the  Saxons. 
In  France  they  were  called  Normans,  which 
signifies,  north-men  ;  in  England,  Ostmans, 
that  is,  men  from  the  east,  the  people  of 
Livonia,  Estonia,  and  Courland,  having  been 
sharers  in  their  incursions.The  Irish  included 
all  those  nations  under  the  names  of  Danes 
and  Norwegians,  calling  them  in  their  own 
language,  "  Lochlannuigs,"  which  signifies 
powerful  on  sea.  They  also  distinguished 
them  by  the  titles  of"  Dubh-Lochlannuigs," 
and  ''Fionn-Lochlannuigs,"  that  is,  black 
and  white  Lochlannuigs,  the  former  being 
the  Danes,  and  the  latter  the  Norwegians. 
I  shall  henceforward  call  them  sometimes 
Danes,  sometimes  Norwegians,  and  fre- 
quently Normans,  in  conformity  with  the 
language  in  which  I  am  writing. 

According  to  the  Irish  annals,  the  Nor- 
mans first  appeared  in  this  island  in  795. 
They  laid  waste  the  coasts  of  Albania  and 
Ireland,  and  pillaged  the  isle  of  Recrain, 
now  Rachlin,  in  the  north  of  the  county  of 
Antrim. t  About  this  time  St.  Findan,  son 
of  a  prince  of  Leinster,  was  carried  away 
captive  by  these  barbarians  ;  but  according 
to  his  life,  written  by  an  anonymous  author, 
his  companion,  and  published  by  Melchior 
Goldastus,  he  made  his  escape  in  a  miracu- 
lous manner. I  Dicuil,  a  contemporary  Irish 
author,  mentions  these  first  depredations 
of  the  Normans,  in  his  work  on  the  bound- 
aries of  the  nations  of  the  earth. §  In  798, 
three  years  after,  these  pirates  returned,  and 


*  "  Piracy  was  considered  among  the  Danes 
honorable  and  lawful,  and  frequently  the  kings 
themselves  and  their  children,  had  the  most  cele- 
brated and  bravest  wrestlers  employed  in  it." — 
Ware^s  Antiquities,  c.  24. 

t  War.  do  Anliq.  Hib.  c.  24.  Grat.  Luc.  c.  9. 
Bruod.  Propug.  Cathol.  Verit.  lib.  5,  cap.  14. 

I  Porter,  Compend.  Annal.  Eccles.  Reg.  Hibern. 
sect.  4,  c.  1,  et  llsscr.  Primord.  Eccles.  p.  1038. 

§  Tom.  1,  rerum  Aleman.  p.  318. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


215 


committed  depredations  in  the  north  of  Ire- 
land, and  in  the  Hebrides. 

The  barbarians,  who  at  first  had  only 
plunder  in  view,  being  pleased  with  the 
country,  formed  the  design  of  conquering 
it  ;*  for  which  purpose  a  fleet  of  fifty  ves- 
sels landed  a  body  of  troops  in  the  western 
part  of  Munster,  who  commenced  pillaging 
and  laying  waste  the  whole  province.  Airtre, 
who  was  at  the  time  king  of  Munster,  assem- 
bled his  troops  and  gave  them  battle ;  the 
action  was  bloody,  and  the  Normans,  having 
been  defeated,  made  a  precipitate  retreat  to 
their  vessels  during  the  night,  leaving  four 
hundred  and  sixteen  men  dead  on  the  field 
of  battle.  About  the  same  time  they  pil- 
laged the  abbey  of  Hy-Columb-Kill,  and 
massacred  the  monks,  with  Blaithmac,  son 
of  an  Irish  king,  whose  life  has  been  writ- 
ten in  verse  by  Wallafrid  Strabo.  Kellach, 
then  abbot  of  Hy,  found  means  to  escape 
this  massacre.  He  took  refuge  in  Ireland, 
where  he  spent  seven  years  in  the  abbey 
of  St.  Columb,  at  Kells,  in  Meath,  and  then 
returned  to  his  abbey  of  Hy,  where  he  died 
shortly  afterwards. 

In  the  year  812,  the  Normans  made  a  sec- 
ond descent  on  Ireland,  in  which  they  were 
not  more  successful  than  in  the  first.  Hav- 
ing landed  on  the  coast  of  Munster,  they 
practised  every  species  of  cruelty  on  the  in- 
habitants, sparing  neither  age  nor  sex,  nor 
even  the  churches  or  monasteries.  They 
however  shared  the  same  fate  as  before,  hav- 
ing been  repulsed  with  considerable  loss  by 
Feidlime,  king  of  that  province.  At  the 
same  period,  a  fleet  of  Normans  landed  on 
the  eastern  coast  of  the  island.  They  spread 
terror  in  all  directions,  pillaged  the  celebrated 
abbey  of  Banchor,  and  killed  the  bishop, 
with  nine  hundred  monks.  Another  body 
landed  at  Jobh-Kinseallagh,  (Wexford,)  laid 
waste  the  whole  country,  burned  the  church- 
es, and  plundered  the  monasteries,  as  far  as 
the  territory  of  Ossory,  where  the  inhabit- 
ants coming  to  an  engagement  with  them, 
killed  seven  hundred  and  seven  on  the  spot, 
and  obliged  the  others  to  abandon  their 
booty.  They  were  not,  however,  disheart- 
ened by  this  defeat ;  their  loss  being  retrieved 
by  new  reinforcements,  they  soon  after  ar- 
rived in  Limerick,  and  burned  the  terri- 
tories of  Corcabaisquin,  Tradruighe,  and 
lobh-Conuill-Gabhra  ;  but  being  vigorously 
attacked  by  the  inhabitants  of  lobh-Conuill, 
at  Seannuid,  they  were  completely  defeated, 
and  obliged  to  give  up  their  booty. 

Rheginojin  his  chronicle  for  the  year  812, 

*  Keat.  Hist,  of  Ireland,  part  2. 


mentions  these  first  victories  Avhich  the  Irish 
gained  over  the  Normans.  "  A  Norman  fleet," 
says  he,  "  having  landed  in  Ireland,  came 
to  an  engagement  with  the  Scots,  in  which 
several  lives  were  lost,  and  the  rest  put  to 
flight."*  Hermannus  Contractus  speaks  in 
nearly  the  same  terms. t  It  may  here  be 
observed,  that  in  the  ninth  century  the  Irish 
were  known  to  foreigners  by  the  name  of 
Scots.  About  the  year  818,  Turgesius, 
king,  or  son  of  the  king  of  Norway,  landed 
with  a  formidable  fleet  in  the  north  of  Ire- 
land. He  had  the  reputation  of  being  a 
great  warrior,  but  was  cruel  and  vindictive. 
On  the  news  of  his  arrival,  all  the  Normans 
who  had  been  dispersed  in  small  bodies 
throughout  the  kingdom,  united  under  his 
standard,  and  appointed  him  their  general. 
This  tyrant,  seeing  himself  commander-in- 
chief  of  all  the  Normans  in  Ireland,  began 
by  issuing  his  commands  in  every  quarter  ; 
sending  his  oflicers  to  harass  and  pillage  the 
inhabitants,  with  orders  to  spare  neither  age 
nor  sex.  There  were,  at  the  time,  no  strong- 
holds or  fortified  towns  in  Ireland ;  but  the 
Norman  general,  knowing  the  necessity  of 
having  places  of  retreat,  into  which  he  might 
withdraw  in  case  of  need,  and  secure  his 
booty,  remedied  this  want  by  stationing  his 
fleet,  which  consisted  of  several  small  vessels 
with  sails  and  oars,  in  the  different  lakes  of 
the  country.  One  part  he  stationed  in  Lough 
Neagh,  another  in  Lough  Rea,  in  the  river 
Shannon,  and  the  rest  he  sent  to  Lughmaigh. 
These  were  the  garrisons  from  which  the 
barbarians  issued  to  commit  their  depreda- 
tions in  the  country,  and  the  fortresses  which 
served  them  as  a  retreat  when  they  were 
repulsed  by  the  inhabitants.  The  orders  of 
the  tyrant  were  but  too  faithfully  executed 
by  those  inhuman  monsters  ;  heaps  of  slain 
were  to  be  seen  on  every  side,  and  churches 
and  monasteries  pillaged  and  burned.  The 
church  of  Armagh  was  plundered  three  times 
in  one  month,  the  abbot  made  prisoner,  and 
the  university,  which  till  that  time  had  been 
so  celebrated,  and  in  Avhich  there  were 
sometimes  7,000  students,  was  completely 
destroyed,  and  the  scholars  assassinated  or 
put  to  flight,  together  with  their  teachers. 

Hugh,  the  monarch,  appeared  quite  in- 
sensible to  the  misfortunes  of  his  subjects. 
Instead  of  avenging  his  country's  wrongs, 
and    defending    her   against   the    common 

*  "  A  fleet  of  Norwegians  having  attacked  the 
island  of  Hibernia,  they  came  to  an  engagement, 
in  which  many  of  them  were  killed,  and  the  rest 
put  to  flight." 

t  "  A  Danish  fleet  having  attacked  Ireland,  was 
defeated  by  the  Scots." 


216 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


enemy,  having  conceived  some  displeasure 
towards  the  people  of  Lcinster,  he  entered 
that  province  at  the  head  of  an  army,  and 
committed  dreadful  devastations  there. 

The  natural  phenomena  which  were  this 
year  observed,  and  the  convulsion  of  the 
elements,  seemed  to  forebode  something  fatal 
to  the  nation.  About  the  end  of  the  month 
of  March,  the  thunder  and  lightning  were  so 
violent  and  frequent,  that  no  less  than  one 
thousand  and  ten  persons  of  both  sexes 
perished  in  one  district  between  Corcabas- 
kin,in  the  county  of  Clare,  and  the  sea-shore. 
At  the  same  time  there  happened  an  extra- 
ordinary swell  of  the  ocean,  which  inundated 
a  part  of  the  country  that  has  never  since 
been  reclaimed,  the  current  of  the  waters 
being  so  strong  that  an  island  called  Inis- 
Fidhe  was  rent  into  three  parts,  thereby 
indicating  a  submarine  earthquake. 

In  this  reign  may  be  fixed  the  foundation 
of  the  priory  of  Disert-Kellach,  or  Kells,  in 
Meath,  by  St.  Kellach,  an  anchorite,  prob- 
ably the  same  as  Cellach,  abbot  of  Hy,  who 
took  refuge  in  Ireland  to  avoid  the  fury  of 
the  Normans. 

After  a  reign  filled  with  troubles,  Hugh 
the  monarch  died  at  Athda-Ferta  in  the  ter- 
ritory of  Tirconnel ;  but  according  to  some, 
he  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Cathdroma.* 

Conquovar,  or  Connor,  son  of  the  king 
Donchadha,  succeeded  Hugh  in  the  govern- 
ment of  the  island,  a.  d.  819.  The  Normans, 
who  now  began  to  settle  in  the  country, 
being  joined  by  new  reinforcements  every 
year,  pillaged  and  burned  all  that  they  found 
in  their  path.  The  monasteries  of  Inis- 
Damhly,  Cork,  Banchor,  and  Dundaleath- 
glass,  Avhere  there  was  a  celebrated  academy, 
fell  sacrifices  to  their  fury.  The  monastery 
of  Moigh-Bille  was  still  more  unfortunate ; 
having  been  set  on  fire,  the  monks,  unable  to 
save  themselves,  all  perished  in  the  flames. 

The  new  monarch,  feeling  more  deeply 
than  his  predecessor  the  misfortunes  of  his 
people,  and  exasperated  by  the  cruelties 
which  the  barbarians  continually  exercised, 
assembled  his  forces,  gave  them  battle  in 
the  plain  of  Tailton,  and  gained  a  complete 
victory  over  them.  This  advantage,  how- 
ever, availed  him  but  little,  as  the  reinforce- 
ments which  the  barbarians  were  constantly 
receiving  from  their  own  country,  enabled 
them  to  keep  the  field  and  continue  hostili 
ties.  The  inhabitants  of  Leinster  came  to 
an  engagement  with  them  some  time  after 
wards  at  Druim-Conla ;  the  victory  remained 
for  some  time  doubtful,  but  the  provincialists 

*  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  4. 


having  lost  their  general,  Conning,  the  chief 
of  the  tribe  of  Fortuaths,  and  a  celebrated 
warrior,  the  barbarians  were  victorious ;  af- 
ter which  they  began  their  plunder  anew. 
Conquovar,  finding  himself  unable  to  relieve 
his  country,  or  defend  it  against  the  barba- 
rians, died,  it  is  said,  of  grief. 

Niall,  surnamed  Caille,  son  of  Hugh  IV., 
succeeded  Conquovar,  a.  d.  833.  This 
monarch's  reign  was  not  more  tranquil  than 
that  of  his  predecessor.  In  835  a  consider- 
able fleet  arrived  from  Norway  under  the  | 
command  of  Turgesius,  and  laid  waste  nearly 
the  whole  province  of  Connaught,  with  part 
of  Meath  and  Leinster.  Some  time  after- 
wards the  pirates  subdued  the  greater  part 
of  Ulster,  demolished  the  churches,  and 
practised  every  species  of  cruelty  upon  the 
Christians.  Their  chief  seized  on  Ard- 
magh,  and  expelled  Faranan,  the  archbishop, 
with  the  monks  and  students.  They  sub- 
sequently burned  the  monasteries  of  Inis- 
Kealtrach,  Cluain-Mac-Noisk,  Cluain-Fer- 
ta-Luachra,  Tirdaglass,  and  Lake  Eirne. 

The  year  840  was  remarkable  for  the 
destruction  of  the  Picts.  After  a  long  war, 
the  Scots  defeated  them  in  two  successive 
battles  under  Kenneth  II.,  and  left  little 
more  than  the  name  of  that  unhappy  people, 
who  had  played  an  important  part  in  Brit- 
ain for  several  centuries.  The  kingdom  of 
Scotland,  whichbefore  consisted  of  Dalrieda, 
that  is,  of  the  territories  of  Cantyre,  Knap- 
dale,  Lome,  Arg}'le,  and  Brun-Albuin,  with 
the  neighboring  isles,  was  then  established 
on  the  ruins  of  the  Picts,  in  its  present  state, 
and  that  ingenious  and  warlike  people  began 
to  be  known  to  the  neighboring  nations.* 

About  this  time,  Feidhlime,  son  of  Criom- 
than,  king  of  Munster,  and  likewise  arch- 
bishop of  Cashel,  whom  Cambrensis  improp- 
erly styles  king  of  Ireland,  having  received 
some  annoyance  from  the  inhabitants  of 
Leath-Con,  laid  their  country  waste  from 
Birr  to  Tara,  where  he  met  with  some  re- 
sistance, and  lost  prince  Jonractach,  son  of 
Maolduin,  the  most  distinguished  of  his  fol- 
lowers, in  battle. t  Feidhlime  died  a  short 
time  afterwards,  and  was  succeeded  in  the 
government  of  Munster  by  Olchobhair,  ab- 
bot of  Inily,  an  ambitious  man,  who  had 
suflicient  influence  to  procure  his  election 
as  king  of  Cashel. 

Colgan,  following  the  annals  of  the  four 
masters,  fixes  in  the  year  838  the  arrival  of 
two  considerable  fleets  of  sixty  vessels  each, 
with  Norman  troops,  one  of  which  entered 

*  Usser.  Primord.  Ecclcs.  cap.  15,  page  612. 
t  War.  Antiq.  Hibern.  cap.  4. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


217 


Drogheda,  by  the  river  Boyne,  and  the  other 
Dublin,  by  the  Liffey  ;  with  which  reinforce- 
ment the  Normans  began  to  settle  in  the 
country.  They  constructed  fortresses  in  every 
part  of  the  island,  which  were  commonly 
called  Danes  Rathes,  signifying  the  forts 
pf  the  Danes,  but  which  the  Irish  desig- 
nated Mothes.  These  fortresses,  the  re- 
mains of  which  are  still  to  be  seen  all  over 
Ireland,  were  constructed  of  earth  in  a  round 
form,  raised  to  the  height  of  about  twenty 
feet,  flat,  and  a  little  hollow  on  the  top,  and 
were  sometimes  thirty,  sometimes  forty 
fathoms  in  diameter.  When  the  barbarians 
were  pursued  by  their  enemies,  these  served 
them  as  intrenchments  and  places  of  retreat ; 
and  as  they  were  built  on  eminences,  in  view 
of  each  other,  their  occupiers  enjoyed  the  ad- 
vantage of  being  able  to  convey  the  intelli- 
gence of  any  disastrous  occurrence  from  one 
extremity  of  the  island  to  the  other,  by  burn- 
ing straw  on  the  top  of  them. 

In  the  meanwhile,  Niall  the  monarch, 
having  quelled  a  revolt  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Fearkeal  and  Deabhna-Eathra,  gave  battle 
to  the  Normans,  near  Doire,  in  Ulster,  and 
gained  a  complete  victory  over  them.  He 
afterwards  defeated  them  in  the  territory  of 
Tirconnel ;  which  Adctory,  however,  he  sur- 
vived but  a  short  time.  Being  desirous  of 
crossing  the  river  Callain,  in  the  county  of 
Kilkenny,  and  perceiving  the  waters  to  be 
much  swollen,  he  desired  one  of  his  attend- 
ants to  try  the  depth  of  the  ford  ;  but  the 
violence  of  the  current  having  thrown  him 
from  his  horse,  and  the  king  seeing  no  one 
disposed  to  give  him  assistance,  he  advanced 
towards  the  bank  of  the  river,  where  the 
earth  giving  way  under  his  horse's  feet,  he 
fell  into  the  water,  and  was  drowned  along 
with  his  guide.*  It  was  from  the  name  of 
this  river  that  he  was  called  Niall-Caille. 

After  the  death  of  Niall-Caille,  the  throne 
of  Ireland  remained  vacant  for  some  time, 
and  the  sceptre  was  torn  from  the  hands  of 
its  ancient  people.  Usurpation  and  tyranny 
having  conquered,  and  Turgesius  being  de- 
clared king  of  Ireland  by  his  adherents,  he 
immediately  sent  emissaries  to  convey  the 
intelligence  to  Norway,  and  to  solicit  the 
succor  necessary  to  support  him  in  his  new 
dignity,  against  a  people  so  jealous  of  their 
liberty. 

The  Irish,  exasperated  at  the  idea  of  the 
slavery  with  which  they  were  threatened, 
and  calling  to  mind  the  courage  and  heroism 
of  their  ancestors,  and  the  liberty  they  had 
enjoyed  for  so  many  ages,  resolved  to  make 

*  Gratianus  Lucius,  cap.  9. 


alast  effort  to  shake  off  the  yoke  of  tyranny. 
Every  prince  and  lord  had  orders  to  fight  the 
Danes  in  their  respective  districts,  and  the 
attack  was  to  be  general  throughout  the 
kingdom.  The  execution  was  speedy  and 
attended  with  success.     . 

The  Danes  were  first  defeated  at  Ard- 
breacan,  in  Meath,  by  an  army  composed 
of  the  principal  nobility  of  the  tribe  of  Dail- 
gais.  The  united  forces  of  Olchobhair,  son 
of  Kionnfaoth,  and  king  of  Cashel,  and  Lor- 
cain,  son  of  Keallach,  king  of  Leinster,  gave 
battle  to  the  Normans  at  Scia-Naght.  They 
fought  for  some  time  with  much  obstinacy  ; 
but  the  barbarians,  having  lost  Count  To- 
raair,  their  chief  and  presumptive  heir  to 
the  crown  of  Denmark,  with  1200  men,  who 
were  killed  on  the  spot,  were  forced  to  aban- 
don the  field  of  battle  to  the  conquerors. 
They  were  again  defeated  near  Cashel, 
with  the  loss  of  five  hundred  men,  by  the 
same  king  of  Cashel,  and  the  inhabitants  of 
Eoganacht ;  and  in  another  action  with  the 
inhabitants  of  Hy-Finginte,  in  the  territory 
of  Lomneach,  they  lost  three  hundred  and 
sixty  men. 

The  inhabitants  of  Tirconnel  having 
taken  up  arms  to  recover  their  liberty,  at- 
tacked the  barbarians  at  Eastuadh,  and 
killed  a  considerable  number.  They  lost, 
besides,  two  hundred  men  in  an  action  against 
the  inhabitants  of  Kianachta.  Tigernach, 
prince  of  Loch-Gabhair,  in  Meath,  killed 
two  hundred  and  forty  of  them  at  Druim- 
da-Chonn  ;  and  his  example  was  followed 
by  the  inhabitants  of  Kinal-Fiacha,and  Fear- 
keal, in  Westmeath. 

Maolseachlin,  or  Malachi,  son  of  Maol- 
bruana,  brother  of  Conquovar  the  monarch, 
and  prince  of  East  Meath,  known  by  the 
title  of  king  of  that  province,  was  among  the 
first  to  signalize  himself  against  the  enemies 
of  his  country.  He  gave  them  battle  twice  ; 
first  at  Foure,  where  he  killed  seven  hun- 
dred of  their  men ;  and  the  second  time  at 
Casan-Linge,  in  Leinster,  where  the  bar- 
barians were  completely  routed  ;  their  loss 
amounting  to  1700  men  slain,  with  Saxolb, 
their  general.*  This  victory  induced  Tur- 
gesius to  court  the  friendship  of  that  prince  ; 
but  fortune  soon  changed  the  aspect  of 
affairs,  and  rendered  these  brilliant  advan- 
tages abortive.!  On  one  hand,  the  length 
of  the  war  had  already  exhausted  the  re- 
sources of  the  Irish  ;  and  on  the  other,  Scan- 
dinavia, called  by  an  ancient  writer,  "  Officina 
gentium,"  an   inexhaustible  storehouse   of 

*  Keating's  History  of  Ireland,  part  2. 
t  War.   de  Antiq.  Hib.   cap.  24,  et  Grat.  Luc. 
cap.  9. 


218 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


men,  was  continually  sending  succor  to  the 
usurpers.*  In  this  critical  juncture  a  con- 
siderable reinforcement  arrived,  which  re- 
vived the  fallen  courage  of  the  barbarians, 
and  forced  the  Irish  to  submit  and  acknow- 
ledge themselves  a  conquered  nation.  The 
barbarians  resumed  their  cruelties  ;  made 
themselves  masters  of  Dublin, and  established 
a  colony  in  the  territory  of  Fingal,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  that  city. 

Turgesius,  seeing  no  one  able  to  dispute 
the  supreme  power  with  him,  began  to 
change  the  form  of  government.  He  ap- 
pointed a  Norman  king  to  each  province  ; 
placed  a  captain  in  each  territory,  an  abbot 
in  each  church  or  monastery,  a  sergeant  in 
each  village,  and  obliged  every  house  to 
lodge  a  soldier.  The  will  of  those  tyrants, 
supported  by  military  execution,  took  the 
place  of  laws,  so  that  no  man  was  any 
longer  master  in  his  own  house. 

The  tyrant  now  imposed  a  tax  of  an  oimce 
of  gold  on  the  chief  of  every  family.  Those 
who  did  not  pay,  were  subject  to  the  penalty 
of  having  their  noses  cut  off,  from  which  the 
tax,  in  the  language  of  the  country,  was 
called  "  Airgiodsrone,"  that  is,  nose-money. 
As  the  barbarians  were  equally  hostile  to 
literature  and  religion,  they  destroyed  the 
churches,  monasteries,  academies,  and  other 
places  intended  for  divine  worship  and 
study  ;  they  expelled  the  ministers  and  pro- 
fessors, burned  their  books  and  profaned 
the  holy  vessels  ;  they  forbade  the  instruc- 
tion of  youth  in  any  science,  even  read- 
ing or  Avriting,  or  any  military  exercise,  lest 
they  might  one  day  make  use  of  them  to  re- 
cover their  liberty ;  and  lastly,  they  pro 
hibited  the  people,  on  pain  of  being  com 
mitted  to  prison,  to  assemble  under  any  pre 
text  whatsoever.  Such  was  the  state  of  Ire- 
land during  the  sway  of  these  tyrants.  Th 
Irish  having  lost  all  hopes  of  regaining  their 
liberty,  were  in  consternation  and  despair 
No  alliance  or  marriage  took  place — every 
one  passed  his  time  in  the  strictest  retirement 
the  secular  and  regular  clergy,  in  order  to 
shelter  themselves  from  the  fury  of  the  Nor- 
mans, lay  concealed  in  the  woods,Avhere  they 
celebrated  the  divine  mysteries,  and  spent 
their  days  in  prayer  and  fasting ;  while  the 
faithful  sought  them  in  secret  to  receive  con 
solation  from  them,  and  join  in  their  prayers 
for  the  delivery  of  the  people.  They  were  at 
length  heard ;  and  the  persecution,  which  had 
lasted  about  twelve  years,  Avas  terminated  by 


*  Bruod.  Propug.  Cathol.  Verit.  lib.  5,  c.  14,  et 
Porter,  Compeud.  Annal.  Eccles.  Reg.  Hibern. 
cap.  1,  sect.  4. 


an  event  as  sudden  as  it  was  singular,  and  one 
for  which  no  parallel  is  to  be  found  in  history. 
Turgesius  had  a  castle  built  for  himself  in 
the  vicinity  of  Malachi,  prince  of  Meath  ; 
and  went  frequently  to  visit  his  neighbor. 
Malachi  was  a  man  of  considerable  talents, 
an  able  politician,  and  brave  warrior,  and 
possessed  all  the  qualities  requisite  to  govern 
a  kingdom.  He  one  day  asked  the  tyrant 
what  he  should  do  to  get  rid  of  a  certain 
kind  of  very  destructive  birds  that  had  lately 
arrived  in  the  country  ?  The  tyrant,  not 
mistrusting  the  statement,  ansAvered  that 
their  nests  should  be  destroyed.*  Malachi, 
who  by  the  birds  meant  the  Normans,  readily 
felt  the  force  of  this  answer,  and  occupied 
himself  solely  Avith  dcAdsing  means  to  act 
upon  it ;  an  opportunity  for  Avhich  was  soon 
afforded  him  by  the  tyrant.  Some  days 
afterwards,  he  being  on  a  visit  with  the  prince 
of  Meath,  saw  his  daughter  Melcha,  who 
was  young  and  formed  to  please,  particularly 
in  the  eyes  of  a  man  of  so  depraved  a  char- 
acter. His  passion  for  her  became  violent, 
and,  wishing  to  make  her  his  concubine,  he 
demanded  her  of  her  father.  Nothing  Avas 
farther  from  Malachi's  thoughts  than  the 
idea  of  dishonoring  his  daughter ;  it  was, 
however,  a  delicate  affair,  and  stratagem 
Avas  necessary,  in  the  absence  of  strength,  to 
extricate  himself  from  the  dilemma.  Having 
weighed  every  circumstance,  he  on  one 
side  saw  the  danger  of  refusing  the  bar- 
barian, who  was  absolute  master  in  the 
country,  and  whose  conduct  was  ruled  solely 
by  passion  :  on  the  other,  should  his  project 
succeed,  he  conceived  a  faint  hope  of  de- 
livering his  country  from  slavery.  Having 
formed  his  plan,  he  turned  his  thoughts 
towards  carrying  it  into  effect.  He  told  the 
tyrant  that  his  proposal  was  hard ;  but,  that 
as  he  could  refuse  him  nothing,  he  Avould 
send  him  his  daughter  on  an  appointed  day, 
together  Avith  fifteen  young  ladies  of  her  OAvn 
age,  to  keep  her  company  and  render  her 
those  services  her  rank  required;  at  the 
same  time,  requesting  that  the  whole  affair 


*  "  The  king  of  Meath  asked  Turgesius,  by  what 
method  some  very  destructive  birds  which  had 
lately  arrived  in  the  country  could  be  removed. 
The  answer  was,  that  their  nests  (if  they  had  built 
in  the  country)  should  be  everywhere  destroyed, 
(alluding  to  the  castle  of  Turgesius.)  In  about  30 
years  after  his  death,  a  general  insurrection  of  the 
Irish  broke  out,  and  the  interpretation  of  the 
birds'  nests  was  carried  into  effect.  The  pomp  of 
the  Norwegians  and  the  tyranny  of  Turgesius  con- 
tinued in  Ireland,  till  at  length  the  nation  being 
roused,  they  recovered  their  former  freedom  and 
their  government." — Giraldus  Cambrensis  Topo. 
graphy. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


219 


might  be  kept  secret,  so  as  to  screen  his 
daughter's  honor. 

In  the  mean  time,  Malachi  had  the  whole 
country  searched  for  fifteen  young  men  with- 
out beards,  of  acknowledged  honor  and 
bravery,  whom  he  caused  to  be  dressed  in 
female  attire,  Avith  each  a  poniard  concealed 
under  his  robe,  and  gave  them  the  instruc- 
tions necessary  to  execute  his  project,  which 
would  put  an  end  to  tyranny.  He  also  in- 
spired them  with  sentiments  of  religion  and 
patriotism,  and  commanded  them  to  defend 
the  honor  of  the  princess  at  the  peril  of 
their  lives,  and  to  have  the  doors  opened  for 
him,  in  order  that  he  might  come  to  their 
succor  Avith  a  body  of  troops  whom  he 
should  hold  in  readiness  at  a  short  distance ; 
and  lastly,  to  seize  the  tyrant  and  chain  him, 
without  depriving  him  of  life. 

Turgesius  did  not  fail  to  repair,  on  the  day 
appointed,  to  receive  the  princess  Melcha 
and  her  fifteen  young  ladies ;  he  even  invited 
fifteen  of  the  principal  officers  of  his  army 
to  share  in  the  festival.  After  spending  the 
day  in  feasting,  each  of  the  officers  was 
shown  to  the  apartment  intended  for  him  ; 
and  orders  given  for  the  guards  and  other 
domestics  to  retire.  Turgesius  himself  re- 
mained alone  in  his  apartment,  where  he  im- 
patiently awaited  the  arrival  of  the  princess 
Melcha.  The  porter,  who  was  the  only  one 
of  the  domestics  intrusted  with  the  secret, 
soon  entered,  accompanied  by  the  princess, 
with  her  little  troop  of  amazons,  who  came, 
like  a  second  Judith,  to  deliver  her  people. 
The  tyrant,  who  was  heated  with  wine,  was 
about  to  insult  the  princess,  when  the  young 
men  immediately  threw  off  their  robes,  and 
drawing  their  weapons,  seized  him,  and 
tied  him  with  cords  to  the  pillars  of  his 
bed.  They  then  opened  the  gates  of  the 
castle  to  permit  jNIalachi  and  his  troops  to 
enter  ;  fell  on  the  garrison,  beginning  with 
the  officers,  and  put  all,  except  Turgesius, 
to  ^he  sword. 

When  Malachi  had  given  the  place  up  to 
pillage,  in  which  they  found  immense  booty, 
he  repaired  to  the  spot  where  the  tyrant  was 
bound,  and  "reproached  him  bitterly  with  his 
tyranny,  cruelty,  and  other  vices,  and  having 
loaded  him  with  chains,  had  him  carried  in 
triumph  before  him.  He  allowed  him  to 
live  a  few  days,  in  order  that  he  should  be 
a  witness,  before  his  death,  of  the  sufferings 
of  his  countrymen,  and  then  caused  him  to 
be  tlirown,  chained  as  he  was,  into  Lough 
Ainnin  in  Westmeath,  where  he  perished.* 

*  "  The  king  of  Meath  (tlie  poison  rankling  in 
his  breast)  promised  to  send  liim  his  daughter  to  an 
island  in  Meath,  (Lough  Vair,')  together  with  fifteen 


The  news  of  the  defeat  of  Turgesius  spread 
rapidly  throughout  the  whole  island,  and  had 
very  opposite  effects  on  the  two  parties.* 
The  Irish,  who  looked  upon  this  advantage 
as  a  happy  omen  of  the  recovery  of  their 
liberty,  took  up  arms,  pursued  the  Normans 
in  every  direction,  and  killed  a  considerable 
number  of  them.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
Normans,  having  lost  their  chief,  made  but 
a  feeble  resistance,  and  sought  safety  by 
flight.  Those  who  were  near  the  sea  quickly 
regained  their  vessels,  and  quitted  the  island 
for  a  time. 

The  princes  and  nobles  of  the  kingdom, 
seeing  themselves  delivered  from  tyranny 
by  the  death  of  Turgesius,  and  the  universal 
extirpation  of  the  Normans,  assembled  for 
the  purpose  of  re-establishing  the  ancient 
constitution  of  the  state,  and  the  legitimate 
succession  to  the  throne.  Malachi  had  de- 
served too  much  gratitude  from  his  country 
to  dread  a  rival.  He  was  declared  monarch 
of  Ireland  by  unanimous  consent,  and  placed 
on  the  throne  which  several  of  his  ancestors 
had  already  occupied.  Every  thing  then 
returned  to  its  natural  order  ;  religion  agam 
flourished  ;  the  churches  and  monasteries 
were  rebuilt ;  the  laws  to  protect  the  inno- 
cent and  punish  the  guilty  were  again  vigor- 
ously enforced  ;  and  the  ancient  proprietors 
restored  to  the  possession  of  the  lands  and 
lordships  they-had  lost  during  the  usurpation. 

While  the  Irish  were  enjoying  the  sweets 
of  peace  and  liberty,  after  the  severity  of  a 
tyrannical  government,  the  Normans,  whom 
they  had  expelled  some  time  before,  did  not 
lose  sight  of  the  island.  The  difference  which 
they  found  between  the  rich  and  fertile  lands 
of  Ireland,  and  the  cold  and  barren  moun- 
tains of  Scandinavia,  made  them  constantly 
regret  the  former.  Being  however  unable 
to  return  in  an  avowedly  hostile  manner  as 
before,  they  determined  to  come  under  the 
pretext  of  commerce  ;  to  commit  no  act  of 
hostility ;  to  insinuate  themselves  by  degrees 
into  the  good  will  of  the  inhabitants,  and 
thereby  insensibly  to  attain  their  end .    They 


illustrious  virgins.  This  gave  delight  to  Turgesius, 
who  came  (with  as  many  youths  of  his  own  nation) 
on  the  day  and  to  the  place  appointed.  He  found 
there  fifteen  beardless  youths,  brave  and  chosen  for 
the  purpose,  having  beneath  their  female  attire, 
poniards  secretly  carried,  by  which  Turgesius  and 
his  companions  fell." — Camhrensis,  Topog.  Hib. 
(list.  3,  cap.  40. 

*  "  News  of  this  event  was  quickly  spread  through 
the  whole  island:  the  Norwegians  were  everywhere 
destroyed  either  by  force  or  stratagem  ;  those  who 
escaped  being  forced  to  return  in  their  ships  to 
Norway,  and  the  islands  whence  they  had  come." 
— Cainb.  Topog.  cap.  41. 


220 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


made  a  show,  therefore,  of  bringingovcr  some 
merchandise,  but  the  holds  of  their  ships 
were  filk^d  with  arms  and  ammunition.  The 
following  is  the  account  given  by  the  author 
of  the  Polychronicon.  "  After  the  death  of 
Turgesius,"  says  he,  "three  brothers,  Ame- 
lanus,  Cyracus,  and  Imorus,  landed  with  their 
retinue  in  Ireland,  in  a  peaceable  manner, 
under  the  pretext  of  carrying  on  trade.  With 
the  consent  of  the  Irish,  who  were  living  in 
indolence,  they  settled  in  the  maritime  parts, 
and  built  the  cities  of  Waterford,  Dublin, 
and  Limerick,  and  their  numbers  having 
increased,  they  frequently  insulted  the  na- 
tives."* They  became,  indeed,  almost  as  for- 
midable as  in  the  time  of  Turgesius,  and 
often  gave  battle  to  the  inhabitants,  with 
success.  Two  circumstances  contributed  to 
this  misfortune  ;  first,  having  settled  in  the 
island  under  the  pretext  of  carrying  on  trade, 
they  had  the  advantage  of  being  able,  unno- 
ticed, to  bring  over  reinforcements  ;  second- 
ly, the  discord  and  domestic  wars  of  the  petty 
princes  of  the  country,  who  often  called  in 
the  aid  of  these  foreigners  against  each 
other,  so  that  the  latter  were  sometimes  a 
match  for  both  the  conquerors  and  the  con- 
quered.f  In  the  same  manner  we  have  seen  in 
France,  in  the  time  of  Charles  the  Bald,  his 
nephew  Pepin,  who  left  the  monastery  of  St. 
Medard  de  Soissons,  and  was  declared  king 
of  Aquitaine,  join  the  Normans,  and  pillage 
Poitiers  and  many  other  places.  The  in- 
habitants of  Northumberland,  in  England,  in 
like  manner  having  revolted  against  Edgar, 
sent  to  Ireland  for  Anlafe,  a  Danish  captain, 
and  chose  him  for  their  king.J  Thus  too 
Elfrick,  earl  of  Mercia,  and  his  son  Edrick, 
betrayed  king  Ethelred  in  the  command  with 
which  he  intrusted  them  against  the  Danes. 
This  same  Edrick  (the  favorite  of  that 
prince,  who  created  him  duke  of  Mercia, 
and  gave  him  his  daughter  in  marriage)  de- 
serted the  royal  army  the  night  before  a 
battle,  and  joined  the  enemy  with  forty  of 
the  king's  vessels,  which  caused  the  submis- 
sion of  the  entire  of  the  west  of  England  to 
the  Danes. ^ 
The  disorders  were  considerably  increased 

*  "  After  the  death  of  Turgesius,  three  brothers, 
Amelanus,  Cyracus,  and  Imorus,  under  the  pretext 
of  peace  and  of  carrying  on  traffic,  sailed  with  a 
retinue  for  Ireland,  and  with  the  consent  of  the 
Irish,  who  were  prone  to  idleness,  settled  on  the 
sea-shore  ;  they  built  the  cities  of  Waterford,  Dub. 
lin,  and  Limerick,  and  their  numbers  having  in- 
creased, they  frequently  insulted  the  natives." — 
Fleun/s  Ecclesiastical  History,  b.  49. 

t  Fleury,  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  49. 

t  Baker's  Chron.  page  10. 

§  Baker's  Chron.  page  14. 


by  the  arrival  of  a  Danish  fleet.  The  Danes, 
who  were  jealous  of  the  progress  of  the 
Norwegians  in  the  island,  resolved  to  contest 
the  glory  of  the  conquest  with  them  ;  and 
having  first  pillaged  Dublin  and  its  environs, 
which  were  in  the  power  of  the  Norwegians, 
they  defeated  them  in  a  pitched  battle  at 
Linnduachaill,  in  which  about  1000  men 
were  killed  on  the  field. 

Malachi  seeing  two  barbarous  nations 
contending  about  a  country  to  which  neither 
had  a  right,  thought  it  time  to  stop  their 
progress,  and  for  this  purpose  he  convened 
an  assembly  of  the  princes  and  nobles  at 
Rath-Aodh,  now  Rath-Hugh  in  the  territory 
of  Kinel-Fiacha,  in  Westmeath,  in  which 
regulations  Avere  made  relative  to  the  state 
of  aflfairs  ;  the  princes  who  had  been  at 
variance  were  reconciled,  and  all  appeared 
disposed  to  defend  the  common  cause. 

Some  time  afterwards  the  monarch  car- 
ried on  a  successful  war  against  the  Danes, 
to  revenge  the  death  of  Maolguala,  king  of 
Munster,  who  had  been  inhumanly  killed  by 
the  barbarians.  Malachi  having  met  them 
at  Drom-da-Moighe,  came  to  an  engage- 
ment with  them,  in  which  several  of  them 
perished. 

Malachi's  piety  having  inspired  him  with 
the  desire  of  going  to  Rome,  to  thank  the 
Lord,  in  the  centre  of  Christianity,  for  the 
success  which  had  ever  attended  his  arms, 
sent  ambassadors  with  presents  to  Charles 
the  Bald,  with  whom  he  was  on  terms  of 
peace  and  friendship,  both  for  the  purpose 
of  asking  permission  to  pass  through  his 
kingdom,*  and  to  inform  him  of  his  victories 
over  the  Normans,  who  were  already  well 
known  in  France  by  the  robberies  and  cru- 
elties they  had  committed.  A  friendliness 
had  existed  between  the  kings  of  France 
and  those  of  Ireland  in  the  time  of  Char- 
lemagne. That  monarch  had  not  only  at- 
tached men  of  learning  to  him  by  his  fa- 
vors ;  but  Eginardus,  the  author  of  his  life, 
asserts  that  he  had  the  kings  of  the  Scots, 
that  is,  of  Ireland,  at  his  command,  who 
gave  him  the  title  of  lord,  and  called  them- 
selves his  subjects,  as  appears  by  the  letters 
they  had  written  to  him,  and  which  were  to 
be  seen  in  the  time  of  that  author. f 


*  "  Malachi  sent  ambassadors  to  Charles  the 
Bald,  king  of  the  Franks,  with  presents,  to  obtain 
his  friendship  and  permission  to  go  through  his 
dominions  to  Rome,  on  account  of  the  victories  he 
had  obtained." — Ware's  Antiquities,  c.  24. 

t  "  He  had  the  kings  of  the  Scots  so  much  at 
his  will,  from  his  munificence,  that  they  never 
called  him  by  any  other  name  than  that  of  lord,  and 
pronounced  themselves  his  subjects  and  servants. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


221 


Eginardiis,  in  the  year  812,  plainly  indi- 
cates that  the  country  of  the  Scots  here  al- 
luded to,  is  Ireland  ;  for,  he  says,  the  Nor- 
wegians having  attacked  Ireland,  the  island 
of  Scots,  were  put  to  flight  by  its  inhabit- 
ants.* 

This  alliance  existed  till  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury, as  long,  in  fact,  as  the  Irish  were  a  free 
people  ;  the  succors  which  their  kings  sent 
to  France  against  Henry  II.  of  England, 
having  formed  one  of  the  motives  which  in- 
duced that  prince  to  undertake  the  conquest 
of  their  island. f 

Besides  the  political  alliance  between  the 
two  nations,  there  was  a  private  connection 
between  their  subjects  by  marriage.  The 
tyranny  of  Turgesius  and  the  persecution  of 
the  Normans,  had  obliged  many  persons  to 
leave  Ireland ;  and  others  having  followed 
king  Malachi  to  France,  several  settled  there 
and  entered  the  service  of  Charles  the  Bald, 
some  of  whose  descendants  still  carefully 
preserve  the  tradition  of  their  Irish  origin, 
as,  for  instance,  the  noble  family  of  the  Dales, 
Avho  trace  their  descent  from  the  O'Dalys  of 
Corcaduin. 

The  Scotch  of  latter  times  haA^e  used 
every  effort  to  deprive  the  Scots  of  Ireland 
of  the  glory  of  this  alliance  with  France, 
and  to  ascribe  it  to  their  OAvn  ancestors.  By 
means  of  the  two-fold  acceptation  of  the 
word  Scoti,  or  Scots,  they  assume  an  honor 
to  which  they  are  not  entitled.  They  are 
not,  indeed,  ashamed  to  reckon  among  their 
countrymen  the  Irish  Scots  of  the  earlier 
time,  when  the  race  was  pure  and  unmixed 
with  foreigners  ;|  but  with  surprising  incon- 
sistency, the  authors  of  that  nation  affect  to 
calumniate  the  modern  Irish,  who  are  more 
closely  allied  to  them  than  the  former.  They 
forget  that  the  aspersions  with  which  they 


Letters  are  still  extant  which  were  sent  to  him,  in 
which  their  affection  for  him  Is  manifested." — Egi- 
nard's  Life  of  Charlemagne,  Preface. 

*  "  The  Norwegians  having  attacked  Hibernia, 
the  island  of  the  Scots,  wereput  to  flight." — Ogygia, 
Prologue,  p.  30. 

■f  "  After  this  Henry  resolved  to  subdue  Ireland, 
both  on  account  of  its  contiguity,  and  the  succors 
they  afforded  to  France  against  him." — Polidorus 
Virgil,  Hist.  Angl.  book  13,  p.  55. 

At  this  period  many  marriages  took  place  between 
the  French  and  the  Irish,  otherwise  Scots.  Bolland. 
Act.  Sanct.  Life  of  St.  Erard,  8th  Jan. 

King  Henry  being  then  at  rest  from  all  hostile 
arms,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  takes  into  his  con- 
sideration the  kingdom  of  Ireland,  as  a  kingdom 
which  oftentimes  afforded  assistance  to  the  French. 
Baker,  Chron.  on  the  reign  of  Henry  II. 

X  Hume's  Essay  on  the  Characters  of  Nations. 
See  the  Mercure  de  France  of  the  month  of  Janu- 
arj-j  1756. 


load  them  indirectly  reflect  on  themselves, 
as  two  thirds  of  Ireland  have  within  a  cen- 
tuiy  been  peopled  by  Scotch  and  English 
Presbyterians. 

Buchanan,  without  quoting  any  author 
more  ancient  than  himself,  says  that  Achaius, 
king  of  the  Scots  of  Albania,  had  entered 
into  an  alliance  with  Charlemagne  ;  but  in- 
dependently ofthere  being  no  ancient  records 
in  which  it  is  mentioned,  and  that  no  traces 
of  it  are  discoverable  in  the  public  archives, 
if  we  consider  the  state  of  the  .Scots  of  Al- 
bania at  that  time,  the  existence  of  such  an 
alliance  will  appear  doubtful.  Previously 
to  the  conquest  of  the  Picts,  which  happened 
in  840,  after  the  death  of  Charlemagne,  the 
vScots  possessed  but  a  small  district,  called 
in  the  Scotic  language  Albin,  the  inhabitants 
of  which  were  called  AUabany,  or  AUeba- 
nachs,*  and  to  this  day  have  no  other  name 
in  that  language,  the  terms  Scotia,  Scotland, 
Scot,  or  Scotch,  having  been  given  them  by 
foreigners.  This  district  was  confined  to  the 
narrow  limits  of  Dalrieda,  which  formed  but 
a  very  small  portion  of  modern  Scotland, 
and  consequently  was  of  too  little  importance 
in  the  world  for  its  inhabitants  to  have  pre- 
tended to  an  alliance  with  the  emperor  of 
the  west. 

The  conquest  of  the  Picts  may  be  ranked 
among  the  extraordinary  events  in  which 
chance  and  unforeseen  circumstances  have 
sometimes  a  greater  share  than  the  power 
of  the  victor. 

Kenneth,  king  of  the  Scots,  having  re- 
solved to  revenge  the  death  of  his  father, 
Alpin,  who  had  been  cruelly  put  to  death 
by  the  Picts,  whose  prisoner  he  was,t  made 
use  of  stratagem  to  overcome  the  reluctance 
his  subjects  had  to  go  to  war  with  them.  He 
invited  the  principal  of  his  nobility  to  a  sup- 
per, and  in  the  gloom  of  the  night,  while 
they  lay  on  the  floor  of  the  banqueting  hall, 
intoxicated  with  wine  and  overcome  with 
sleep,  they  heard  a  voice,  as  if  from  heaven, 
commanding  them  to  make  war  upon  the 
Picts.  This  was  enough  to  rouse  a  super- 
stitious and  credulous  people,  and  inspired 
them  with  such  confidence  that  the  Picts 
were  unable  to  withstand  the  first  onset,  and 
being  seized  with  terror,  were  completely 
defeated. 

The  intercourse  which  existed  between 
the  Scots  of  Ireland  and  those  of  Albania, 
makes  it  probable  that  the  former  contrib- 
uted to  this  conquest  of  the  Picts.  They 
still  considered  themselves  .as  forming  but 


*  Camd.  Brit,  pages  88,  90. 

t  Buchan.  Rer.  Scotic  Hist.  p.  K 


222 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


the  same  people ;  and  their  union  was 
strengthened  by  alliances  between  their 
princes.  Fionliath,  son  of  Niall-Caille, 
monarch  of  Ireland  in  833,  and  who  after- 
wards became  king  himself,  under  the  name 
of  Hugh  VII.,  married  about  this  time  the 
daughter  of  Kenneth,  king  of  the  Scots  of 
Albania ;  fron\  which  there  is  good  reason 
to  believe  that  he  shared  with  his  father-in- 
law  the  glory  and  perils  of  the  war  against 
the  Picts. 

The  judicious  Camden  states  that  the 
Picts  were  destroyed  by  the  Scots  from  Ire- 
land, who  fell  on  them  so  that,  about  the 
year  740,  they  were  completely  defeated  in 
a  single  battle,  and  their  name  and  nation 
almost  annihilated.*  We  may  suppose  that 
there  was  an  error  of  the  press  in  this,  and 
that  the  printer  had  put  740  for  840,  which 
is  not  unlikely ;  for  it  is  evident  that  Cam- 
den indicates  the  conquest  of  the  Picts  by 
Kenneth,  with  the  united  forces  of  the  Scots 
from  Ireland.  It  appears,  in  any  case,  ac- 
cording to  this  author,  that  at  the  period  in 
question,  the  Scots  from  Ireland  fought  the 
Picts  in  their  own  country,  which  makes  it 
natural  to  suppose  that  they  had  done  so 
likewise  under  Kenneth,  king  of  the  Scots  of 
Albania,  in  840.  This  victory  having  made 
the  Scots  masters  of  the  kingdom  of  the 
Picts  as  far  as  the  eastern  ocean,  their  very 
name  became  obliterated  ;  the  northern  part 
of  Britain  was,  by  degrees,  called  by  foreign- 
ers Scotia,  or  Scotland,  and  the  inhabitants 
Scots,  or  Scotch,  and  to  distinguish  them 
from  the  ancient  Scots  of  Ireland,  they  in- 
troduced the  names  of  Scotia  Major,  which 
was  given  to  Ireland,  and  Scotia  Minor,  the 
country  now  known  by  the  name  of  Scot- 
land ;t    which    terms    were   used   till    the 


*  "  The  Scots  from  Ireland  pouring  In  upon  the 
Picts,  the  latter  were  so  overwhehned  in  battle,  anno 
740,  that  they  became  almost  annihilated,  and  those 
who  remained  merged  into  the  name  and  people  of 
the  invaders." — Cutnd.  p.  83. 

t  "  It  is  proper  to  investigate  why  the  Scots  who 
were  in  Britain  call  that  part  in  wliich  they  were 
settled  Albanan,  or  Albin,  and  the  Irish  Allabany. 
Historians  say,  that  Hibernia  (Ireland)  was  Scotia 
Major,  and  that  the  part  of  Britain  inhabited  by  the 
Scots  was  Scotia  Minor.  Although  the  Scots  and 
Picts  were  incessantly  harassing  the  Britons  by 
battles  and  plunder,  still  their  limits  did  not  extend 
beyond  the  narrow  portion  which  they  occupied  in 
the  beginning.  Bede  observes,  that  for  127  years, 
more  or  less,  they  did  not  carry  their  standards  into 
Northumberland,  and  then  only  when  the  Picts  were 
almost  destroyed,  and  the  kingdom  of  Northumber- 
land torn  by  intestine  evils,  and  by  the  incursions  of 
the  Danes.  It  was  then  that  the  entire  of  north 
Britain,  including  the  parts  traversed  by  the  Clyde, 
and  the  Frith  (Forth)  of  Edinburgh,  got  the  name 


twelfth  century,  when  the  English,  in  their 
own  dialect,  gave  to  Hibernia  the  name  of 
Ireland,  signifying  the  land  of  Ire,  as  they 
had  called  Britain  England,  that  is,  the  land 
of  the  Angles,  a  people  who  came  from 
liOwer  Saxony.  The  above  is  the  account 
given  by  foreign  and  disinterested  authors 
of  the  settlement  of  the  Scots  in  Britain,  and 
of  the  changes  which  took  place  in  the  name 
of  that  people,  and  the  country  they  inhab- 
ited ;  which  account  agrees  with  that  of  the 
venerable  Bede,  who  marks  their  arrival  in 
that  country,  and  designates  their  place  of 
abode.  He  first  says  that  the  Scots  entered 
Britain  ai\er  the  Britons  and  Picts  ;*  after- 
wards, that  they  settled  on  the  northern 
shore  of  the  great  gulf  which  formerly 
separated  the  Picts  from  the  Britons,  where 
tlie  fort  of  Alcuith  was  situated  ;t  and  in  the 
eighth  century,  when  finishing  his  history,  a 
short  time  before  his  death,  he  says  that  the 
Scots  who  inhabited  Britain,  being  content 
with  their  territory,  had  engaged  in  no  enter- 
prise against  the  English. | 

Although  Bede,  says  Usher,  distinguishes 
the  Scots  of  Ireland  from  those  that  inhabit 
Britain,  still  he  acknowledges  but  one  Scotia, 
namely,  Ireland  ;  a  like  course  to  which  he 
follows  in  the  distinction  made  by  him  be- 
tween the  English  who  settled  in  Ireland 
and  the  Anglo-Britons,  although  there  is 
but  one  country  called  England.^ 

He  likewise  observes,  that  neither  Dalri- 
cda,  which  was  the  patrimony  of  the  Scots 


of  Scotland.  No  one  denies  that  to  have  been 
a  part  of  Northumberland,  and  to  have  been 
in  the  possession  of  the  Saxons." — Camden,  page 
90. 

*  Britain  received,  after  the  Britons  and  Picts,  a 
third  race  of  the  Scots,  on  the  side  of  the  Picts. — 
Bede,  Eccl.  Hist.  b.  1,  c.  1. 

t  "  A  very  extensive  bay  formerly  separated  the 
territory  of  the  Britons  from  the  Picts.  It  stretches 
for  a  great  distance  inland  on  the  west,  where  the 
fortified  city  of  Alcuith,  belonging  to  the  Britons, 
now  stands.  The  Scots,  on  their  arrival  in  the 
country,  appropriated  to  themselves,  as  has  been 
observed,  the  portion  to  the  north  of  the  bay." — 
Bede,  Eccl.  Hist.  b.  l,c.  I. 

I  "  The  Scots  who  inhabit  Britain  are  content 
with  their  own  boundaries,  nor  do  they  plot  any 
stratagem  or  fraud  against  the  English." — b.  1,  5, 
c.  24. 

§  "  As  in  our  time  the  distinction  of  Anglo-Brit- 
ons and  Anglo-Irish  does  not  require  two  Englands, 
one  in  Britain  and  another  in  Ireland,  so  neither 
did  it  cause  the  settlements  of  the  Scoto-Hiberni 
and  the  Scoto-Britanni  to  constitute  two  Scotias. 
For  althougii  Bede  carefully  marks  a  distinction  be- 
tween the  Irish-Scots  and  those  of  Britain,  still 
Scotia  is  always  one  and  the  same  to  him,  viz.,  Hi- 
bernia, (Ireland.)" — Usher's  Primord.  Eccles.  Brit. 
c.  16,  p.  733, 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


223 


until  840,  nor  Albania  generally,  even  after 
the  conquest  of  the  Picts,  was  called  Scotia, 
till  about  the  eleventh  century,  when  the  two 
races  Avere  united  as  a  nation,  and  the  Picts 
completely  forgotten  ;  nor  have  any  authors 
before  that  period  mentioned  Albania  under 
the  name  of  Scotland,  which  name  was  not 
used  till  the  English  gave  to  the  Scots  of 
Ireland  the  name  of  Irish,  in  their  language, 
(in  Latin  Iri,  or  Irenses,)  and  that  of  Ireland 
to  their  island.* 

Buchanan  is  not  the  only  Scotch  writer 
who  mentions  the  alliance  withCharlemagne. 
Hector  Boetius  names  the  ambassador  who 
had  been  intrusted  with  its  negotiation,  and 
those  who  accompanied  him.f  He  says  that 
j  Achaius  sent  his  brother  William  into  France 
to  Charles,  accompanied  by  Clement,  John, 
Rabanus,  and  Alcuin,  all,  he  says,  of  the 
pious  and  learned  nation  of  the  Scots,  at- 
tended by  a  numerous  train  from  the  same 
country.  It  has  been  already  observed  that 
Scotland  had  no  right  to  claim  Raban  and 
Alcuin,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  French- 
man, and  the  latter  universally  acknow- 
ledged to  have  been  English.  With  respect 
to  Clement  and  John,  otherwise  Albin,  co- 
temporary  authors  call  them  Scots  from  Ire- 
land. So  manifest  an  error  in  facts  should 
therefore  make  us  at  once  reject  this  state- 
ment, when  we  have  otherwise  reason  to 
doubt  it. 

The  alliance  of  the  Scotch  with  France 
cannot  be  traced  farther  back  than  the 
twelfth  century.  It  is  affirmed  that  a  Scotch 
cohort  accompanied  St.  Louis  to  the  holy 
war  ;  but  the  connection  of  these  two  nations 
in  the  fifteenth  century,  under  Charles  VI., 
is  much  more  certain.  The  right  of  citizen- 
ship, which  the  Scotch  had  then  conferred  on 
them,  is  an  undoubted  proof  of  the  services 
they  had  rendered  to  his  crown. 

The  true  Scotch  have  the  reputation  of 
being  gifted  and  warlike;  they  have  dis- 
tinguished themselves  on  every  occasion  by 


*  "  Dalrieda,  which  was  the  settlement  of  the 
Scoto-Britanni,  up  to  the  year  840,  had  not  obtain- 
ed the  name  of  Scotia,  nor  did  Albania  generally 
acquire  that  name  until  after  the  destruction  of  the. 
Picts,  and  the  memory  of  them  became  effaced, 
which  did  not  take  place  before  the  eleventh  century, 
as  \vc  have  mentioned  in  the  beginning  of  the  pre- 
ceding chapter.  We  are  of  opinion  that  no  writer 
of  the  preceding  ages  can  be  adduced,  who  ever 
designated  Albania  by  the  name  of  ^'cotia,  which 
name,  however,  was  subsequently  in  frequent  use, 

{  when  the  English  began,  in  their  language,  to  call 

'.'  the    Hibernians    Irish;  in   Latin    Iri  and  Irenses; 

t<  and  from  it  their  country  Ire-Land." — Us/icr, 
Primord.  Ecd.  Brif.  cap.  16,  p.  734. 

I        t  Hist.  Sector,  lib.  10,  p.  194. 


their  bravery  ;  of  which  the  generous  effort 
made  by  them  in  our  time,  in  favor  of  their 
legitimate  prince,  is  a  striking  example  ;  and 
they  always  have  maintained,  with  honor,  the 
character  of  worthy  children  of  their  ances- 
tors, the  Scoto-Milesians.  This  reputation 
having  flattered  the  vanity  of  some  of  their 
historians,  they  have  endeavored  to  give  it 
an  air  of  antiquity,  and  in  a  manner  to  engraft 
it  on  the  merit  of  the  ancient  Scots,  as  if 
they  had  been  the  same  people. 

The  Scots  were  celebrated  in  France, 
and  the  rest  of  Europe,  before  the  eleventli 
century.  The  Irish,  who  till  then  were  the 
proper  Scots,  began  at  that  period  to  lay  aside 
that  name,  which  became  exclusively  applied 
to  the  inhabitants  of  North  Britain,  and  they 
are  the  only  people  since  known  to  foreign- 
ers by  the  name  of  Scots,  or  Scotch.  The 
world  has  been  accustomed  to  call  them  so 
without  investigation,  and  none  but  the 
learned  in  antiquity  can  elucidate  such  dis- 
tant facts.  These  circumstances  were  favor- 
able to  the  claims  of  their  historians,  and 
have  given  rise  to  the  fabled  alliance  of  the 
nation  with  Charlemagne. 

The  analogy  which  exists  between  the 
names  of  Ofla,  king  of  the  Mercians,  who 
had  solicited  the  friendship  of  Charlemagne 
through  Alcuin,  and  Eocha,  which  is  the 
real  Scotic  name  for  Achaius,  mentioned  by 
the  Scotch  authors,  might  have  suggested 
the  idea  of  this  alliance.  By  substituting  the 
latter  for  the  former,  the  historians  of  that 
nation  have  been  enabled  to  lay  claim  to 
princes  who  did  not  belong  to  them,  and  to 
render  their  history  illustrious  by  appropri- 
ating to  themselves  the  deeds  of  others,  like 
Abercromby,  who  endeavors  to  persuade  us 
that  the  celebrated  Caractacus,  king  of  the 
Silures  in  Britain,  was  the  same  as  a  pre- 
tended Caractacus,  king  of  Scotland, four  cen- 
turies before  any  kingdom  of  Scotland  exist- 
ed in  Britain  ;  while  Tacitus  informs  us  that 
Caractacus  Avas  a  British  prince,  of  Spanish 
origin,  and kingof  the  Silures  in  the  southern 
part  of  Britain  ;  that  he  defended  himself 
bravely  against  the  Romans,  with  only  his 
own  forces  ;  and  that  he  ended  his  days  in 
captivity  in  Rome,  or  its  neighborhood. 
Besides,  the  period  of  his  death,  according 
to  Tacitus,  is  at  variance  with  the  date  of 
the  accession  to  the  throne,  of  the  successor 
to  the  supposed  Caractacus  of  Scotland. 

Notwithstanding  the  troubles  which  dis- 
turbed   Malachi's   reign,  this  pious  prince 
governed  his  subjects  with  equity  and  justice. 
He  formed  alliances  with  foreign  princes,  j 
and  gained  several  victorie,s  over  the  ene-  j 
mics  of  his  country ;  but  his  weakness  in 


224 


HrSTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


having  given  a  footing  to  the  Normans  in 
the  maritime  towns  of  the  island,  after  the 
cruehies  they  had  previously  exercised  in 
the  conntry,  k^ssens  considerably  the  opinion 
we  should  otherwise  have  entertained  of  his 
policy.  This  prince  died,  much  regretted, 
and  was  interred  with  great  pomp  at  Cluain- 
Mac-Noisk,  a.  d.  8G3. 

Hugh  VII.,  surnamed  Fionliat,  son  of  the 
monarch  Niall-Caille,  succeeded  Malachi. 
He  married  Maolmuire,  daughter  of  Ken-j 
neth,  king  of  Scotland,  by  whom  he  had  a 
son  called  Niall-Glundubh.* 

Many  remarkable  occurrences  took  place 
during  the  reign  of  this  monarch.  Connor, 
son  of  Donnogh,  prince  of  Meath,  was  killed 
at  Clonard  by  the  Danes,  commanded  by 
Amlaoib  ;  but  the  monarch  attacking  them 
some  time  afterwards  at  Lough-Febhail, 
nowLough-Foyle,  in  the  county  of  Donegal, 
they  were  completely  defeated,  and  several 
thousand  killed,  among  whom  were  forty 
of  the  principal  men  in  their  army,  whose 
heads  were  carried  in  triumph  before  the 
conqueror. t  Encouraged  by  this  success, 
the  army  pursued  them  in  every  direction, 
even  to  their  forts,  where  they  put  a  great 
number  to  the  sword,  and  carried  off  con- 
siderable booty.  Some  time  afterwards,  the 
monarch,  with  about  one  thousand  horse- 
men, gained  a  complete  victory  at  Killuan- 
doigre,  over  a  body  of  five  thousand  men, 
both  Danes  and  Irish  insurgents,  which  very 
much  humbled  the  barbarians.  About  that 
time  the  castle  of  Cluain-Dalchain,  near 
Dublin,  was  set  on  fire.  It  had  been  built 
by  Amlaoib,  the  Danish  chief,  and  was  gar- 
risoned by  his  troops.  The  natives,  taking 
advantage  of  the  confusion  caused  by  the 
fire,  killed  several  of  them,  with  their  chiefs ; 
but  the  tyrant  soon  afterwards  took  signal 
revenge,  by  putting  a  considerable  number 
of  the  inhabitants  to  death  in  an  ambuscade 
he  had  prepared  for  them.  This  advantage 
raised  his  fallen  courage,  and  the  continual 
reinforcements  that  arrived  from  Denmark, 
soon  enabled  him  to  pillage  and  burn  Ar- 
magh, and  massacre  the  inhabitants  ;  after 
which  he  sailed  with  a  fleet  of  two  hundred 
vessels  for  Wales,  accompanied  by  his 
brother  Ivar,  to  the  assistance  of  his  coun- 
trymen, Hinguar  and  Hubba,  and  returned 
the  following  year  to  Dublin,  loaded  with 
booty,  having  pillaged  Wales,  and  part  of 


*  Keating's  History  of  Ireland.  War.  de  Antiq. 
Hib.  cap.  24. 

t  Grat.  Luc.  c.  9.  Propug.  Cathol.  Verit-  lib. 
5,  c.  14.  Porter.  Comp.  Ann.  Eccles.  Reg.  Hib. 
Beet.  4,  c.  1. 


Scotland.  Amlaoib,  or  Amlavus,  survived 
this  expedition  but  a  short  time,  and  Ivarus 
died  the  year  following.  Ostinus,  son  of 
Amlavus,  was  assassinated  by  the  Danes,  of 
whom  he  became  chief  after  his  father's 
death,  and  was  succeeded  in  the  government 
of  these  barbarians  by  Godfrey,  son  of  Ivar. 
It  was  in  this  juncture  of  afiairs  that  Roger, 
son  of  Moirmain,  a  British  king,  took  refuge 
in  Ireland  with  the  relics  of  St.  Columbkil, 
which  he  presented  to  the  Irish  monarch. 

In  the  reign  of  Hugh,  the  kingdom  of 
Cashel  was  governed  by  Donnogh,  who  suc- 
ceeded Cionfaola ;  and  Thuomond,  by  Lor- 
can,  son  of  Lachna,  chief  of  the  noble  tribe 
of  the  Dalgais.  In  it  also  may  be  fixed  the 
foundation  of  an  abbey  by  Flan-Mac-Kel- 
lach,  at  Bally-ne-Scelig,  otherwise  Mount 
St.  Michael,  in  one  of  the  Sceleges  isles,  on 
the  coast  of  Kerry,  in  Munster.  The  king, 
having  repented  sincerely  of  his  sins,  died 
on  the  twelfth  of  the  calends  of  December, 
879,  at  Druim-Inisclain,  in  the  district  of 
Tyrconnel. 

Flan,  surnamed  Sionna,  son  of  King 
Malachi,  succeeded  Hugh  VII.  in  the  su- 
preme government  of  the  island.  This 
monarch's  reign  was  long,  and  filled  with 
troubles.*  The  Danes  still  continued  their 
hostilities ;  they  plundered  Cluain-Ioraird 
andKildare,A.D.  888,  and  exercised  unheard- 
of  cruelties,  so  that  he  was  obliged  to  come 
to  an  engagement  with  them,  which  was 
disastrous  to  both  parties,  from  the  number 
of  men  killed  on  each  side.  The  monarch 
gained  a  dear-bought  victory,  and  Hugh, 
prince  of  Connaught,  son  of  Conquovar, 
king  of  that  province,  was  found  among  the 
slain.  Several  other  battles  were  fought 
also,  with  unequal  success. 

Discord  now  began  to  prevail  among 
the  Danes  in  Dublin,  a.  d.  892.  Godfrey, 
son  of  Ivar,  the  Danish  prince,  was  assassi- 
nated by  the  intrigues  of  his  brother  Sitrick  ; 
while  the  latter  found  a  formidable  enemy  in 
Galfrid,  son  of  Merlus.  The  strife  between 
these  chiefs  was  carried  to  such  a  pitch 
as  to  divide  the  city  into  two  parties,  one 
half  declaring  in  favor  of  Sitrick,  and  the 
other  for  Galfrid.  Their  disagreement  did 
not,  however,  prevent  them  from  pillaging 
the  city  of  Armagh  some  time  afterwards, 
and  destroying  the  churches.  In  this  expe- 
dition they  surprised  Cumasgach,  king  of 
Ulster,  with  his  son  Hugh,  and  took  them 
prisoners.  Sitrick  did  not  long  survive  his 
fratricide,  being  killed  by  his  own 


*  Keating,  Waraeus,  Grat.  Luc,  Bruodinus,  et 
Porterus,  ibid. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


225 


His  brother  Amlave,  having  led  a  body  of 
troops  some  time  after  into  Tirconnel,  was 
defeated  and  killed  by  the  inhabitants.  A 
fresh  reinforcement  of  Danes  that  arrived 
in  Dublin  in  902,  was  destroyed  near  that 
city  by  the  people  of  Leinster. 

The  war  against  the  Danes  was  not  the 
only  one  in  which  this  monarch  was  en- 
gaged. The  equilibrium  of  the  kingdom 
was  already  lost ;  the  union  established  be- 
tween the  princes  at  the  assembly  of  Rath- 
Hugh,  by  the  authority  of  Malachi,  was 
forgotten,  and  the  rights  of  the  monarchy 
violated.  These  circumstances  induced 
Flan-Sionna  to  march  with  an  army  into  the 
north  of  Munster,  which  committed  dread- 
ful devastations.  Donnogh,  king  of  that 
province,  died  in  the  meantime. 

Cormac-Mac-Culinan  succeeded  Don- 
nogh in  the  kingdom  of  Munster  ;  he  was 
of  the  royal  race  of  Cashel,  and  king  of  the 
province.  He  himself  was  both  a  spiritual 
and  temporal  prince,  being  at  the  same 
time  bishop  of  Cashel,  and  king  of  the  pro- 
vince. Of  such  unions  some  examples  were 
to  be  found  among  his  ancestors.  Olcobar, 
who  died  in  851,  and  Cenfoelad  in  872, 
were  at  the  same  time  kings  of  Cashel,  and 
bishops  of  Emly.  We  have  seen  the  func- 
tions of  both  dignities  exercised  by  Jona- 
than, Simon,  John  Hircan,  Aristobulus,  and 
Alexander  Janne.  The  Roman  emperors 
took  pride  in  the  title  of  high  priest  ;  and, 
without  recurring  to  the  example  of  the 
sacrilegiuus  power  so  shamefully  usurped 
by  the  kings  of  England,  of  which  a  certain 
author  avails  himself  on  this  subject,  we  see 
still  ecclesiastical  electors  in  Germany  who 
are  both  spiritual  and  temporal  princes. 

Caradocus  of  Lhancarvan,  in  his  Welsh 
Chronicle,  mentions  Cormac  as  a  man  of 
piety.  However,  either  he,  or  the  editor  of 
his  work  in  English,  is  mistaken  in  calling 
him  Carmot,  son  of  Cukeman,  king  and 
bishop  of  Ireland. 

In  the  seventh  year  of  the  reign  of  Cor- 
mac, he  declared  war  against  the  province 
of  Leinster,  to  enforce  the  payment  of  a 
Boiroimhe  or  tribute,  which  the  kings  of 
Cashel  exacted  from  the  inhabitants  of  that 
province.  This  peaceable  and  pious  prince 
was  averse  to  the  war  ;  but  his  objections 
were  overruled  by  his  council,  and  particu- 
larly by  Flahertach,  abbot  of  Iniscatha,  of 
royal  blood,  who  persuaded  him  that  Lein- 
ster, as  forming  part  of  Leath-Modha,  ac- 
cording to  the  division  made  of  the  island 
in  the  third  century,  between  Conn  the 
monarch  and  Modha  king  of  Munster,  owed 
homage  to  his  crown  ;  whereupon,  he  as- 


sembled an  army,  and  marched  towards  the 
frontiers  of  Leinster. 

Cormac's  uneasiness  for  the  success  of 
the  war  increased  daily.  He  foresaw  that 
it  would  be  fatal,  not  only  to  his  province, 
but  to  himself  in  person  ;  particularly  as  the 
monarch  had  declared  in  favor  of  the  people 
of  Leinster,  and  had  marched  with  a  body 
of  troops  to  join  them.  These  motives  in- 
duced Cormac  to  receive  the  sacraments  be- 
fore he  commenced  hostilities,  after  which  he 
made  his  will,  by  which  he  left  several  pious 
legacies  to  churches  and  monasteries.  He 
bequeathed  an  ounce  of  gold  and  one  of  sil- 
ver, with  a  caparisoned  horse,  to  Ard-Fio- 
nan  ;  two  chalices,  one  gold  the  other  silver, 
with  a  church  ornament,  to  Lismore  ;  to 
Cashel  he  left  two  chalices,  one  gold  and  the 
other  silver,  four  ounces  of  gold,  and  five  of 
silver  ;  to  Imleach-Inbhair,  (Emly,)  three 
ounces  of  gold,  and  a  missal  ;  to  Glen-da- 
Loch,  one  ounce  of  gold  and  one  of  silver  ; 
to  Kildare,  a  caparisoned  horse,  an  ounce  of 
gold,  and  an  altar  ornament  ;  he  left  to  Ar- 
magh eighty  ounces  of  gold  and  as  many  of 
silver  ;  three  ounces  of  gold  to  Inis-Catha  ; 
and  three  ounces  of  gold,  with  an  altar  orna- 
ment, and  his  blessing,  to  the  monastery  of 
Mungarret,  in  the  territory  of  Kinseallagh. 
This  prince  was  desirous,  too,  of  performing 
an  act  of  justice  before  his  death.  He 
knew  that  Oilioll-Olum,  first  absolute  king 
of  Munster,  in  the  third  century,  had  made 
a  regulation  respecting  the  succession  to  the 
throne  of  that  province,  by  which  he  had 
decreed  that  the  sceptre  should  belong  alter- 
nately to  the  two  branches  springing  from  his 
two  sons,  Eogan  and  Cormac-Cas.  He  also 
knew  that  this  law  had  not  been  observed, 
inasmuch  as  the  descendants  of  Eogan  were 
generally  kings  of  Cashel,  with  the  title  of 
kings  of  Munster,  while  those  of  Cormac- 
Cas  were  only  kings  of  Thuomond.  Cor- 
mac, being  desirous  of  appeasing  the  discord 
and  troubles  thereby  caused  in  the  province, 
sent  for  Lorcan,  son  of  Lachtna,  king  of 
Thuomond,  chief  of  the  branch  of  Cormac- 
Cas,  and  presented  him  to  the  nobles  of 
Siol-Eogain,  as  having  the  right  to  succeed 
him  on  the  throne  ;  but  his  wishes  were  not 
fulfilled,  as  Dubhlachtna,  son  of  Maolguala, 
was  appointed  his  successor. 

Every  thing  being  prepared  for  the  con- 
flict, the  army  marched  through  Leighlin,  as 
far  as  the  plains  of  Moyailbhe,  in  the  district 
of  Slieve-Mairge,  which  had  been  named  as 
the  place  of  meeting.  Cormac  again  en- 
deavored to  settle  the  dispute  peaceably  ; 
]  and  sent  a  herald  to  the  king  of  Leinster,  to 
demand  the  tribute  that  he  owed  him,  or 


226 


niiSTORY    OF   IRELAND. 


hostages  to  secure  the  payment  of  it.  The 
herald  returned  with  ambassadors  on  the 
part  of  the  king  of  Leinster,  to  seek  a  truce 
of  a  few  months,  during  wliich  time  they 
might  come  to  an  accommodation  ;  but  this 
proposal  being  rejected  through  the  influence 
of  the  abbot  of  Inis-Catha,  they  determined 
to  decide  tlie  matter  by  Ibrce  of  arms. 

The  Leinster  troops  having  arrived,  with 
the  monarch  Flan-Sionna,  and  Carrol,  son 
of  Muireagein  their  king,  at  their  head,  their 
superior  numbers  made  such  an  impression 
on  the  Munster  men,  that  part  of  the  army 
would  not  wait  the  issue  of  a  battle,  but  took 
to  flight,  and  the  rest  were  cut  to  pieces, 
16th  August,  913.  The  king  of  Munster, 
who  had  been  always  averse  to  this  war, 
signalized  himself  particularly  in  the  en- 
gagement, (which  was  commonly  called  the 
battle  of  Beallach-Mugna,)  but  was  killed 
by  a  fall  from  his  horse.  Carrol  took  a  great 
number  of  prisoners,  among  whom  were 
several  persons  of  distinction,  and  in  that 
number  the  abbot  of  Inis-Catha,  the  princi- 
pal promoter  of  this  war,  whom  he  brought 
in  triumph  to  Kildare,  where  he  remained 
a  prisoner  till  the  death  of  Carrol. 

Authors  are  not  agreed  as  to  the  death  of 
Cormac.  According  to  Caradocus,  he  was 
killed  in  a  battle  against  the  Danes.  Ac- 
cording, however,  to  a  manuscript  in  the 
Cottonian  library,  he  was  killed  by  some 
cow-herds  at  Bearnree,  near  Leichlin,  while 
on  his  knees  praying,  like  a  second  Moses, 
for  the  success  of  his  army,  during  their 
engagement  with  the  enemy.  However,  it 
is  more  likely  that  he  was  killed,  as  stated 
in  the  annals  of  Ulster  and  Inisfail,  in  the 
battle  we  have  just  mentioned.  His  body 
was  brought  to  Cashel,  Avhere  he  was  in- 
terred, as  he  had  ordered  in  his  will,  although 
Keating  asserts  that  he  was  buried  at  Dise- 
art-Diarmuda,  now  Castle-Dermod,  in  the 
monastery  of  St.  ComhgoU.* 

This  prince  was  learned,  and  well  versed 
in  the  antiquities  of  his  country.  He  wrote 
the  Psalter  of  Cashel,  in  the  Scotic  language, 
a  work  highly  esteemed.  He  is  celebrated 
by  the  historians  of  his  country,  not  only  for 
his  learning,  but  likewise  his  piety,  charity, 
valor,  and  magnificence.! 

When  speaking  of  this  prince,  mention 
should  be  made  of  the  Episcopal  see  of 
Cashel,  of  which  he  was  a  distinguished 
ornament.  This  see  was  erected  into  the 
metropolitan  of  the  province  of  Munster,  at 
the  synod  of  Kells,  held  in  1152,  by  cardi- 

*  War.  de  Prxsul.  Casseliens. 
t  War.  ibid. 


nal  John  Paparo,  who  gave  the  pallium  to 
Donat  O'Lonargan,  then  bishop. 

After  the  conversion  of  Aongus,  son  of 
Naodfrach,  king  of  Cashel,  the  people  of 
that  territory  remained  for  some  centuries 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  St.  Ailbe  and  his 
successors,  and  considered  their  district  as 
forming  part  of  the  diocese  of  Emly,  which 
is  twelve  miles  from  Cashel,  where  that 
saint  had  established  his  see,  and  which  at 
this  remote  period  was  looked  on  as  the 
metropolitan  of  the  province. 

The  rest  of  Flan-Sionna's  reign  was  tole- 
rably tranquil.  The  princes  having  been 
reconciled,  held  the  Danes  in  awe  ;  justice 
was  freely  administered  to  the  p'feople,  and 
peace  restored  to  the  church.  The  churches 
and  public  schools  for  the  instruction  of 
youth  were  repaired,  and  the  husbandman 
cultivated  his  fields  in  more  security.  The 
barbarians,  however,  made  their  appearance 
from  time  to  time.  In  915,  they  laid  waste 
part  of  Munster,  but  were  vigorously  repulsed 
the  year  following  by  the  inhabitants  of  that 
province.  They  were  more  successful  in 
Leinster,  under  the  command  of  Sitrick, 
where  they  killed  Angar,  son  of  Oiliol,  king 
of  that  province,  and  several  of  the  nobility. 
Meanwhile  the  Danes  of  Dublin  pillaged  the 
Lsle  of  Man,  and  that  of  Anglesey,  in  Wales. 
Flanna-Sionna  died  this  year,  at  Tailton  in 
Meath,  on  the  eighth  of  the  calends  of  June, 
(25th  May,)  at  the  age  of  68  years,  of  which 
he  had  reigned  37,  a.  d.  916. 

Niall,  surnamed  Glundubh,  son  of  Hugh 
VII.,  ascended  the  throne  of  Ireland  on  the 
death  of  Flan-Sionna.  This  prince  re-es- 
tablished the  fair  of  Tailton,  which  had  not 
been  held  for  some  time.  He  afterwards 
marched  against  the  Danes,  who  were  com- 
mitting devastations  in  Ulster,  and  gained  a 
victory  over  them,  with  the  loss,  however, 
of  some  of  his  best  troops.  HaA'ing  given 
them  battle  on  the  15th  September,  919, 
near  Dublin,  his  army  was  cut  to  pieces  and 
he  himself  found  among  the  slain,  together 
with  Hugh  Mac-Eochagain,  king  of  Ulster, 
and  several  other  princes. 

Donchad,  or  Donough  II.,  son  of  Flan- 
Sionna,  who  succeeded  Niall,  was  more 
fortunate  than  his  predecessor,  in  his  wars 
against  the  Danes.*  In  the  first  year  of  his 
reign,  he  gained  a  complete  victory  over 
these  barbarians  at  Kiannachta-Bregh,  in 
Meath,  and  fully  avenged  the  death  of  his 
predecessor,  and  the  princes  who  had  fallen 
with  him,  by  killing  several  of  the  principal 
Danes.  He  afterwards  laid  waste  the  country 

*  War.  de  Anliq.  Hib.  cap.  24.     Grat.  Luc.  c.  9. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


227 


in  the  neighborhood  of  Dublin,  which  be- 
longed to  the  barbarians.* 

In  the  reign  of  Donchad,  Keallachan,  son 
of  Buadhac,  ascended  the  throne  of  Cashel 
after  Flahertach,  abbot  of  Inis-Catha,  who 
had  succeeded  Dublachtna,  notwithstanding 
the  opposition  of  Kennedy,  son  of  Lorcan, 
prince  of  Thuomond,  wlro  laid  claim  to 
that  crown. f  The  king  of  Cashel  signal- 
ized himself  against  the  Danes,  defeated 
them  in  several  engagements,  and  forced 
them  to  quit  his  province. 

The  barbarians  being  unable  to  attack 
this  prince  openly,  or  maintain  possession 
of  their  conquests,  had  recourse  to  intrigue 
in  order  to  be  revenged  on  him.  Sitrick, 
who  was  at  that  time  chief  of  the  Danes, 
sent  a  courier  to  the  king  of  Munster,  to 
signify  his  desire  to  make  peace,  and  live 
on  terms  of  friendship  with  him ;  at  the 
same  time  saying  he  would  withdraw  all  his 
troops  from  the  province,  and  thencefor- 
ward put  an  end  to  hostilities  ;  in  fact,  that 
he  would  enter  into  a  league  ofTensive  and 
defensive  with  him,  and  as  a  pledge  of  his 
sincerity,  offered  him  the  princess  of  Den- 
mark, his  sister,  in  marriage.  Some  al- 
liances had  at  this  time  already  taken  place 
between  the  Irish  and  the  Danes;  among 
others,  Sitrick  having  married  Morling, 
daughter  of  Hugh-Mac-Eochaidh. 

The  king  of  Cashel  fell  into  the  snare, 
and  was  highly  flattered  by  the  proposals  of 
Sitrick,  particularly  that  respecting  his  sis- 
ter, having  heard  a  great  deal  of  the  beauty 
of  that  princess.  He  answered  that  he 
would  immediately  repair  to  Dublin  to  con- 
tract the  marriage,  and  to  treat  about  the 
other  articles  of  the  league. 

Keallachan  having  given  his  orders,  and 
every  thing  being  ready  for  the  journey,  he 
set  out  for  Dublin,  accompanied  by  Dun- 
chnan,  prince  of  Thuomond,  son  of  Kennedy, 
and  escorted  by  a  chosen  body  of  horse.  On 
coming  within  a  league  of  the  city,  he 
perceived  Danish  troops  concealed  in  the 
hedges,  which  he  considered  as  a  bad 
omen,  and  attempting  to  turn  back,  he  was 
assailed  and  made  prisoner,  with  Dunchnan, 
in  spite  of  the  vigorous  resistance  of  his 
guards,  several  of  whom  were  killed  on 
the  spot.  The  princes  were  brought  to 
Dublin,  and  thence  to  Armagh,  where  they 
were  placed  in  confinement  and  strongly 
guarded.  Those  who  escaped  the  combat, 
brought  back  to  the  province  the  news  of 

*  Porter,  Compend.  Annal.  Reg.  Hib.  sect.  4, 
cap.  3. 

t  Keat.  History  of  Ireland,  part  2.  Propug. 
Cathol.  Verit.  lib.  5,  c.  14. 


the  perfidy  of  the  Danes,  and  the  captivity 
of  their  princes. 

Kennede,  to  whom  Kellachan  had  confided 
the  administration  of  the  government  during 
his  absence,  exasperated  at  this  shameless 
outrage,  assembled  the  troops  of  the  prov- 
ince, and  sent  them,  under  the  command  of 
Donnogh  Mac-Keefe,  prince  of  Fearmoihe, 
an  experienced  general,  with  orders  to  punish 
the  insolence  of  the  barbarians,  and  restore 
the  captives  to  liberty.  At  the  same  time 
he  dispatched  a  fleet  under  the  command  of 
Failbhe-Fionn,  prince  of  Desmond,  to  cut 
off  the  enemy's  retreat  by  sea.  Never  was 
a  project  better  contrived,  or  more  ably 
executed. 

The  commander  of  the  Danish  army  who 
was  in  care  of  the  captives  at  Armagh,  hav- 
ing learned  through  a  spy  that  the  Munster 
troops  were  on  their  march  to  attack  him, 
left  a  detachment  to  guard  the  prisoners  and 
advanced  from  the  city  with  the  rest  of  his 
army  to  prevent  their  arrival.  The  engage- 
ment began,  and  the  Danes,  unable  to  with- 
stand the  impetuosity  of  the  Munster  men, 
fired  with  the  desire  of  vengeance,  were  cut 
to  pieces.  The  victory,  however,  was  not 
productive  of  the  effect  which  Donnogh  had 
reason  to  hope.  The  prisoners  had  been 
previously  removed  to  Dundalk,  a  seaport 
twenty  miles  from  Armagh,  and  given  up  to 
Sitrick,  who  embarked  with  them  on  board 
his  fleet,  which  was  at  anchor  in  that  port ; 
these  vessels  being  used  as  garrisons  and 
places  of  retreat  by  the  barbarians,  when 
unable  to  defend  themselves  by  land.  Don- 
nogh having  spent  the  night  after  the  battle 
at  Armagh,  marched  the  next  day  for  Dun- 
dalk, where  he  expected  to  overtake  the 
enemy  ;  but  his  hopes  vanished  on  discover- 
ing this  manoeuvre  of  the  barbarians,  who 
feared  nothing  from  a  land  army  unprovided 
with  a  fleet.  However,  the  aspect  of  affairs 
soon  changed.  The  arrival  of  the  Irish  fleet, 
under  the  command  of  Failbhe-Fionn,  dis- 
concerted the  Danes,  by  Avhom  they  were 
wholly  unexpected,  and  their  dismay  was  in- 
creased by  the  most  bloody  and  obstinate 
battle  that  had  ever  been  fought  on  these 
coasts.  As  they  were  determined  on  board- 
ing the  ships  and  coming  to  a  close  engage- 
ment, Faflbhe-Fionn,  desirous  of  setting  his 
troops  the  example,  leaped,  sword  in  hand, 
into  the  Danish  admiral's  ship,  on  board  of 
which  was  Sitrick,  his  brothers  Tor  and 
Magnus,  and  Keallachan,  king  of  Munster, 
who  was  tied  to  the  mast.  Followed  by  a 
small  detachment,  this  brave  man  made  a 
dreadful  slaughter  among  the  barbarians, 
cleared  a  passage  to  the  spot  where  the  king 


228 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


was,  and  set  him  at  liberty ;  but  his  strength 
being  exhausted  by  the  heat  of  the  action, 
and  by  loss  of  blood,  he  was  unfortunately 
slain.  The  combat  did  not  end  with  the 
loss  of  this  hero,  but  was  renewed  through 
the  courage  of  Fiongall.  Encouraging  his 
men  by  his  own  example,  they  caused  dread- 
ful slaughter.  Seeing,  however,  that  the 
superior  lumibers  of  the  enemy,  animated 
by  the  valor  of  Sitrick,  their  chief,  rendered 
his  efforts  useless,  this  skilful  captain  be- 
thought of  an  expedient  as  heroic  as  it  was 
bold.  Meeting  with  Sitrick  in  the  thick  of 
the  fight,  he  darted  on  him,  and  seizing  him 
in  his  arms,  threw  himself  into  the  sea, 
where  both  perished  together.  The  courage 
of  Seagda  and  Conall  was  roused  to  such 
a  degree,  by  this  example  of  intrepidity, 
that  they  seized  in  like  manner  on  Tor  and 
Magnus,  brothers  of  Sitrick,  and  shared 
with  them  a  watery  grave. 

The  Danes  having  lost  their  commanders, 
and  terrified  by  those  horrid  and  cruel  ac- 
tions, began  to  give  way,  and  part  of  their 
fleet  having  abandoned  the  conflict,  victory 
declared  in  favor  of  the  Irish.  The  con- 
sternation of  Donnogli's  army  during  this 
engagement  may  easily  be  conceived — be- 
holding their  countrymen  engaged  with  a 
formidable  enemy,  while  they  were  unable 
to  give  them  any  assistance. 

After  the  naval  combat,  and  the  dispersion 
of  the  enemy's  fleet,  Keallachan  landed  in 
Dundalk,  where  he  was  joyfully  received  by 
the  people.  Having  rested  his  troops,  and 
given  orders  for  the  care  and  removal  of  the 
wounded,  he  marched  with  his  army  towards 
Munster,  and  resumed  the  government  of 
that  province.  When  he  had  recruited  his 
forces,  he  pursued  the  Danes,  who  remain- 
ed in  his  territory,  five  hundred  of  whom 
he  killed  at  Limerick  and  its  neighborhood, 
about  the  same  number  at  Cashel,  and  the 
remainder  escaped  on  board  their  ships. 
This  prince  died  in  peace  some  time  after- 
wards, and  left  his  crown  to  Feargna,  son 
of  Ailgenan,  and  grandson  of  Dungala,  who 
was  succeeded,  after  a  reign  of  two  years, 
by  Mahon,  son  of  Kennede,  and  brother  of 
Eichiarium,  prince  of  Thuomond. 

Reginald,  king  of  the  Ostmans  of  Dublin, 
having  died  in  921,  was  succeeded  by  God- 
frid,  who  led  an  army  into  Ulster  the  same 
year,  and  pillaged  Armagh.  He  lost,  how- 
ever, a  considerable  part  of  his  troops  in  an 
expedition  into  Limerick,  in  924.  Two 
years  afterwards  he  sent  a  body  of  men 
into  Ulster,  under  the  command  of  his  son 
Aulaf,  who  was  twice  repulsed  by  the  in- 
habitants of  that  province,  and  escaped  with 


difficulty  by  the  aid  of  a  reinforcement  which 
his  father  brought  from  Dublin. 

This  tyrant  died  in  934,  loaded  with 
ignominy  for  his  cruelty,  and  was  succeeded 
by  his  son  Aulaf,  who  died  .suddenly  in  941. 
The  year  following,  the  barbarians  plun- 
dered Down,  Clonard,  Kildare,  and  the 
neighboring  country ;  but  in  943  they  were 
driven  out  of  the  district  of  Lecale,  by  the 
people  of  Ulster.  They  were  again  de- 
feated, wath  the  loss  of  eight  hundred  men, 
by  the  Ulster  troops  under  the  command  of 
Mortough-Mac-Neill,  king  of  that  province  : 
after  which  Ireland  enjoyed  peace  for  some 
time,  which  was,  however,  interrupted  by 
the  battle  of  Roscrea. 

The  barbarians,  whose  only  object  was 
pillage,  knew  that  the  celebrated  fair  of 
Roscrea,  in  the  district  of  Thobuir-Daron, 
(Tipperary,)  was  to  be  held  on  the  29th  of 
June,  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul's  day,  and  that 
most  of  the  rich  merchants  in  the  kingdom 
repaired  thither  every  year.  Hoping  to 
find  sufficient  booty  to  gratify  their  avarice, 
the  Danes,  who  were  quartered  in  and  about 
Connaught,  assembled  under  the  command 
of  Oilfinn,  their  general,  and  set  out  on 
their  march  in  order  to  reach  Roscrea  on 
the  day  appointed.  The  news  of  this  march 
soon  spread,  and  caused  dreadful  alarm. 
At  this  period  the  inhabitants  of  Ireland 
always  went  armed  to  defend  themselves 
against  the  barbarians ;  and  those  who  at- 
tended the  fair  of  Roscrea  did  not  fail  to 
use  the  precaution  on  this  occasion,  being 
all  provided  with  weapons ;  and  though 
strangers  to  each  other,  having  come  from 
different  parts  of  the  kingdom,  still  the  gen- 
eral welfare  and  the  love  of  country  were  ties 
sufiiciently  strong  to  unite  them  against  the 
barbarians.  They  laid  aside  their  traffic, 
left  the  fair,  and  went  to  meet  the  enemy ; 
the  engagement  was  bloody  and  obstinate, 
but  the  barbarians  were  put  to  ilight,  having 
left  their  chief,  Oilfinn,  and  4000  men  dead 
on  the  field  of  battle.  The  Danes  of  Lough- 
Oirbsion,  now  Lough-Corrib,  in  the  county 
of  Galway,  were  afterwards  defeated  by  the 
people  of  Connaught.  Teige,  son  of  Cahill, 
king  of  that  province,  died  about  this  time. 

The  Danes  of  Lough-Neagh,  in  Ulster, 
were  also  cut  to  pieces  by  Conning-Mac- 
Neill,  who  killed  one  thousand  two  hundred 
of  them.  The  usual  quarters  of  these  bar- 
barians were  on  the  sea-shore,  or  near  some 
lake,  that  they  might  be  within  reach  of 
their  ships,  which  served  them  as  places  of 
retreat. 

Notwithstanding  the  repeated  victories 
which  the  Irish  gained  over  the  barbarians, 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


229 


Scandinavia  still  continued  to  send  overj 
reinforcements,  which  enabled  them  to  con-  1 
tinue  their  depredations.  They  again  pil- 
laged Armagh,  and  the  neighborhood  of! 
Lough-Earne  and  Inis-Owen,  where  they 
surprised  Mortough-Mac-Neill,  who  how- 
ever fortunately  made  his  escape. 

After  a  reign  of  twenty-five  years,  filled 
with  troubles,  Donchad,  the  monarch,  died  a 
sudden  death. 

Congal,  son  of  Maolmithig,  descended 
from  Niall  the  Great  by  Conall-Creamthine 
and  Hugh  III.,  surnamed  Slaine,  ascended 
the  throne,  a.  d.  944.  The  mother  of  this 
prince  was  Mary,  daughter  of  Kenneth,  son 
of  Ailpin,  king  of  Scotland.* 

The  reign  of  this  monarch  was  fatal  to 
the  Danes.  After  gaining  a  glorious  victory 
over  them  near  Dublin,  Avhere  4000  lost 
their  lives,  he  entered  the  city  triumphantly, 
which  he  gave  up  to  pillage,  and  put  the 
garrison  to  the  sword  ;  but  Blacar,  brother 
of  Aulaf,  recovered  the  city  the  year  follow- 
ing, and  restored  it  to  its  former  state. f 

The  Danes  of  Dublin,  eager  to  revenge 
the  losses  they  had  sustained,  laid  waste 
part  of  Meath,  a.  d.  946  ;  but  they  Avere 
met  near  Slane  by  the  monarch,  who  de- 
stroyed a  great  number  of  them,  those  who 
escaped  the  sword  having  been  drowned, 
A.  D.  948.  The  year  following  he  killed 
1600,  Avith  Blacar  their  chief,  who  was 
succeeded  in  the  command  of  the  barba- 
rians by  Godfrid,  son  of  Sitrick. 

About  this  time  it  was  that  those  barba- 
rians Avere  converted  to  the  Christian  reli- 
gion :  it  did  not,  hoAvever,  immediately 
soften  their  ferocity  ;  as,  some  time  after- 
wards, they  pillaged  the  territory  of  Slane, 
under  the  command  of  Godfrid.  They  set 
fire  to  the  toAvn  and  church,  in  Avhich  sev- 
eral lives  Avere  lost  ;  but  on  their  return 
tOAvards  Dublin,  they  Avere  stripped  of  their 
booty,  and  cut  to  pieces  at  Muine-Breogain, 
by  the  natives,  commanded  by  Congal.  Their 
loss  amounted  to  7000  men,  including  Imar, 
one  of  their  chiefs.  The  monarch  survived 
his  exploits  but  a  short  time,  being  killed 
by  the  Danes  at  the  battle  of  Tiguiran  in 
Leinster. 

In  the  reign  of  Congal,  Brien,  afterwards 
surnamed  Boiroimhe,  succeeded  his  brother 
Mahon  (Avho  had  been  killed  by  robbers)  on 
the  throne  of  Munster,  a.  d.  956.  Sanguine 
hopes  were  already  entertained  of  the  valor 
of  this  prince.    Since  the  time  that  he  com- 

*  War.  de  Aiitiq.  Hib.  cap.  4,  24.  Grat.  Luc. 
cap.  9.     Propug.  Cathol.  Verit.  lib.  5,  cap.  14. 

t  Porter,  Comp.  Anual.  Eccles.  Reg.  Hib.  sect. 
4,  cap.  3,  4. 


manded  the  provincial  army,  under  his 
brother  Mahon,  his  exploits  against  the 
Danes  were  numerous  ;  but  on  succeeding 
to  the  government  of  his  province,  he  be- 
came the  scourge  of  these  barbarians.  He 
began  by  chastising  the  assassins  of  his 
brother  Mahon,  and  Daniel  O'Faolan,  prince 
of  Desie,  who  had  espoused  their  quarrel. 
He  afterwards  attacked  the  people  of  Lein- 
ster, Avho  were  supported  by  a  considerable 
body  of  Danes,  and  forced  them  to  pay  him 
a  tribute  ;  and  it  is  asserted  that  he  won 
twenty-five  battles  against  the  Danes,  the 
last  of  which  was  that  of  Clontarf,  of  which 
Ave  shall  again  haA-e  occasion  to  speak. 

Domhnall,  or  Daniel  O'Niall,  son  of  Mor- 
tough,  and  grandson  of  Niall  Glundubh  the 
monarch,  succeeded  Congal,  a.  d.  956.  His 
reign  Avas  very  much  disturbed  by  the  incur- 
sions of  the  barbarians.*  They  pillaged  the 
church  and  territory  of  Kildare,  under  the 
command  of  Amlare.  They  afterwards  laid 
Avaste  Keannanus  and  part  of  Meath,  from 
Avhich  they  carried  aAvay  considerable  booty. 

The  monarch,  Avho  was  dissatisfied  Avith 
the  conduct  of  the  people  of  Connaught  in 
regard  to  him,  sent  an  army  to  lay  waste 
their  province,  a  disaster  which  Feargal 
O'Rourke,  Avho  Avas  at  the  time  their  king, 
Avas  unable  to  prevent.  He  afterAvards  en- 
tered Leinster,  in  order  to  punish  the  people 
of  that  province  for  having  revolted,  in  con- 
junction with  their  allies,  the  Danes.  It 
was  then  that  he  gave  battle  at  Kilmone,  to 
Domhnall,  son  of  Colegach,  Avho  Avas  assisted 
by  a  body  of  Danes  under  the  command  of 
Aulaf.  This  battle  was  bloody  and  indeci- 
sive. Among  the  slain  were  Ardgall,  king 
of  Ulster,  Donnagan,  son  of  Maolmuirre, 
prince  of  Orgiallach,  and  many  other  per- 
sons of  distinction.  The  barbarians,  who 
were  sometimes  the  allies,  and  sometimes 
the  enemies  of  the  people  of  Leinster,  sur- 
prised Ugaire,  son  of  Tuathal,  king  of  that 
province,  and  made  him  prisoner.  This 
outrage  Avas  revenged  by  Brien,  king  of 
Munster,  Avho  put  eight  hundred  Danes  to 
the  sAvord  in  the  isle  of  Inis-Catha,  and 
made  three  of  their  chiefs  prisoners.  Ugaire, 
son  of  Tuathal  king  of  Leinster,  Avho  Avas 
taken  prisoner  by  the  Danes,  haAdng  been 
ransomed,  Avas  killed  by  these  barbarians 
at  the  battle  of  Biothlione. 

Edgar,  king  of  England,  is  asserted  to 
have  conquered  Ireland  in  the  time  of  Domh- 
nall, monarch  of  the  latter  island. f  The 
stoiy  of  this  conquest  is  founded  on  the  pre- 

*  War.  Grat.  Luc.  Bruodin.  et  Porter,  ibid, 
t  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  4,  et  Propug.  CathoL 
Verit.  lib.  5,  cap.  14. 


230 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


amhle  of  a  pretended  charier  of  that  prince, 
dated  Gloncester,  a.  d.  964,  in  which  he 
boasts  of  being  emperor  and  lord  of  all  the 
kings  of  the  islands  bordering  on  Britain, 
He  gives  thanks  to  the  Lord  for  having  ex- 
tended his  dominions,  and  brought  nnder  his 
jurisdiction  all  the  islands  in  the  ocean,  and 
their  ferocious  kings,  as  far  as  Norway,  and 
the  greater  part  of  Ireland,  with  its  noble 
city  of  Dublin,  &c. ;  but  this  charter,  which 
is  not  mentioned  by  English  writers,  appears 
to  have  been  a  part  of  the  flattery  of  the 
monks,  who  were  powerfully  protected  by 
that  prince  in  opposition  to  the  secular  cler- 
gy. Besides,  Edgar  had  a  particular  fond- 
ness for  navigation,  and  always  kept  3600 
ships  on  sea,  divided  into  three  fleets,  with 
w^hich  he  sailed  round  England  every  year, 
to  visit  its  coasts.*  On  his  voyage  he  un- 
doubtedly saw  the  neighboring  coasts,  and 
had  perhaps  taken  possession  of  them  at 
sight,  as  possession  is  taken  of  a  living  in 
sight  of  the  steeple  ;  in  which,  most  prob- 
ably, consisted  his  conquest  of  Ireland. 

After  a  reign  of  twenty-four  years,  Domh- 
nal  the  monarch  died  at  Armagh,  with  sen- 
timents worthy  a  true  Christian. 


CHAPTER  XIY 


Malachi  II.,  otherwise  Maolseachlin, 
succeeded  his  father  Domhnal,  a.  d.  980. 
According  to  some  historians,  he  was  son 
of  Domhnal,  and  grandson  of  Donchad  the 
monarch.!  Whatever  may  have  been  his 
genealogy,  he  Avas  a  valiant  and  warlike 
prince.|  He  began  his  reign  by  attacking 
the  Danes,  and  fought  the  memorable  battle 
of  Tara,  in  which  they  were  completely 
defeated,  with  the  loss  of  several  thousand 
men,  (according  to  some  authors  5000,)  with 
all  their  chiefs  ;  among  others,  Reginald, 
son  of  Aulaf.^  This  defeat  was  so  fatal  to 
the  Danes,  that  Aulaf,  their  chief,  undertook 
a  pilgrimage  to  the  island  of  Hy  the  year 
following,  (he  would  seem  to  have  been  a 
Christian  ;)  where,  having  performed  pen- 
ance, he  died  with  grief,  and  was  succeeded 
in  the  command  of  the  Danes  by  his  son 
Gluniarand. 

After  his  victory  over  the  Danes  at  Tara, 

*  Baker,  Chron.  p.  11  ;  Historical  Map  of  Eng- 
land, vol.  1,  b.  4,  pages  329,  330. 

t  Heating's  History  of  Ireland. 

t  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  4. 

§  Grat.  Luc.  cap.  9.  Propug.  Cathol.  Verit.  lib. 
5,  cap.  15.  Porter,  Comp.  Ann.  Eccles.  Reg.  Hib. 
sect.  4,  cap.  4. 


Malachi  marched  with  his  victorious  army 
into  the  territory  of  Fingal,  which  belonged 
to  the  barbarians,  and  laid  the  country  waste. 
He  afterv/ards  besieged  Dublin,  which  he 
took  after  three  days,  and  set  two  thousand 
Irishmen  at  liberty,  who  had  been  prisoners, 
with  Domhnal-Claon,  king  of  Leinster,  and 
Aithir-O'Neill,  prince  of  Ulster. 

The  Danes  Avere  forced  by  these  con- 
quests to  abandon  all  the  territory  they 
possessed,  from  the  river  Shannon  to  the 
eastern  ocean,  and  acknowledge  themselves 
tributary  to  the  monarch. 

Having,  however,  received  some  rein- 
forcements from  their  own  country,  the 
Danes,  regardless  of  the  treaty  they  had 
entered  into  with  Malachi,  recommenced 
their  hostilities,  pillaged  the  churches,  and 
laid  waste  the  province.  But  the  monarch 
attacked  them  with  a  success  equal  to  his 
courage,  and  defeated  them  in  two  engage- 
ments with  Tomor  and  Carolus,  their  chiefs, 
at  Glunmam.  After  this,  however,  he  gave 
himself  up  to  pleasure,  and  neglected  the 
welfare  of  the  nation,  while  the  Danish 
forces  continued  to  increase. 

The  name  of  Malachi  had  become  for- 
midable to  the  Danes.  Malachi  I.,  having 
surprised  their  chief  Turgesius,  rescued  his 
country  from  the  tyranny  of  these  barba- 
rians, thoiigh  he  afterwards  allowed  them  to 
return  and  settle  in  some  maritime  towns, 
under  the  pretext  of  carrying  on  trade,  an 
act  which  was  highly  impolitic.  Malachi 
II.  signalized  himself  equally  against  the 
enemies  of  his  country.  He  humbled  them 
by  repeated  victories  ;  but  having  afterwards 
relaxed  in  his  exertions,  he  lost  all  the  glo- 
ry of  his  exploits,  and  his  crown  at  the 
same  time. 

During  the  reign  of  Malachi,  Gluniarand, 
son  of  Aidaf,  and  chief  of  the  Danes  of 
Dublin,  was  killed  by  his  servant,  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  brother  Sitrick.  Godfrid, 
son  of  Harald,  king  of  the  Hebrides,  was 
killed  the  same  year  by  the  Dalriads.  Sit- 
rick, son  of  Aulaf,  having  been  expelled  from 
Dublin  by  his  subjects,  was  recalled  a  short 
time  afterwards,  and  sent  assistance  to  Maol- 
morha-Mac-Murchuda,  to  make  him  king  of 
Leinster,  in  place  of  Donat,  who  had  been 
taken  in  battle  and  forced  to  abdicate  the 
throne.  Brien,  king  of  Munster,  had  de- 
clared war  the  same  year  against  the  Danes 
of  Dublin,  and  having  conquered  them  at 
the  battle  of  Glenananin,  in  which  their  loss 
amounted  to  6000  men,  he  razed  their  city 
to  the  ground.  They,  however,  rebuilt  it 
afterwards,  and  gave  hostages  to  Brien. 

It  had  now  become  necessary  to  put  a  stop 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


231 


to  the  progress  which  the  Danes  were  making 
in  the  country,  encouraged  by  their  alUance 
with  the  people  of  Lcinster,  and  the  weak- 
ness of  Malachi's  reign.  The  princes  of 
Munster  and  Connaught  having  assembled, 
it  was  decreed  that  Malachi  should  be  de- 
throned, and  the  sceptre  transferred  to  Brien, 
king  of  Munster,  a  prince  who  was  capable 
of  repressing  the  insolence  of  the  barbarians. 
Although  this  decree  did  not  emanate  from 
a  general  assembly  of  all  the  provinces,  the 
neutrality  observed  by  those  who  did  not 
join  in  it  seemed  to  give  it  their  sanction, 
and  Brien  supplied  the  deficiency  by  a 
powerful  army  of  the  natives  and  Danes, 
with  which  he  marched  to  Tara  and  obliged 
Malachi  to  abdicate.  He  however  retained 
the  title  of  king  of  Meath,  which  was  his 
patrimony.  The  sceptre  of  Ireland,  which 
had  been  swayed  by  kings  of  the  house  of 
Heremon,  and  particularly  by  the  descend- 
ants of  Niall  the  Great,  since  the  reign  of 
that  monarch  in  the  fourth  century,  was 
transferred  in  the  beginning  of  the  eleventh 
to  the  house  of  Heber. 

Brien,  surnamed  Boiroimhe,  son  of  Ken- 
nede,  and  grandson  of  Lorcan,  of  the  race 
of  Heber-Fionn,  having  received  the  abdi- 
cation of  Malachi  at  Athlone,  was  declared 
monarch  of  the  whole  island,  a.  d.  1002.  He 
was  surnamed  Boiroimhe  from  a  tribute  he 
had  exacted  from  the  people  of  Leinster. 
Having  received  the  fealty  and  homage  of 
Cahall  O'Conchovair,  (O'Connor,)  king  of 
Connaught,  and  the  other  princes  of  that 
province,  he  entered  Ulster  with  an  army  of 
20,000  men,  consisting  of  the  tribe  of  the 
Dal-Caiss,  the  Leinster  men,  and  the  Danes 
whom  he  had  subjugated.  He  Avas  honor 
ably  received  at  Armagh  by  Maelmury,  or 
Marian,  archbishop  of  that  see,  on  whom 
he  bestowed  a  considerable  sum  of  money 
to  repair  the  church.  During  his  stay  at 
Armagh,  he  was  visited  by  Hugh  O'Neill, 
king  of  Ulster,  and  the  other  princes  of 
that  province,  who  acknowledged  him  as 
monarch. 

Having  settled  the  affairs  of  Ulster,  Brien 
repaired  to  Tara,  and,  like  his  predecessors, 
convened  an  assembly  of  the  bishops  and 
nobles,  in  which  he  was  solemnly  crowned. 
He  afterwards  enacted  several  laws  respect- 
ing the  government  and  public  welfare, 
which  were  enforced  during  his  reign  with 
rigor,  and  all  traitors  severely  punished. 
He  made  the  Danes  restore  all  the  church 
property  they  had  usurped,  and  rebuild  the 
churches  and  monasteries  they  had  destroy- 
ed ;  re-established  the  universities  and  pub- 
lic schools,  and  founded  new  ones,  which 


he  liberally  endowed.  Lastly,  by  his  gen- 
erosity he  encouraged  professors  of  all  the 
sciences  ;  so  that  literature,  which  had  been 
in  a  manner  banished  from  the  island  by 
the  barbarians,  began  to  flourish  anew  un- 
der this  monarch. 

Brien,  having  settled  the  religious  affairs 
of  the  state,  next  turned  his  thoughts  towards 
the  temporal  government.  He  restored  to 
the  old  proprietors  the  possessions  of  which 
they  had  been  stripped  by  the  Danes ;  raised 
fortresses  in  every  direction,  in  which  he 
placed  garrisons  for  the  public  safety ;  re- 
paired the  roads  ;  built  causeways  through- 
out the  whole  kingdom,  and  bridges  over 
the  rivers  and  deep  marshes,  which  had 
been  before  impassable. 

The  L'ish  had  not  yet  adopted  the  use  of 
surnames.  The  people  added  to  the  names 
of  the  lords,  people  of  rank,  and  even  to 
those  of  their  kings,  arbitrary  distinctions, 
derived  from  their  virtues,  vices,  color, 
complexion,  or  any  military  exploit ;  which 
custom  prevailed  also  in  other  countries. 

To  prevent  the  confusion  which  these 
popular  names  might  create  in  families,  and 
in  order  that  their  genealogies  should  be 
more  carefully  preserved,  it  was  decreed  by 
this  wise  monarch  that  thenceforward  all 
the  branches  of  the  Milesian  race  should 
have  particular  surnames.  The  custom  was 
then  introduced  of  families  taking  the  name 
of  some  illustrious  man  among  their  ances- 
tors, to  which  was  prefixed  the  article  O, 
or  Mac,  to  indicate  the  honor  of  their  de- 
scent from  him.  Thus  it  is  that  the  O'Neills 
express  their  descent  from  Niall  the  Great, 
monarch  of  the  island  in  the  fourth  century; 
the  O'Briens,  from  Brien  Boiroimhe  ;  the 
Mac-Cartys,  from  Carthach,  &c.  In  the 
Irish  language,  the  article  o  is  equivalent  to 
the  French  article  de,  and  not  to  Je,  as  has 
been  asserted  by  ill-informed  writers  ;  and 
Mac  signifies  the  son  of  some  one. 

It  would  appear  that  the  Irish  are  now 
ashamed  of  these  additions,  which  at  once 
characterize  their  noble  extraction  and  the 
antiquity  of  their  names.  We  see  some 
O'Neills,  O'Briens,  O'Connors,  Mac-Cartys, 
Magennises,and  many  others,  suppress  them, 
which  can  only  arise  from  ignorance,  little- 
ness of  mind,  or  a  foolish  desire  of  conform- 
ing to  English  taste,  as  they  must  be  intro- 
duced in  the  Irish  pronunciation  of  these 
names,  and  as  in  all  countries  the  gentleman 
can  be  distinguished  from  the  plebeian  by 
some  peculiarity  in  his  name.  They  may  be 
accused  of  the  same  indifference  with  respect 
to  their  language,  which  bespeaks  an  ancient 
people,  and  of  which  they  affect  to  be  igno- 


232 


HISTORY    OF   IRELAND. 


rant,  to  adopt  a  jargon  introduced  among 
them  by  foreigners. 

The  assembly  of  Tara  having  terminated, 
Brien  left  M^^ath  and  repaired  to  Kean- 
Coradh,  near  Killaloe,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Shannon,  where  he  generally  held  his  court, 
and  there  enjoyed  for  some  time  the  sweets 
of  peace.  He  was  distinguished  as  well  for 
the  greatness  of  his  mind  as  for  his  military 
exploits  :  "  Princeps  ob  animi  virtutes  cele- 
berrimus."  The  great  concourse  of  princes 
and  nobles  of  the  kingdom  who  attended  his 
court,  added  much  to  its  brilliancy.  Peace 
was  at  length  interrupted  by  iVlaolniorha- 
Mac-Murchad,  king  of  Leinster,  who  visited 
the  court  of  Brien  for  the  purpose  of  seehig 
his  sister,  the  queen  ;  but  having  received 
an  insult  from  Morrough,  eldest  son  of  the 
monarch,  he  departed  suddenly  for  his  prov- 
ince, without  taking  leave  of  any  one,  de- 
termined to  revenge  the  affront  he  had 
received ;  and  in  order  to  carry  his  resolution 
into  effect,  he  formed  an  alliance  with  Sitrick, 
king  of  the  Danes  of  Dublin.  They  both 
then  sent  an  express  to  the  king  of  Denmark, 
to  request  his  succor  against  the  monarch. 
The  king,  washing  to  profit  by  the  rupture, 
and  hoping  to  recover  the  possessions  of  his 
predecessors  in  the  island,  sent  12,000  men, 
headed  by  his  sons  Charles  Crot  and  Andrew, 
who  landed  in  Dublin,  with  a  further  force 
of  Norwegians  from  the  Hebrides,  to  the 
number  of  4000.  These  auxiliaries,  together 
with  the  Leinster  troops  and  the  Danes  of 
Dublin,  formed  a  considerable  army. 

The  monarch,  alarmed  at  these  movements, 
determined  to  prepare  for  the  consequences. 
He  assembled  all  the  Munster  troops,  and 
his  allies,  the  king  of  Connaught,  Malachi, 
prince  of  Meath,  and  their  followers,  who 
composed  an  army  of  about  30,000  men,  the 
chief  command  of  whom  he  gave  to  his  son 
Morrough.  This,  however,  did  not  prevent 
him  from  assisting  in  person,  though  88  years 
of  age.  Every  thing  being  ready  for  the 
campaign,  the  army  began  their  march 
towards  Dublin,  where  the  enemy  awaited 
them  in  the  plain  of  "  Cluon-Tarbh,"  (Clon- 
tarf,)  two  miles  from  the  city.  The  centre 
of  the  army  was  headed  by  the  monarch  and 
Thadeus  O'Kelly,  prince  of  Connaught ;  the 
right  by  Morrough,  and  the  left  by  Malachi, 
king  of  Meath.*  The  orders  being  given, 
the  battle  commenced  at  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  did  not  terminate  till  five  in 
the  afternoon.  Malachi,  who  commanded 
the  left  wing,  retired  with  his  troops  in  the 
beginning  of  the   action,   and  remained  a 


passive  spectator,  hoping  for  the  defeat  of 
Brien,  who  had  deprived  him  of  his  crown 
some  time  before. 

This  battle,  which  took  place  on  Good 
Friday,  23d  April,  1014,  though  desperate 
and  sanguinary,  was  glorious  to  the  monarch, 
who  gained  a  complete  victory  over  the 
enemy.  The  loss,  however,  was  consider- 
able on  both  sides.  According  to  some  wri- 
ters, that  of  the  enemy  amounted  to  1 1 ,000 
men  killed  upon  the  spot ;  and  according  to 
others,  13,000,  including  Moelmordha,  king 
of  Leinster,  with  the  two  sons  of  the  king 
of  Denmark,  and  several  chiefs  of  the  army. 
The  loss  of  the  royal  army  amounted  to 
7,000.  The  monarch  was  killed  by  a  retreat- 
ing band  of  Danes,  commanded  by  Bruadar, 
chief  of  the  Danish  fleet :  "  Ipso  parasceve 
Paschae  feria,"says  Marianus  Scotus,  "nono 
kalendas  Mail,  manibus  et  mente  in  Deum 
intentus,  necatur."  These,  however,  were 
pursued  by  a  detachment  and  put  to  the 
sword.  Morrough  O'Brien,  the  general, 
Turlough  his  son,  and  many  persons  of 
distinction,  likewise  fell  victims  to  their  love 
of  country.  The  bodies  of  the  monarch 
and  of  his  son  Morrough,  or  Murchard,  were 
deposited  in  the  town  of  Swords,  six  miles 
from  Dublin,  from  whence  they  were  re- 
moved to  Armagh  by  order  of  Ma^lmury, 
archbishop  of  that  see,  and  interred  in  the 
metropolitan  church.  Some,  however,  say 
that  they  were  buried  at  Kilmainham,  near 
Dublin,  with  the  bodies  of  Thadeus  O'Kelly 
and  other  lords  ;  while  others  affirm  that 
they  were  brought  to  Cashel. 

After  this  celebrated  battle  of  Clontarf, 
Sitrick,  king  of  the  Danes  of  Dublin,  having 
taken  refuge,  with  the  remains  of  his  army, 
in  that  city,  Donnough,  or  Denis  O'Brien, 
took  the  command  of  the  royal  forces,  and 
having  expressed  his  gratitude  to  the  Con- 
naught troops,  dismissed  them,  and  marched 
with  those  of  his  own  province  towards 
Cashel.  A  dispute,  however,  which  arose 
upon  their  march  between  the  two  tribes 
of  which  his  forces  were  composed,  proved 
nearly  fatal  to  him  and  his  army.  The  in- 
habitants of  southern  Munster  being  desirous 
of  enforcing  the  will  of  OilioU-Olum,  who 
had  decreed  that  the  crown  of  the  province 
should  belong  alternately  to  the  two  branch- 
es formed  by  the  descendants  of  his  two 
sons,  proposed  that  Donnough  shoidd  resign 
the  command,  and  yield  the  sceptre  of  the 
province  to  their  chief,  whose  turn  it  was  to 
reign.  Donnough  firmly  replied  that  his 
father  and  uncle  had  already  made  them 
feel  the  extent  of  their  power,  and  tliat  he 
was  not  inclined  to  renounce  a  right  which  he 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


233 


held  from  his  father.  He  therefore  gave 
orders  to  the  tribe  of  Dalcaiss,  who  were  his 
subjects  as  hereditary  king  of  Thuomond,  to 
prepare  to  defend  his  cause  ;  and  in  order 
to  be  more  unincumbered,  he  resolved  to 
remove  the  wounded,  with  a  detachment  to 
preserve  them  from  injury.  They  however 
requested  to  be  placed  with  their  companions 
in  line  of  battle,  with  sabres  in  their  hands, 
and  stakes  to  support  them,  in  order  to  share 
the  glory  with  them,  and  shed  the  last  drop 
of  their  blood  in  the  service  of  their  prince. 
The  enemy  were  so  intimidated  by  this 
determination,  that  they  renounced  their 
claims ;  and  Donnough  having  arrived  at 
Cashel,  whh  the  Dalcaiss,  was  declared 
king  of  Munster. 

Malachi  II.,  who  had  been  dethroned 
twelve  years  before  by  Brien  Boiroimhe, 
resumed  the  government  of  the  whole  island 
on  the  death  of  this  prince,  a.  d.  1014,  and 
reigned  nine  years  afterwards  as  monarch. 
Ireland  was  not  the  only  country  in  Europe 
in  which  the  Normans  had  rendered  them- 
selves formidable  at  this  time.  After  laying 
waste  France,  they  massacred  the  clergy, 
both  secular  and  regular,  pillaged  and  burned 
their  churches  and  monasteries,  and  prac- 
tised every  species  of  cruelty  for  the  space  of 
about  seventy  years,  when  they  finally  made 
a  settlement  in  the  country.*  Charles  the 
Simple,  who  saw  that,  far  from  being  able 
to  expel,  he  was  powerless  even  to  resist 
them,  resolved,  by  the  advice  of  his  nobles, 
to  enter  into  a  treaty  with  them.  By  this 
treaty,  which  was  concluded  at  St.  Clair, 
on  the  river  Epte,  the  king  ceded  to  Rollo 
(who,  from  a  private  individual  in  Denmark 
became  the  chief  of  those  robbers,  and  was 
named  Robert  at  his  baptism)  the  whole  of 
that  district  since  called  Normandy,  as  a 
tenure  from  the  crown,  and  Brittany  as  an 
arriere-fief,  and  gave  him  his  daughter  Gisle 
in  marriage. t 

In  England,  the  Danes  continued  their 
devastations  from  the  beginning  of  the  ninth 
to  the  end  of  the  tenth  century,  and  became 
so  formidable,  that  while  the  owner  la- 
bored in  his  field,  they  held  command  of  his 
house,  occupying  themselves  only  in  de- 
bauching his  wife  or  daughters,  and  con- 
suming the  fruits  of  his  labor.  They  were 
there  called,  more  through  fear  than  from 
respect,  Lord-Danes.| 

Ethelred,  who  was  at  this  period  king  of 
England,  finding  no  other  expedient  to  rid 

*  Fleury,  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  54. 
t  Faker,  Chron.  Life  of  William  the  Conqueror, 
page  20. 

t  Baker,  Chron.  England,  page  13,  et  seq. 


himself  of  so  formidable  an  enemy,  sent 
secret  orders  to  every  town  in  his  kingdom, 
to  massacre  all  the  Danes  on  an  appointed 
day  ;  the  1 3th  of  November,  the  festival  of 
St.  Bricius,  in  the  year  1002.  Those  orders 
were  everywhere  executed  with  such  rigor 
that  the  Danes  at  Oxford,  having  taken 
refuge  in  the  church  of  St.  Frideswide,  as  a 
sanctuary,  the  people  set  fire  to  it,  regardless 
of  the  sanctity  of  the  place,  and  all  that  were 
within  perished  in  the  flames. 

The  news  of  this  massacre  having  reached 
Denmark,  Sweyne,  king  of  that  country, 
stimulated  by  a  desire  of  revenge,  and  thirst- 
ing for  plunder,  set  sail  with  a  powerful 
fleet  for  England,  where  he  committed  dread- 
ful devastations.  Ethelred  assembled  a  pow- 
erful army,  under  the  command  of  Earl 
Edrick,  to  check  the  progress  of  the  bar- 
barians ;  but  was  betrayed  by  the  earl, 
though  his  son-in-law  and  favorite,  and  cre- 
ated by  him  duke  of  Mercia. 

The  year  following  the  Danes  besieged 
Canterbury,  where  they  killed  Alphegus,  the 
archbishop,  and  nine  hundred  monks.  They 
spared  but  a  tenth  part  of  the  people,  and 
put  the  remainder  to  the  sword ;  so  that, 
according  to  the  calculation  made  of  this 
massacre,  there  perished  43,200  persons. 

Sweyne  again  returned  with  a  considera- 
ble reinforcement,  and  reduced  the  north  of 
England  to  subjection.  He  then  marched 
towards  London,  and  made  himself  master 
of  the  rest  of  the  kingdom ;  so  that  the  un- 
fortunate Ethelred,  having  first  sent  his  queen 
Emma  to  her  brother  the  duke  of  Norman- 
dy, with  his  sons  Edward  and  Alfred,  soon 
afterwards  followed  them  himself,  and  left 
Sweyne  absolute  master  of  England. 

It  might  be  expected  that  the  death  of 
the  tyrant,  which  happened  soon  afterwards, 
would  put  an  end  to  the  usurpation.  On 
the  first  intelligence  of  it  Ethelred  returned 
to  his  kingdom ;  but  he  found  Canute,  son 
of  the  deceased,  already  in  possession  of 
part  of  his  states  ;  so  that  he  was  under  the 
necessity  of  fighting,  not  only  against  the 
Danes,  but  also  against  his  own  subjects, 
who  had  acknowledged  the  usurper.  His 
eflbrts  were  however  crowned  with  success, 
and  Canute  was  obliged  to  withdraw  to  Den- 
mark. He  had  not  renounced  his  claims, 
notwithstanding,  and  returned  some  time 
afterwards  with  fresh  forces,  and  gained  a 
complete  victory  over  the  English. 

In  the  mean  time  the  illness  and  subsequent 
death  of  king  Ethelred,  enabled  Canute  to 
dispute  the  sovereignty  with  Edmund,  sur- 
named  Ironside,  his  son  and  successor,  when, 
after  several  battles,  the  two  princes  agreed 


234 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


to  decide  the  quarrel  by  single  combat,  in 
presence  of  both  armies.  Canute  having 
been  wounded,  he  represented  to  his  rival 
the  folly  of  exposing  their  lives  for  an  empty 
title,  and  that  it  would  be  better  to  share 
the  kingdom  between  them,  and  live  together 
like  brothers.  Edmund  consented  to  the 
proposal,  but  was  assassinated  some  time 
afterwards,  whereby  Canute  became  sole 
king  of  England,  and  was  solemnly  crowned 
at  London,  by  Elstane,  archbishop  of  Can- 
terbury, after  which  he  married  Emma, 
widow  of  king  Ethelred,  by  whom  he  had 
a  son,  called  Hardicanute. 

On  the  death  of  Canute  he  was  succeed- 
ed by  his  eldest  son  Harold,  and  the  latter 
by  Hardicanute  ;  so  that  the  sceptre  of  Eng- 
land was  swayed  successively  by  three  Da- 
nish kings,  without  opposition,  and  was  only 
restored  to  the  English  race  for  want  of 
heirs  in  the  house  of  Denmark. 

The  Irish,  we  have  seen,  opposed  the 
efforts  of  the  Normans  for  more  than  two 
hundred  years,  without  yielding  a  single 
province  to  them,  or  acknowledging  one  of 
their  tyrants  as  king.  At  length  they  com- 
pletely routed  them  at  the  celebrated  battle 
of  Clontarf ;  but  like  a  hydra,  it  was  difficult 
to  annihilate  them,  so  inexhaustible  were 
their  resources. 

In  the  reign  of  Malachi  II.,  the  Danes  of 
Dublin,  and  those  who  escaped  the  battle  of 
Clontarf,  still  endeavoring  to  continue  their 
depredations,  the  monarch  sent  for  O'Neill, 
prince  of  Ulster,  with  his  troops,  and 
marched  direct  to  Dublin ;  and  having  de- 
feated a  considerable  detachment  of  Danes 
at  Fodvay,  he  took  the  city  and  gave  it  up 
to  plunder.  He  subsequently  gained  a  com- 
plete victory  over  them  at  Athnilacham.  He 
also  banished  Donnough-Mac-Giolla  Pha- 
druig  (Fitzpatrick)  for  having  assassinated 
Donagan,  king  of  Leinster,  with  the  lords 
of  his  suite,  in  the  castle  of  Teige  O'Ryan, 
prince  of  Ondrona.  Some  time  afterwards, 
Bran,  son  of  Maolmordha,  king  of  Leinster, 
was  taken  prisoner  by  Sitrick,  chief  of  the 
Danes  of  Dublin,  who  caused  his  eyes  to  be 
put  out ;  which  outrage  was  revenged  by 
Ugaire,  son  of  Danling,  who  succeeded 
Bran,  at  the  battle  of  Delgne,  in  which 
6000  Danes  were  killed  upon  the  spot. 
About  this  time,  Sitrick,  chief  of  the  Danes 
of  Waterford,  was  killed  by  the  people  of  Os- 
sory,  and  Reginald  O'Hivar  succeeded  him. 

Malachi  governed  his  kingdom  with  great 
wisdom,  and  established  several  fine  institu- 
tions. In  the  neighborhood  of  Dublin  he 
built  a  celebrated  monastery,  dedicated  to 
the  blessed  Virgin ;    he    repaired    several 


churches  which  had  been  destroyed  by  the 
barbarians,  and  having  granted  pensions  for 
the  support  of  three  hundred  poor  orphans, 
in  various  towns  of  the  kingdom,  he  died  at 
an  advanced  age,  the  2d  of  Sept.  a.  d.  1022. 
We  have  now  come  to  the  period  at  which 
the  declineof  the  Irish  monarchy  commenced. 
The  historians  of  the  country  speak  of  no 
supreme  or  absolute  monarch  of  the  whole 
island,  after  Malachi  II.  The  title  was  as- 
sumed occasionally  by  some  of  the  provincial 
kings,  who  were  acknowledged  as  such  by 
their  vassals  only,  and  supported  by  some  of 
the  neighboring  princes,  without  the  general 
suffrages  of  the  states.  Their  authority  was 
wavering  and  much  more  restricted  than  that 
of  their  predecessors.  They  were  called,  in 
the  language  of  the  country,  Righc-Gofra- 
Sabkrach,  which  signifies  "  kings  with  oppo- 
sition." At  one  time  the  Hy-Nialls  claimed 
the  supreme  government  of  the  island,  in 
virtue  of  having  possessed  it  for  many  ages  ; 
at  others,  the  O'Briens  aspired  to  it,  as  heirs 
of  Brien  Boiroimhe.  The  Hy-Brunes  of  Con- 
naught  laid  claim  to  it  also,  and  the  kings  of 
Leinster  acted  a  part  which  did  them  no 
honor.  They  frequently  formed  alliances 
with  the  Danes,  contrary  to  the  general  wel- 
fare of  the  country,  and  the  nation  at  length 
became  a  prey  to  the  fury  of  the  English, 
by  means  of  that  unhappy  race.  Although 
the  ancient  constitution  of  the  state  had 
been  weakened  and  enervated  by  these  di- 
visions, it  nevertheless  existed  for  a  century 
and  a  half  in  this  sort  of  anarchy. 

Donnough,  otherwise  Donat,  or  Denis, 
son  of  the  celebrated  Brien-Boiroimhe,  and 
king  of  Munster,  was  obeyed  as  monarch  by 
a  considerable  part  of  the  island,  but  was 
unable  to  reduce  the  rest  to  obedience.*  This 
prince  was  very  powerful,  and  from  his  great 
prudence,  worthy  of  occupying  the  throne. 
He  forced  the  people  of  Meath,  Leinster, 
Ossory,  and  Connaught,  to  give  him  hos- 
tages ;  punished  the  inhabitants  of  Con- 
naught  for  the  sacrilege  they  "had  committed 
by  pillaging  the  church  of  Clonfert,  and 
enacted  wise  laws  against  robbery  and  other 
abuses  which  had  crept  in  among  the  people. 
He  prohibited  travelling,  fairs,  and  hunting 
on  Sundays,  and  to  give  more  weight  to  his 
laws,  he  caused  them  to  be  confirmed  in  an  as- 
sembly of  the  bishops  and  nobles  of  his  pro- 
vince which  was  convened  for  that  purpose. 
Donnough's  second  queen  was  Driella, 
daughter  of  the  celebrated  earl  Godwin,  of 
England,  who,  with  his  brother  Harold  took 


»  Keat.  Hist,  of  Irl.  pi.  2 ;  Grat.   Luc.  c. 
Bruod.  Prop.  Cath.  Verit.  lib.  5,  c.  16. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


235 


refuge  in  Ireland  ;  the  latter  having  been 
banished  by  king  Edward  ihe  Confessor, 
whom  he  afterwards  succeeded  on  the  throne 
of  England.*  By  this  princess  the  monarch 
had  a  son,  called  Donald.  Harold  being 
desirous  of  returning  to  his  own  country, 
Donnough  granted  him  a  body  of  troops  as 
an  escort,  who,  entering  the  Severn  with 
thirty  vessels,  in  conjunction  with  Griffith, 
king  of  South  Wales,  laid  waste  the  country, 
which  induced  the  nobles,  who  dreaded  a 
civil  war,  to  effect  a  reconciliation  between 
him  and  his  prince. t 

The  conversion  of  the  Danes,  or  Normans, 
of  which  we  have  already  spoken,  having 
been  so  sudden,  and  policy  having  had  some 
share  in  it,  it  could  not,  at  first,  have  been 
very  solid ;  but  they  now  began  to  give 
proofs  of  a  stronger  faith. 

Sitrick,  chief  of  the  Normans  of  Dublin, 
having  imdertaken  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome, 
died  on  his  journey,  a.  d.  1035,  and  left  the 
government  of  Dublin  to  his  son  Aulave, 
who,  like  his  father,  being  desirous  of  going 
to  Rome,  was  assassinated  in  England,  a.  d. 
1035.   He  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Sitrick. 

These  foreigners  left  monuments  of  their 
piety  in  the  foundations  they  made.  Bur- 
chard,  a  Norwegian  lord,  had  already  founded 
the  priory  of  St.  Stephen,  at  Leighlin,  in  the 
district  of  Carlow. 

The  priory  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  since 
called  Christ's  Church,  in  Dublin,  was  found- 
ed in  1038,  for  secular  canons,  by  Sitrick, 
chief  of  the  Danes  of  Dublin.^  This 
priory  was  afterwards  made  a  cathedral 
church. 

Dublin,  the  capital  of  Ireland,  is  also  the 
metropolitan  see  of  Leinster.  By  following 
the  memoirs  of  the  Danes,  and  styling  Donat, 
or  Dunarc,  who  flourished  in  the  eleventh 
century,  the  first  bishop  of  this  see.  Ware 
deducts  considerably  from  its  antiquity.  It 
is  certainly  improbable  that  St.  Patrick,  who 
had  appointed  bishops  and  priests  to  the 
other  churches  which  he  founded  in  the 
island,  had  left  without  a  pastor  the  church 
of  Dublin,  at  the  time  a  rich  and  commer- 
cial city,  where  he  had  experienced  so  much 
gratitude  from  the  inhabitants,  who  had 
agreed  to  pay  to  him  and  his  successors  in 
the  see  of  Armagh,  three  ounces  of  gold 
annually.  Jocelin,  who,  in  the  life  of  St. 
Patrick,  calls  Dubhn  a  noble  city,  "  In 
urbem  uobilem  quaj  vocatur  Dublinia,"§  is 

»  Baker,  Chron.  of  Engl.  Life  of  William  the 
Conqueror,  page  21. 

t  Baker,  Ibid.  Reign  of  Edward,  page  18. 
t  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26. 
§  Vlt.  S.  Patr.  cap.  71. 


reproved  by  Usher,  who  accuses  him  of  in- 
consistency, since  in  another  place  he  calls 
it  "  pagus,"  which  signifies  a  village.* 

The  absence  of  records  or  registers  more 
ancient  than  the  eleventh  century,  is  a  nega- 
tive argument,  and  cannot  be  considered  as 
a  proof.  It  is  very  probable  that  they  were 
burned  or  suppressed  by  the  pagan  Danes, 
who  were  frequently  masters  of  the  city,  ! 
and  that  their  descendants  who  became 
Christians,  and  were  tolerated  for  commer- 
cial reasons,  had  begun  their  records  with 
the  first  of  their  own  countrymen  who  were 
appointed  bishops  of  Dublin,  which  took 
place  in  the  eleventh  century. 

Ware,  in  his  treatise  on  prelates,  agrees 
that  historians  mention  Wiro,  Rumold,  Se- 
dulius,  and  one  Cormac,  who  had  filled  the 
see  of  Dublin  before  Donat. f  On  this  head, 
Colgan  quotes  an  English  martyrology,  Me- 
nardus,  Molanus,  Meyerus,  Sanderus,  Fer- 
rarius,  the  annals  of  the  four  masters,  and 
the  martyrology  of  Taulaught,  which  he  calls 
Tamlactense,  from  an  ancient  monastery  of 
that  name  three  miles  from  Dublin,  where 
it  was  written  by  St.  ./Engus,  or  ^Engussius, 
of  the  noble  race  of  the  Dal-Arads  of  Ul- 
ster, and  by  Saint  Moebruan,  in  the  eighth 
century.  I 

Although  it  may  be  reasonably  supposed 
that  several  prelates  had  governed  this 
church  from  the  time  of  St.  Patrick  to  that 
of  the  Danes,  a  space  of  about  four  hundred 
years,  still,  as  most  of  them  are  unknown  to 
us,  we  shall  only  speak  of  those  mentioned 
by  the  above  writers. 

According  to  Colgan,  Livinus  was  bishop 
of  Dublin,  and  he  also  says  that  he  suffered 
martyrdom  in  633. '^  Meyerus  calls  him 
archbishop  of  Scotia,  that  is,  of  Ireland,  and 
says  that  he  was  son  of  Theagnio  and  Agal- 
mia,  people  of  rank  in  that  country  ;||  that 
having  preached  the  gospel  and  converted 
a  considerable  number  of  persons,  he  was 
assassinated  on  the  12th  of  November,  633, 
at  Hesca,  in  the  low  countries,  by  two  bro- 
thers, called  Walbert  and  Meinzo,  and  that 
his  life  had  been  written  by  Boiriface,  arch- 
bishop of  Mentz.^  Masseus  in  his  chronicle, 
and  Molanus  in  the  lives  of  the  saints  of 


"  He  seems  to  forget  what  he  had  before  stated, 
that  it  was  not  a  village,  but  the  capital  of  the  king- 
dom, and  a  very  noble  city." — Usher,  c.  17,  p. 
681. 

t  Trias  Thaum.  note  69,  in  6,  Vit.  St.  Pat. 

\  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  ad  11  Mart.  Vit.  S.  ^ngus, 
et  29,  Vit.  S.  Fularth. 

§  Trias  Thaum.  note  69,  in  6,  Vit.  S.  Patr. 

II   Meyerus  in  Annal.  Flandrice. 

TT  Sander,  de  Script.  Flandriae. 


236 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


Flanders,  give  nearly  the  same  account ; 
Bale  also  makes  mention  of  his  writinj^s. 
His  relics  were  removed  to  Ghent  in  1007, 
and  deposited  in  the  church  of"  St.  Bavo. 

St.  Wiro,  who  was  born  in  Ireland,  of 
distinguished  parents,*  from  whom  he  re- 
ceived an  education  suited  to  his  birth,  made 
so  rapid  a  progress  in  virtue  and  the  sciences, 
that  he  was  nominated  bishop,  and  being 
obliged  by  the  people  to  accept  that  charge, 
he  went  to  Rome  to  receive  his  consecration 
from  the  pope.  On  his  return  he  governed 
his  diocese  for  some  time  in  a  mosf  edifying 
manner,  and  acquired  a  high  reputation  of 
sanctity  ;  but  being  desirous  of  devoting  his 
life  to  God  in  solitude,  he  resigned  his 
bishopric  and  went  to  France,  where  he  was 
honorably  received  by  Pepin,  duke  of  the 
French,  who  assigned  him  a  place  adapted 
for  retirement  and  contemplation,  called 
Mons-Petri,  thought  by  Molanus  to  be  the 
same  as  Ruremond.f  Our  saint  caused  an 
oratory  to  be  built  in  it,  dedicated  to  the 
blessed  Virgin,  which  was  called  the  monas- 
tery of  St.  Peter,  and  having  lived  to  an  ad- 
vanced age,  he  died  on  the  eighth  of  May, 
650,  in  his  oratory,  where  he  was  interred. 

Some  writers  place  St.  Desibod  among 
the  bishops  of  Dublin. |  He  was  born  in 
Ireland,  of  a  noble  family,  and  celebrated 
for  his  talent  and  profound  erudition.  At 
the  age  of  thirty  years  he  was  ordained 
priest,  and  nominated  bishop  some  time 
afterwards.  The  insolence  of  the  people 
having  disgusted  him  with  his  bishopric, 
which  he  had  held  for  ten  years,  he  resigned 
it  in  G75.  He  afterwards  left  his  native 
country,  accompanied  by  some  pious  men, 
among  others  by  Gisualdus,  (Slement,  and 
Sallust ;  and  having  preached  the  gospel  for 
the  space  of  seven  years  in  different  parts 
of  Germany,  he  settled,  with  the  consent  of 
the  proprietors,  on  a  lofty  mountain  covered 
with  wood,  where  he  led  a  solitary  life. 
Having  acquired  the  reputation  of  great 
sanctity,  he  was  joined  by  several  monks 
of  the  order  of  St.  Benedict,  and  founded 
a  monastery  on  this  mountain,  which  was 
called  after  him,  Mont-Disibod^  now  Disen- 
berg,  in  the  lower  Palatinate.  He  led  a 
penitential  and  mortified  life  in  this  retreat 
for  the  space  of  thirty-seven  years,  and 
died  there  on  the  8th  of  July,  aged  81  years, 
but  the  year  of  his  death  is  not  known. 
His  life  was  written  by  Hildigardis,  a  nun  of 
Disenberg,   under   the   abbess   Juttha,  and 


*  Surius  ad  8  Mali. 

t  Indiculus  Sanct.  Belgii  sub  Wirone. 

t  Martyrol.  Aug.  ad  8  Julii. 


published  by  Surius,  for  the  eighth  of  July. 
Dempster  mentions  having  seen  a  treatise 
composed  by  Disibod,  entitled  "  De  Mona- 
choruni  profectu  in  solitudine  agentium  liber 

Molanus  makes  mention  of  Gualafar,  as 
bishop  of  Dublin,  without  entering  into  any 
detail  of  his  life,  except  that  he  baptized  his 
successor  Rumold. 

The  life  of  St.  Rumold,  bishop  of  Dublin, 
and  afterwards  of  Malines,  in  Brabant,  was 
written  by  Theodorick,  abbot  of  St.  Tron, 
and  published  by  Surius,  for  the  1st  of  July. 
The  other  writers  who  speak  of  him  are 
Molanus,  several  martyrologists,  and  the 
legends  of  some  breviaries. 

According  to  these  authors,  Rumold  was 
son  and  heir  of  David,  an  Irish  prince.  He 
was  baptized  by  Gualafar,  bishop  of  Dublin, 
who  also  undertook  his  education.  The 
desire  of  perfection  made  him  give  up  the 
succession  to  his  father,  and  having  been 
nominated  to  the  bishopric  of  Dublin,  he 
some  time  afterwards  set  out  for  Rome, 
preaching  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  every- 
where as  he  passed.  On  his  arrival  at  Rome, 
he  went  to  the  holy  father,  who  received  him 
kindly,  and  did  justice  to  his  merit.  After 
a  short  stay  in  that  city,  he  took  leave  of  his 
holiness,  and  intending  to  return  through 
France,  went  to  Malines,  where  he  was 
honorably  received  by  count  Ado  and  the 
countess  his  wife,  who  prevailed  on  him  to 
settle  in  that  district,  for  which  purpose  they 
granted  to  him  a  spot  called  Ulmus,  from 
its  being  covered  with  elm  trees,  to  found  a 
monastery.  Some  time  afterwards  Malines 
being  made  a  bishopric,  he  was  nominated 
the  first  bishop.  He  was  at  length  assassi- 
nated by  two  wretches,  who  attacked  him, 
the  one  with  the  design  of  robbing  him, 
thinking  he  had  money,  and  the  other  in 
revenge  for  a  reprimand  he  had  received 
from  the  holy  prelate,  for  the  shameful  life 
he  led.  The  better  to  conceal  their  crime, 
they  threw  his  body  into  a  river,  whence  it 
was  taken  by  count  Ado,  and  honorably  in- 
terred in  the  church  of  St.  Stephen.  A 
splendid  church  was  afterwards  built  in 
honor  of  him,  bearing  his  name,  which  is 
now  the  metropolitan  church  of  the  Low 
countries,  and  the  relics  of  the  saint  were 
deposited  there  in  a  beautiful  silver  shrine. 
Alexander  IV.  transferred  the  festival  of  St. 
Rumold  to  the  1st  of  July,  on  account  of 
thatof  St.  Johnoccurring  on  the  24th of  June, 
the  day  he  suffered  martyrdom,  which  festi- 
val is  annually  celebrated  in  the  diocese  of 

*  Hist.  Eccles.  Scot.  lib.  4,  No.  373. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


237 


Malines,  as  it  had  been  in  Dublin  before 
the  Reformation. 

According  to  Colgan,  following  the  mar- 
tyrologies  of  Taulaught,  Marianus  Gorman, 
and  Donnegal,  Sedulius  (in  the  Scotic  lan- 
guage Siedhuil)  was  bishop  of  Dublin  in  the 
eighth  century.*  The  first  of  these  authors 
mentions  several  of  the  name  of  Sedulius, 
illustrious  both  for  their  piety  and  learning  ; 
namely,  Coelius-Sedulius,  in  the  fifth  cen- 
tury, so  celebrated  in  antiquity  for  his  virtue 
and  profound  erudition,  and  who  was  ranked 
among  the  Latin  fathers  ;  Sedulius-Scotus, 
a  bishop  who  assisted  at  the  council  held  at 
Rome  in  721,  under  Gregory  II. ;  Sedulius, 
abbot  of  Linnduachuil,  in  Ulster,  in  the 
eighth  century  ;  Sedulius,  bishop  of  Dublin, 
mentioned  above  ;  Sedulius,  abbot  of  Kinn- 
Locha  ;  Sedulius,  abbot  and  bishop  of  Ros- 
common in  the  beginning  of  the  ninth  cen- 
tury ;  Sedulius,  son  of  Feradach,  abbot  of 
Kildare  ;  Sedulius,  called  of  the  desert  of 
Kieran,  who  died  in  855.  In  the  time  of 
Colgan,  there  were  several  families  of  the 
name  of  Siedhuil,  (Shiel,  perhaps,)  who 
applied  themselves  to  the  study  of  natural 
science  and  of  medicine,  apparently  having 
the  genius  of  the  great  Sedulius. 

All  that  is  known  of  Sedulius,  bishop  of 
Dublin,  is,  that  he  was  son  of  Luaith  ;  that 
from  his  virtues  he  was  appointed  bishop 
of  Dublin  ;  and  that  after  his  death,  which 
took  place  on  the  eve  of  the  ides  of  Febru- 
ary, 785,  from  his  high  reputation  of  sanc- 
tity and  virtue,  he  was  placed  among  the 
number  of  the  saints. 

Cormac,  another  bishop  of  Dublin,  is 
known  only  by  name. 

Donnough  O'Brien's  reign  was  rather 
peaceful.  The  princes  of  the  other  provinces 
were  satisfied  with  governing  their  own  sub 
jects,  without  disputing  with  him  the  su- 
preme authority ;  but  being  suspected  of  hav- 
ing been  accessary  to  the  death  of  Thadeus, 
his  eldest  brother,  he  was  dethroned  by  the 
nobles  of  the  kingdom,  and  reduced  to  the 
rank  of  a  private  individual  ;  which  induced 
him  to  undertake  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome,  ac- 
cording to  the  habit  of  those  ancient  times, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in 
St.  Stephen's  monastery,  and  died  at  the 
age  of  88  years,  having  presented  the  crown 
of  Ireland  to  the  pope. 

About  this  time  was  foimded  the  abbey 
of  Inis-Phadruig,  that  is  St.  Patrick's  island, 
on  the  coast  of  the  territory  of  Dublin, 
where  it  is  said  Saint  Patrick  landed  on 


*  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Sedul.  ad  12  Feb.  p. 
315. 


returning  from  Ulster.*  This  abbey,  which 
Ware  calls  only  a  priory,  was  founded  for 
regidar  canons  of  the  order  of  St.  Augustin, 
by  Sitrick-Mac-Murchard,  a  Danish  lord, 
and  its  privileges  transferred,  in  1220,  to 
Holme-Patrick,  by  Henry  Loundres,  then 
archbishop  of  Dublin. 

The  disagreement  among  antiquarians  re- 
specting this  period,  renders  the  succession 
of  the  monarchs  of  Ireland  obscure  and 
confused.  Keating  asserts  that  Donnough 
reigned  fifty  years  ;  others  say  only  twelve. 
Ware  does  not  mention  him  in  his  catalogue 
of  monarchs.  He  speaks  of  an  interregnum 
of  twenty  years  after  the  death  of  Malachi, 
during  which  time  the  affairs  of  government 
were  transacted  under  the  regency  of  Cuan 
O'Leochain,  a  learned  antiquary,  and  Cor- 
cran,  a  clerk,  and  head  of  the  anchorites  of 
Ireland,  who  died  in  the  odor  of  sanctity  at 
Lismore,  a.  d.  1042. 

W^are  affirms  that  after  this  interregnum, 
Dermod,  or  Dermitius,  son  of  Moelnamo, 
king  of  Leinster,  assumed  the  supreme 
government  of  Ireland.  He  was  of  the 
race  of  Cahire-More,  and  descended  in  the 
seventeenth  degree  from  Eana-Kinseallach. 
He  was  son-in-law  of  Donnough-O'Brien, 
having  married  his  daughter  the  princess 
Dervorgal.f  Some  say  that  he  was  son  of 
that  princess,  and  consequently  grandson  of 
Donnough  ;  but  however  this  be,  he  disap- 
proved highly  of  Donnough's  conduct  to- 
wards his  brother  Thadeus.  He  took  Tour- 
lough,  or  Terdelach,  son  of  the  latter,  imder 
his  protection,  considering  him  as  the  le- 
gitimate heir  to  the  crown  of  Munster,  and 
constituted  himself  his  guardian.  He  car- 
ried on  a  successful  war  against  the  people 
of  Munster,  in  order  to  secure  Turlough's 
right  to  the  crown  of  that  province  ;  plun- 
dered the  city  of  Waterford  in  1037  ;  burned 
Glannusen  in  1042,  having  taken  four  hun- 
dred prisoners,  and  killed  one  hundred  men 
on  the  spot.  He  laid  waste  also  the  district 
of  Desie  in  1048,  from  whence  he  carried 
off"  considerable  booty,  and  some  prisoners. 
He  plundered  Limerick  and  Inis-Catha  in 
1058,  and  gave  battle  to  Donnough  near 
Mount-Crot,  in  which  the  whole  army  of  the 
latter  was  defeated.  He  afterwards  received 
hostages  in  1063,  from  the  princes  and  lords 
of  Munster,  and  gave  them  up  to  the  young 
prince  under  his  protection,  who  reigned 
over  Munster  and  a  great  part  of  Ireland, 
after  Donnough's  abdication. 

*  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  26.  Allemd.  Hist. 
Monast.  d'Irlande,  p.  4. 

t  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  4.  Grat.  Luc.  c.  9. 
Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  94. 


238 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Murchatl,  son  of  Donnougli  O'Brien,  be- 
held with  regret  the  sceptre  in  the  hands 
of  his  cousin  Terdelach,  and  endeavored  to 
enforce  his  claims  ;  for  which  purpose  he 
stirred  up  a  revolt  of  that  prince's  subjects 
against  him.  It  was,  however,  soon  quelled 
by  the  appearance  of  Dermod,  who  marched 
thither  with  an  army  in  1065,  obliged  his 
subjects  to  return  to  their  allegiance,  and 
banished  Murchad  from  the  province  ;  so 
that  the  king  of  Leinster  was  at  once  both 
arbitrator  of  the  crown  of  Munster,  and  pro- 
tector of  the  persecuted  prince.  He  was 
the  most  powerful  prince  in  Ireland  at  the 
time, and  obliged  Aid, or  Hugh  O'Conchobhar, 
(O'Connor,)  king  of  Connaught,  to  do  him 
homage.  He  placed  Meath  under  contribu- 
tion, and  carried  away  some  prisoners  ;  laid 
waste  the  territory  of  Fingal  and  Dublin,  as 
far  as  Abhin,  (AUin,)  and  defeated  the  Danes 
near  the  city,  by  which  victory  he  became 
their  king.  But  Providence,  which  sets 
bounds  to  all  human  greatness,  permitted 
him  to  be  killed  at  the  battle  of  Adhbha,  the 
7th  of  the  ides  of  February,  1072,  by  Con- 
ochor  O'Moclachlin,  king  of  Meath.  Cara- 
docus-Lhancarvanenis  says  he  was  the  best 
and  most  worthy  prince  that  ever  reigned  in 
Ireland  :  "  Dermitium  dignissimum  et  opti- 
mum principem  qui  unquam  in  Hibernia 
regnavit ;"  of  which  his  conduct  towards 
Terdelach  O'Brien  is  a  proof. 

His  proximity  of  blood  and  relationship 
seemed  to  authorize  Murchad  to  claim  his 
protection,  but  he  considered  the  justice  of 
Terdelach's  cause  a  much  more  powerful 
incentive. 

The  conquest  of  England  by  William  the 
Conqueror,  duke  of  Normandy,  happened 
about  this  time,  that  is,  in  1066.  England 
had  been  governed  by  Saxon  princes  from 
the  end  of  the  fifth  to  the  beginning  of  the 
eleventh  century,  when  the  Danes  made 
themselves  masters  of  the  country,  after 
which  it  was  ruled  by  three  Danish  kings 
in  succession,  namely,  Canute,  Harold,  and 
Hardicanute  ;  but  the  latter  dying  without 
issue,  the  crown  returned  to  the  Saxon  line, 
in  person  of  Edward,  surnamed  the  Confes- 
sor.* Edward  died  before  he  could  place 
Edgar-x\theling  on  the  throne,  who  was 
grandson  of  his  brother,  Edmund  Ironside, 
and  legitimate  heir  to  the  crown.  Harold, 
son  of  the  celebrated  Earl  Godwin,  seized 
this  opportunity,  and  ingratiated  himself  so 
much  into  the  favor  of  the  people,  that  he 
was  proclaimed  king,  in  opposition  to  the 
legitimate  heir,  whom  he  amused  with  the 
empty  title  of  Earl  of  Oxford. 

*  Baker's  Chron.  Engl,  page  15,  et  seq. 


William  the  Bastard,  duke  of  Normandy, 
since  surnamed  the  Conqueror,  founded  his 
claims  to  the  crown  of  England  on  a  promisQ 
which  Edward  the  Confessor  (whose  mother, 
Emma,  was  sister  to  the  duke  of  Normandy) 
had  given  him  in  his  youth,  to  make  him  his 
heir  ;  and  on  an  oath  which  Harold  had 
taken  to  aid  him  in  his  enterprise  upon  Eng- 
land after  Edward's  death  ;  but  finding  that 
he  had  been  forgotten  by  the  one,  and  was 
betrayed  by  the  other,  he  sent  an  ambassa- 
dor to  remind  Harold  of  his  oath,  and  demand 
that  crown  to  which  he  had  a  right,  in  vir- 
tue of  Edward's  promise.  Harold  replied, 
that  the  barons  and  nobles,  with  one  accord, 
had  adjudged  the  crown  to  him,  and  that  he 
v/ould  not  surrender  it  without  their  concur- 
rence. The  duke  of  Normandy,  little  satis- 
fied with  this  answer,  considered  his  chance 
of  obtaining  justice  by  force  of  arms.  Cir- 
cumstances favored  this  undertaking :  an 
insurrection  which  had  been  raised  in  the 
north  of  England  by  Toustayne,  the  king's 
brother,  abetted  by  Harold-Harfager,  king 
of  Norway,  obliged  Harold  to  leave  the 
southern  part  of  his  kingdom  unguarded,  and 
go  to  quell  the  rebellion  in  the  north,  where 
he,  however,  gained  a  complete  victory  over 
the  enemy  at  Stamford  ;  his  brother  Tous- 
tayne, who  had  headed  the  rebels,  with  the 
king  of  Norway,  being  among  the  slain. 

The  duke  of  Normandy  did  not  lose  sight 
of  his  object.  By  means  of  his  wife,  who 
was  daughter  of  Baldwin,  count  of  Flanders, 
then  guardian  of  Philip  I.,  he  obtained  suc- 
cor from  France.*  The  counts  of  Poitou, 
Anjou,  Maine,  and  Boulogne,  also  furnished 
him  with  troops.  In  order  to  strengthen 
his  cause  by  the  apostolical  authority.  Pope 
Alexander  II.  sent  him  a  consecrated  banner 
and  a  golden  ring.  Every  thing  being  pre- 
pared, and  his  Norman  subjects,  who  had 
at  first  expressed  a  reluctance  in  the  under- 
taking, having  taken  up  arms,  William  em- 
barked with  his  army  at  Saint  Valery,  about 
the  end  of  September,  on  board  a  fleet  of  300 
sail,  and  landed  in  a  short  time  at  Pevensey, 
in  Sussex,  while  Harold  was  still  occupied 
in  the  north. 

Having  landed  his  army,  William  gave 
orders  to  his  fleet  to  return  to  Normandy, 
in  order  that  his  troops  should  have  no  hope 
but  in  their  valor:  "  ant  vincendum  aut  mori- 
endum."  Camden  says  that  he  caused  it 
to  be  burned.  After  some  days  he  advanced 
along  the  coast  as  far  as  Hastings,  where 
he  intrenched  himself,  waiting  the  approach 
of  the  enemy. 

*  Du  Verdier,  Abridgment  of  the  History  of 
England. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


239 


Harold,  surprised  by  the  intelligence  of 
the  Norman  invasion,  returned  to  London, 
where  he  made  a  short  stay  to  recruit  his 
army,  which  had  suffered  considerable  losses 
at  the  battle  of  Stamford ;  after  which  he 
set  out  on  his  march  towards  Sussex,  and 
encamped  seven  miles  from  Hastings,  Avhere 
their  army  was  posted.  The  preparations 
which  the  duke  of  Normandy  saw  the  king 
of  England  making,  and  which  plainly  indi- 
cated his  desire  of  coming  to  a  battle,  hum- 
bled his  pride,  and  made  him  uneasy  as  to 
the  blood  about  to  be  shed  in  a  cause  which 
he  himself,  perhaps,  did  not  consider  a  very 
just  one  ;  as  well  as  for  the  uncertainty  of  a 
battle  in  an  enemy's  country,  the  loss  of 
which  would  be  irretrievable.  Before  the 
action  commenced,  he  sent  a  monk  to  Harold 
with  proposals,  leaving  him  the  choice  either 
of  resigning  the  crown  to  him,  as  his  claims 
were  the  best  founded,  or  holding  it  in  fealty 
from  the  dukes  of  Normandy,  if  he  were  un- 
willing to  give  it  up  ;  lastly,  if  he  chose,  to 
decide  the  matter  by  single  combat,  or  refer 
it  to  the  decision  of  the  pope.  Harold  re- 
fused to  accede  to  any  of  the  proposals,  and 
said  he  would  leave  it  to  the  God  of  armies 
to  decide  the  next  day.  The  night  previous 
to  the  battle  was  spent  in  a  very  different 
manner  by  both  armies.  As  the  day  follow- 
ing was  the  king  of  England's  birthday,  his 
troops  passed  the  night  in  feasting ;  while 
those  of  the  duke  of  Normandy  spent  it  in 
prayer.  The  day  after,  which  was  Saturday, 
14th  October,  the  two  armies  engaged  at 
day-break,  and  the  battle,  Avhich  was  par- 
ticularly obstinate,  lasted  until  night. 

It  may  be  here  observed,  that  circum- 
stances rather  than  the  valor  of  the  troops, 
decide  the  fate  of  battles,  and  that  the  van- 
quished often  deserve  laurels  as  well  as  the 
victors.  These  circumstances  sometimes 
consist  of  inequality  of  numbers  ;  sometimes 
in  the  choice  of  ground,  or  in  discipline  and 
superiority  of  arms  ;  and  generally  in  the 
skill  of  the  commander.  The  number  and 
valor  of  the  troops  were  nearly  equal  at  the 
battle  of  Hastings,  and  Harold  did  not  yield 
in  bravery  to  William.  The  Normans  hav- 
ing discharged  their  arrows  on  the  English, 
who  were  unacquainted  with  the  use  of  them, 
galled  and  surprised  them  a  little  ;  but  soon 
afterwards  recovering  from  this  first  panic, 
they  rallied,  and  attacked  the  Normans  with 
so  much  impetuosity,  that  they  made  them 
give  ground,  without,  however,  putting  them 
to  flight.  The  battle  lasted  a  long  time  with 
equal  success,  both  sides  performing  prodi- 
gies of  valor  ;  but  the  fortune  of  the  day 
was  at  length  determined  by  a  stratagem  of 


William.  He  pretended  to  give  way,  which, 
as  he  expected,  drawing  the  English  from 
their  ranks,  who  pursued  him  in  disorder 
into  a  defile,  he  made  a  dreadful  slaughter 
of  them.  Harold  having  rallied  his  flying 
troops,  was  slain  in  making  a  last  effort, 
together  with  his  brothers  ;  and  the  rest  of 
the  army  saved  themselves  by  flight.  By 
this  victory  the  duke  of  Normandy  became 
master  of  all  England  ;  the  conquest  being 
so  rapid  that  he  might  have  said,  with  Ca;sar, 
"  Veni,  vidi,  vici.^^  He  lost  6000  men  in  the 
action  ;  the  English  60,000.  After  resting 
and  refreshing  his  troops,  William  marched 
towards  London,  and  received  the  submis- 
sion of  the  bishops  and  the  lords  of  England. 
He  reigned  as  a  tyrant,  granting  to  those 
who  abetted  him  in  his  usurpation,  lands  and 
lordships,  without  any  other  right  save  the 
problematical  one  of  conquest,  and  after- 
wards created  them  lords,  by  which  new 
title  they  ranked  above  the  old  nobility. 

Terdelach  O'Brien,  king  of  Munster,  and 
of  the  greater  part  of  Ireland,  was  son  of 
Thadeus,  and  grandson  of  Brien-Boiroimhe. 
He  proved  himself  worthy  of  his  illustrious 
ancestors.  He  enacted  wise  laws,  and  gov- 
erned his  subjects  with  justice,*  to  which 
Lanfrancus,  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  bears 
testimony  in  his  letter  to  this  prince,  wherein 
he  styles  him  the  friend  of  peace  and  jus- 
tice,! and  alleges  that  it  was  an  instance  of 
God's  mercy  towards  Ireland,  to  have  given 
her  such  a  prince  for  a  king.;]: 

William  II.,  surnamed  Rufus,  king  of 
England,  obtained  leave  from  Terdelach  to 
cut  wood  in  the  forests  of  Ireland  for  the 
palace  of  Westminster,  which  he  was  then 
building. 

In  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  the  king  of 
Ireland  was  confined  to  his  bed  by  lingering 
illness,  the  pain  of  which  he  supported  with 
truly  Christian  patience  till  his  death,  which 
took  place  on  the  eve  of  the  ides  of  July,  at 
Keancora,  in  the  seventy-seventh  year  of  his 
age,  and  fourteenth  of  his  reign. 

Morthoug,  or  Moriertach  O'Brien,  suc- 
ceeded his  father  Terdelach,  a.  d.  1089. 
This  prince's  mother,  according  to  Keating, 

*  Keat.  Hist,  of  Irel.  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  4. 
Grat.  Luc.  c.  9. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  94.  Bruodin.  Propug.  lib.  5, 
c.  16. 

t  "  God  display.s  no  greater  mercy  on  earth,  than 
when  he  advances  the  lovers  of  peace  and  justice  to 
the  government  of  souls  or  bodies.  Tlie  careful 
investi^rator  readily  discovers  what  has  been  con- 
ferred on  the  people  of  Ireland,  when  the  Almighty 
hath  given  to  your  excellency  the  right  of  royal 
power  over  that  land." — Usher's  Si/llogis?ns,  epist. 
27. 


240 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


(the  only  writer,  I  believe,  wlio  lias  men- 
tioned her,)  was  Kealrach,  daughter  of  Vi- 
Eine.  According  to  the  same  author,  she 
had  another  son,  (apparently  by  a  former 
marriage,)  called  Roger  O'Connor,  father 
of  Terdelach  O'Connor,  who  succeeded 
Moriertach  O'Brien.*  Moriertach  is  ac- 
knowledged king  of  Ireland  by  the  annals 
of  Inis-Fail,  Donegal,  and  by  the  writer 
who  has  continued  those  of  Tigernach. 
Usher,  in  his  collection,  quotes  an  epistle 
of  St.  Anselm,  archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
to  Muriardach,  the  glorious  king  of  Ireland, 
in  which  he  extols  this  prince  highly  for 
his  justice  and  love  of  peace.  His  authority 
was  also  acknowledged  by  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Hebrides  and  the  Isle  of  Man,  who 
sent  ambassadors  to  him  to  request  that  a 
king  of  his  family  might  rule  them  during 
the  minority  of  Olanus,  son  of  Godred.f 

It  appears,  however,  that  this  prince  had 
a  competitor  in  the  supreme  government  of 
Ireland.  Domnald-Maglochluin,  son  of  Ard- 
gal,  of  the  race  of  Niall  of  the  nine  hostages, 
by  Domnald,  brother  of  the  monarch  Niall- 
Glundubh,  disputed  with  him  the  title  of  mon- 
arch, as  appears  by  the  hostilities  carried  on 
by  them  against  each  other,and  the  steps  taken 
by  the  archbishops  of  Armagh  to  allay  them. 

Moriertach  was  equally  watchful  for  the 
interests  of  the  church  and  state.  Having 
been  solemnly  crowned  at  Tara,  he  con 
vened  an  assembly  of  the  lords  and  bishops 
of  the  province  at  Cashel,  where,  in  their 
presence,  he  gave  that  city,  which  had  been 
till  that  time  the  usual  residence  of  the  kings 
of  Munster,  with  the  lands  and  lordships  ap- 
pertaining to  it,  as  a  donation  to  the  see. 

About  this  time,  viz.  in  the  year  11 00,  the 
priory  of  Dungevin,  in  the  district  of  Ar- 
achty-Cahan,  now  the  county  of  Derry,  was 
founded  by  the  noble  family  of  the  O'Cahans, 
lords  of  that  country .| 

With  the  consent  of  Pope  Paschal  II.,  the 
monarch  assembled  a  national  council  in 
1110  or  1112.  This  council  was  composed 
of  fifty  bishops,  three  hundred  priests,  and 
about  three  thousand  of  an  inferior  order  of 
clergy,  besides  the  monarch,  Avho  was  pres- 
ent, and  several  princes  and  lords  of  the 
kingdom. §     The  heads  of  the  clergy  were 

*  Keat.  Hist,  of  Irel.  part  2  ;  War.  de  Antiq.  c.-4  ; 
Grat.  Luc.  c.  9  ;  Ogyg.  part  3,  c.  94. 

t  "  All  the  chief  men  of  the  islands,  as  soon  as 
the  death  of  Lagmaniias  was  heard  of,  sent  ambas- 
sadors to  Murchard  O'Brien,  king  of  Ireland,  to 
send  some  energetic  man  of  the  royal  line  to  rule 
over  them  until  Olanus  should  be  of  age." — Camd. 
Ckron.  p.  840. 

I  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irl.  p.  98. 

§  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26. 


Milerus,  or  Mailmurius  O'Dunan,  archbishop 
of  Munster ;  Kellach-Mac-Hugue,  vicar  of  St. 
Celsus  ;  the  primate,  who  was  ill  at  the  time  ; 
and  Gillaspec,  or  Gilbert,  bishop  of  Limerick, 
md  president  of  the  council  as  apostolical 
legate. 

The  records  of  the  country  mention  three 
different  councils  as  held  in  Ireland  about 
this  time,  which,  however,  are  perhaps  but 
the  same  council,  spoken  of  by  different 
names.  Some  call  it  the  council  of  Bath- 
Breasail,  othersFiad-Mac-CEngus,  that  is,  the 
land  or  wood  of  ffingus,  which  is  the  same 
as  others  call  Usneach,  where  there  is  a 
hill  of  that  name,  in  the  district  of  Kinal- 
Fiacha,  (Westmeath.)  Canons  and  wise 
regulations  were  made  in  this  council  re- 
specting the  spiritual  and  temporal  adminis- 
tration :  the  bishoprics  were  reduced  to  a 
limited  number,  namely,  twenty-four,  with 
the  two  archbishoprics ;  twelve  in  the 
northern  division  of  the  island,  called  Leath- 
Con,  and  twelve  in  the  southern,  or  Leath- 
Mogha.  By  this  division  there  were  two  sees 
in  Meath,  namely, Damliag  and  Cluainjoraird. 
The  two  archbishoprics  were  Armagh  and 
Cashel.  The  limits  of  the  bishoprics  were 
decided  upon,  and  the  jurisdiction  of  each 
bishop  was  confined  to  his  own  diocese  ; 
suffragans  were  allotted  to  each  archbishop, 
and  the  ecclesiastical  immunities  and  ex- 
emptions established. 

We  may  fix  at  this  time,  that  is  in  1120, 
the  re-establishment  of  the  abbey  of  Bangor, 
by  St.  Malachi,  which  had  been  several 
times  destroyed  by  the  Danes.* 

Moriertach  O'Brien  was  not  less  assiduous 
in  the  temporal  government  of  the  state,  and 
in  defending  the  country  against  the  common 
enemy.  He  defeated  the  Danes  of  Dublin 
three  times,  banished  Godfrid  their  chief, 
and  had  himself  proclaimed  their  king. 

A  ridiculous  and  incredible  anecdote  re- 
specting Murchard,  king  of  Ireland,  is  given 
in  the  chronicle  of  the  kings  of  the  Isle  of 
Man.  The  author  says  that  Magnus,  king 
of  Norway,  sent  a  pair  of  his  shoes  to  Mur- 
chard, with  orders  to  carry  them  on  his 
shoulders  on  the  birthday  of  the  Lord,  as  an 
acknowledgment  of  his  submission  to  the 
kings  of  Norway,  and  that  the  king  of  Ire- 
land had  obeyed  his  orders,  lest  he  should 
draw  upon  himself  so  formidable  an  enemy  .•}• 
According  to  the  annals  of  the  country,:j:  the 
king  of  Ireland  caused  the  ears  of  the  com- 
missioners of  Magnus  to  be  cut  off,  and  sent 


*  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  26. 

t  Chron.  Reg.  Man.  apud  Camb.  Brit.  841. 

t  Bruod.  Propug.  lib.  5,  cap.  16,  page  933. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


241 


them  back  with  the  intelligence  ;  which  ac- 
count is  more  probable,  as  will  be  seen  by 
the  sequel ;  for  Magnus  being  exasperated, 
resolved  to  take  revenge  for  the  insult  he 
had  received  in  the  person  of  his  ministers, 
and  formed  the  wild  project  of  subjugating 
Ireland.  For  this  purpose,  he  embarked 
with  a  large  body  of  troops,  and  arriving  in 
the  north  of  Ireland,  commenced  hostilities ; 
but  being  surrounded  by  the  Irish  militia,  he 
and  all  his  suite  were  killed,  and  the  tyrant 
was  interred  at  Down-Patrick.  Those  who 
had  remained  on  board  the  fleet,  having 
learned  the  unhappy  fate  of  their  chief,  re- 
turned to  Norway,  and  gave  up  for  ever 
their  claims  on  Ireland. 

Moriertach  O'Brien,  says  Malmesbury,  an 
English  cotemporary  author,  formed  so  strict 
a  friendship  with  Henry  I.,  king  of  England, 
that  he  did  nothing  without  first  consulting 
him.  He  made  alliances  also  with  foreign 
princes  ;  and  gave  one  of  his  daughters  in 
marriage  to  Arnulph  de  Montgomery,  eldest 
son  of  the  earl  of  Arundel,  in  England,  and 
another  to  Sicard,  son  of  Magnus,  king  of 
Norway. 

This  pious  prince,  convinced  that  human 
grandeur  is  but  transient,  withdrew  to  Lis- 
more,  where  he  took  minor  orders,  and  em- 
ployed the  remainder  of  his  life  in  preparing 
for  eternity.  He  died  the  sixth  of  the  ides 
of  March,  1120.  His  body  was  removed  to 
Killaloe,  and  interred  in  the  cathedral  of 
that  city.  Some  time  before  his  death,  he 
undertook  a  pilgrimage  to  Armagh  ;  which 
gave  rise  to  Keating's  belief  that  he  died 
there.  This  prince  was  the  last  king  of 
Ireland  of  his  race.  From  him,  and  conse- 
quently from  Brien  Boiroimhe,  are  descend- 
ed the  illustrious  houses  of  the  O'Briens,  of 
which  the  present  head  is  Charles  O'Brien, 
Earl  of  Thuomond,  heretofore  called  Lord 
Clare,  Marshal  of  France,  knight  of  the  or- 
ders of  the  most  Christian  king,  and  colonel 
of  the  Irish  regiment  of  Clare,  in  the  ser- 
vice of  his  Majesty. 


CHAPTER  XV 

Domnald-Maglochluin  survived  his  ri- 
val Moriertach.  Some  annalists  have  placed 
him  in  the  catalogue  of  monarchs,  among 
others,  Gillamaddud,  an  ancient  writer,  and 
O'Duvegan,  in  which  they  are  followed  by 
O'Clery,  Colgan,  and  others,  the  first  of 
whom  says  that  he  was  united  with  Morier- 
tach in  the  supreme  government.  He  ex- 
acted hostages  from  the  inhabitants  of  Con- 


naught,  Meath,  and  other  districts  ;  carried 
on  a  war  against  the  Danes  of  Fingal,  and 
put  their  country  under  contribution.  Mo- 
riertach was,  however,  better  known  to  for- 
eigners, particularly  the  English.  He  had 
established  an  intercourse  with  the  latter  by 
treaties  and  marriages  ;  signed  the  postulata 
of  the  bishops  of  Dublin,  Watcrford,  and 
Limerick,  who  went  over  for  consecration 
by  the  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  contrary 
to  the  discipline  of  the  church  of  Ireland,  ' 
and  also  kept  up  a  correspondence  by  letter 
with  the  prelates  of  Canterbury.  This  in- 
tercourse with  the  English,  no  doubt,  influ- 
enced Domhnal-More-0'Brien,  king  of  Lim- 
erick, in  making  prompt  submission  to  Henry 
II.  some  time  afterwards.  However  this 
may  be,  the  people  were  much  harassed  by 
the  wars  of  these  princes  ;  and  the  efforts 
which  the  bishops  and  nobles  made  to  ap- 
pease their  quarrels,  prove  that  their  author- 
ity was  equal,  and  that  one  was  acknow- 
ledged monarch  in  the  north,  and  the  other 
in  the  south. 

Domnald  was  a  generous  prince,  chari- 
table to  the  poor,  and  liberal  to  the  rich. 
Feeling  his  end  to  be  approaching,  he  with- 
drew to  the  abbey  of  Columb-Kill,  in  Doire, 
(Derry,)  where  he  died  in  1121,  on  the  fourth 
of  the  ides  of  February,  aged  73  years.* 

The  abbey  of  Erinach,  or  Carrig,  in  Dala- 
radie,  at  present  the  county  of  Down,  was 
founded  in  1127  for  Benedictines,  dedicated 
to  the  blessed  Virgin,  by  Magnellus-Mac- 
KenlefFe,  and  afterwards  removed  to  Inis. 

Although  it  is  alleged  by  some  authors, 
that  there  was  at  this  time  an  interregnum 
of  some  years,  and  though  Ware,  who  speaks 
of  it,  comes  to  no  conclusion  upon  the  sub- 
ject, it  is  certain  that  Turlough-More-0'Con- 
nor,  otherwise  Terdelach  O'Connor,  son  of 
Roderick  king  of  Connaught,  succeeded  the 
two  last  princes  in  the  supreme  government 
of  the  island.  He  was  of  the  race  of  Here- 
mon,  and  descended  in  the  twenty-third 
degree  from  Eocha  XII.,  surnamed  Moy- 
veagon,  monarch  of  the  island  in  the  fourth 
century. 

The  two  sons  of  that  monarch,  Brian  and 
Fiachar,  had  formed  two  powerful  tribes  in 
Connaught,  called  after  them  the  Hy-Brunes 


*  "  Doninaldus,  grandson  of  Lochlannus,  son  of 
Ardganus,  king  of  Ireland,  and  the  handsomest  of 
his  countrymen.  His  birth  was  noble,  his  disposi- 
tion ingenuous,  and  lie  was  most  successful  in  his 
undertakings.  The  poor  received  many  gifts  from 
him,  and  the  great  were  liberally  rewarded.  He 
retired  to  the  aljbey  of  Columb-Kill,  where  he  died 
in  the  73d  year  of  his  age,  and  27th  of  his  reign." 
—Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  ad  27  March,  cap.  4,  p.  773. 
31 


242 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


and  the  Hy-Fiachras,  of  Tir-Fiachra,  and 
Tir-Amalgaid,  or  Tirawly.  From  these  two 
tribes  were  descended  all  the  kings  that 
governed  this  province  from  the  fourth  to 
the  twelfth  century,  but  principally  from  the 
former,  of  which  the  O'Connors  Don  were 
the  chiefs.  This  tribe  was  also  called  Clan- 
Murray,  or  Siol- Murray,  from  Muredach- 
MuUethan,  one  of  their  chiefs,  and  king  of 
Connaught  in  the  seventh  century. 

Terdelach  O'Connor,  being  the  most 
powerful  prince  of  Ireland  at  the  time  the 
throne  became  vacant,  caused  himself  to  be 
proclaimed  monarch  by  his  own  adherents, 
and  a  considerable  part  of  the  island.  He 
entered  Munster  twice  with  an  army,  to 
force  the  people  of  that  province  to  pay  him 
homage.  At  first  he  was  repulsed  with  the 
loss  of  a  great  number  of  his  best  troops, 
including  O'Flaherty,  prince  of  lar-Con- 
naught,  and  many  other  lords  of  distinction, 
but  he  was  more  successful  in  his  second 
expedition,  having  defeated  the  Munster 
forces  at  the  battle  of  Moinmor,  in  which  he 
slaughtered  great  numbers  of  them,  and  put 
the  remainder  to  flight,  with  their  commander 
Terdelach  O'Brien,  son  of  Murgan,  king  of 
that  province.*  After  this  victory  the  prov- 
ince submitted  to  him,  and  he  divided  it  be- 
tween Terdelach  O'Brien  and  Dermod  Mac- 
Caithy  ;  giving  to  the  former  the  northern 
part,  including  Thuomond  and  Limerick  ; 
and  to  the  latter,  the  district  of  Cork,  and 
the  remainder  of  the  southern  part.  Having 
received  hostages  from  these  princes,  he 
marched  towards  the  north,  where  he  quell- 
ed some  troubles  occasioned  by  the  revolt 
of  the  northern  Hy-Nialls,  who  had  not  yet 
acknowledged  his  sovereignty,  and  received 
the  homage  of  the  O'Neills,  O'Donnels,  and 
other  princes  and  lords  of  the  province. 
On  his  return  from  Ulster,  he  re-established 
the  games  at  Tailton,  which  had  been  inter- 
rupted during  a  long  time.  These  games, 
which  had  been  instituted  for  the  exercise 
of  the  youth,  consisted  in  races  on  foot  and 
on  horseback,  in  wrestling,  in  gladiatorial 
tournaments,  leaping,  throwing  the  stone 
and  javelin,  and  every  species  of  military 
evolutions.  Emulation  was  excited  by  the 
applause  and  prizes  which  awaited  the  vic- 
tor. This  monarch  likewise  caused  the 
high  roads  to  be  repaired,  and  bridges  built, 
two  over  the  Shannon,  one  at  Athlone,  the 
other  at  Athrochta,  and  that  of  Dunleoghe, 
over  the  river  Suck.  Lastly,  he  had  money 
coined  at  Cluon-Mac-Noisk. 


*  Bruodin,  Propug.  Cathol.  Verit.  lib.  5,  cap.  16, 
page  934. 


Terdelach  was  not  less  remarkable  for 
his  religion  and  piety,  than  for  the  wisdom 
of  his  government.  He  founded  a  priory 
at  Tuam  in  1140,  dedicated  to  St.  John  the 
Baptist,  which  he  liberally  endowed  with 
land  ;  he  also  granted  a  large  tract  of  land 
to  the  abbey  of  Roscommon,  in  order  to 
increase  its  revenues.  In  his  will  he  be- 
queathed to  different  churches  sixty-five 
ounces  of  gold,  sixty  marks  of  silver,  all  his 
furniture,  including  his  vessels  of  gold  and 
silver,  precious  stones,  and  other  jewels.* 

This  prince  was  inflexible  in  punishing 
crime.  His  son  Roderick  having  been  guilty 
of  some  misdemeanor,  he  caused  him  to  be 
loaded  with  irons,  and  it  was  only  at  the 
frequent  solicitations  of  the  archbishops  of 
Armagh  and  Cashel,  and  the  heads  of  the 
clergy  of  his  kingdom,  that  he  restored  him 
to  his  liberty,  after  a  year's  confinement. 

The  annals  of  Ireland  fix  the  foundation 
of  several  religious  houses  in  this  reign, 
namely,  the  monastery  of  St.  Finbarry,  at 
Cork,  first  founded  by  that  saint,  and  rebuilt 
and  dedicated  to  St.  John  the  Baptist,  in  the 
year  1134,  for  regular  canons,  by  Corniac- 
Mac-Carthy,  king  of  Munster,  or  at  least  of 
that  part  of  the  province  called  Desmond. f 

The  priory  of  St.  John  the  Baptist, 
founded  at  Down,  in  1138,  by  St.  Malachi 
and  Morgair.J 

A  monastery  of  Benedictines  in  Dublin, 
first  founded  in  the  tenth  century  by  the 
Danes,  dedicated  to  the  blessed  Virgin,  and 
afterwards  changed  to  Bernardines,  of  the 
order  of  Cheaux,  in  1139. 

St.  Mell,  or  Mellifont,  in  the  district  of 
Louth,  was  a  celebrated  abbey  of  the  order 
of  Citeaux,  under  the  invocation  of  our 
Lady.^  It  was  a  branch  of  the  abbey  of 
Clairvaux,  whence  St.  Bernard  had  monks 
sent  thither,  and  nominated  as  first  abbot  the 
blessed  Christian  O'Conarchy,  a  native  of 
Ireland,  and  a  disciple  of  the  abbey  of  Clair- 
vaux, who  was  afterwards  bishop  of  Lismore, 
and  apostolical  legate,  having  been,  as  St. 
Bernard  observes,  the  first  abbot  of  Citeaux 
in  Ireland.  This  abbey  was  parent  of  most 
of  the  other  houses  of  the  order  of  Citeaux 
in  Ireland,  the  first  monks  having  been  taken 
from  it.  It  is  said  to  have  been  perfectly 
similar  to  the  house  of  Clairvaux,  both  in 
the  situation  and  construction  of  the  building, 
and  was  so  extensive,  that  by  way  of  pre- 

*  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26.  Gratianus 
Lucius,  c.  9.     Ogygia,  part  3,  cap.  94. 

+  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26. 

t   War.  ibidem. 

§  Idem.  ibid.  Allemand's  Hist.  Monast.  d'lrlaiide, 
page  167. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


243 


eminence  it  was  called  Monisthcr-Mor,  that 
is,  the  great  monastery.  Our  Lady  of  Mel- 
lifont  was  founded  long  before  the  arrival  of 
the  English  in  Ireland,  namely,  in  1140,  by 
Donat  O'Caruel,  prince  of  Ergallie,  accord- 
ing to  Jungelinus.  Ware  fixes  the  founda- 
tion of  it  in  1142.*  There  are  others  who 
ascribe  the  foundation  of  this  house  to  St. 
Malachi,  bishop  of  Down ;  it  is,  however, 
certain  that  this  prince  contributed  wuh  the 
holy  prelate  towards  the  building  of  it. 

At  BectifFe,  on  the  river  Boyne,  in  east 
Meath,  there  is  an  abbey  entitled  our  Lady 
of  Beatitude,  a  branch  of  Mellifont,  founded 
in  1146  by  Murchard  O'Melaghlin,  prince, 
or  according  to  the  style  of  those  times,  king 
of  Meath.  The  chronologists  of  the  order 
of  Citeaux  are  at  variance  respecting  the 
time  of  the  foundation  of  this  abbey.  Some 
fix  it  in  1148,  others  in  1151. t 

In  the  town  of  Louth  there  was  a  monas- 
tery for  regular  canons,  founded  in  1148, 
by  Donat  O'Caruel,  prince  of  Ergallie,  and 
by  Edan  O'Kelly,  bishop  of  Clogher.]: 

The  abbey  of  Baltinglass,  Do  Valle  Sdlu- 
tis,  on  the  river  Slaney,  in  the  territory  of 
Wicklow,  was  founded  and  endowed  for 
monks  of  the  order  of  Citeaux,  in  1148  or 
1151,  by  Dermod  Mac-Murrough,  king  of 
Leinster.§ 

At  Boyle,  a  borough  situated  on  the  river 
Bouel,  in  the  county  of  Roscommon,  there 
was  a  celebrated  abbey,  called  after  our 
Lady,  and  a  branch  of  Mellifont,  the  first 
abbot  of  which  was  Peter  0'Mordha.||  This 
abbey  was  first  founded  at  Grellechdine,  in 
1 148,  afterwards  transferred  to  Dromconaid, 
from  thence  to  Buin-Finng,  and  lastly  to 
Boyle,  in  1161.1 

Dermod  Mac-Murrough,  king  of  Leinster, 
founded  an  abbey  in  Dublin,  called  after  the 
blessed  Mary  of  Hoggis,  for  regular  canons 
of  St.  Augustin,  of  the  peculiar  congrega- 
tion of  Arouaise,  an  abbey  in  the  diocese 
of  Arras,  which  was  head  of  that  congrega- 
tion, but  is  no  longer  in  existence.** 

The  latter  part  of  Terdelach  O'Connor's 
reign  was  not  so  fortunate.  Moriertach- 
Maglochluin,  (son  of  Niall,  and  grandson  of 
Loghlin,  from  whom  he  had  taken  his  sur- 
name,) prince  of  the  northern  Hy-Nialls, 
having  become  powerful  proved  a  formidable 
rival  to  him ;  and   frequently  carried  on  a 

*^  Lib.  de  Notif.  Abbatia  Ord.  Cistcr. 

t  War.  ibid.     Allcmand,  ibid,  page  177. 

+  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26. 

(j  War.  ibid.     AUem.  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irlaiid. 

II  War.  ibid.     Allemand,  ibid. 

IT  War.  ibid.     Allemand,  ibid. 

**  War.  ibid.     Allemand,  ibid,  page  341. 


successful  warfare  against  him.  He  weak- 
ened his  power  considerably,  without  anni- 
hilating it :  and  the  death  of  Terdelach  at 
length  opened  to  him  a  way  to  the  throne. 
Bruodine  fixes  the  death  of  Terdelach  in 
1144,  Keating  in  1150,  Gratianus  Lucius 
and  O'Flaherty  in  1156,  and  Ware  in  1157, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  However 
this  be,  he  was  interred  at  the  altar  of  St. 
Kiaran,  in  the  cathedral  of  Cluan-Mac- 
Noisk,  of  which  he  had  been  a  benefactor. 

Moriertach  being  now  without  a  rival, 
assumed  the  reigns  of  the  supreme  govern- 
ment. He  was  a  warlike  prince,  and  an  able 
politician.  He  reduced  all  the  provinces  by 
his  arms,  and  exacted  hostages  from  them  ; 
made  wise  regulations  for  the  spiritual  and 
temporal  government,  as  appears  by  the 
frequent  assemblies  which  were  held  under 
his  reign ;  was  the  steady  protector  of  the 
clergy,  whom  he  made  arbitrators  of  the 
most  important  of  his  affairs  ;  and  may  be 
considered  to  have  been  the  most  absolute  of 
those  who  assumed  the  title  of  monarch  since 
the  reign  of  Malachi  II.  It  would  have 
been  fortunate  for  Ireland,  says  a  modern 
author,  had  Moriertach  enacted  a  law  in 
favor  of  the  house  of  the  Hy-Nialls,  securing 
their  succession  to  the  crown  ;*  which  would 
have  put  an  end  to  the  factions  caused  by 
the  usurpation  of  the  provincial  kings,  that 
hastened  the  downfall  of  the  nation. 

The  most  remarkable  event  that  occurred 
in  the  reign  of  this  monarch,  was  the  national 
council  of  Kells.  The  Roman  church,  always 
attentive  to  the  necessities  of  the  provincial 
churches,  was  not  forgetful  of  the  steps 
which  St.  Malachi  had  taken  to  obtain  the 
pallium  from  Pope  Innocent  II. ;  nor  was 
she  ignorant  of  the  commission  which  the 
saint  had  received  for  that  purpose  from 
the  clergy  of  Ireland,  at  the  synod  of  Holm- 
Patrick.  It  was  in  consequence  of  this  that 
Pope  Eugene  HI.  sent  John  Paparo,  a  priest 
and  cardinal,  with  the  title  of"  St.  Laurence 
in  Damasus,"  to  Ireland,  in  1152,  as  legate, 
with  four  palliums  for  the  four  archbishops, 
of  Armagh,  Dublin,  Cashel,  and  Tuam. 
The  legate  assembled  a  council,  at  which  he 
presided,  with  Christian  O'Conarchy,  bishop 
of  Lismore,  and  apostolical  legate  after  the 
death  of  St.  Malachi.  Authors  do  not  agree 
respecting  the  place  in  which  this  council 
was  held.  Some  say  that  it  was  in  the  abbey 
of  Mellifont ;  and  others,  (which  is  the  most 
general  opinion,)  that  it  was  at  Kenanus,  by 
I  corruption  Kells,  an  ancient  city  in  Meath. 
This  assembly,  which  was  held  in  the  month 

*  Dissertation  on  the  Ancient  History  of  Ire- 
land, page  35. 


244 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


of  March,  was  numerously  and  brilliantly 
attended.*  The  bishops  present  at  this 
council  were : 

Giolla-Christ  (Christian)  O'Conarchy, 
bishop  of  Lismore,  and  legate. 

Giolla-Mac-Liah,  (Gelasius,)  primate  of 
Ireland. 

Uomnald  O'Lonorgain,  archbishop  of 
Munstcr,  that  is,  of  Cashed. 

CEda,  or  Hugh  O'Hossin,  archbishop  of 
Connaught,  that  is,  of  Tuam. 

Greri,  or  Gregory,  archbishop  of  Dublin. 

Giolla-na-Na;mh,  bishop  of  Glendaloch. 

Dungol  O'Cellaid,  bishop  of  Leighlin. 

Tuistius,  bishop  of  Waterford. 

Domnald  O'Fogertaic,  bishop  of  Ossory. 

Find-Mac-Tiarcain,  bishop  of  Kildare. 

Giolla-Ancomdeh  (Deicola)  O'Ardmail, 
bishop  of  Eraly. 

Giolla-CEda  O'Mugin,  (or  O'Heyn,)  bishop 
of  Cork. 

Mac-Ronan,  or  Maol-Breanuin  O'Rua- 
nain,  bishop  of  Kerry,  that  is,  Ardfert. 

Torgesius,  bishop  of  Limerick. 

Muirchertach  O'Melider,  bishop  of  Cluain- 
Mac-Noisk. 

Maeliosa  O'Conochtain,  bishop  of  Oirthir- 
Conacht,  that  is,  of  Roscommon. 

O'Radan,  bishop  of  Luigni,  that  is,  of 
Achonry. 

Macraith  O'Morain,  bishop  of  Conmacne, 
(Ardagh.) 

Ethru  O'Miadachain,  bishop  of  Clunair- 
ard,  that  is,  Clonard. 

Tuathal  O'Connachtaig,  bishop  of  Huam- 
bruai,  or  Enaghdune. 

Muirideach  O'Cobthaig,  bishop  of  Keneal- 
Eogain,  now  Derry. 

Maelpadruic  O'Beanain,  bishop  of  Daila- 
raid,  that  is,  Connor. 

Maeliosa-Mac-Inclericuir,  bishop  of  Ul- 
lagh,  that  is,  Down. 

In  this  council  the  bishoprics  of  Dublin, 
Cashel,  and  Tuam,  were  made  metropoli- 
tans ;  which  privilege  had  been  granted  to 
Armagh  in  the  beginning  ;  and  the  cardinal 
legate  conferred  on  the  four  the  palliums, 
with  which  he  had  been  intrusted  by  the 
pope.  To  each  of  these  metropolitans  was 
assigned  a  limited  number  of  suffragans  ; 
regulations  were  made  against  simony  and 
usury  ;  and  the  payment  of  tithes  decreed  by 
the  apostolical  authority,  as  appears  by  an 
act  taken  from  the  book  of  Cluain-Ednach, 
an  ancient  monastery  in  the  diocese  of 
Leighlin,  in  the  district  of  Leix,  now  the 
parish  of  Clonenagh,  near  Mountrath.f 

*  Keating's  History,  lib.  2.  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib. 
cap.  16. 

t  "  A  grand  synod  was  held  in  the  spring  of  a.  d. 


In  1157,  the  primate  convened  a  synod 
in  the  abbey  of  Mellifont,  composed  of  seven- 
teen bishops,  besides  the  legate,  who  pre- 
sided, and  the  primate  by  whom  it  was  con- 
vened. This  synod  seems  to  have  been  a 
prorogation  of  that  of  Kells.  It  is  probable 
that  Keating,  and  the  other  writers  who  place 
the  latter  in  1157,  confound  one  with  the 
other.  This  synod  was  honored  by  the  pre- 
sence of  Moriertach-Maglochluin,  the  mon- 
arch, Eochaid,  king  of  Ulidia :  Tiernan 
O'Rourke,  prince  of  Brefny,  and  O'Caruel, 
prince  of  Ergall,  were  also  present.  The 
principal  object  of  this  assembly  was  to  ex- 
communicate and  dethrone  Dunchad  O'Me- 
laghlin,  king  of  Meath,  and  place  his  brother 
Dermod  on  the  throne  in  his  stead.  It  is 
not  well  known  what  crime  he  had  committed 
which  drew  upon  him  so  heavy  a  maledic- 
tion ;  but  it  is  mentioned  in  some  records  in 
the  following  terms  :  "  This  accursed  atheist 
was  excommunicated  for  having  dishonored 
the  Comarb  or  primate,  the  staff  of  Jesus, 
and  all  the  clergy."  The  church  of  this 
abbey  was  solemnly  consecrated  during  this 
synod,  and  received  considerable  donations 
from  the  princes.  The  monarch  gave  one 
hundred  and  forty  oxen,  sixty  ounces  of  gold, 
and  a  tract  of  land  near  Drogheda,  called 
Finnabhuair-Naningean ;  O'Carroll  gave 
sixty  ounces  of  gold  ;  and  the  wife  of  Tier- 
nan  O'Rourke,  daughter  of  O'Melaghlin, 
prince  of  Meath,  sixty  ounces  of  gold,  a 
golden  chalice  for  the  grand  altar,  and  or- 
naments  for  the  other  nine  altars  of  the 
church. 

This  prelate,  so  zealous  and  indefatigable 
when  God's  glory  and  his  neighbor's  salva- 
tion were  in  question,  convened  a  synod  at 
Brighthaig,  in  the  district  of  Leogaire,  in 
Meath,  in  1158,  composed  of  twenty-five 
bishops,  at  which  Christian  O'Conarchy, 
bishop  of  Lismore,  and  legate,  presided.  The 
bishops  of  Connaught,  when  on  their  way 
thither,  were  met  by  a  band  of  soldiers,  who 
killed  two  of  their  attendants,  and  forced 
them  to  return  into  their  province.    Regula- 


1157.  The  Lord  John,  cardinal  priest  of  St.  Lau- 
rence, presided  over  twenty-two  bishops,  and  five 
coadjutors,  besides  as  many  abbots  and  priors  of 
tlie  apostles  Peter  and  Paul,  and  of  the  blessed 
Eugene.  Simony  and  all  manner  of  usury  were  sup- 
pressed and  condemned,  and  tithes  commanded  to 
be  paid  by  apostolical  authority.  Four  palliums 
were  given  to  the  four  arclibishops  of  Ireland, 
naniely,  those  of  Dublin,  Tuam,  Cashel,  and  Ar- 
magh. The  archbishop  of  Armagh  was  given  pre- 
cedence over  the  otiiers,  as  was  fitting.  The  car- 
dinal John,  immediately  after  the  council  termi- 
nated, set  out  upon  his  journey,  and  crossed  the 
seas  on  the  24th  of  March." 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


245 


tions  were  made  in  this  synod,  respecting 
the  reformation  of  morals,  and  re-establish- 
ment of  ecclesiastical  discipline.  They 
made  a  cathedral  of  the  abbey  of  Derry,  of 
which  Flathbert,  then  abbot,  was  first  bishop. 
He  was  also  appointed  by  the  synod  prefect 
general  of  all  the  abbeys  of  Ireland.* 

There  were  several  monasteries  for  both 
sexes  founded  in  this  reign,  as  set  forth  in 
the  following  account  : 

The  abbey  of  Shroule  was  founded  in 
1150,  for  monks  of  the  order  of  St.  Bernard, 
by  O'Ferrall,  chief  of  the  noble  tribe  of  the 
O'Ferralls  of  Analy,  now  the  county  of 
Longford. t  Jungelinus  says  that  it  was  not 
founded  till  the  year  1200,  and  that  it  was 
a  branch  of  Mellifont. 

In  the  city  of  Athlone  there  Avas  the  abbey 
of  St.  Peter,  or  of  Innocents.^  Ware  says 
that  this  abbey  had  two  titles,  that  of  St. 
Peter,  and  St.  Benedict.  Some  allege  that 
this  house  was  of  the  order  of  St.  Benedict ; 
others,  on  the  contrary,  maintain  that  it  be- 
longed to  that  of  Citeaux.  Jungelinus  calls 
this  abbey  of  Athlone,  Bencdictio  Dei,  and 
says  that  it  was  founded  about  the  year 
1150,  in  honor  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Bene- 
dict, and  that  it  was  situated  in  that  part  of 
the  city  which  was  in  the  county  of  Ros- 
common. 

The  abbey  of  Nenay,  in  the  county  of 
Limerick,  otherwise  called  De  Magio,  hav- 
ing been  built  on  the  river  Magia,  was  en- 
dowed in  1148,  by  an  O'Brien,  king  of  Lime- 
rick, for  monks  of  the  order  of  Citeaux,  and 
dedicated  to  the  blessed  Virgin.^  This 
abbey  was  a  branch  of  Mellifont,  and  gave 
rise  in  its  turn  to  several  others.  Jungelinus 
says  it  was  founded  in  1151.  This  house 
was  called  Na-Maigghe  monastery,  in  the 
Irish  language. 


*  "  A  synod  was  convened  by  the  Irish  clergy, 
at  Brighthaig,  in  the  district  of  Leogaire  ;  at  which 
the  legate  being  present,  25  bishops  assembled  to 
examine  into  church  discipline  and  morals.  At  this 
synod  it  was  decreed  by  a  general  council,  that  the 
cathedral  church  should  be  conferred,  in  the  man- 
ner of  the  other  bishoprics,  upon  the  Comarb,  suc- 
cessor of  St.  Columb-Kill,  Flethbertus  O'Brolchan, 
and  the  supremacy  of  all  the  abbeys  of  the  king- 
dom. The  bishops  of  Connaught,  however,  were 
not  present.  On  their  journey  to  the  synod,  after 
leaving  the  church  of  Cluan-Mac-Nois,  they  were 
robbed  on  the  way,  and  two  of  their  party  killed  at 
Cluanias,  by  the  emissaries  of  Diermitius  O'Melagh- 
luin,king  of  Meath  ;  the  others  returned  home." — 
Hibernian  Annals  in  Colgan,  2Sth  March.  Life 
of  St.  Gelasius. 

t  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  26.  Allemand,  Hist. 
Monast.  d'Irlande,  page  180. 

t  Wareus,  ibid.     Allemand,  ibid,  page  190. 

§  War.  ibid,     Allemand,  ibid,  page  184. 


O'Dorney,  near  the  town  of  Ardfert,  in 
the  county  of  Kerry,  otherwise  called  the 
abbey  of  Kyrie-Eleison,  of  the  order  of  Ci- 
teaux, and  a  branch  of  the  abbey  of  Nenay, 
was  founded  in  1154.*  Christian,  who  was 
one  of  the  most  celebrated  bishops  of  Lis- 
more,  and  apostolical  legate  in  Ireland,  was 
interred  in  this  abbey  in  1186. 

The  abbey  called  our  Lady  of  Greenwood, 
or  St.  Patrick  of  Greenwood,  De  Viridi 
Ligno,  in  the  city  of  Newry,  in  the  county 
of  Down,  was  founded  by  Moriertach-Ma- 
glochluin,  monarch  of  Ireland,  in  1153,  for 
monks  of  the  order  of  Citeaux. f  Ware  says 
that  some  incorrectly  attribute  the  founda- 
tion of  this  house  to  St.  Malachi,  who  died 
some  years  before. 

The  abbey  of  Ferns,  under  the  invocation 
of  the  blessed  Virgin,  in  the  county  of  Wex- 
ford, was  founded  in  1158,  for  regular  can- 
ons of  the  order  of  St.  Augustin,  by  Dermod 
Mac-Morrough,  king  of  Leinster.| 

The  priory  of  the  canonesses  of  Kilclehin, 
or  Bcllo  Portu,  a  fine  harbor  on  the  river 
Suir,  in  the  district  of  Kilkenny,  nearly  op- 
posite to  Waterford,  was  founded  in  1151, 
by  Dermod  Mac-Morrough,  king  of  Lein- 
ster.^  This  priory  was  dependent  on  the 
abbey  of  Hoggis,  in  Dublin,  of  Avhich  we 
have  already  spoken.  This  king  also  found- 
ed a  monastery  for  canonesses,  nuns  of  the 
abbey  of  Hoggis,  at  Athaddy,  in  the  district 
of  Carlo w. 

At  Clonard,  in  Meath,  there  was  a  nun- 
nery of  the  order  of  St.  Augustin,  which  was 
endowed  by  O'Melaghlin,  prince  of  Meath, 
and  confirmed  in  its  possessions  by  Pope 
Celestine  III.,  in  1195. 

The  monastery  of  Termon-Fechin,  in 
Louth,  was  founded  in  the  same  century, 
(the  date  is  not  precisely  known,)  by  the 
noble  family  of  the  Mac-Mahons  of  Mona- 
ghan,  or  Uriel,  for  nuns  of  the  order  of  St. 
Augustin. II  This  foundation  was  confirmed 
in  1195,  by  Pope  Celestine  III. 

Gelasius,  primate  of  Ireland,  also  con- 
vened in  this  reign,  in  the  year  1162,  a 
synod  of  twenty-six  bishops,  at  Cleonad,  in 
the  diocese  of  Kildare  ;  in  which,  among 
other  things,  it  was  enacted  that  no  one  but 
a  pupil  of  the  University  of  Armagh  should 
be  admitted  as  professor  of  theology  in  a 
public  school. TI  In  the  succeeding  reign  this 

*  War.  ibid.     Allemand,  ibid,  page  183. 
+  Idem,  page  194 

I  Wareus,  ibid. 

§  Wareus,  ibid.     Allemand,  ibid,  page  342. 

II  Wareus,  ibid.     Allemand,  ibid,  page  349. 

IT  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Gelas.  ad  28  Mart.  c. 
15,  et  sen. 


240 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


prelate  convoked  another  synod  at  Athboy, 
in  Meath,  composed  of  the  clergy  and  princes 
of  Leth-Cuin,  at  which  Roderick  O'Connor, 
king-  of  Connaught,  and  monarch  of  Ireland, 
attended.  The  object  of  all  these  assemblies 
was  the  spiritual  government  of  the  church, 
and  also  the  tranquillity  of  the  slate. 

It  is  said  that  in  this  reign,  in  the  year 
11 55,  Pope  Adrian  IV.  issued  the  celebrated 
bull,  by  which  this  pontiH'  transferred  the 
sovereignty  of  Ireland  to  Henry  II.,  king  of 
England.  The  tenor  of  it  is  here  given,  in 
order  that  an  opinion  may  be  formed  of  it. 

"  Adrian,  bishop  and  servant  of  the  servants 
of  God,  to  his  most  dear  son  in  Christ, 
the  illustrious  king  of  England,  greeting, 
health,  and  apostolical  benediction" 

"  Thy  greatness,  as  is  becoming  a  Catho- 
lic prince,  is  laudably  and  successfully  em- 
ployed in  thought  and  intention,  to  propagate 
a  glorious  name  upon  earth,  and  lay  up  in 
heaven  the  rewards  of  a  happy  eternity,  by 
extending  the  boundaries  of  the  church,  and 
making  known  to  nations  which  are  unin- 
structed,  and  still  ignorant  of  tlie  Christian 
faith,  its  truths  and  doctrine,  by  rooting  up 
the  seeds  of  vice  from  the  land  of  the  Lord  : 
and  to  perform  this  more  efficaciously,  thou 
seekest  the  counsel  and  protection  of  the 
apostolical  see,  in  which  undertaking,  the 
more  exalted  thy  design  will  be,  united  with 
prudence,  the  more  propitious,  we  trust,  will 
be  thy  progress  under  a  benign  Providence, 
since  a  happy  issue  and  end  are  always  the 
result  of  what  has  been  undertaken  from  an 
ardor  of  faith,  and  a  love  of  religion. 

"  It  is  not,  indeed,  to  be  doubted,  that  the 
kingdom  of  Ireland,  and  every  island  upon 
which  Christ  the  sun  of  justice  hath  shone, 
and  which  has  received  the  principles  of  the 
Christian  faith,  belong  of  right  to  St.  Peter, 
and  to  the  holy  Roman  church,  (which  thy 
majesty  likewise  admits,)  from  whence  we  the 
more  fully  implant  in  them  the  seed  of  faith, 
that  seed  which  is  acceptable  to  God,  and 
to  which  we,  after  a  minute  investigation, 
consider  that  a  conformity  should  be  required 
by  us  the  more  rigidly.  Thou,  dearest  son 
in  Christ,  hast  likewise  signified  to  us,  that 
for  the  purpose  of  subjecting  the  people  of 
Ireland  to  laws,  and  eradicating  vice  from 
among  them,  thou  art  desirous  of  entering 
that  island  ;  and  also  of  paying  for  each 
house  an  annual  tribute  of  one  penny  to  St 
Peter ;  and  of  preserving  the  privileges  of 
its  churches  pure  and  undefiled.  We,  there- 
fore, with  approving  and  favorable  views 
commend  thy  pious  and  laudable  desire,  and 


to  aid  thy  undertaking,  we  give  to  thy 
petition  our  grateful  and  willing  consent, 
that  for  the  extending  the  boundaries  of  the 
church,  the  restraining  the  prevalence  of 
vice,  the  improvement  of  morals,  the  implant- 
ing of  virtue,  and  propagation  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  thou  enter  that  island,  and 
pursue  those  things  which  shall  tend  to  the 
honor  of  God,  and  salvation  of  his  people  ; 
and  that  they  may  receive  thee  with  honor, 
and  revere  thee  as  their  lord  :  the  privilege 
of  their  churches  continuing  pure  and  unre- 
strained, and  the  annual  tribute  of  one  penny 
from  each  house  remaining  secure  to  St. 
Peter,  and  the  holy  Roman  Church.  If  thou 
therefore  deem  what  thou  hast  projected  in 
mind,  possible  to  be  completed,  study  to 
instil  good  morals  into  that  people,  and  act 
so  that  thou  thyself,  and  such  persons  as 
thou  wilt  judge  competent  from  their  faith, 
words,  and  actions,  to  be  instrumental  in  ad- 
vancing the  honor  of  the  Irish  church,  pro- 
pagate and  promote  religion,  and  the  faith 
of  Christ,  to  advance  thereby  the  honor  of 
God,  and  salvation  of  souls,  that  thou  mayest 
merit  an  everlasting  reward  of  happiness 
hereafter,  and  establish  on  earth  a  name  of 
glory,  which  shall  last  for  ages  to  come. 
GiA^en  at  Rome,  &c.  &c.  &c." 

The  above  was  an  edict  pronounced 
against  Ireland,  by  which  the  rights  of  men, 
and  the  most  sacred  laws  are  violated,  under 
the  specious  pretext  of  religion  and  the 
reformation  of  morals.*  The  Irish  were  no 
longer  to  possess  a  covmtry.  That  people, 
who  had  never  bent  under  a  foreign  yoke, 
"  nunquam  externa?  subjacuit  ditioni,"  were 
condemned  to  lose  their  liberty,  without 
even  being  heard. t  But  can  the  vicar  of 
Jesus  Christ  be  accused  of  so  glaring  an 
act  of  injustice  1  Can  he  be  thought  capa- 
ble of  having  dictated  a  bull  which  over- 
threw an  entire  nation,  which  dispossessed 
so  many  ancient  proprietors  of  their  patri- 
monies, caused  so  much  blood  to  be  shed, 
and  at  length  tended  to  the  destruction  of 
religion  in  the  island  ?  It  is  a  thing  not  to 
be  conceived. 

In  truth,  were  we  to  consider  the  circum- 
stances and  motives  of  the  bull,  it  has  all 
the  appearance  of  a  fictitious  one,  under  the 
borrowed  name  of  Adrian  IV. |  Baronius 
quotes  it,  without  giving  any  date  of  year  or 
day,  which  would  make  it  appear  suspicious  ; 
it  remained  unpublished  for  seventeen  years ; 
it  is  said  that  it  was  fabricated  in  1155,  and 
not  made  public  till  1172,  which  Nicholas 

*  Cambrens.  Evers.  cap.  22. 

t  Nubrigens.  de  Rebus  Anglic,  lib.  2,  cap.  16. 

X  Propug.  Cathol.  Verit.  lib.  5,  cap.  17. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


247 


Trivet  ascribes  to  the  opposition  it  met  with 
from  Henry's  mother.  He  adds,  that  the 
king,  having  assembled  his  parliament  at 
Winlon,  about  the  festival  of  St.  Michael, 
proposed  the  conquest  of  Ireland  to  his  lords ; 
but  that  as  it  was  displeasing  to  the  empress 
his  mother,  he  deferred  the  execution  of  it 
to  another  period.* 

The  bull  gains  but  little  authentication 
from  the  authority  of  John  of  Salisbury, 
afterwards  bishop  of  Chartres,  in  his  treatise 
"  de  nugis  curialibus."  This  writer  is  made 
to  say,  at  the  end  of  the  last  chapter  of  his 
fourth  book,  that  "  Pope  Adrian  had  granted 
Ireland  to  king  Henry,  at  his  request,  it 
being  the  patrimony  of  his  holiness  by  he- 
reditary right,  inasmuch  as  all  the  islands 
belonged  to  the  Roman  Church,  by  the 
concession  of  the  Emperor  Constantino  the 
Great."  But  this  nonsense  is  considered  by 
the  learned  as  having  been  added  to  the 
chapter  by  a  strange  hand  ;  since  the  author, 
in  speaking  particularly  in  the  sixth  and 
eighth  books  of  his  visit  to  the  holy  father 
at  Benevento,  where  he  remained  with  him 
for  three  months,  states  most  minutely  the 
various  conversations  which  he  had  with  his 
holiness,  without  making  any  mention  of  the 
bull  in  question,  though  it  was  a  matter  of 
particular  importance,  and  that  was  naturally 
the  fit  time  to  have  mentioned  it.  Pierre  de 
Blois,  a  zealous  panegyrist  of  this  prelate, 
who  published  his  praises  in  various  epistles, 
makes  no  mention  of  it  either. 

It  is  well  known  that  king  Henry,  who 
found  creatures  sufficiently  devoted  to  him 
to  revenge  his  quarrel  with  the  holy  prelate 
of  Canterbury,  did  not  want  for  venal  wri- 
ters to  add  to,  and  retrench  from,  the  wri- 
tings of  the  times,  in  order  to  give  an  ap- 
pearance of  authenticity  to  a  document  so 
necessary  for  the  justification  of  his  conduct. 
Besides,  it  appears  that  Salisbury  had  gone 
to  Italy  of  his  own  accord,  and  through  curi- 
osity, to  visit  his  countryman  Adrian,  and 
not  with  any  commission  from  the  king  of 
England ;  while  the  bull,  according  to 
Mathew  of  Westminster,  was  obtained  by  a 
solemn  embassy,  which  Henry  had  sent  to 
the  pope.  In  my  opinion,  however,  this 
circumstance  appears  to  be  another  fable 
added  to  the  former ;  as  he  is  the  first  who 
mentions  this  embassy,  and  that  two  centu- 
ries afterwards.  The  silence,  too,  of  Nu- 
brigensis,  an  English  cotemporary  author, 
respecting  this  embassy  and  the  bull  which 
it  is  affirmed  was  granted,  is  an  argument 
which,  though  negative,  deserves  some  atten- 
tion. This  author,  who  was  so  zealous  for 
*  Usser.  Epist.  Hib.  Syllog.  Epist.  46. 


the  glory  of  Henry  H.  and  his  nation,  com- 
mences his  narrative  by  saying  that  the 
English  had  entered  Ireland  in  a  warlike 
manner,  and  that,  their  forces  increasing 
every  day,  they  subjugated  a  considerable 
part  of  it.*  He  makes  no  mention  of  a  bull 
granted  by  any  pope  ;  and  I  consider  it- 
highly  improbable  that  he  would  have  for- 
gotten to  speak  of  a  circumstance  so  neces- 
sary to  give  an  appearance  of  justice  to  the 
unprecedented  conduct  of  his  nation.  How- 
ever this  be,  it  may  be  affirmed  that  no  pope, 
either  before  or  after  Adrian  IV.,  ever  pun- 
ished a  nation  so  severely  without  cause. 
We  have  seen  instances  of  popes  making 
use  of  their  spiritual  authority  in  opposition 
to  crowned  heads  ;  we  have  known  them  to 
excommunicate  emperors  and  kings,  and 
place  their  states  under  an  interdict,  for 
crimes  of  heresy,  or  other  causes  ;  but  we 
here  behold  innocent  Ireland  given  up  to 
tyrants,  without  having  been  summoned  be- 
fore any  tribunal,  or  convicted  of  any  crime. 
If  we  consider  the  bull  as  the  work  of 
Adrian  IV.,  it  opens  to  our  consideration 
two  very  important  matters.  The  first  is 
the  real  or  supposed  right  of  the  popes  to 
dispose  of  crowns  and  kingdoms ;  the  sec- 
ond regards  the  reason  why  the  bull  was 
granted,  that  is,  the  true  or  false  statement 
which  Henry  had  made  to  the  pope,  of  the 
real  state  of  religion  in  Ireland,  on  which 
the  concession  of  the  bull  is  founded.  In 
the  former  we  do  not  call  in  question  the 
spiritual  power  of  St.  Peter's  successor  ;  he 
is  acknowledged  by  every  Catholic  Chris- 
tian as  the  vicar  of  Jesus  Christ  on  earth, 
and  the  visible  head  of  his  church  ;  it  is  only 
necessary  to  know  whether  his  power  ex- 
tends equally  over  spiritual  and  temporal 
matters  ;  or  rather,  to  speak  in  accordance 
with  the  schools,  whether  he  received  a  two- 
fold power  from  God.  I  shall  enter  into  no 
argument  on  this  subject,  which  belongs 
more  properly  to  theology  than  history,  and 
which  has  already  been  so  frequently  dis- 
cussed. The  digression  would  be  of  no 
value  to  my  object,  particularly  as  the  bull 
only  mentions  islands  ;  though  I  see  no  rea- 
son why  an  island  or  a  kingdom  in  the  ocean 
should  belong  to  the  holy  see,  as  affirmed  in 
the  bull,  any  more  than  the  kingdoms  on 
the  continent,  unless  it  be  advanced  that  he 
holds  the  sovereignty  of  all  the  islands  from 
the  liberality  of  the  emperor  Constantino  the 

*  "  At  this  time  the  Englisli  made  a  descent  upon 
Ireland  in  a  warlike  manner,  and  their  numbers 
having  increased,  they  became  masters  of  no  incon- 
siderable  portion  of  it  by  force  of  arms." — Nubrigius, 
de  Rebus.  Anglic,  b.  2,  c.  26. 


248- 


mSTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Great;  to  which  I  answer,  that  Ireland, 
which  had  never  obeyed  the  Romans,  couhl 
not  be  of  that  number  ;*  consequently,  this 
claim  on  Ireland  is  unfounded,  and  there- 
fore the  concession  of  it  unjust.  It  might 
more  reasonably  be  made  with  reference 
to  Great  Britain,  which  was  under  the  do- 
minion of  the  Romans  both  before  and  after 
the  reign  of  Constantine  ;  yet  the  kings  of 
England  have  never  been  understood  to  hold 
their  sovereignty  from  the  holy  see. 

The  supposed  jurisdiction  of  the  popes 
over  the  kingdom  of  Ireland  acquires  no 
great  weight  from  the  authority  of  Sanderus,t 
who  says  that  the  Irish,  on  receiving  the 
holy  gospel,  had  submitted,  with  all  they 
possessed,  to  the  empire  of  the  popes,  and 
acknowledged  no  other  supreme  princes  but 
the  sovereign  pontiffs,  till  the  time  of  the 
English. 

It  would  appear  that  this  writer  had  not 
consulted  the  Psalter  of  Cashel,  or  the 
other  records  of  Ireland,  to  which  alone  we 
should  refer  in  matters  concerning  the  coun- 
try. We  discover  in  those  records  that 
there  was  an  uninterrupted  succession  of 
monarchs  in  this  island,  from  Irial  till  the 
time  of  St.  Patrick,  and  from  that  apostle  till 
the  arrival  of  the  English,  without  any  men- 
tion of  the  temporal  jurisdiction  of  the  popes. 
Ranulphus  Higden,  an  English  Benedictine 
monk,  and  an  historiographer  of  the  four- 
teenth century,  expressly  mentions,  in  his 
book  entitled  "  Polychronicon,"  the  number 
of  kings  who  had  reigned  in  this  island,  from 
the  time  of  St.  Patrick  to  the  invasion  of  the 
English.  He  says,  that  from  the  time  of 
St.  Patrick  till  the  reign  of  Feidlim,  and  the 
time  of  Turgcsius,  chief  of  the  Danes,  Ire- 
land was  governed  by  thirty-three  kings  for 
the  space  of  400  years  ;  and  that  from  that 
period  to  the  reign  of  Roderick,  the  last  mon- 
arch of  the  island,  there  were  seventeen 
kings. J  The  royalty  and  succession  of  the 
monarchs  of  Ireland  were  acknowledged  by 
the  English  at  the  end  of  the  eleventh  and 


*  "  The  Irish  nation,  from  the  first  period  of  their 
arrival,  and  from  the  reign  of  the  first  Heremon  to 
the  times  of  Gurmundis  and  Turgesius,  (when  her 
peace  was  disturbed,)  and  again  from  their  death 
to  our  own  times — continued  free  and  undisturbed 
by  any  foreign  nation." — G.  Cambrensis,  Topogra- 
phy of  Ireland,  cap.  31. 

t  De  Schism.  Anglican,  lib.  1,  page  163. 

t  "  From  the  arrival  of  St.  Patrick  to  the  time 
ofking  Feidlim,  thirty-three  kings  reigned  in  Ireland, 
during  400  years.  But  in  the  time  of  Feidlim,  the 
Norwegians,  under  the  command  of  Turgesius, 
seized  upon  the  island.  From  the  time  of  Turgesius 
to  the  last  monarch,  Roderick,  king  of  Connaught, 
17  kings  ruled  in  Ireland." 


beginning  of  the  twelfth  century,  some  years 
before  the  bull  was  forged.  The  letters  of 
the  archbishops  of  Canterbury  to  the  kings 
of  Ireland  have  been  preserved ;  namely, 
that  of  Lanfrancus  to  Terdelach,  "  illus- 
trious king  of  Ireland,"  and  that  of  Anselm 
to  the  glorious  Moricrtach.*  William  Ru- 
fus,  king  of  England,  sent  to  ask  permission 
from  Terdelach,  monarch  of  Ireland,  to  cut 
wood  in  the  forests  of  his  kingdom,  for  the 
building  of  Westminster  Abbey,  and  Henry 
I.,  in  his  letter  to  Radulphus,  archbishop 
of  Canterbury,  which  is  the  forty-first  of  the 
epistles  quoted  by  Usher,  seems  to  pay  par- 
ticular regard  to  the  recommendation  of  the 
king  of  Ireland  in  favor  of  Gregory,  who 
was  to  be  consecrated  bishop. f 

Sanderus  errs  grossly  in  the  same  book, 
not  only  against  historical  truth,  but  also 
against  chronology.  He  says  that  Henry 
II.,  with  his  followers,  that  is,  Robert  Fitz- 
stephen  and  the  earl  of  Chepstow,  having 
become  masters  of  some  places  in  the  island 
by  conquest,  the  bishops,  some  of  the  prin- 
ces, and  a  great  part  of  the  people,  suppli- 
cated Pope  Adrian  to  grant  to  Henry  the 
sovereignty  of  Ireland,  in  order  to  put  an 
end  to  the  seditions  and  abuses  which  were 
springing  up  on  account  of  the  number  of 
their  petty  kings. 

Adrian  IV.  was  elected  on  the  3d  of 
December,  1154,  and  held  the  holy  see  for 
four  years,  eight  months,  and  twenty-nine 
days;  he  therefore  died  1st  September,  1159. 
According  to  the  most  correct  authors  of 
both  nations,  the  first  English  adventurer 
who  landed  in  Ireland,  under  title  of  ally  of 
the  king  of  Leinster,  was  Robert  Fitzstephen. 
His  arrival  in  the  island  is  fixed  in  the  year 
1169.  Some  time  afterwards  he  was  followed 
by  Richard  of  Chepstow,  and  in  1172  by 
Henry  II.  We  should  therefore  place  this 
supposed  address  of  the  clergy  and  people  of 
Ireland  to  Adrian  IV.,  at  least  twelve  years 


*  "  Lanfrancus,  a  sinner,  and  the  unworthy  bishop 
of  the  holy  church  of  Dover,  to  the  illustrious  Ter- 
delvacus,  king  of  Ireland,  blessing  with  respect  and 
prayers." — Usher,  Epist.  Hib.  Syllog.  Epist.  27. 

"  To  Muriardachus,  by  the  grace  of  God  glorious 
king  of  Ireland,  Anselm,  servant  of  the  church  of 
Canterbury,  greeting,  health,  salvation,  &c.,  to  the 
king  and  his  lieutenant." — Ibid.  Epist.  35. 

t  "  Henry,  king  of  England,  to  Radulphus,  arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  greeting,  health,"  &.c. 

"  The  king  of  Ireland  hath  informed  me  by  his 
letter,  and  the  Burgesses  of  Dublin,  that  they  have 
chosen  this  Gregory  to  be  bishop,  and  that  they 
send  him  to  thee  to  be  consecrated.  Whence  I 
command  thee  to  pay  regard  to  their  petition,  and 
consecrate  him  without  delay :  witness  Radulphus 
our  Chancellor  at  Windsor." — Usher,  Epist.  41. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


249 


after  the  death  of  that  pope,  which  does  not 
agree  with  the  calculations  of  Sanderus. 

I  here  subjoin  another  bull,  which  Eng- 
lish authors  mention  to  have  been  given  by 
Alexander  III.,  confirming  that  of  Adrian, 
and  apparently  of  the  same  fabric* 

Were  we  to  compare  this  bull  and  the 
preceding  one,  with  the  treatise  on  "  Ireland 
Conquered,"  composed  at  the  same  time  by 
Giraldus  Cambrensis,  we  should  discover 
great  similarity  of  style  between  them  ; 
and  if  they  are  not  by  the  same  writer,  they 
appear  at  least  to  have  been  composed  to 
maintain  each  other  mutually,  and  thereby 
acquire  a  degree  of  credit  among  the  public. 

Giraldus  Cambrensis  gives  the  motives  for 
this  buU.f  "  In  the  year  of  our  Lord  1 172," 
says  he,  "  Christian,  bishop  of  Lismore,  and 
legate  of  the  holy  see  ;  Donat,  archbishop 
of  Cashel ;  Laurence,  archbishop  of  Dublin, 
and  Catholicus,  archbishop  of  Tuam,  with 
their  suffragans,  and  a  great  number  of 
abbots,  archdeacons,  priors,  deans,  and  other 
prelates  of  the  church  of  Ireland,  held  a 
council  in  the  city  of  Cashel  by  order  of 
king  Henry,  in  which,  after  a  strict  investi- 
gation into  the  degeneracy  of  morals  in  that 
country,  an  address  was  prepared,  sealed 
with  the  seal  of  the  legate,  to  be  sent  to  the 
court  of  Rome ;  in  compliance  with  which, 
Alexander,  who  was  then  pope,  granted  the 
sovereignty  of  Ireland  to  Henry,  on  condi- 
tion that  he  would  propagate  there  the  faith, 
and  ecclesiastical  discipline,  according  to 
the  rites  of  the  English  church." 

I  shall  here  confine  myself  to  a  few  ob- 
servations on  the  council  of  Cashel,  and  the 
manner  in  which  the  court  of  Rome  was 
disposed  towards  the  king  of  England.  I 
shall  in  its  proper  place  refute  the  imputation 
of  irreligion  and  degeneracy  of  morals,  with 
which  Ireland  is  branded. 

There  is  no  mention  made  of  any  English 
bishops  or  doctors  having  assisted  gi  this 

*  Alexander,  bishop,  servant  of  the  servants  of 
God,  to  his  most  dear  son  in  Christ,  the  illustrious 
king  of  England,  health  and  apostolic  benediction. 

For  as  much  as  those  things  which  are  known  to 
have  been  reasonably  granted  by  our  predecessors, 
deserve  to  be  confirmed  in  lasting  stability,  we, 
adhering  to  the  footsteps  of  pope  Adrian,  and  re- 
garding the  result  of  our  gift  to  you,  (the  annual 
tax  of  one  penny  from  each  house  being  secured  to 
St.  Peter  and  the  holy  Roman  church,)  confirm  and 
ratify  the  same,  considering  that  its  impurities 
being  cleansed,  that  barbarous  nation  which  bears 
the  name  of  Christian,  may  by  your  grace,  assume 
the  comeliness  of  morality,  and  that  a  system  of 
discipline  being  introduced  into  her  heretofore  un- 
regulated church,  she  may,  through  you,  effectually 
attain  with  the  name  the  benefits  of  Christianity. 

t  Hiber.  Expug.  lib.  1,  cap.  34. 


j  council  of  Cashel.  It  was  entirely  composed 
I  of  Irish  prelates,  namely,  the  archbishops  of 
Leinster,  Munster,  and  Connaught,  with  their 
suffragans,  and  a  great  number  of  prelates 
of  inferior  rank,  who  formed  three  parts  of 
the  church  of  Ireland.  St.  Gelasius,  the 
j  primate,  is  not  included.  It  was  to  these 
fathers  that  Henry  confided  the  work  of  re- 
forming their  countrymen  ;  and  he  had  no 
need  to  bring  other  preachers  among  them. 

How  can  we  reconcile  the  great  degen- 
eracy supposed  to  have  taken  place  in  the 
religion  and  morals  of  the  Irish  people,  with 
the  zeal  which  the  fathers  of  this  council 
displayed  for  the  reformation  of  both  1 

Will  it  not  be  admitted  that  Henry  II. 
himself  was  convinced  that  these  ecclesias- 
tics were  sufhciently  enlightened  and  sufh- 
j  ciently  zealous  to  effect  a  reformation  with- 
out the  aid  or  co-operation  of  any  foreign 
doctors  ?  Can  it  be  imagined  that  their  zeal 
was  a  species  of  fever  which  seized  them  at 
j  the  moment  of  their  assembling  at  Cashel, 
and  which  immediately  afterwards  became 
extinct  ?  Should  we  not  suppose  that  each 
of  them  preached  and  taught  in  his  own 
church ;  that  the  flocks  listened  to  the  voice 
of  their  shepherds,  among  a  people  who 
were  submissive  to  their  ecclesiastics,  whom 
they  held  in  the  highest  veneration  1  Re- 
ligion is  improved  by  preaching,  and  the 
bishops  and  other  pastors  in  Ireland  were 
masters  of  that  course,  without  any  extraordi- 
nary mission  from  the  pope  or  a  foreign  king. 
It  is  therefore  improbable  that  the  fathers 
of  this  council,  supposing  them  free,  would 
have  forged  chains  for  themselves,  under  the 
specious  pretext  of  the  propagation  of  the 
faith,  or  that  they  would  have  submitted,  by 
a  public  act,  to  a  foreign  yoke,  to  the  preju- 
dice of  their  legitimate  princes.  It  was  not 
in  their  power  to  act  in  such  a  manner. 

The  bull  of  Alexander  III.  must  appear 
a  paradox  to  all  those  who  strictly  investi- 
gate the  morals  of  Henry,  and  his  behavior 
to  the  court  of  Rome.  A  bad  Christian 
makes  a  bad  apostle.  What  was  Henry 
II.  ?  A  man  who  in  private  life  forgot  the 
essential  duties  of  religion,  and  frequently 
those  of  nature  ;  a  superstitious  man,  who, 
under  the  veil  of  religion,  joined  the  most 
holy  practices  to  the  most  flagrant  vices  ; 
regardless  of  his  word,  when  to  promote  his 
own  interest,  he  broke  the  most  solemn  trea- 
ties with  the  king  of  France ;  he  considered 
principle  as  nothing,  when  the  sacrifice  of  it 
promised  to  produce  him  a  benefit.  It  is 
well  known,  that  without  any  scruple,  he 
married  Eleanor  of  Aquitaine,  so  famous 
for  her  debaucheries,  and  branded  by  her 


250 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


divorce  from  Louis  VII.  He  ungratefully 
confined  this  very  woman  in  chains,  though 
she  liad  brought  him  one-fourth  of  France 
as  her  marriage  portion.  He  was  a  bad 
father,  quarrelled  with  all  his  children,  and 
became  engaged  in  wars  on  every  side.*  As 
a  king,  he  tyrannized  over  his  nobles  and 
took  pleasure  in  confounding  all  their  privi- 
leges :  like  his  predecessors,  he  was  the 
sworn  enemy  of  the  popes  ;  he  attacked 
their  rights,  persecuted  their  adherents,  sent 
back  their  legates  with  contempt,  encroach- 
ed upon  the  privileges  and  immunities  of  the 
church,  and  gloried  in  supporting  the  most 
unjust  usurpers  of  them  ;  which  led  to  the 
martyrdom  of  St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury. 
Again,  his  debaucheries  are  admitted  by 
every  historian.!  No  one  is  ignorant  that 
he  went  so  far  as  to  seduce  the  young  Alix, 
who  had  been  betrothed  to  his  son  Richard, 
and  that  all  the  misfortunes  which  filled  the 
latter  part  of  his  life  with  affliction,  were 
caused  by  this  passion,  as  obstinate  as  it 
was  criminal  and  base.  Behold  the  apostle, 
the  reformer,  whom  the  holy  see  would  have 
chosen  to  convert  Ireland !  The  witnesses 
we  here  bring  forth  are  not  to  be  suspected. 
Cambrensis  himself,  whose  opinions  I  have 
elsewhere  refuted,  is  the  first  to  acknow- 
ledge the  irregularities  of  Henry  II.  He 
who  knew  him  so  well,  and  who  was  his 
friend  and  favorite,  thus  speaks  of  his 
morals.  I 

It  cannot  be  supposed  that  his  conduct 
towards  Alexander  III.  would  have  induced 
him,  as  pope,  to  grant  the  bull  attributed  to 
him.  In  1150,  Henry  promised  obedience 
to  Octavianus,  the  anti-pope,  and  in  1166, 
to  Guido,  his  successor.  Roger  Hoveden, 
an  English  contemporary  writer,  says,  that 
in  1164  he  pronounced  a  harsh  and  wicked 
edict  against  Pope  Alexander,  "  Henricus 
rex  fecit  grave  edictum,  et  execrabile,  con- 
tra Alexandrum  papam,"  &c.  In  that  same 
year,  he  enacted  laws,  by  which  it  was  for- 
bidden, under  heavy  penalties,  to  obey  the 

*  Baker,  Chron.  of  England.    Life  of  Henry  II. 

t  Harpsfield,  sajculo  12,  cap.  15. 

t  "  He  was  less  given  to  devotion  than  to  hunting ; 
was  an  open  violator  of  the  marriage  contract ;  a 
ready  breaker  of  his  promise  in  most  things  ;  for 
whenever  he  got  into  difficulties  he  preferred  to  re- 
pent rather  of  his  word  than  of  his  deed,  considering 
it  more  easy  to  nullify  the  former  than  the  latter. 
He  was  an  oppressor  of  the  nobility  ;  daringly  au- 
dacious in  liis  usurpations  of  sacred  things,  and  in 
his  desire  to  monopolize  the  administration  of  jus- 
tice ;  he  united  the  laws  of  his  realm  with  those  of 
the  church,  or  rather  confounded  them  together; 
and  converted  to  the  purpose  of  the  state  the  reve- 
nues of  the  vacant  churches." — Hibernia  Expug- 
natii',  book  1,  c.  45. 


sovereign  pontiff  or  his  censures  ;  which 
gave  rise  to  the  complaints  made  by  the 
pope  of  him,  in  a  letter  which  he  wrote  to 
Roger,  the  archbishop.*  It  is  mentioned  by 
Baronius,  that  in  the  same  year,  Henry  had 
caused  troubles  capable  of  overthrowing 
not  only  the  primate  of  Canterbury  and  the 
whole  English  church,  but  even  the  holy 
Catholic  church  and  its  prelate  Alexander, 
for  whom,  in  particular,  he  had  laid  his 
snares. t  Wcstmonasteriensis  says  that  in 
1168  he  sent  an  ambassador  to  the  emperor 
Frederick,  proposing  to  second  him  in  de- 
posing pope  Alexander,  who  had  become 
his  adversary  by  encouraging  the  opposi- 
tion of  Thomas  a  Becket.  He  adds,  that 
he  made  his  English  subjects,  both  young 
and  old,  abjure  their  obedience  to  the  pope.J 
In  fine,  he  was  so  disrespectful  to  the  holy 
see,  that  he  dismissed,  with  contempt,  the 
cardinals  whom  the  pope  had  sent  to  him 
in  1169. 

These  bulls  have,  in  fact,  all  the  appear- 
ance of  forgery.  They  are  not  to  be  met 
with  in  any  collection.  It  appears,  also,  that 
Henry  II.  considered  them  so  insufiicient  to 
strengthen  his  dominion  in  Ireland,  that  he 
solicited  Pope  Lucius  III.,  who  succeeded 
Alexander,  to  confirm  them  ;  but  that  pope 
was  too  just  to  authorize  his  usurpation,  and 
paid  no  regard  to  a  considerable  sum  of 
money  which  the  king  sent  to  him.§ 


*  "  When  the  king  should  attend  to  reforming 
the  abuses  of  his  predecessors,  he  himself  adds  in- 
justice to  injustice,  and  establishes  and  confirms, 
under  sanction  of  the  royal  authority,  equally  un- 
just institutions  ;  under  which  the  liberty  of  the 
church  perishes,  and  the  regulations  of  apostolical 
men  are,  so  far  as  it  lies  in  his  power,  deprived  of 
their  efiicacy.  The  king  himself,  trifling  with  our 
forbearance  by  the  subtle  acts  of  his  ambassadors, 
seems  to  have  so  far  hardened  his  mind  to  our  ad- 
monitions, that  he  will  not  be  reconciled  to  tiie 
archbishop,"  &c.  &c. — Hoveden,  pp.  518,  519,  cited 
Grat.  Luc.  c.  23. 

t  "  Henry  raised  the  waters  to  overwhehn  not 
only  the  bishop  of  Canterbury,  together  with  the 
whole  English  church,  but  the  entire  of  the  holy 
Catholic  church,  together  with  its  pastor  Alexander, 
against  whom,  in  particular,  he  directed  his  machi- 
nations." 

t  "  King  Henry,  whose  anger  was  changed  into 
hatred  of  the  blessed  Thomas,  and  of  the  pope,  in 
consequence  of  his  having  espoused  the  cause  of 
the  former,  sent  to  the  emperor  Frederick,  request- 
ing him  to  co-operate  in  removing  Alexander  from 
the  popedom  ;  because  he  had  made  himself  obnox- 
ious to  Henry  by  aiding  the  fugitive  and  traitorous 
Thomas,  who  had  been  the  archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury for  some  time  ;  he  caused  the  obedience  due 
in  England  to  the  pope  to  be  abjured  by  all,  from 
the  boy  of  twelve  years  old  to  aged  men." — West. 
Flor.  Hist.  1168. 

§  Cambrens.  Evers.  cap.  24. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


251 


The  misunderstanding  between  the  sove- 
reign pontiff  and  the  king  of  England  was 
carried  to  the  highest  pitch  by  the  martyr- 
dom of  the  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  which 
happened  in  1171.  Strong  suspicions  were 
entertained  of  the  prince  having  contributed 
to  that  barbarous  deed.  He  saw  the  storm 
ready  to  burst  upon  him,  and  being  desirous 
to  avert  the  blow,  he  sent  ambassadors  to 
Rome,  who  were  very  badly  received.  The 
pope  refused  to  see  or  hear  them,  and  all 
that  could  be  obtained  from  his  holiness 
was,  to  use  the  general  terms  of  abettors, 
actors,  and  accomplices,  in  the. excommuni- 
cation he  pronounced  on  that  occasion,  with- 
out naming  Henry.* 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  between 
Alexander  HI.  and  Henry  H.,  who  never 
ceased  annoying  the  pope,  from  the  time  of 
his  elevation  to  the  holy  see,  in  1159,  to 
1172,  the  date  of  the  bull.  Every  year  he 
was  guilty  of  some  new  act,  as  dishonoring 
to  the  pope  as  it  was  injurious  to  the  in- 
terests of  the  church.  The  massacre  of  St. 
Thomas  of  Canterbury,  which  happened  in 
the  year  above  mentioned,  alarmed  all  Eu- 
rope, and  angered  the  pope  to  such  a  de- 
gree against  Henry,  that  he  was  on  the 
point  of  making  use  of  the  spiritual  weapons 
of  the  church  against  him.  Can  we  believe 
that,  under  these  circumstances,  the  pope 
would  have  publicly  loaded  the  man  with 
benefits,  whom  he  had  tacitly  excommuni- 
cated ?  It  is  quite  impossible  to  imagine,  that 
in  order  to  bring  a  foreign  people  back  to 
their  obedience  to  the  holy  see,  his  holiness 
would  have  committed  the  undertaking  to  a 
prince  who  had  already  banished  that  obe- 
dience from  his  own  states. 

In  order  to  judge  of  the  motives  upon 
which  the  bulls  of  Adrian  IV.  and  Alex- 
ander III.  were  founded,  the  state  of  the 
church  of  Ireland,  at  this  time,  should  be 
examined  into. 

Ireland  was,  from  its  conversion  to  the 
Christian  religion  in  the  beginning  of  the 
fifth,  to  the  incursion  of  the  Danes  in  the 
ninth  century,  universally  acknowledged  to 
have  been  the  theatre  of  learning,  and  the 


*  "  The  pope  refused  either  to  see  or  hear  the 
ambassadors  whom  Henry  liad  sent  to  e.xculpate 
himself  from  the  murder  of  Thomas  of  Canterbury  ; 
but  the  Roman  court  cried  out,  '  desist,  desist,'  as 
if  it  were  impious  for  tlic  pope  to  hear  the  name  of 
Henry  who  had  sent  them.  By  the  general  advice 
of  the  council,  tlie  pope  dispensed  with  expressly 
mentioning  the  name  of  the  king,  and  the  country 
beyond  the  sea  ;  but  the  sentence  of  the  interdict 
was  maintained,  and  that  against  the  bishops  con- 
firmed." — Hoveden,  page  526. 


seminary  of  virtue  and  sanctity ;  which  ac- 
quired for  her  the  glorious  title  of  the  "  Island 
of  Saints."  But  it  must  be  allowed  that,  for 
nearly  two  centuries,  that  is,  from  the  ninth 
to  the  beginning  of  the  eleventh,  the  north- 
ern pirates  had  never  ceased  committing 
devastations  in  the  island,  pillaging  and 
burning  her  churches  and  religious  houses  ; 
the  public  schools  became  interrupted  ;  ig- 
norance spread  its  influence  widely,  and  reli- 
gion suffered  much  in  its  practice,  without, 
however,  becoming  entirely  extinct. 

After  the  complete  overthrow  of  those 
barbarians  in  1014,  at  the  battle  of  Clon- 
tarf,  near  Dublin,  Ireland  having  recovered 
her  freedom,  the  inhabitants  began  to  re- 
build their  churches  and  public  schools,  and 
to  restore  religion  to  its  primitive  splen- 
dor. 

From  the  battle  of  Clontarf  to  the  reign 
of  Henry  II.,  and  the  period  of  the  bulls  in 
question,  about  a  century  and  a  half  elapsed  ; 
during  which  time  all  ranks  were  emulous -in 
their  endeavors  to  re-establish  good  order 
in  the  government,  and  discipline  in  the 
churches.  For  these  purposes  several  coun- 
cils were  convened  and  held,  at  which  the 
monarch  and  other  princes  of  the  kingdom 
attended,  and  canons  and  statutes  were 
enacted  for  the  regulation  of  morals,  and  the 
restoration  of  discipline.  Cardinal  Paparo 
was  in  a  position  to  inform  the  holy  see  of 
the  measures  adopted  in  the  council  of  Kells, 
over  which  he  had  presided. 

During  this  interval  of  time,  Ireland  pro- 
duced prelates  of  the  highest  celebrity  for 
their  virtues  and  doctrine,  who  would  have 
been  an  ornament  to  the  most  flourishing 
churches  in  Europe. 

In  the  Roman  Martyrology  we  discover 
St.  Celsus,  St.  Malaclii,  and  St.  Laurence. 
Gelasius,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  had  led  so 
austere  a  life,  that  Colgan  does  not  hesitate 
to  number  him  among  the  saints,  in  the  trea- 
tise on  his  life,  under  the  date  of  the  twenty- 
seventh  March.*  This  holy  man,  says  Cam- 
brensis,  being  exhausted  hy  old  age  and 
fasting,  took  no  sustenance  but  the  milk  of 
a  white  cow,  which  was  brought  in  his  train. 

Christian,  bishop  of  Lismore,  was  so  emi- 
nent for  his  virtue,  that  Wion  and  Menard 
place  him  in  their  martyrology. 

St.  Bernard  speaks  highly  of  Malchus, 
bishop  of  Lismore,  in  his  life  of  St.  Malachi, 
in  which  he  says  that  "  he  was  a  man  ad- 
vanced in  years,  eminent  in  virtue,  and  pos- 
I  sessed  of  great  wisdom ;  that  God  had  en- 
dowed him  Avith  such  abundant  grace,  that 

*  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Hibern.  Expug.  lib.  1,  c.  34. 


252 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


he  was  celebrated,  not  only  for  his  life  and  j 
doctrine,  but  also  for  his  miracles."* 

St.  Bernard,  too,  speaks  of  St.  Imar,  from 
whom  St.  Malachi  received  his  early  educa- 
tion, lie  calls  him  "  a  holy  man,  who  led  a 
very  austere  life,  and  chastised  his  body 
with  rigor.  He  had  a  cell  near  the  church 
of  Armagh,  in  which  he  spent  his  days  and 
nights  in  fasting  and  in  prayer."! 

Colgan  mentions  St.  Imar  Hua-Hedhagain, 
who  had  built  at  Armagh  the  church  of  the 
apostles  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  and  who 
had  performed  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome,  in 
1131,  for  the  benefit  of  his  soul. 

St.  Bernard  again  says,  that  "  Malachi 
had  a  brother  called  Christian,  a  man  fvdl  of 
grace  and  virtue  ;  he  was  a  bishop,  and 
though  he  might  have  been,  in  reputation, 
inferior  to  Malachi,  he  did  not  yield  to  him 
in  the  sanctity  of  his  life,  nor  in  his  zeal  for 
justice."  "  St.  Christian  Huamorgair,"  says 
Colgan,  (following  the  annals  of  the  four 
masters,  for  the  year  1138,)  "  was  bishop  of 
Clogher,  and  an  eminent  doctor  in  wisdom 
and  religion.  He  was  a  lamp  that  shone  by 
his  preaching,  and  a  devout  servant  of  God, 
that  enlightened  both  the  people  and  clergy 
by  his  good  works,  and  a  faithful  pastor  of 
the  church.  He  died  the  12th  June,  and 
was  interred  at  Armagh,  in  the  monastery 
of  the  apostles  SS.  Peter  and  Paul." 

Gilbert,  bishop  of  Limerick,  and  apos- 
tolical legate,  was  celebrated  for  his  zeal  in 
the  government  of  the  church.  He  convened 
an  assembly  of  the  bishops  and  princes  to 
oblige  St.  Malachi  to  accept  of  the  see  of 
Armagh. I 

Usher  quotes  a  treatise  on  the  ecclesias- 
tical ritual,  addressed  by  Gilbert  of  Limerick 
to  the  bishops  of  Ireland,  and  another  by  the 
same  author  respecting  the  state  of  the 
church,  "  de  statu  Ecclesiae,"  about  the  year 
1090.'5»  He  also  gives  us  a  letter 'from  the 
same  Gilbert  to  Anselm,  archbishop  of  Can- 
terbury, with  his  answer.  II  This  great  man, 
worn  down  with  age,  and  no  longer  able  to 
sustain  its  burden,  resigned  the  powers  of 
legate  to  Innocent  III.,  which  that  pope 
conferred  on  St.  Malachi.^ 

St.  Bernard  mentions,  in  his  preface  to 
the  life  of  St.  Malachi,  the  abbot  of  Congan, 
whom  he  speaks  of  as  a  reverend  brother 
and  a  dear  friend  :  "  Reverendus  frater  et 
dulcis  amicus  meus."     He  speaks  of  Edan, 

*  St.  Bernard,  Life  of  St.  Malachi,  c.  3. 
t  Ibid.  t  Ibid. 

§  Epist.  Hibern.  Syllog.  Epist.  30. 
II  Ibid.  Epist.  31. 

V  "  Appointing  him  legate  for  the  whole  of  Ire- 
land."— HihernitB  Epistolce,  c.  2. 


whom  St.  Malachi  had  placed  instead  of  his 
brother  Christian,  in  the  bishopric  of  Clogher, 
and  a  young  man  whom  he  calls  a  second 
Zacheus,*  who  was  the  first  lay  brother  in 
the  monastery  of  Shrowl,  where  they  bore 
testimony  to  his  having  lived  in  a  holy  man- 
ner among  the  brethren  :  "  Testimonium 
habet  ab  omnibus,  quod  sancte  conversetur 
inter  fratres."  This  author  also  mentions  a 
poor,  but  holy  and  learned  man,  whom  St. 
Malachi  had  placed  in  the  see  of  Cork,  with 
the  approbation  of  the  people. t 

According  to  Cambrensis,  Maurice,  arch- 
bishop of  Cashel,  was  a  learned  and  discreet 
man  :  "  Vir  literatus  et  discretus."| 

St.  Malachi,  St.  Gelasius,  St.  Laurence, 
and  the  other  prelates  and  holy  persons 
whom  I  have  just  mentioned,  except  Malchus 
of  Lismore,had  all  studied  in  Ireland,  instead 
of  being  indebted  to  foreigners  for  their 
education.  The  schools,  particularly  those 
of  Armagh,  Avere  already  firmly  re-establish- 
ed during  the  interval  between  the  battle  of 
Clontarf  and  the  arrival  of  the  English.  In 
the  council  of  Cleonard,  composed  of  twenty- 
six  bishops,  convened  by  St.  Gelasius,  it  was 
decreed  among  other  things,  that  none  but 
a  scholar  of  the  university  of  Armagh  should 
be  admitted  as  a  professor  of  theology  in  a 
public  school.^  St.  Bernard  mentions  a 
professor  of  Armagh,  who  was  celebrated 
for  those  branches  of  education  which  are 
called  liberal  :  "  Erat  enim  famosus  in  disci- 
plinis  quas  dicunt  liberales."||  He  says  that 
although  there  were  eight  married  men,  who 
successively  usurped  the  see  of  Armagh, 
they  were,  notwithstanding,  learned  :T[  "Octo 
extiterant  ante  Celsum  viri  uxorati  et  absque 
ordinibus,  literati  tamen."  Wemaysuppose 
that  those  bishops  who  succeeded  them  ca- 
nonically,  were  not  less  so.  The  sovereign 
pontiffs  were  so  well  convinced  of  the  merit 
and  erudition  of  the  Irish  bishops,  that  they 
appointed  five  of  them,  one  after  the  other, 
apostolical  legates,  namely,  Gilbert,  bishop 
of  Limerick;  St.  Malachi;  St.  Christian, 
bishop  of  Lismore  ;  St.  Laurence,  archbishop 
of  Dublin,  and  Mathew  O'Heney,  archbishop 
of  Cashel.  Henry  II.  himself  employed  no 
other  missionaries  than  the  prelates  of  Ire- 
land, whom  he  had  convoked  at  Cashel,  to 
cultivate  religion,  and  reform  the  morals  of 
the  people. 

*  St.  Bernard,  Vit.  S.  Malach.  cap.  7. 

t  Ibid. 

t  Top.  Hib.  Dist.  3,  cap.  32. 

§  "  Regulations  were  made  for  laymen  as  well 
as  ecclesiastics,  regarding  good  morals  and  disci- 
pline."—Li/fi  of  St.  Gelas.,  c.  23. 

II  Vit.  S.  Malach.  cap.  1. 

IT   Idem.  cap.  7. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


253 


During  this  interval  of  time,  Ireland  sent 
several  holy  missionaries  into  foreign  coun- 
tries.* Raderus,  an  ancient  author  of  the 
life  of  St.  Marianus,  and  John  Aventinus, 
speak  of  Murchertach,  Marianus,  Clement, 
John,  Isaac,  Candidus,  Magnoaldus,  and 
many  others,  all  Scots  from  Ireland,  who 
had  preached  and  instructed  the  inhabitants 
of  Ratisbon,  and  its  environs.  They  first 
settled  in  the  church  of  St.  Peter,  in  the 
suburbs  of  the  city,  under  the  protection  of 
the  emperor,  Henry  IV.,  but  their  numbers 
having  increased,  they  built  in  the  city  of 
Ratisbon  the  rnonastery  of  James,  which 
gave  birth  to  other  establishments  for  the 
Scots  of  Ireland,  in  the  cities  of  Houitz- 
berg  in  Franconia,  Vienna  in  Austria,  Erm- 
stadt,  Nuremberg,  and  others. f 

The  Chronicle  of  Ratisbon  mentions,  that 
Denis,  abbot  of  the  monastery  of  the  Scots 
at  Ratisbon,  had  sent  to  Ireland  Isaac  and 
Gervasius,  natives  of  that  country,  and  of 
noble  descent,  to  look  for  some  assistance 
towards  rebuilding  their  monastery,  and  that 
Conchovar  O'Brien,  king  of  Munster,  and 
other  princes,  had  sent  them  back  to  Ger- 
many, loaded  with  gold  and  silver,  with 
which  the  abbot  bought  a  piece  of  ground, 
and  caused  the  house  to  be  rebuilt. | 

The  annals  of  Ireland  mention,  that  Con- 
chovar O'Brien,  king  of  Munster,  after  hav- 
ing sent  considerable  presents  to  Lothaire, 
king  of  the  Romans,  for  the  expedition  to 
the  Holy  Land,  undertook  a  pilgrimage  to 
Kildare,  where  he  died  in  1142:  "Per 
magnaj  nobilitatis,  ac  potentiae  comites  cruce 


*  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  ad  17  Jan.  Cambr.  Evers. 
cap.  21  et  22. 

t  "  Muricherodachus,  an  Irishman,  and  coming 
from  the  ancient  Scotia,  was  beforehand  with  his 
countryman  Marianus." — Raderi  in  Bavaria. 

"  At  this  time  also,  D.  Marianus  Scotus,  a  poet 
and  an  eminent  theologian,  inferior  to  none  in  his 
time,  together  with  his  brotiier  philosophers  John 
and  Candidus,  Clement,  Murcheridacus,  Magnoal- 
dus, and  Isaac,  came  to  Germany,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Reginbiirgh." — Annals  of  the  Boii. 

"  Ireland  indeed  was,  in  the  time  of  our  ances- 
tors, most  fertile  in  holy  and  learned  men.  Thence 
ColumbanuSjChilianus,  and  most  of  those  designated 
Scots  migrated  into  Germany.  Here  the  excellent 
Marianus,  with  si.\  of  his  disciples,  arrived  at  Rcgin- 
burgh,  where  they  inhabited  an  edifice  outside  the 
walls  of  the  city,  but  a  great  number  of  Gentiles 
coming  thither,  by  their  assistance  and  that  of  the 
Boii,  they  built  a  large  church  within  the  city. 
There,  by  their  zeal  in  religious  observances,  their 
chastity  and  rigid  abstinence,  as  well  as  by  writing 
and  teaching,  they  attained  great  celebrity,  and  by 
their  pious  example  edified  not  only  the  Boii,  but 
also  their  neighbors.  All  were  unanimous  in  praise 
of  them."— Joan.  Avent.  b.  5;  Annals  of  the  Boii. 

X  Page  62  of  this  History. 


signatos,  et  Hierosolyman  petituros,  ad  Lo- 
therium  regem  Romanorum  ingentia  munera 
misisse  traditur." 

Christianus,  a  man  of  noble  birth,  and 
descended  from  the  leading  family  of  the 
Macartys  in  Ireland,  on  becoming  abbot  of 
the  monastery  of  the  Scots  of  St.  James  at 
Ratisbon,  and  finding  that  the  money  which 
his  predecessor  had  obtained  from  Ireland 
was  already  spent,  and  that  the  brothers 
were  in  great  distress,  was  anxious  to  remedy 
their  wants.  He  accordingly  returned  to 
Ireland,  to  seek  the  aid  of  Donat  O'Brien, 
king  of  Munster,  and  the  other  princes  of 
the  country.  The  holy  man,  however,  died 
on  the  eve  of  his  departure,  and  the  sum 
obtained  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
archbishop  of  Cashel.* 

Gratianus  Lucius  accuses  the  author  of 
the  Ratisbon  Chronicle  of  an  error  in  chro- 
nology, or  at  least  of  having  substituted  one 
name  for  another.  He  is  correct  in  asserting 
that  there  was  then  no  king  of  Munster, 
muchlessoflreland,  called  Donatus  O'Brien, 
and  that  this  fact  of  Irish  history,  and  the 
alms  granted  to  Christianus,  must  either 
refer  to  Donatus  Macarty,  (king  of  Desmond, 
according  to  the  division  of  that  province  by 
Terdelach  O'Connor,  who  was  at  that  time 
the  monarch,)  or  to  Terdelach  O'Brien,  who 
was  king  of  Munster.  However  this  error 
may  have  arisen,  which  does  not  affect  the 
groundwork  of  the  history,  the  same  chron- 
icle mentions  that  Gregory,  a  native  of 
Ireland,  a  man  eminent  for  his  virtues,  and 
a  regular  canon  of  the  order  of  St.  Augustin, 
having  been  admitted  into  the  order  of  St. 
Benedict,  and  received  as  a  member  of  the 
community  of  Ratisbon  by  Christianus,  was 
elected  abbot  on  the  death  of  the  latter.  In 
the  mean  time,  Marianus,  a  celebrated  Irish 
scholar  and  a  learned  man,  who  was  public 
professor  of  the  liberal  arts  in  Paris,  (where 
he  had  for  his  disciple  Nicholas  Breakspeare, 
an  Englishman,  afterwards  pope,  under  the 
title  of  Adrian  IV.,)  was  received  into  the 
house  of  Ratisbon.  After  his  election,  Gre- 
gory went  to  Rome  to  receive  his  consecra- 
tion from  the  hands  of  Pope  Adrian  IV. 
The  pope  questioned  him  on  several  matters, 
and  particularly  about  his  old  master  Ma- 
rianus. "  Marianus,"  replied  Gregory,  "  is 
well ;  he  has  renounced  the  world  to  embrace 
the  monastic  state  in  our  house  at  Ratisbon." 
"  God  be  praised,"  said  Adrian.  "  I  have 
never  known  in  the  catholic  church  an  abbot 
so  perfect  in  wisdom,  prudence,  and  other 

*  Chron.  Ratisbonense,  apud  Grat.  Luc.  pages 
21,  62,  et  seq. 


254 


inSTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


gifts  of  God,  as  my  master  Marianus."  On 
his  return  to  Ratisbou,  Gregory,  at  the  soH- 
citation  of  the  brothers,  went  to  Irehmd, 
where  lie  received  from  Muriertach  O'Brien, 
successor  to  Donatus,  (to  whom  he  presented 
a  letter  from  Conradus,  king  of  the  Romans,) 
the  sum  of  money  which  had  been  deposited 
at  Cashel  on  the  death  of  Christianus,  his 
predecessor.  With  this  money  he  purchased 
land  and  goods  at  Ratisbon,  and  rebuilt  the 
church  and  monastery.*  The  troubles  caused 
in  Ireland  by  the  English  after  the  twelfth 
century,  having  obliged  the  Irish  Scots  to 
leave  their  house  at  Ratisbon,  it  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Scotch,  who  were  always  ready 
to  appropriate  to  themselves  every  thing 
desirable,  particularly  when  connected  with 
the  name  Scot.  About  this  time  also  flour- 
ished the  celebrated  Marianus,  known  by  the 
name  of  Marianus  Scotus,  and  who  was  con- 
sidered a  chronologist  of  the  first  order. 
He  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1028,  and  became 
a  monk,  or  as  he  himself  says,  withdrew 
from  the  world  in  1052.  He  left  Ireland  in 
1056,  and  Avent  to  Germany,  where  he  shut 
himself  up  for  almost  three  years  in  the 
abbey  of  St.  Martin  of  Cologne.!  From  that 
he  went  to  the  abbey  of  Fulde,  in  which  he 
remained  ten  years,  and  was  ordained  priest 
in  1059.  Finally,  he  left  Fulde  in  1069,  to 
go  to  Mentz,  (Mayence,)  where  he  continued 
till  his  death,  which  took  place  in  1086,  he 
being  then  fifty-eight  years  old.  He  was 
interred  in  the  convent  of  St.  Martin,  or 
according  to  others,  in  the  church  of  St. 
Peter,  outside  of  the  city. 

Marianus  was,  undoubtedly,  the  most 
learned  man  of  his  age  ;  an  excellent  his- 
torian, a  distinguished  arithmetician,  and  a 
profound  theologian.^  Trithemius  says  "  he 
was  very  learned  in  the  holy  Scriptures,  well 
versed  in  all  the  sciences,  possessed  of  an 
acute  genius,  and  led  an  exemplary  life  ;"§ 
he  adds,  that  he  died  with  a  reputation  of 
sanctity.  He  left  many  works,  and  wrote 
a  universal  chronology,  "  Chronicon  Uni- 
versale," from  the  creation  to  the  year  1083, 
which  was  continued  to  1200  by  Dodechin, 
abbot  of  Disibod,  in  the  diocese  of  Triers. 
He  took  Cassiodorus  as  his  guide,  which  he 
enlarged  considerably.  According  to  Bale 
he  wrote  "E  vangelistarum  concordiam,"  "De 
universal!  computo,"  "  Emendationes  Dio- 
nysii,"  "  De  magno  Cyclo  Paschali,"  "Algo- 

*  Chron.  Ratisbonense,  apud  Grat.  Luc.  pages 
21,  162,  et  seq. 

t  War.  de  Script.  Hib. 

t  Sigebert.  de  Gemblours,  de  Scriptor.  Eccles. 
page  172. 

§  Catalog.  Vir.  Illustr. 


rismum,"  "  Breviarium  in  Lucam,"  "  Anno- 
tationcs  Scripturarum,"  "  Epistolas  hortato- 
rias."*  According  to  others,  he  wrote  "Com- 
mentaria  in  Psalmos,"and"  Notitiautriusque 
Imperii."!  It  is  afl!irmed  that  there  are 
epistles  of  St.  Paul,  written  by  the  hand  of 
Marianus,  with  commentaries,  in  the  library 
of  the  emperor  of  Vienna. J 

In  the  interval  between  the  overthrow  of 
the  Danes,  and  the  time  of  Henry  II.,  (the 
period  of  the  production  of  the  bulls  of 
Adrian  IV.  and  Alexander  III.,)  several 
churches  and  monasteries  were  established. 
I  have  already  given  the  dates  of  their  found- 
ations, and  the  names  of  their  founders. 

We  discover,  at  the  same  time,  among  the 
princes  and  nobles  of  Ireland,  illustrious  ex- 
amples of  religion  and  piety,  by  the  voluntary 
surrender  of  their  crowns,  dignities,  and  pos- 
sessions, to  follow  the  more  freely  the  foot- 
steps of  Jesus  Christ.  The  example  of  kings 
and  princes  has  a  great  influence  over  their 
people.  In  the  eleventh  century,  we  find 
Donnough,  son  of  Brien  Boiroimhe,  monarch 
of  the  island,  give  up  his  kingdom,  and  after 
spending  a  life  of  penance,  end  his  days  in 
St.  Stephen's  abbey  at  Rome.  Flahertach 
O'Neill,  a  prince  highly  esteemed  in  Ulster, 
renounced  the  world  to  practise  penance, 
and  undertook  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome.  Teige 
Mac-Lorcan,  king  of  Kinseallagh,  ended  his 
life  in  an  edifying  manner  in  the  monastery 
of  Gleandaloch.  ^Cahal-Mac-Rory  O'Con- 
nery,  king  of  Connaught,  and  Moriertach 
O'Brien,  kingof  Munster,  and  joint  monarch 
of  Ireland,  animated  with  the  same  spirit  of 
religion  and  penance,  ended  their  days,  one 
at  Armagh,  and  the  other  at  Lismore. 

After  all  that  I  have  said  on  the  state  of 
religion  in  Ireland  during  the  hundred  and 
fifty  years  which  immediately  preceded  the 
reign  of  Henry  II. ;  of  the  several  councils 
which  had  been  convened  for  the  regulation 
of  morals  and  the  re-establishment  of  disci- 
pline ;  of  so  many  saints  and  learned  prelates 
who  were  an  honor  to  religion,  and  from 
among  whom,  Catholicus,  archbishop  of 
Tuam  ;  Laurence,  archbishop  of  Dublin  ; 
Constantine,  bishop  of  Killaloe  ;  Brictius, 
bishop  of  Limerick ;  Augustin,  bishop  of 
W^aterford ;  and  Felix,  bishop  of  Lismore, 
were  considered  worthy  of  being  called  to 
the  third  general  council  of  Lateran,  in  1 1 79 ; 
after  exhibiting  the  many  zealous  mis- 
sionaries who  had  left  their  country,  (their 


*  Script.  Britan.  cent.  14,  n.  45. 
t  Joannes  Vossius  de  Hist.  Lat.  lib.  2,  pp.  360  ct 
361.     Dempst.  Hist.  Eccles.  Scot.  lib.  9. 
t  Lambecius,  lib.  2,  cap.  8,  page  749. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


255 


ministry  not  being  perhaps  needed  at  home,) 
to  go  and  instruct  foreign  nations  ;  after  de- 
scribing so  many  religious  foundations,  ef- 
fected through  the  liberality  of  the  faithful  ; 
and  lastly,  viewing  the  numerous  examples 
of  virtue  given  by  the  heads  of  the  nation  ; 
can  it  be  supposed  that  the  degeneracy  of 
morals  and  religion  was  so  general  and  in- 
veterate as  is  represented  in  the  two  bulls 
of  Adrian  and  Alexander  ?  People  who 
rationally  weigh  the  whole,  will  not  be  such 
dupes  as  to  believe  them.  The  priest  and 
his  flock  will  resemble  each  other,  "  sicut 
populus,  sic  sacerdos."  The  Irish,  says 
Stanihurst,  possess  docile  and  flexible  dispo- 
sitions ;  the  priests  have  a  great  influence 
over  them,  and  easily  work  upon  their  feel- 
ings by  their  exhortations.*  Let  us  listen 
to  the  account  given  by  Cambrensis,  whose 
testimony  cannot  be  suspected,  respecting 
the  clergy  of  Ireland  in  general.  "  The 
clergy  of  that  coimtry,"  says  he,  "  are  highly 
to  be  praised  for  their  religion  ;  and,  among 
other  virtues  with  which  they  are  endowed, 
their  chastity  forms  a  peculiar  feature. 
Those  who  are  intrusted  with  the  divine 
service,  do  not  leave  the  church,  but  apply 
themselves  wholly  to  the  reciting  of  psalms, 
prayers,  and  reading.  They  are  extremely 
temperate  in  their  food,  and  never  eat  till 
towards  evening,  when  their  oflice  is  ended." 
I  am  convinced  that  a  people  instructed  by 
such  masters,  cannot  deserve  the  shameful 
imputations  which  have  served  as  a  pretext 
for  the  bulls  above  quoted.  The  life  of  St. 
Malachi,  written  by-  St.  Bernard,  and  that 
of  St.  Laurence,  archbishop  of  Dublin,  by 
an  anonymous  wrfler  of  the  college  of  Eu, 
as  related  by  Surius  and  Messingham,  pre- 
sent to  us  so  great  a  number  of  both  sexes, 
who  not  only  made  profession  of  virtue 
and  piety,  but  likewise  practised  religion 
in  its  highest  purity,  that  it  is  impossible  to 
believe  that  the  contagion  was  universal. 
It  affected  but  a  few  ;  and  if  a  country  de- 
serve to  be  destroyed,  and  given  up  to  a 
foreign  power,  for  the  faults  of  individuals, 
the  most  polished  nations  should  at  present 
fear  the  same  fate. 

The  greater  part  of  those  who  went  to 
Ireland,  under  Henry  II.,  to  reform  the 
morals  of  the  Irish,  were  the  descendants 
of  the  Normans  who  had  accompanied  Wil- 
liam the  Conqueror  into  England.  Their 
sojourn  in   France  had  been  too  short  to 

*  "  The  majority  of  the  Irish  are  very  religious  : 
their  priests  are  dignified,  and  by  their  wholesome 
admonitions  the  consciences  of  the  people  (who  are 
docile  and  respectful)  are  very  easily  worked  upon." 
— Stanihurst,  b.  1,  p.  49. 


have  enabled  them  to  divest  themselves 
completely  of  the  barbarous  manners  of 
their  ancestors,  and  assume  those  of  the 
polished  people  of  that  country  ;  and  their 
removal  to  England  did  not  tend  to  diminish 
their  ferocity.  Indeed,  the  tumults  of  war, 
and  the  hostilities  which  are  inseparable 
from  it,  are  ill  calculated  to  polish  the  man- 
ners. During  the  four  reigns  which  had 
preceded  that  of  Henry  II.,  they  were  con- 
tinually under  arms,  either  to  crush  the  re- 
volts of  the  Anglo-Saxons,  or  check  the  in- 
cursions of  the  Scotch,  or  lastly,  to  complete 
the  conquest  of  the  principality  of  Wales. 
They  must  therefore  have  acquired  polite- 
ness by  inspiration,  to  have  been  capable 
of  polishing  the  manners  of  others. 

Such,  however,  were  the  doctors  whom 
Henry  II.  sent  to  Ireland,  by  apostolical 
authority,  (as  it  is  pretended,)  to  re-establish 
religion,  and  correct  the  morals  of  the  peo- 
ple ;  but  their  conduct  was  more  calculated 
to  shake  the  true  believers,  than  confirm 
them  in  the  Christian  religion.  They  made 
the  Irish  pay  dearly  for  their  pretended  mis- 
sion, and  taught  them  the  English  language 
to  their  cost.  Experience  itself  proves  the 
futility  of  this  pretended  reformation.  The 
first  adventurers  who  came  from  England 
into  Ireland,  were  people  that  held  nothing 
sacred  ;  but  their  children,  more  happy  than 
their  fathers,  having  been  civilized  by  their 
intercourse  with  the  natives  of  the  latter 
country,  whose  manners  they  assumed,  lost 
altogether  that  ferocity  of  disposition  which 
is,  even  to  this  day,  the  attribute  of  the  in- 
habitants of  Great  Britain. 

We  shall  now  examine  upon  what  basis 
the  imputation  of  rudeness  and  barbarity  of 
manners,  which  has  been  cast  upon  the  Irish, 
is  grounded.  Every  one  is  aware  of  the 
libels  and  dreadful  calumnies  which  Giral- 
dus  Cambrensis  published  in  his  topography, 
against  Ireland  ;  his  distortions  of  language, 
and  the  studied  research  for  terms  and  words 
to  which  he  resorts,  in  order  to  defame  her, 
must  be  admitted.  He  describes  the  inhab- 
itants as  a  cheating,  passionate,  traitorous 
people,  and  faithless  to  every  engagement. 

Although  it  be  allowed  by  men  of  wisdom, 
that  the  evidence  of  a  man  who  speaks  ill  of 
his  enemy  is  not  admissible,*  it  is  possible, 
notwithstanding,  that  the  English  may  have 
found  the  Irish  to  be  so  disposed  towards 
themselves.  The  sway  of  the  English  in 
Ireland  was  considered  by  the  natives  as  a 
violence,  an  injustice,  and  usurpation  ;  con- 
sequently any  engagement  made  with  them 

*  Bodiii.  Method.  Hist.  cap.  4. 


25G 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


was  lookf  d  upon  not  to  be  binding.  They 
did  not  think  theniS(»lvos  bound  by  the  law 
of  nature,  which  forbids  us  either  to  take 
the  goods  of  others,  or  do  violence  to  their 
will.  They  therefore  thought  themselves 
dispensed  with,  from  keeping  their  word 
with  a  people  who  observed  no  treaty  made 
with  them,  and  whose  only  rule  was  the  law 
of  the  strongest  ;  like  a  man  who,  having 
given  his  purse  to  save  his  life,  thinks  he 
has  a  right  to  reclaim  it  when  the  danger  is 
over.  These  are  the  principles  which  the 
Irish  observed  in  their  conduct  towards  the 
English,  to  whom  they  saw  themselves  a 
prey  ;  principles  Avhich  drew  upon  them  the 
exaggerated  attacks  of  Cambrensis. 

That  author  again  judges  of  the  manners 
of  the  Irish  by  the  supposed  peculiarity  of 
their  dress  ;*  as  if  the  exterior  appearance 
had  any  analogy  with  the  disposition  of  the 
man.  The  Irish  wore  long  garments,  like 
the  Romans  and  other  people,  and  the  pre- 
sent nations  of  the  east,  who  however  are 
not,  on  that  account,  reputed  barbarous. 

The  long  hair  which  Cambrensis  accuses 
them  of  having  worn,  and  which  he  assigns 
as  a  proof  of  their  barbarity,  was  worn  by 
the  Egyptians,  who  were,  notwithstanding, 
considered  a  polite  people.  The  Lacedemo- 
nians looked  upon  it  as  a  symbol  of  candor  ; 
and  it  is  well  known  that  a  considerable  part 
of  Gaxil  was  called  Gallia  Comata,  on  ac- 
count of  the  long  hair  by  which  its  inhabit- 
ants were  distinguished  from  other  people. 
The  beard  was  as  commonly  worn  among 
the  ancients  as  long  hair  ;  the  razor  not 
having  been  used  among  the  Romans  till 
four  centuries  and  a  half  after  the  foundation 
of  their  city,  nor  till  a  much  later  period 
among  the  other  nations  of  Europe. 

The  Irish  originally  wore  sandals,  nearly 
the  same  as  other  nations  ;  in  the  time  of 
Cambrensis,  they  wore  flat  and  pointed 
shoes  without  heels,  tied  with  leather  strings 
instead  of  buckles,  called  in  their  language 
brogues,  which,  however,  appeared  barba- 
rous to  a  man  fond  of  novelty.  "  Juxta  mo- 
dernas  novitates  incultissima ;"  without  heels 
and  buckles,  a  man  was  considered  barba- 
rous by  Cambrensis.  If  a  people  are  to  be 
accounted  barbarous  for  not  conforming  in 
their  style  of  dress  to  the  taste  of  their  neigh- 
bors, every  nation  may  be  considered  bar- 
barous ;  and  if  it  be  necessary  to  adopt  new 
fashions,  in  order  to  be  thought  a  polished 

*  "  This  people,  uncivilized  not  only  in  their  bar- 
barous mode  of  dress,  but  likewise  in  their  mode  of 
wearing  the  hair  and  beards,  are  very  uncouth,  ac- 
cording to  modern  ideas,  and  their  manners  are  of 
a  barbarous  turn." — Topography,  dist.  3,  cap.  10. 


nation,  every  country  is  barbarous  in  its  turn, 
since  every  age,  and  even  every  year,  brings 
about  new  fashions.  The  Irish  were  much 
attached  to  their  own  customs  ;  they  de- 
spised novelty  in  dress,  which  is  indicative 
of  the  inconstancy  and  frivolity  of  mankind. 
Dress  is  not  the  only  thing  which  the  Eng- 
lish discovered  to  be  barbarous  among  this 
people  ;  according  to  them,  they  were  so 
even  in  their  names.  In  his  description  of 
Westmeath,  when  speaking  of  the  proprie- 
tors of  land  in  that  country,  Camden  men- 
tions the  O'Malaghlins  of  Clonlolan,  and  the 
Magheoghegans  of  Moicassel,  who  were 
lords  of  the  country,  as  persons  whose 
names,  he  said,  had  a  barbarous  sound.* 

Names  are  generally  conformable  to  the 
language,  and  the  pronunciation  depends  on 
the  accent  of  the  country  in  which  they  are 
used.  It  is  not  surprising  that  a  foreigner 
should  find  something  harsh  in  the  pronun- 
ciation of  proper  names  which  are  not  fa- 
miliar to  him,  as  several  German,  Bohemian, 
Hungarian,  and  other  names,  are  to  be  met 
with  every  day  in  history,  the  pronuncia- 
tion of  which  appears  harsh  to  us  ;  but  none 
except  an  Englishman,  that  is,  a  man  full 
of  himself  and  despising  all  others,  could 
impute  barbarity  to  a  people  from  the  pro- 
nunciation of  their  names. 

It  is  easy  to  discover  the  springs  which 
the  Englishman  put  in  motion  on  this  occa- 
sion. The  supposed  reformation  of  the 
morals  of  the  Irish  was  but  a  pretext  which 
he  made  use  of  to  usurp  the  crown  of  Ire- 
land, and  dispossess  a  numerous  proprietory 
of  the  inheritance  which  they  held  from 
their  ancestors.  Charity  cannot  but  appear 
suspicious  when  influenced  by  interest. 
The  difference  of  religion  is  not  a  reason 
for  despoiling  men  of  their  properties,  still 
less  for  depriving  them  of  their  politeness  ; 
and  the  right  of  conquest  is  but  a  chimerical 
right,  authorized  by  no  law,  either  human 
or  divine. 

Nothing  but  a  war  founded  on  just  grounds, 
that  is,  on  some  injury  from  those  we  in- 
tend to  reduce,  can  render  a  conquest  law- 
ful. At  the  time  we  speak  of,  there  was  no 
war  between  the  English  and  the  Irish  ;  and 
if  the  king  of  Leinster  brought  over  the  for- 
mer to  assist  him  in  recovering  his  crown, 
he  rewarded  them  amply.  He  could  give 
them  no  right  over  the  other  provinces,  not 
possessing  any  over  them  himself. 

Henry  II.  got  rid  of  all  these  obstacles. 
This  ambitious  prince,  not  content  with  the 
crown  of  England,  the  duchies  of  Normandy, 

*  Camden,  p.  754. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


257 


Aquitaine,  &c.,  which  he  possessed  on  the 
continent,  looked  upon  Ireland  as  an  object 
deserving  his  attention.  It  was  a  large 
island,  very  populous,  fertile,  conveniently 
situated,  and  had  very  often  sent  succor 
to  the  king  of  France,  with  whom  he  was 
frequently  at  war.*  The  king  of  England, 
finding  himself  unable  to  reduce  Ireland  by 
force  of  arms,  had  recourse  to  every  strata- 
gem, even  to  religion,  to  conquer  this  king- 
dom. Westmonasteriensis  says  that  he  so- 
licited, through  a  solemn  embassy,  the  new 
Pope  Adrian  (confident  of  obtaining  itof  him, 
as  he  was  an  Englishman)  for  leave  to  enter 
Ireland  in  a  hostile  manner,  to  subjugate  it.f 
It  is  alleged,  that  he  represented  to  him 
that  religion  was  almost  extinct  in  the  coun- 
try ;  that  the  morals  of  the  people  were  cor- 
rupted, and  that  it  was  necessary  to  remedy 
it,  for  the  glory  of  Christianity.  In  his  zeal, 
he  offered  to  become  an  apostle  for  that  end, 
on  condition  that  his  holiness  would  grant 
him  the  sovereignty  of  the  island,  and  also 
promised  to  pay  Peter's  pence  for  every 
house.  The  pope,  who  was  born  his  sub- 
ject, readily  granted  him  (as  it  is  pretended) 
his  request ;  and  the  liberty  of  an  entire  na- 
tion was  sacrificed  to  the  ambition  of  the  one, 
through  the  complaisance  of  the  other. 

Like  an  able  statesman,  Henry  waited  a 
favorable  opportunity  to  carry  his  project 
into  execution.  This  presented  itself  in  a 
civil  war  that  broke  out  between  the  mon- 
arch and  the  king  of  Leinster,  of  which  he 
took  advantage  to  begin  his  mission ;  and 
although,  according  to  the  law  of  God,  it  is 
not  by  despoiling  our  neighbor  of  his  pro- 
perty that  we  should  convert  him,  still  the 
missionaries  whom  Henry  II .  employed  were 
men  with  arms  in  their  hands,  and  more  in- 
tent upon  converting  the  land  to  their  own 
use,  to  the  prejudice  of  the  old  proprietors, 
than  gaining  souls  to  God.  We  shall  now 
resume  the  thread  of  our  history,  and  the 
reign  of  Moriertach  Maclochluin. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


Great  men  have  sometimes  great  defects, 
and  their  virtues  are  frequently  obscured  by 
their  vices.  The  monarch  of  Ireland  was  a 
pious  prince,  zealous  in  the  cause  of  reli- 
gion, and  a  protector  of  the  church  and  its 


*  Polldor.  Virgil,  lib.  13,  p.  555.     Baker,  Chron. 
Engl,  page  55. 

t  Flor.  Hist.  lib.  2,  p.  246. 


privileges,*  but  his  ruling  passion  was  anger, 
which  sometimes  degenerated  into  madness. f 
Eochad,  prince  of  Ulad,  or  Dalrieda,  now 
the  county  of  Antrim,  was  one  of  those  who 
felt  the  effects  of  his  passion.  Being  de- 
sirous to  shake  off  the  yoke,  and  to  get  fret 
from  the  dominion  of  the  monarch,  his 
formidable  enemy  entered  his  principality, 
and  putting  all  to  fire  and  sword,  forced 
him  to  seek  safety  by  flight ;  whereupon 
Gelasus,  primate  of  Ireland,  continually 
occupied  in  preserving  peace  between  the 
princes  of  the  country,  prevailed  upon  Mo- 
riertach the  monarch,  and  the  other  princes 
and  nobles  of  Tir-Eogan,  Oirgiell,  and  Ulad, 
to  come  to  Armagh,  where  he  concluded,  to 
all  appearance,  a  solid  peace  between  the 
monarch  and  the  prince  of  Ulad,  of  which 
he  was  himself  a  guarantee,  together  with 
Dunchad  O'Caruell,  prince  of  Ergallie,  or 
Orgiell.  The  prince  of  Ulad  paid  homage 
to  the  monarch,  gave  him  hostages,  and  was 
restored  to  his  estates.  This  peace, however, 
though  in  appearance  solid,  was  of  short 
duration.  The  monarch,  either  thinking 
himself  not  sufficiently  revenged,  or  having 
had  some  fresh  motive  of  displeasure,  caused 
Eochad's  eyes  to  be  taken  out,  and  the  hos- 
tages he  had  given  him  to  be  put  to  death. 
The  prince  of  Ergallie,  finding  himself  in- 
sulted and  aggrieved  by  the  infraction  of  a 
treaty  to  which  he  had  been  a  guarantee, 
resolved  to  take  revenge.  For  this  purpose 
he  collected  all  the  forces  he  could  muster, 
and  being  joined  by  the  inhabitants  of  Ulad, 
Ive-Bruin,  and  Conmacne,  his  allies,  he 
marched  at  the  head  of  nine  thousand  armed 
men  into  Tyrone,  where,  at  Litterluin,  he 
unexpectedly  attacked  the  monarch,  who  was 
sacrificed,  with  several  of  his  nobles,  to  the 
vengeance  of  an  injured  people.  Keating 
and  Bruodine  assert  that  this  monarch  died 
a  natural  death,  after  a  peaceful  reign  of 
eighteen  years.  He  was  the  last  monarch 
of  the  illustrious  tribe  of  the  Hy-Nialls,  who 
had  filled  the  throne  of  Ireland,  with  but  lit- 
tle interruption,  from  the  fourth  century. 

From  this  monarch  are  descended  the 
O'Neills.  They  founded  three  principal 
houses  in  Ulster,  namely,  those  of  Tyrone, 
the  Fews,  and  Claneboy.  Tyrone,  the  head 
of  the  tribe  of  the  O'Neills,  partly  supported 
the  splendor  of  his  illustrious  ancestors ; 
and  in  latter  times  there  have  been  heroes 
jin  this  family  worthy  of  their  forefathers. 
1  However,  it  was  at  length  ruined,  and  buried 

!  *  Act.  Sanct.  Hib.  Vit.  S.  Gelas.  ad  27  Mart. 
j  Grat.  Luc.  c.  9. 

t  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  94. 


258 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


beneath  its  own  grandeur.  The  'present 
representative  is  Felix  O'Neill,  the  chief  of 
the  house  of  the  Fews,  and  an  officer  of 
rank  in  the  service  of  his  Catholic  Majesty. 

Roderick,  or  Rory  O'Connor,  son  of  Tur- 
lough-Mor,  and  king  of  Connaught,  being 
at  tlic  time  the  most  powerful  prince  in 
Ireland,  had  but  little  difficulty  in  getting 
himself  proclaimed  supreme  king  of  the 
island,  after  the  death  of  Moriertach,  a.  d. 
1166.*  He  overcame  the  opposition  he  met 
with  from  Donald  More  O'Brien,  king  of 
Limerick,  and  Dermod  Mac-Cormac  Ma- 
carty,  king  of  Cork  and  Desmond,  and  de- 
feated Dermod  Mac-Murrough,  king  of 
Leinster,  in  battle.  He  finally  received, 
voluntarily  or  by  force,  hostages  from  every 
prince  in  Ireland,  and  made  presents  to 
them  ;  two  things  which  formerly  character- 
ized the  supreme  authority  of  their  princes 
among  the  Irish. f 

In  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  Roderick, 
the  priory  of  All  Saints,  near  Dublin,  was 
founded  by  Dermod  Mac-Murrough,  king 
of  Leinster,  for  regular  canons  of  the  fra- 
ternity of  Arouaise.  This  priory  was  after- 
wards converted  into  a  college,  under  the 
name  of  the  holy  Trinity,  by  queen  Eliza- 
beth.t 

About  this  time,  some  religious  houses 
were  founded  by  Donald,  otherwise  Domhnal 
More  O'Brien,  king  of  Limerick ;  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Thuomond,  the  abbey  of  Clare,  other- 
wise Kilmony,  or  de  Forgio,  from  the  river 
Forge,  by  which  it  was  watered,  under  the 
name  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul;^  and  the 
priory  of  Inis-ne-Gananach,  for  regular  can- 
ons, in  an  island  in  the  river  Shannon.  ||  He 
also  founded,  in  the  county  of  Limerick,  the 
monasteries  of  St.  Peter  of  Limerick,  of  the 
order  of  St.  Augustin,  and  that  of  St.  John 
Baptist,  called  Kil-Oen.T[  The  monastery 
of  our  lady  of  Inis-Lanaught,  in  the  county 
of  Tipperary,  of  the  order  of  Citeaux,  other- 
wise called  de  Surio,  situated  on  the  river 
Suire,  was  founded,  according  to  some,  in 
1159.  Others  say  it  was  founded  in  1184, 
by  Donald  O'Brien,  king  of  Limerick,  who 
endowed  it,  in  conjunction  with  Malachi 
O'Felan,  prince  of  Desie.** 


*  Keating,  History  of  Ireland,  part  2  ;  Grat.  Luc. 
c.  9  ;  Ogyg.  part  3,  cap.  94. 

+  War.  de  Aiitiq.  Hib.  c.  4  ;  Bruodin.  Propug. 
Cathol.  Verit.  lib.  5,  c.  17  ;  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast 
d'lrl.  page  7. 

t  War.  ibid. 

§  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'lrl.  page  59. 

11  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  4. 

1   War.  ibid. 

**  Allemand,  ibid,  p.  188. 


At  Holycross,in  the  county  of  Tipperary, 
there  was  a  celebrated  abbey  of  the  order  of 
Citeaux,  which  enjoyed  great  privileges, 
and  where  a  portion  of  the  true  cross  is  pre- 
served.* This  abbey,  which  was  a  branch 
of  that  of  Nenay,  or  Magie,  was  foimded  in 
1169,  by  Domnald  O'Brien,  king  of  Lime- 
rick, as  appears  by  the  act  of  its  founda-  ! 
tion,  quoted  in  the  Monasticon  Anglicanum, 
and  signed  by  the  bishop  of  Lismore,  le- 
gate of  the  holy  see  in  Ireland,  the  arch- 
bishop of  Cashel,  and  the  bishop  of  Lime- 
rick. Others  say  that  this  abbey  was  found- 
ed in  1181. 

The  abbey  of  Kilkenny,  otherwise,  "  de 
valle  dei,"  in  the  district  of  this  city,  was 
founded  and  dedicated  to  the  blessed  Vir- 
gin, in  1171,  by  Dermod  O'Ryan,  an  Irish 
lord.f 

The  abbey  of  Maur,  or  "  de  fonte  vivo," 
in  the  county  of  Cork,  was  founded  for 
monks  of  the  order  of  Citeaux,  under  the 
title  of  our  Lady,  by  Dermod,  son  of  Cor- 
mac  Macartach,  (Mac-Carty,)  king  of  Cork 
and  Desmond. I  The  first  monks  who  es- 
tablished it  were  from  the  abbey  of  Baltin- 
glass. 

Roderick  governed  the  kingdom  of  Ire- 
land with  wisdom  and  moderation.  He 
convened  a  synod  at  Athboy,  in  Meath,  in 
1167,  of  which  we  have  already  spoken. 
This  synod,  which  was,  properly  speaking, 
an  assembly  of  the  states,  was  composed  of 
St.  Gelasus,  archbishop  of  Armagh  and 
primate  of  Ireland  ;  of  St.  Laurence,  arch- 
bishop of  Dublin;  Catholicus  O'Dubthay, 
archbishop  of  Tuam,  and  many  of  the  in- 
ferior clergy.  The  princes  present  were, 
the  monarch,  Tighernan  O'Rourke,  prince 
of  Brefne  ;  Dunchad,  prince  of  Orgiell ; 
Eochaid,  son  of  Dunsleve,  prince  of  Ulad  ; 
Dermod  O'Melachlin,  prince  of  Tara  ;  As- 
culph,  son  of  Torall,  prince  of  the  Danes 
of  Dublin;  Dunchad  O'Foelan,  prince  of 
the  Desies,  and  several  other  lords ;  amount- 
ing in  all  to  1300  men.  They  made  many 
wise  laws  and  regulations,  and  the  police 
was  afterwards  so  strictly  enforced  through- 
out the  island,  that  it  might  be  said  of  it, 
as  Bede  observed  of  the  kingdom  of  Nor- 
thumberland in  the  reign  of  Edwin,  that  a 
woman  with  a  new-born  infant  might  travel 
over  the  whole  island,  from  one  sea  to  the 
other,  without  fear  of  insult.'^ 

This  monarch,  who  was  mindful  of  every 
thing,  knowing  that  amusements  are  essen- 

*  War.  ibid.;  Allemand, ibid.,  p.  186. 
t  War.  ibid. ;  Allemand,  ibid.,  p.  174. 
t  War.  ibid.;  Allemand,  ibid.,  p.  181 
§  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  2,  cap.  16. 


CHRISTIAN     IRELAND. 


259 


tial  for  youth,  re-established  the  games  at 
Tailtoa,  in  1168.  He  was  also  a  protector 
of  learning,  and  in  1169  founded  a  profes- 
sor's chair  at  Armagh,  in  favor  of  strangers ; 
finally,  he  watched  over  the  administration 
of  justice,  and  punished  crime  with  se- 
verity. 

The  reign  of  Roderick  O'Connor  is 
memorable  for  a  revolution,  which  forms 
an  epoch  fatal  to  Ireland.  An  invasion  of 
the  English,  which,  in  its  beginning,  would 
not  have  alarmed  even  the  petty  republic  of 
Ragusa,  became,  from  its  having  been  neg- 
lected at  first,  so  serious,  that  the  liberty  of 
a  powerful  nation  became  its  victim,  and  a 
monarchy  which  had  lasted  for  more  than 
two  thousand  years  was  overthrown. 

Politicians  endeavor  to  account  for  the 
fall  of  empires.  By  some  it  is  ascribed  to 
the  weakness  of  those  rulers  who  introduce 
a  bad  system  in  the  administration  of  their 
laws,  and  by  some  to  exterior  causes ;  while 
others,  with  more  reason,  assign  it  to  the 
will  of  the  supreme  Being,  who  has  drawn 
all  things  out  of  nothing,  who  governs  all, 
and  sets  bounds  to  the  duration  of  all  cre- 
ated objects.  Besides  this,  however,  I  think 
we  may  examine  the  connection  that  ex- 
ists between  natural  and  secondary  causes, 
which  are  the  instruments  made  use  of  by 
the  Divinity. 

With  respect  to  Ireland,  the  source  of 
her  destruction  can  be  discovered  within  her 
own  bosom.  This  kingdom  was,  from  the 
settlement  of  the  Milesians  in  the  island, 
governed  by  one  king  till  the  reign  of  Eocha 
IX.,  who  erected  the  four  provinces  into  as 
many  kingdoms,  independent  of  each  other, 
some  time  before  the  Christian  era  ;  they 
were,  however,  dependent  on  the  monarch, 
as  those  electors  and  princes  are  who  hold 
their  states  of  the  emperor  of  Germany. 
This  was  the  first  blow  which  the  constitu- 
tion of  Ireland  met  with.  It  suffered  again 
in  the  first  century,  by  the  revolt  of  the 
plebeians,  and  the  massacre  of  the  princes 
and  nobles  of  the  country  by  these  barba- 
rians, who  seized  upon  the  government. 
Towards  the  end  of  the  second  century,  a 
war  also,  which  Modha-Nuagat,  king  of 
Munster,  carried  on  against  Conn  the  mon- 
arch, (the  result  of  which  was  the  division 
of  the  island  between  the  contending  par- 
ties,) produced  new  disasters  to  the  king- 
dom. 

Notwithstanding  these  convulsions  in  the 
state,  and  the  violent  attacks  of  the  Normans 
during  two  centuries,  the  Irish  monarchy 
still  maintained  itself  till  the  reign  of  Mal- 
achi  II.,  in  the  beginning  of  the  eleventh 


century,  when  the  sceptre,  which  had  been 
for  six  or  seven  hundred  years  hereditary  in 
the  same  tribe,  passed  into  other  hands. 
Factions  increased  in  proportion  to  the 
number  of  claimants  to  the  crown,  and  the 
government  was,  in  consequence,  rendered 
weak  and  enfeebled  by  them. 

The  fall  of  monarchies  seldom  occurs 
suddenly.  The  change  takes  place  by  de- 
grees, and  from  a  chain  of  events  which 
imperceptibly  undermine  the  constitution  of 
the  state,  (as  sickness  enervates  the  body,) 
till  it  requires  but  a  slight  shock  or  stroke 
to  complete  their  destruction.  The  Irish 
monarchy  received  this  fatal  blow  in  the 
twelfth  century,  through  the  debauchery  and 
boundless  ambition  of  one  of  its  princes, 
as  we  shall  now  discern. 

Derforguill,  daughter  of  Mortough-Mac- 
Floinn,  prince  of  Meath,Avas  married  against 
her  will  to  Teighernan  O'Rourke,  prince  of 
Brefny.*  This  princess  indulged  a  secret 
passion  for  Dermod,  son  of  Murrough,  king 
of  Leinster,  who  paid  his  addresses  to  her 
before  her  marriage  ;  and  taking  advantage 
of  her  husband's  absence,  she  dispatched  a 
courier  to  Dermo.d,  begging  that  he  would 
come  and  rescue  her  from  the  engagements 
she  had  contracted  with  a  husband  whom 
she  disliked.  Dermod  was  possessed  of 
too  much  gallantry  to  refuse  his  services  to  a 
princess  to  whom  he  had  been  previously 
attached  ;  he  repaired,  on  the  appointed  day, 
to  the  place  of  meeting,  with  a  band  of  arm- 
ed horsemen,  and  carried  away  the  princess 
of  Brefny  to  his  castle  of  Ferns  in  Leinster. 
O'Rourke,  on  his  return,  finding  that  the 
princess  his  wife  had  eloped,  and  feeling 
deeply  the  insult  given  him,  had  recourse  to 
the  monarch  for  redress.  Roderick  O'Con- 
nor was  an  upright  prince,  and  opposed  to 
all  injustice ;  he  heard  O'Rourke's  complaint 
with  attention,  and  having  assembled  the 
forces  of  Connaught,  whom  those  of  Brefny, 
Orgiell,  and  Meath  afterwards  joined,  he 
entered  Leinster,  determined  to  revenge  the 
insult  received  by  the  prince  of  Brefny. 

Dermod  was  well  aware  of  the  march  of 
the  royal  army,  and  also  of  the  sentence  of 
excommunication  pronounced  against  him  by 
the  clergy.  He  summoned  the  nobles  of  his 
kingdom  to  Fearna,  in  the  territory  of  Kin- 
seallagh,  now  Ferns,  in  the  county  of  Wex- 
ford, where  he  held  his  court,  in  order  to 
consult  with  them  upon  the  means  he  should 
adopt  to  avert  the  storm  that  threatened  him ; 
but  his  subjects,  who  were  indignant  at  the 

*  Stanihurst,  de  Reb.  in  Hib.  Gest.  lib.  2,  cap. 
59,  et  seq. 


260 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


enormity  of  his  crime,  and,  moreover,  dis- 
satisfied with  his  tyrannical  jjovcrnmcnt,  in- 
stead of  supporting  him  in  this  critical  junc- 
ture of  his  affairs,  renounced  their  allegiance 
to  him,  and  placed  themselves  under  the  pro- 
tection of  the  monarch  ;  so  that  tlie  unhappy 
prince,  abandoned  by  them,  had  no  other 
resource  than  to  embark  for  England.  The 
monarch  then  finding  no  enemy  to  contend 
with,  contented  himself  with  destroying  the 
city  of  Ferns,  and  the  royal  castle,  whence 
he  carried  away  the  unfortunate  Derforguill, 
whom  he  confined  in  the  monastery  of  St. 
Bridget,  at  Kildare,  after  which  he  dis- 
banded his  troops  and  returned  into  his 
province. 

Dermod,  now  driven  from  his  dominions, 
breathed  revenge  against  his  rebellious  sub- 
jects and  the  nation  at  large.  Henry  II., 
great-grandson  of  William  the  Conqueror, 
was  then  king  of  England.  He  was  a  prince 
of  boundless  ambition,  and  very  powerful, 
and  was  often  heard  to  say,  during  his  pros- 
perity, that  the  government  of  the  whole 
world  was  hardly  sufficient  for  a  great  man. 
Besides  the  kingdom  of  England,  he  pos- 
sessed the  duchies  of  Normandy  and  Anjou, 
by  right  of  inheritance ;  and  in  virtue  of  his 
marriage  with  Eleanor,  whom  Louis  VII., 
surnamed  the  younger,  had  divorced,  he 
was  master  of  Aquitaine,  Poitou,  Touraine, 
and  Maine.  On  account  of  these  states,  he 
was  frequently  engaged  in  wars  with  France, 
which  required  his  presence.  Such  was  the 
situation  of  the  affairs  of  Henry  when  the 
king  of  Leinster  went  to  Aquitaine  to  solicit 
his  alliance,  and  ask  of  him  the  succor 
necessary  for  the  recovery  of  his  throne, 
promising  to  place  his  kingdom  under  his 
protection.  This  proposal  was  highly  flat- 
tering to  Henry,  and  favorable  to  his  views. 
He  replied,  however,  that  the  state  of  his 
affairs  at  that  time  upon  the  continent  would 
not  permit  his  giving  him  any  troops,  but  that 
if  he  would  go  to  England,  he  might  raise 
forces  there,  and  begin  the  war  in  Ireland, 
till  he  should  be  able  to  join  him  ;  and  even 
sent  orders  to  his  ministry  to  forward  the 
enterprise  of  this  fugitive  prince. 

The  king  of  Leinster,  having  taken  leave 
of  Henry,  embarked  for  England,  and  on  his 
arrival  at  Bristol,  communicated  their  king's 
orders  to  the  magistrates  of  that  city,  who 
caused  them  to  be  published. 

Richard,  surnamed  Strongbow,  "de  arcu 
forti,"  (which  signifies  a  strong  bow,)  was 
then  at  Bristol.  He  was  son  of  Gilbert, 
earl  of  Pembroke  or  Chepstow,  whom  Cam- 
brensis  calls  earl  of  Strangwel.  This  young 
lord  had  squandered  his  property,  and  con- 


tracted heavy  debts  ;*  and  to  heighten  his 
misfortune,  was  in  disgrace  with  his  prince  ;t 
so  that  he  was  willing  to  undertake  any  de- 
sign to  retrieve  his  fortune.  Taking  advan- 
tage therefore  of  this  opportunity,  which 
was,  he  conceived,  highly  favorable,  he  of- 
fered his  services  to  Dermod,  who  received 
him  with  kindness,  and  made  him  a  propo- 
sal far  above  what  he  had  reason  to  expect ; 
offering  him  his  daughter,  Aoffe,  or  Eve,  in 
marriage,  and  promising  to  secure  his  suc- 
cession to  the  throne  of  Leinster,  after  his 
death,  on  condition  of  his  assisting  to  recover 
it  ;  which  condition  was  joyfully  accepted 
by  earl  Richard. 

Dermod  having  concluded  his  negotiation 
at  Bristol  with  the  earl  Richard,  who  prom- 
ised to  cross  over  to  Ireland  in  the  spring, 
with  a  body  of  troops,went  into  Wales,  where 
he  applied  to  Ralph  Griffin  (who  was  gov- 
ernor of  that  province  for  Henry  II.)  to 
liberate  Robert  Fitzstephen,  a  brave  and 
experienced  general  who  had  been  a  state 
prisoner  during  four  years,  by  order  of  the 
government.  Dermod  having  obtained  the 
pardon  of  Robert  Fitzstephen,  on  condition 
that  he  would  accompany  him  to  Ireland, 
and  never  think  of  returning  to  his  own 
country,  from  which  he  was  then  forever 
banished,  took  him  into  his  service,  with  his 
half-brother,  Maurice  Fitzgerald,  promising 
to  him  and  his  posterity  the  city  of  Wexford, 
and  the  neighboring  districts.  He  entered 
into  like  engagements,  and  made  similar 
promises  to  many  others,  whom  he  allured 
by  the  hope  of  gain,  as  Neubrigensis, 
an  English  cotemporary  author,  mentions  : 
"  Spe  lucri  profusioris  illecti."|  According 
to  the  same  author,  they  were  mostly  men 
who  possessed  nothing  at  home,  "  Accitis  ex 
Anglia  viris  impropia  labontibus  et  lucri  cu- 
pidis,"  and  to  better  their  condition  were 
desirous  of  leaving  their  own  country.  The 
king  of  Leinster,  pleased  with  the  reception 
he  met  with  in  England,  returned  to  Ireland, 
where  he  remained  concealed  in  his  city  of 
Ferns,  waiting  the  arrival  of  his  allies. 

Robert  Fitzstephen  was  not  forgetful  of 
his  engagements  with  Dermod.  Two  pow- 
erful motives  induced  him  to  carry  them 
into  execution  ;  he  was  an  outlaw  in  Eng- 
land, whereas  he  recovered  his  liberty  only 
on  condition  of  leaving  it  immediately;  and 
the  reward  which  he  expected  in  Ireland 
was  very  flattering  to  a  man  whose  only 
riches  lay  in  his  sword.     He  applied  all  his 

*  Gulielm.  Neubrig.  de  Reb.  Anglo.  lib.  2,  c.  26. 
t  Stanihurst,  b.  2,  c.  67. 

t  Guli.  Neubrig.  de  Reb.  Anglic,  sui  temporis, 
lib.  2,  page  211,  et  212. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


261 


influence  to  enlist  volunteers  for  his  enter- 
prise, and  raised  400  men,  whose  fortunes 
were  desperate  like  his  own.  With  this  force 
he  landed  on  the  coast  of  Wexford  in  Ire- 
land, in  the  month  of  May,  a.  d.  1169.  Of 
liis  landing,  information  was  dispatched  im- 
mediately to  the  king  of  Leinster,  who  lay 
concealed  in  the  city  of  Ferns  till  his  arrival. 
Dermod,  overjoyed  at  the  news,  left  his 
retreat,  and  put  himself  at  the  head  of  five 
hundred  horsemen,  whom  he  kept  in  readi- 
ness to  join  the  English  captain.  After  the 
usual  compliments  on  such  occasions,  they 
held  a  council  of  war  on  the  plan  of  their 
campaign,  the  result  of  which  was,  to  lay 
siege  to  Wexford,  which  was  at  that  time 
inhabited  by  Danes.  The  troops  being  led 
on  against  this  place,  it  surrendered  to  the 
king  of  Leinster ;  the  inhabitants  paid  him 
homage,  and  gave  him  hostages  and  presents. 
In  order  to  fulfil  his  promise  to  Fitzstephen, 
the  king  gave  him  that  city,  and  a  few  dis- 
tricts in  the  neighborhood,  where  he  estab- 
lished a  colony,  among  whom  the  ancient 
Saxon  language  is  still  preserved,  with  a 
small  mixture  of  the  Irish.  This  district  is 
called  the  barony  of  Forth.  Dermod  granted 
also  to  Hermon  Morty,  (Herveius  de  Monte 
Maurisco,)  Fitzstephen's  paternal  uncle, 
some  lands  near  Wexford,  so  that  through  the 
generosity  of  this  prince,  those  adventurers 
were  influenced  to  the  greatest  enterprises 
to  please  him. 

In  the  mean  time,  Maurice  Prendergast 
landed  in  Wexford  with  a  fresh  reinforce- 
ment, which  increased  the  little  army  of  the 
confederates,  then  amounting  to  three  thou- 
sand men. 

Encouraged  by  his  first  success,  and  find- 
ing himself  able  to  follow  up  his  conquest, 
Dermod  turned  his  thoughts  towards  the 
people  of  Ossory.  Donnough  Mac-Giolla 
Phadruig,  (Fitzpatrick,)  son  of  Domhnal 
Ramhar,  was  hereditary  prince,  or,  according 
to  the  style  of  those  times,  king  of  Ossory. 
He  was  the  avowed  enemy  of  Dermod,  and 
one  of  those  who  had  abandoned  him  in  his 
misfortune.  He  was  therefore  the  first  victim 
of  his  resentment.  Dermod  marched  at  the 
head  of  his  army  towards  the  frontiers  of 
Ossory,  spreading  terror  and  consternation 
everywhere  as  he  passed,  and  obliged  that 
prince  to  send  him  hostages,  and  agree  to 
pay  an  annual  tribute  to  the  crown  of  Lein- 
ster. 

The  progress  which  the  king  of  Leinster 
and  his  English  allies  were  making,  having 
alarmed  the  whole  island,  the  princes  and 
nobles  had  recourse  to  Roderick  O'Connor, 
to  deliberate  on  what  was  to  be  done  to  quell 


a  rebellion  in  its  beginning,  which,  if  neg- 
lected, must  create  confusion  in  the  state. 
It  was  determined  in  the  conference  held  for 
this  purpose,  that  the  provinces  should  supply 
the  monarch  with  their  quota  of  men,  to  en- 
able him  to  chastise  the  king  of  Leinster, 
and  put  down  the  rebellion.  The  monarch's 
army  being  reinforced  by  the  allied  troops, 
he  set  out  on  his  march  for  Leinster,  and 
advanced  towards  Hy-Kinseallagh,  intending 
to  give  the  enemy  battle.  Dermod  finding 
himself  unable  to  keep  the  field  against  an 
army  so  superior  to  his  own,  withdrew  into 
the  inaccessible  forests  and  marshes  near 
Ferns,  with  his  troops,  and  held  himself  on 
the  defensive.  The  monarch  thus  foiled  in 
his  attempt,  sent  a  communication  to  Fitz- 
stephen, chief  of  the  English  in  the  service 
of  Dermod,  that  he  should  immediately  de- 
part from  the  country  with  his  Englishmen ; 
that  he  had  espoused  an  unjust  and  dishon- 
orable cause,  and  that  he  had  no  lawful 
claim  to  the  possessions  he  had  usurped  in 
the  island.  It  can  be  easily  conceived  that 
such  an  order  must  have  been  very  disagree- 
able to  this  adventurer,  who  was  an  outlaw 
in  his  own  country,  where  he  had  suffered 
several  years  imprisonment,  and  who  had  no 
asylum  but  what  his  good  fortune  procured 
him.  Besides  that,  he  had  then  a  real  interest 
in  Ireland.  He  was  already  lord  of  Wexford 
and  its  environs,  which  had  been  conferred 
on  him  by  the  king  of  the  province  as  a  re- 
ward for  his  services  ;  and  this  was  too  con- 
siderable, and  too  gratifying  to  the  avarice 
of  a  man  who  was  destitute  of  every  thing 
else,  to  give  it  up.  He  therefore  declared  to 
the  monarch,  that  so  far  from  being  disposed 
to  quit  the  island,  he  was  determined  to 
support  the  interest  of  his  benefactor,  the 
king  of  Leinster,  as  long  as  a  single  man 
remained  with  him.  The  monarch,  exaspe- 
rated at  the  stranger's  haughty  reply,  ordered 
his  officers  to  send  detachments  to  scour  the 
forests  and  pursue  the  rebels  ;  but  the  bish- 
ops of  the  province,  alarmed  at  the  idea  of 
a  war  breaking  out  among  them,  prostrated 
themselves  at  his  feet,  and  pointed  out  to 
him  the  danger  of  a  civil  war,  which  might 
prove  fatal  to  the  nation.  They  represented 
to  him  that  peaceful  measures  would  be  the 
most  likely  tosucceed  with  an  irritated  prince, 
who  was  capable  of  any  act,  and  supported 
by  a  neighboring  nation,  whose  interest  it 
was  to  increase  the  discord  between  the 
princes  of  this  island.  These  arguments  were 
plausible  and  well  grounded,  if  they  could 
have  supposed  that  the  king  of  Leinster  was 
possessed  of  honor  or  good  faith ;  but  as 
this  unhappy  prince  had  given  himself  up  to 


262 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


his  ambition,  and  aflbrdecl  every  reason  to 
distrust  him,  it  would  have  been  good  policy 
to  employ  measures  of  rigor,  and  crush  the 
evil  at  its  root. 

Roderick,  moved  by  the  remonstrances  of 
the  bishops  and  clergy  of  Leinster,  ceased 
hostilities,  and  entered  into  negotiation  with 
the  king  of  the  province.     A  treaty  of  peace 
was  concluded  and  signed  by  both  parties, 
on  the  following  conditions : — 1  st,  That  Der- 
mod  should  be  restored  to  the  possession  of 
'  his   kingdom  of   Leinster,  with    the    same 
I  authority  which  his  predecessors  had  en- 
!  joyed,  and  that  he  should  be  compensated  for 
j  the  losses  he  had  sustained  during  his  misfor- 
i  tunes  ;  2d,  That  the  king  of  Leinster  should 
I  do  homage  to  the  monarch,  and  promise  him 
I  fidelity  ;  3d,  That  he  should  bind  himself  by 
oath,  never  to  call  in  the  English  to  his  aid, 
and  to  afford  them  no  longer  any  protection  ; 
4th,  That  Robert  Fitzstephen  should  remain 
in  possession  of  Wexford,  instead  of  the 
I  Danes,  who  occupied  it  before.     In  order  to 
ratify  this  treaty,  and  remove  all  suspicion 
of  bad  faith  on  his  side,  Dermod  gave  Art- 
Na-Nigall,  or  Arthur,  his  son,  as  hostage  to 
the  monarch  ;  after  which  the  latter,  having 
disbanded   his   forces,  returned   into   Con- 
naught. 

It  would  now  seem  that  Ireland  was  about 
to  enjoy  a  lasting  peace ;  that  civil  war  was 
put  down,  and  that  the  English,  after  losing 
the  protection  of  the  king  of  Leinster,  had 
nothing  more  to  hope  for  in  the  island.  The 
result  however  proved  otherwise.  The  treaty 
concluded  between  the  monarch  and  Dermod 
was  the  fruit  of  the  policy,  as  well  as  the 
perfidy  of  the  English,  who  had  drawn  the 
prince  of  Leinster  into  it.  They  wanted  to 
escape  the  danger  of  being  destroyed  by  the 
superiority  of  the  royal  army,  and  gain  time 
till  the  succors  which  they  expected  would 
arrive  ;  those  adventurers  being  less  actu- 
ated by  their  pretended  motives  of  re-estab- 
lishing religion,  reforming  the  morals  of  the 
Irish,  and  defending  an  oppressed  prince, 
than  that  of  making  their  fortunes  at  the  ex- 
pense of  justice  itself,  as  they  proved.  The 
treaty  was  scarcely  concluded  between  the 
belligerent  princes,  when  Maurice  Fitzge- 
rald, half-brother  to  Fitzstephen,  landed  in 
Wexford  with  a  considerable  reinforcement 
of  Englishmen,  which  raised  the  courage  of 
the  rebels  to  a  high  pitch. 
I  On  the  first  intelligence  of  the  arrival  of 
I  Maurice  Fitzgerald,  Dermod  repaired  to 
I  Wexford,  where  he  held  a  council  with  Fitz- 
i  Stephen,  Morty,  Prendergast,  Barry,  Meiler, 
i  Fitzgerald,  and  other  English  chiefs,  who 
j  prevailed  on  him  to  break  his  treaty  with  the 


monarch,  by  inspiring  him  with  the  extrava- 
gant idea  of  asjjiring  to  the  universal  mon- 
archy of  the  island,  and  promising  to  send 
to  England  for  sufficient  forces  for  that  enter- 
prise. Dermod  either  did  not  perceive  the 
danger  of  introducing  into  the  country  a 
number  of  foreigners  capable  of  reducing 
it,  (as  happened  to  the  ancient  Britons,  whose 
country  was  invaded  by  their  treacherous 
allies,  the  Saxons,)  or  his  unbounded  ambi- 
tion led  him  to  sacrifice  his  country's  free- 
dom to  that  passion. 

The  king  of  Leinster,  finding  himself 
supported  by  the  English,  in  conjunction 
with  some  of  his  subjects,  whom  fear  brought 
back  to  their  allegiance,  marched  at  the  head 
of  his  army  towards  Dublin,  the  neighbor- 
hood of  which  he  laid  waste,  particularly 
that  part  of  it  called  Fingal.  His  intention 
was,  to  revenge  on  the  Danes  of  that  city 
the  insults  which  himself  and  his  father  had 
received  from  them,  and  levy  contributions 
to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  war ;  so  he  laid 
siege  to  the  city,  with  Maurice  Fitzgerald, 
who  commanded  under  him.  Asculph,  son 
of  Torcall,  at  that  time  commander  of  the 
place,  alarmed  at  the  danger  which  threat- 
ened the  city,  assembled  the  principal  inhab- 
itants, to  deliberate  upon  what  measures 
they  should  adopt.  It  was  concluded  that  a 
quick  submission  was  necessary  to  avert  the 
storm  ;  in  consequence  of  which  they  sent 
deputies  to  the  king  of  Leinster,  with  large 
sums  of  gold  and  silver.  Asculph  paid  him 
homage  in  the  name  of  the  city,  and  sent 
hostages  as  pledgesof  his  obedience.  Rob- 
ert Fitzstephen  had  no  share  in  this  expe- 
dition, being  busily  employed  in  building 
and  fortifying  the  port  of  Karraick,  near 
Wexford. 

Such  was  the  state  of  the  affairs  of  the 
king  of  Leinster  when  Richard  Strongbow 
landed  in  Ireland.  This  English  nobleman 
had  not  forgotten  the  promises  he  had  given 
to  Dermod,  of  funiishing  him  with  troops, 
nor  the  hope  the  latter  held  out  to  him,  of 
making  him  his  son-in-law,  and  successor  to 
his  throne — things  highly  flattering  to  a  man 
possessed  of  nothing  himself,  and  whose  es- 
tate had  been  confiscated  in  England.  Re- 
solved, however,  to  act  in  a  becoming  way 
towards  his  king,  Henry  II.,  he  went  to  him 
and  asked  permission  to  leave  the  kingdom 
and  seek  his  fortune  elsewhere.  The  king, 
who  was  already  dissatisfied  with  him,  grant- 
ed him  his  request  in  an"ironical  and  repul- 
sive manner,  as  if  he  never  wished  to  hear 
of  him.*     Richard,  desirous  to  take  advan- 

*  Stanihurst,  de  Reb.  in  Hib.  Gest.  lib.  2,  p.  94. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


263 


tage  of  this  doubtful  leave,  made  the  neces- 
sary preparations  for  his  expedition  to  Ire- 
land ;  but  before  he  should  go  himself,  he 
dispatched  Raymond  le  Gros,  who,  accord- 
ing to  Stanihurst,  was  son  of  William  Fitz- 
gerald, and  nephew  to  Maurice,  or,  accord- 
ing to  others,  brother  of  the  latter,  with  a 
small  body  of  troops  to  reconnoitre  the 
country,  and  facilitate  the  descent  which  he 
meditated  ;  and  at  the  same  time  to  inform 
the  king  of  Lcinster  of  his  intentions.  Ray- 
mond landed  on  the  first  of  May,  1 1 70,  in  a 
small  harbor  called  Dun-Domhnail,  four 
miles  from  Waterford,  and  formed  an  in- 
trenchment  for  the  protection  of  his  troops. 

The  Danes  of  Waterford,  hearing  of  the 
arrival  of  a  body  of  English  troops,  who  had 
encamped  in  their  neighborhood,  assembled 
a  force,  which  was  joined  by  the  vassals  of 
Malachi  OTaolan,  lord  of  Desie,  to  the 
number  of  200  men,  without  discipline  and 
badly  armed,  intending  to  dislodge  those 
strangers.  Raymond  would  not  wait  for 
the  enemy  in  his  intrenchments,  but  sallied 
forth  with  his  troops  to  meet  them  in  the 
plain.  The  action  began  with  vigor,  and 
the  English  were  driven  back  to  their  in- 
trenchments ;  but  excited  by  despair,  which 
frequently  rouses  to  action,  ("  Una  salus 
victis  nuUam  sperare  salutem,")  they  turned 
on  this  undisciplined  army,  who  were  pur- 
suing them  in  disorder,  and  made  a  dread- 
ful slaughter  of  them.  This  victory  of  the 
English,  though  inferior  in  numbers,  was 
owing  to  their  discipline,  and  a  number  of 
archers,  who  discharged  their  arrows  against 
an  enemy  unaccustomed  to  that  manner  of 
fighting:  "Britannici  sagittarii,  miserandum 
in  modum,  inermes  sauciarunt."  The  sequel 
of  this  victory  was  highly  disgraceful  to  the 
conquerors,  who  massacred  seventy  pris- 
oners, of  the  first  citizens  of  Waterford. 
A  council  of  war  was  held  after  the  battle, 
on  the  manner  in  which  they  should  be 
treated.  Raymond,  who  possessed  a  noble 
mind,  was  in  favor  of  clemency,  but  Her- 
veius  de  Monte  Maurisco,  who  had  by  chance 
been  present  at  the  battle,  having  come  that 
morning  to  pay  a  visit  to  Raymond,  ha- 
rangued the  soldiers  with  such  efiect,  that  he 
instigated  them  to  commit  the  act  of  cruelty 
of  which  the  prisoners  were  the  victims. 
This  barbarous  conduct  of  that  cruel  man 
is  disapproved  of  by  Stanihurst  himself,  (who 
is  in  other  respects  a  true  Englishman,)  and 
he  says  that  his  memory  was  detested  ;  he 
also  adds,  that  no  person  is  so  insolent  or 
devoid  of  pity,  as  a  man  of  low  birth  who  is 
raised  above  his  level.* 

*  "  '  I  consider  and  command,  that  an  enemy,  not 


Earl  Richard,  surnamed  Strongbow,  whom 
we  left  in  England,  having  all  things  ready 
for  his  voyage,  sailed  from  Milford  harbor 
in  the  month  of  August  of  the  same  year, 
with  1200  chosen  men,  and  landed  near 
Waterford  on  the  24th  of  the  same  month, 
St.  Bartholomew's  day.  He  was  soon  joined 
by  the  king  of  Leinster,  and  the  English 
whom  he  had  already  in  his  service.  After 
the  usual  congratulations,  they  held  a  coun- 
cil of  war,  in  which  it  was  determined  to 
besiege  Waterford.  When  the  troops  were 
refreshed,  they  marched  towards  the  city, 
which,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  times, 
was  poorly  fortified,  and  laid  siege  to  it. 
There  was  a  great  disproportion  between 
the  besieged  and  the  besiegers.  The  place 
was  defended  by  those  citizens  who  had  es- 
caped the  late  defeat ;  while  it  was  attacked 
by  an  army  superior  both  in  numbers  and 
discipline,  and  commanded  by  skilful  leaders ; 
so  that,  notwithstanding  an  obstinate  de- 
fence which  lasted  for  some  days,  the  city 
was  taken  by  assault,  and  the  garrison  put 
to  the  sword.  Malachi  O'Faolan,  prince 
of  Desie,  was  made  prisoner,  and  only  es- 
caped from  the  rage  of  the  soldiery  through 
the  interference  of  the  king  of  Leinster. 
After  such  barbarous  acts,  may  it  not  be 
aflirmed  with  truth,  that  those  adventurers 
came  over  rather  to  destroy  the  inhabitants 
than  to  reform  their  morals  ? 

The  taking  of  Waterford  was  so  pleasing 
to  the  king  of  Leinster,  that  he  testified  his 
gratitude  to  earl  Richard  by  renewing  the 
treaty  of  alliance  he  had  already  made  with 
him  in  England  ;  for  which  purpose  he  sent 
for  his  daughter  Aoife,  or  Eve,  to  come  to 
Waterford.  The  marriage  was  celebrated 
with  great  pomp  between  her  and  the  earl, 
and  the  king  declared  them  heirs  to  his 
crown. 

A  first  success  generally  leads  to  new 
enterprises.  The  king  of  Leinster  was  a 
violent  and  vindictive  prince,  and  always 
considered  himself  at  liberty  to  violate  the 
most  solemn  treaties,  when  passion  or  interest 
required  it.  The  Danes  of  Dublin  were  the 
continual  objects  of  his  hatred  and  revenge. 
The  treaty  he  had  concluded  with  them 
the  preceding  year,  and  the  presents  he  re- 
ceived from  them,  did  not  prevent  him  laying 
siege  a  second  time  to  their  city,  with  all  his 

only  while  fighting,  but  even  conquered  and  bound, 
should  be  put  to  death.'  From  that  time  Hervey 
was  loaded  with  weighty  and  lasting  disgrace  and 
infamy,  nor  could  one  be  found  whom  this  carnage 
of  the  citizens  did  not  disgust.  But  none  is  so  in- 
Solent  and  merciless  as  a  man  raised  from  the  dregs 
of  the  people." — Stanihurst,  book  2,  p.  103. 


264 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


forces.  Asculph,  the  commander,  finding 
himself  unable  to  support  a  siege,  deputed, 
with  the  consent  of  the  principal  inhabitants, 
Laurence  O'Toole,  their  archbishop,  a  man 
of  high  reputation  for  sanctity,  to  negotiate 
a  peace  with  the  king.  While  this  holy  pre- 
late was  deliberating  on  peaceful  measures 
with  the  king  in  his  camp,  Raymond  le  Gros, 
Maurice  Fitzgerald,  and  Milo  Cogan,  fol- 
lowed by  their  troops,  entered  the  city  by  a 
breach,  on  the  21st  of  September,  and  made 
themselves  masters  of  it,  sword  in  hand, 
sparing  neither  sex  nor  age  ;*  thus  carrying 
on  the  war  more  like  assassins  than  regular 
troops,  violating  the  rights  of  men,  and 
disregarding  the  principle  by  which  all  hos- 
tilities should  cease  when  a  town  offers 
to  capitulate.  Such  were  the  fancied  masters 
of  refinement,  who  came  to  civilize  the  Irish 
people  ! 

Dermod,  well  pleased  with  this  conquest, 
left  a  garrison  in  the  city,  the  command  of 
which  he  gave  to  Milo  Cogan,  after  which 
he  turned  his  arms  against  O'Rourke,  prince 
of  Brefny,  to  punish  him  for  a  crime  which 
he  himself  had  committed  ;  according  to  the 
proverb,  which  says,  that  "  the  injured  are 
generally  punished,  instead  of  the  aggres- 
sors." The  violation  of  the  wife  of  the 
prince  of  Brefny,  was  revenged  on  his  vas- 
sals by  the  violator  himself. 

The  monarch  of  Ireland  beheld  tranquilly, 
during  a  whole  year,  the  progress  which  the 
king  of  Leinster  was  making,  without  taking 
any  measures  to  check  the  course  of  his  vic- 
tories ;  but  finding  him  to  approach  his  own 
borders,  and  knowing  that  such  an  enemy, 
when  so  near  him  must  be  dangerous,  he  be- 
came alarmed.  The  season,  however,  being 
too  far  advanced  to  take  the  field,  he  sent  an 
officer  to  reproach  him  for  the  perfidy  with 
which  he  had  broken  the  solemn  treaty  con- 
cluded between  them  in  the  preceding  year, 
and  to  complain  that  (contrary  to  its  faith 
and  tenor,  which  he  had  pledged  himself 
upon  oath  to  observe)  he  obdurately  per- 
sisted in  introducing  robbers  into  the  country, 
and  thereby  disturbed  the  public  peace.  The 
same  officer  had  orders  to  tell  him,  that  if 
he  persisted  in  his  course  of  warfare,  means 
would  be  found  to  constrain  him  to  abandon 
it,  and  that  the  head  of  his  son  Arthur,  who 
was  held  as  hostage,  should  answer  for  it. 
Something  more  efficacious  than  threats  was 
however  necessary  to  be  adopted  towards  a 
man  blinded  by  his  passions,  and  bereft  of 
every  sentiment  characteristic  of  the  man  of 
honor.    Der mod's  reply  to  the  monarch  was 

*  Stanihurst,  de  Reb.  in  Hib.  Gest.  lib.  3,  p.  106, 


worthy  of  his  character ;  he  said  that  he 
was  quite  regardless  of  his  son's  fate,  but 
that  if  any  thing  happened  to  him,  he  would 
take  revenge,  both  on  the  monarch  and  his 
whole  race  ;  and  that  his  design  was,  to 
make  himself  master  of  the  kingdom  before 
he  laid  down  his  arms.  It  is  alleged  by 
Stanihurst,  that  Roderick,  exasperated  at 
this  haughty  reply,  caused  prince  Arthur  to 
be  beheaded  ;  but  in  this  he  is  contradicted 
by  Keating  and  others,  who  say  that  he 
confined  himself  to  threats  only,  without 
carrying  them  into  execution. 

The  severity  of  the  weather  having  put 
an  end  to  hostilities,  and  the  king  of  Lein- 
ster's  troops  being  withdrawn  into  winter 
quarters,  Dermod  repaired  to  Ferns,  where 
he  died  of  sickness  in  the  month  of  May 
following,  A.  D.  1171.  He  was  a  man  of  ex- 
traordinary height,  strong,  robust,  and  war- 
like, whose  principle  was  to  make  himself 
.  more  the  object  of  fear  than  of  love,  and 
who  had  lived  too  long  for  the  good  of  his 
country.  This  monster,  whose  memory  must 
be  abhorred  by  all  true  Irishmen,  after  having 
founded  several  religious  houses,  sacrificed 
the  country  to  his  revenge,  and  caused  her 
to  submit  to  a  yoke  which  she  has  never 
since  been  able  to  shake  off.  After  the  death 
of  the  king  of  Leinster,  his  father-in-law, 
earl  Richard  endeavored  to  get  himself  de- 
clared heir  to  the  throne  of  Dermod,  as  he 
was  in  truth  the  heir  of  his  tyranny.  He  led 
his  troops  to  the  frontiers  of  Munster,  where 
they  committed  great  devastation  ;  but  was 
checked  in  his  progress  by  the  monarch, 
Roderick  O'Connor,  who  gained  several  ad- 
vantages over  him,  particularly  at  the  battle 
of  Durlus,  or  Thurles,  in  Upper  Ormond, 
where  1700  English  were  killed  upon  the 
spot.* 

Henry  II.,  who  was  at  that  time  in  Aqui- 
taine,  being  busily  occupied  with  his  conti- 
nental affairs,  and  hearing  of  the  success  of 
Richard  and  his  other  subjects  in  Ireland, 
conceived  strong  suspicions  of  the  fidelity 
of  the  earl,  with  whom  he  was  already  dis- 
pleased.! He  began  to  look  upon  him  as  an 
intriguing  character,  desirous  of  usurping  a 
kingdom  which  he  himself  had  long  wished 
to  unite  to  his  other  states.:):  He  therefore 
published  an  edict,  by  which  he  prohibited 
all  intercourse  with  Ireland,  and  forbade  his 
subjects  to  transport  either  men  or  provisions 
from  England  to  Ireland,  under  the  penalty 
of  being  severely  punished.    He  ordained  by 

*  Cambrens.  Evers.  cap.  9,  page  89. 
t  Gulicl.  Neubrig.  de  Reb.  Anglic,  c.  26.     Stani- 
hurst, de  Reb.  in  Hib.  Gest.  lib.  3. 
t  Ke«t.  Hist,  of  Ireland. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


265 


the  same  edict,  that  all  his  subjects  then  in 
Ireland  should  repair  on  a  certain  day  to 
England,  under  pain  of  being  considered 
traitors  and  rebels  to  their  king.  The  earl 
Richard  was  soon  apprized  of  the  proclama- 
tion, which  disconcerted  him  considerably, 
being  altogether  opposed  to  his  design.  Al- 
though master  of  Dublin,  Wexford,  Water- 
ford,  and  other  places  on  the  coast,  he  was 
unable  to  retain  possession  of  them  without 
the  assistance  of  England,  of  which  he  saw 
himself  thus  deprived  by  the  edict.  In 
order  to  avert  the  danger  consequent  on 
resisting  the  king's  commands,  he  assembled 
the  heads  of  the  English  colony,  Avho  deter- 
mined on  sending  Raymond  le  Gros  (Fitz- 
gerald) to  represent  to  his  majesty,  that  it 
was  by  his  permission  Richard  and  the  other 
Englishmen  had  crossed  over  to  Ireland  to 
support  the  cause  of  Dermod,  king  of  Lein- 
ster  ;  that  they  did  not  consider  themselves 
less  his  subjects  there,  and  that  they  acted 
altogether  in  his  name. 

Raymond  being  intrusted  by  the  assembly 
with  this  avowal  of  their  fidelity,  set  out  for 
Aquitaine,  where  Henry  II.  still  was,  who 
gave  him  an  audience  ;  after  which  the  king 
returned  to  England,  and  appointed  him  to 
be  the  bearer  of  a  letter  to  Richard,  wherein 
he  commanded  the  latter  to  return  imme- 
diately to  England,  and  render  an  account 
of  his  conduct. 

About  this  time,  Asculph,  chief  of  the 
Danes  of  Dublin,  who  had  escaped  with  his 
fleet  from  the  last  siege,  returned  with  sixty 
vessels  and  a  great  number  of  troops,  with 
the  intention  of  besieging  it,  and  encamped 
before  the  eastern  gate,  called  Dame's-Gate. 
The  attack  was  so  brisk,  that  the  English, 
finding  themselves  unable  to  resist  the  supe- 
rior force  of  the  Danes,  had  recourse  to  strata- 
gem. Milo  Cogan,  who  was  then  governor 
of  the  city,  sent  out  by  the  southern  gate, 
called  St.  Paul's,  a  body  of  cavalry  under 
the  command  of  his  brother,  Richard  Cogan, 
to  attack  the  enemy  in  rear.  The  Danes, 
struck  with  consternation,  thinking  it  to  be 
a  fresh  reinforcement  that  had  come  to  the 
assistance  of  the  city,  took  to  flight :  the 
slaughter  was  immense,  and  the  loss  of  the 
Danes  considerable ;  their  chief,  Asculph, 
was  led  captive  into  the  city,  and  beheaded, 
contrary  to  the  laws  of  war. 

Dublin  was  attacked  soon  afterwards  by 
the  monarch  himself,  with  as  little  success 
as  the  Danes.  The  art  of  besieging  was 
then  quite  unknown  to  the  Irish,  who  never 
made  use  of  fortifications.  They  were  accus- 
tomed to  fight  only  in  the  open  field,  and 
present  their  bodies  to  the  enemy,  unpro- 


tected by  walls,  or  any  defence  except  their 
valor  and  their  arms;  consequently,  they 
were  unacquainted  with  the  use  of  battering- 
rams,  and  such  machinery  employed  by  other 
nations  to  destroy  fortified  places. 

In  order  to  secure  more  firmly  the  con- 
quest of  the  city,  Roderick  O'Connor  and 
Laurence,  the  archbishop,  wrote  to  Gottred, 
king  of  the  Isle  of  Man,  to  request  of  him, 
in  virtue  of  the  ancient  alliance  existing  be- 
tween him  and  Ireland,  to  send  a  fleet  to 
block  up  the  harbor  of  Dublin,  and  cut  oiT 
all  communication  between  the  garrison  and 
England,  (which  was  already  interrupted  by 
the  proclamation  of  Henry  II. ;)  while  on  his 
part,  he  would  take  care  to  close  every 
avenue  by  land.  These  plans  appear  to 
have  been  well  laid.  The  city  was  soon 
surrounded  by  sea  and  land,  and  famine  was 
already  beginning  to  be  felt  by  the  garrison. 

At  the  same  time,  Domnal,  son  of  Der- 
mod the  late  king  of  Leinster,  more  anxious 
for  the  welfare  of  his  country  than  his  father 
had  been,  collected  a  few  troops  and  be- 
sieged Robert  Fitzstephen  in  the  fort  which 
he  had  built  at  Carrick,  near  Wexford.  The 
English  captain  having  found  means  to 
make  his  situation  known  to  earl  Richard,  to 
Raymond  le  Gros,  (who  had  lately  returned 
from  England,)  to  Maurice  Fitzgerald,  and 
the  other  commanders  of  the  garrison  of 
Dublin,  he  sent  them  word,  that  if  he  did 
not  receive  succor  before  two  or  three  days, 
he  would  inevitably  fall  into  the  hands  of  his 
enemy.  This  information,  and  the  unhappy 
state  of  their  other  aff"airs,  gave  them  great 
uneasiness  ;  but  inspired  them  with  a  reso- 
lution which  succeeded  to  their  most  san- 
guine desire.  The  siege  of  Dublin  had 
already  lasted  for  two  months ;  the  besieged 
were  much  weakened,  and  the  besiegers, 
fearing  nothing  from  an  enemy  they  intended 
to  reduce  by  famine,  became  negligent,  and 
too  confident  of  their  security,  of  which  the 
latter  found  means  to  take  advantage.  The 
besieged,  having  determined  to  attack  the 
besiegers,  sallied  forth  at  the  break  of  day, 
forced  the  sentinels  to  give  way,  and  falling, 
sword  in  hand,  on  their  enemies,  who  were 
still  in  bed  and  asleep,  killed  a  great  number 
of  them,  and  put  the  rest  to  flight.*  This 
victory  enabled  the  English  of  Dublin  to 
send  assistance  to  Fitzstephen,  who  was  be- 
sieged in  the  fort  of  Carrick  ;  but  the  detach- 

*  "  They  fly  on  a  sudden,  armed,  out  of  the  city, 
and  fall,  sword  in  hand,  on  a  foe  unprepared  and  half 
sleeping.  It  cannot  cause  surprise,  if  lethargy  should 
have  seized  on  numbers  of  the  besiegers,  when  none 
were  upon  guard,  and  none  could  foresee  that  so  few 
would  sally  out  against  an  army." — Stan.  p.  117. 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


ment  commanded  by  Strongbow  for  this 
pm'posc,  having  been  harassed  by  the  Lein- 
ster  pooplc  hi  the  defiles  of  Idrone  in  the 
county  of  Carlow,  arrived  too  late.  The 
fort  of  ('arrick  had  been  already  taken  by 
prince  Domnal,  part  of  the  garrison  put  to 
the  sword,  and  the  rest  (among  whom  were 
Robert  Fitzstephen  and  William  Notton) 
made  prisoners  of  war,  and  brought  to  the 
island  of  Beg  Erin,  at  a  short  distance  from 
Wexford. 

Richard  Strongbow,  coerced  by  the  orders 
he  had  just  received  from  his  master,  Henry 
II.,  embarked  immediately  for  England, 
leaving  his  affairs  in  Ireland  in  a  very  bad 
state.  He  was  presented  to  the  king  at 
Neweham,  near  Gloucester,  where  the  prince 
■was  collecting  an  army  for  his  expedition  to 
Ireland,  and  was  very  badly  received  by 
him.  The  king  upbraided  him  bitterly  with 
the  robberies  and  devastations  he  had  com- 
mitted in  Ireland,  inasmuch  as,  not  content 
with  the  honorable  conditions  which  were 
granted  him  by  the  king  of  Leinster,  he  had 
acted  the  tyrant  by  usurping  the  properties 
of  others.  It  might  be  imagined  that  this 
was  the  language  of  "a  man  of  honor,  who 
would  be  incapable  of  committing  an  unjust 
act  himself;  yet  it  would  be  difficult  to 
decide  which  of  the  two  was  the  more 
worthy  character.  After  the  king  had  given 
vent  to  his  anger  and  reproaches  against  the 
earl,  he  was  at  length  appeased  by  the  sub- 
mission of  this  nobleman,  and  a  promise 
that  he  made  him  of  putting  Dublin,  and 
the  oth'er  places  he  held  in  Ireland,  into  his 
power.  In  the  mean  time,  O'Rourke,  prince 
of  Brefny,  attacked  the  English  who  were 
in  Dublin.  He  attempted  to  besiege  the 
city,  and  having  drawn  Milo  Cogan,  the 
governor,  and  his  garrison  outside  of  the 
fortifications,  a  bloody  battle  was  fought 
between  them,  Avhich  produced  no  other 
effect  than  the  loss  of  many  lives.  The  son 
of  O'Rourke,  having  signalized  himself  by 
his  valor  in  the  thick  of  the  battle,  was 
mortally  wounded,  with  several  of  his  fol 
lowers,  who  sold  their  lives  dearly  to  the 
English,  of  whom  also  a  great  number  fell 
on  the  field  of  battle.* 

Every  thing  being  ready  for  the  expedi- 
tion to  Ireland,  Henry  set  sail  from  Milford 
in  the  month  of  October,  1172,  in  the  forty- 
first  year  of  his  age,  and  seventeenth  of  his 
reign,  with  a  formidable  and  well-provided 
army.  He  landed  safely  at  Waterford  on 
St.  Luke's  day,  where  he  established  his 
head-quarters.     The  news  of  his  arrival  be- 

»  Stan,  de  Reb.  in  Hib.  Gest.  lib.  3,  cap.  123. 


ing  spread,  his  English  subjects  who  had 
settled  in  Dublin,  Wexford,  Waterford,  &c., 
came  to  pay  him  homage  and  renew  their 
oath  of  allegiance  ;  and  their  example  was 
soon  followed  by  some  of  the  princes  of  the 
country,  who  had  the  baseness  to  submit  to 
a  foreign  yoke,  instead  of  uniting  together 
to  preserve  their  liberty.  Dermod  More 
Mac-Carthaig,  (Mac-Carty,)  king  of  Cork, 
was  the  first  among  these  proselytes.  He 
presented  himself  before  the  king  of  Eng- 
land at  Waterford,  and  paid  him  homage. 

After  a  conference  with  his  English  sub- 
jects, on  the  measures  to  be  adopted  for  the 
reduction  of  the  island,  Henry  II.  collected 
his  forces  and  marched  to  Lismore,  where, 
having  stayed  two  days,  he  set  out  for  Cashel, 
and  was  met  upon  his  march,  on  the  river 
Suire,  by  Domnald  O'Brien,  king  of  Thuo- 
raond  and  Limerick,  who  made  a  similar 
submission  to  that  of  the  king  of  Cork,  and 
their  examples  were,  followed  by  the  other 
princes  of  Munster.  Henry  sent  detach- 
ments to  Limerick  and  Cork,  to  secure  the 
possession  of  those  cities  ;  after  which,  re- 
turning to  Waterford,  he  there  received  the 
homage  of  Domnald  More  Mac-Giolla-Pha- 
druig,  (Fitz-Patrick,)  prince  of  Ossory,  and 
Malachi  O'Faolan,  lord  of  Desie.  He  treat- 
ed those  princes  honorably,  made  them  mag- 
nificent presents,  and  promised  to  secure  to 
them  their  possessions  and  dignities.*  On 
the  interference  of  the  English,  the  king  re- 
stored his  liberty  to  Robert  Fitzstephen, 
whom  he  had  some  time  before  committed 
to  prison  on  account  of  the  complaints  which 
had  been  made  to  him  of  the  tyranny  of 
this  officer  over  the  inhabitants  of  the  coun- 
try. The  conditions,  however,  on  which 
he  obtained  his  freedom  were  dishonor- 
able to  the  king,  and  strongly  marked  his 
insatiable  thirst  for  the  riches  of  others. 
Fitzstephen  was  obliged  to  give  to  him  the 
town  and  county  of  Wexford,  which  he  held 
from  the  liberality  of  the  king  of  Leinster. 

Robert  Fitz-Bernard  being  appointed  to 
the  government  of  Waterford,  Henry  II. 
proceeded  on  his  route  to  Dublin,  where  his 
government  was  acknowledged  by  several 
princes  of  Leinster,  among  whom  was 
Molrough  Mac-Floinn,  prince  of  Meath. 
The  king,  as  an  able  politician,  treated  all 
these  princes  with  politeness,  and  loaded 
them  with  presents,  which  blinded  them  to 
such  a  degree  that  they  could  not  perceive 

*  "  Henry  received  the  princes,  on  their  arrival, 
with  great  honor ;  he  promised  not  only  to  take 
care  of  their  safety,  but  to  advance  thein  in  dignity  ; 
and  loaded  them  besides  with  magnificent  presents." 
—Stan,  de  Reb.  in  Hib.  Gest.  125. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


267 


the  chains  which  he  was  preparing  for  them. 
He  likewise  promised  to  maintain  them  in 
the  possession  of  their  estates  and  dignities  ; 
but  he  was  too  perfidious  to  keep  his  word 
with  them  :  such  has  ever  been  the  course 
which  the  English  nation  has  observed  to- 
wards Ireland. 

Roderick  O'Connor,  finding  himself  al- 
most universally  deserted,  was  obliged  to 
yield  to  the  necessity  of  the  times.  Henry 
sent  two  noblemen,  Hugh  de  Lacy  and  Wil- 
liam Fitz-Aldelm,  to  request  an  interview 
with  him,  in  consequence  of  which  the  two 
princes  met  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Shan- 
non, where  the  time  was  spent  in  paying 
mutual  compliments,  and  nothing  was  deter- 
mined upon. 

The  monarch's  army  was  posted  in  marsh- 
es and  in  woods,  Avhere  Henry  thought  it 
imprudent  to  attack  him  ;  but  a  treaty  was 
concluded  between  them  some  years  after- 
wards at  Windsor,  during  the  octave  of  St. 
Michael,  through  the  mediation  of  Laurence, 
archbishop  of  Dublin,  and  Catholicus,  or 
Codla  O'Dubhay,  archbishop  of  Tuam.* 
The  copy  of  this  treaty  is  to  be  found  in 
Roger  Hoveden,  an  English  writer  of  the 
same  century,  under  date  of  the  year  1175. f 
The  conditions  were,  that  Roderick  should 
pay  an  annual  tribute  to  the  king  of  Eng- 
land, as  lord  of  Ireland  ;  that  he  should 
always  retain  the  title  of  monarch,  and  that 
the  provincial  kings  should  be  dependent  on 
him  as  previously. J 

In  his  expedition  to  Ireland  every  thing 
succeeded  to  the  wishes  of  Henry.  In  a 
short  time  he  found  himself  master  of  a  con- 
siderable part  of  the  island,  without  shedding 
a  single  drop  of  blood.  The  Hy-Nialls  of 
Ulster  alone,  namely,  the  O'Neills,  O'Don- 
nels,  and  other  princes  of  that  province, 
j  with  a  few  in  Connaught,^  (whose  minds 
were  too  noble  and  generous  to  bend  to 
him,)  refused  to  submit  to  a  foreign  yoke, 
at  the  expense  of  their  liberty.  This  revo- 
lution in  Ireland,  under  Roderick  the  mon- 
arch, is  very  similar  to  that  which  occurred 
in  Spain  in  the  beginning  of  the  eighth  cen- 
tury, in  the  reign  of  Roderick.  The  names 
of  the  princes  are  alike,  and  the  causes 
were  almost  the  same.  Roderick,  king  of 
Spain,  lost  his  life  together  with  his  crown, 
on  account  of  his  crimes  ;  Roderick,  mon- 
arch of  Ireland,  was  dethroned  for  having 

*  Baker,  Chron.  Engl.  p.  56. 

t  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Tuamens. 

t  Canibr.  Evers.  cap.  9,  p.  89. 

§  "  Not  a  dynasty  in  Leiuster,  nor  indeed  in  any 
corner  of  Ireland,  except  Ulster,  which  did  not  sub- 
mit to  the  sovereignty  of  Henry." — Stanihurst. 


punished  crime.  In  Spain,  Count  Julian, 
a  Spanish  nobleman,  not  only  took  revenge 
on  Roderick,  his  king,  who  had  violated  his 
daughter  Cava,  but  sacrificed  his  country 
to  his  revenge,  by  introducing  into  it  the 
Moors,  by  whom  it  was  afterwards  con- 
quered. In  Ireland,  Dermod,  king  of  Lein- 
ster,  introduced  the  English,  to  recover  a 
kingdom  from  which  he  had  been  expelled 
for  a  similar  crime  to  that  of  Roderick  of 
Spain,  and  caused  his  country  to  submit  to 
a  yoke  which  it  has  never  since  been  able 
to  shake  off. 

The  success  of  Henry  II.  was  followed 
by  much  trouble  and  uneasiness.  Having 
retired  to  Dublin  for  the  purpose  of  spend- 
ing the  winter  there,  the  weather  became  so 
tempestuous,  and  the  storms  so  frequent, 
that  all  communication  with  England  was 
broken  off,  which  filled  him  with  apprehen- 
sions. The  martyrdom  of  Thomas  u  Becket, 
archbishop  of  Canterbury,  happened  about 
the  same  time,  and  the  first  news  which  the 
king  received  from  England  on  the  return 
of  fine  weather,  was,  that  Pope  Alexander 
III.  had  sent  two  cardinals  to  inquire  into 
the  circumstances  attending  the  murder  of 
that  prelate,  with  orders  to  exconmiunicate 
the  king,  and  put  the  country  under  an  in- 
terdict, if  he  did  not  exculpate  himself  from 
the  crime.  He  also  learned  by  the  same 
messenger,  that  in  England  his  son  Henry, 
whom  he  had  caused  to  be  crowned  some 
time  before,  had  been  suspected  of  en- 
deavoring to  take  advantage  of  his  absence, 
to  stir  up  a  revolt  against  him,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  his  brothers. 

These  were  powerful  reasons  for  requir- 
ing the  king's  presence  in  England,  notwith- 
standing the  design  he  had  formed  of  remain- 
ing for  some  time  in  Ireland,  and  causing 
fortifications  to  be  built,  by  which  means  it 
would  be  easy,  he  thought,  to  keep  the  Irish 
in  subjection.  In  order,  however,  that  his 
affairs  in  this  island  might  not  be  neglected, 
he  confided  the  command  of  the  important 
posts  to  men  of  trust,  and  set  sail  for  Eng- 
land during  the  festival  of  Easter. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


The  Irish  nation  has,  since  the  12th  cen- 
tury, been  composed  of  two  races,  namely, 
the  ancient  Irish,  and  the  English  colonists 
who  established  themselves  in  Ireland  after 
that  epoch.  We  have,  in  the  first  part  of  this 
history,  given  an  account  of  the  origin  and 
settlement  of  the  ancient  Irish  in  the  island, 


268 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


and  it  is  but  fitting  to  say  something  of  the 
origin  of  the  Anglo-Irish,  who  have  played 
a  prominent  part  in  it  for  nearly  600  years. 
In  doing  so,  we  must  consider  them  both  be- 
fore and  since  the  reign  of  Queen  Eliz-abeth. 

The  English  who  passed  into  Ireland  in 
the  twelfth  century,  are  called  the  Old  Eng- 
lish, and  sometimes  Strongbownians,  from 
Richard  Strongbow,  one  of  their  chiefs.  In 
this  class,  indeed,  may  also  be  placed  the 
English  who  arrived  there  during  the  sub- 
sequent period,  until  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  ; 
but  both  these  must  be  distinguished  from 
the  swarm  of  English  adventurers  who  ar- 
rived in  Ireland  subsequently  to  her  reign. 
We  must  not  confound  them  with  the  infa- 
mous parricides  who  infested  that  sacred 
island,  after  staining  their  sacrilegious  hands 
with  the  blood  of  their  king. 

There  was  nothing  culpable  in  the  enter- 
prise of  the  first  English  who  landed  in  Ire- 
land ;  they  presented  themselves  there  much 
less  as  enemies  of  the  nation,  than  as  friends 
and  allies  of  Dermod,  king  of  Leinster. 
This  prince  invited  them  to  aid  him  in  the 
recovery  of  his  kingdom.  He  rewarded 
them  liberally,  and  gave  them  the  city  of 
Waterford,  with  two  cantreds*  of  land  in  its 
environs .  These  first  concessions  were 
reasonable,  being  a  recompense  for  the  valor 
of  their  new  proprietors  ;  and  had  they  been 
content  with  them,  the  Irish  would  have  had 
no  ground  of  complaint.  But  the  success 
of  the  first  settlers  tempted  others  of  the 
English  to  similar  enterprises.  Henry  II. 
conducted  thither,  in  the  year  follo\\"ing,  a 
powerful  band,  whom  he  was  desirous  to 
enrich.  Leinster,  Meath,  and  a  part  of 
Munster,  were  parcelled  out  and  sacrificed 
to  the  ambition  of  these  strangers  ;  and 
every  succeeding  age  furnished  new  colo- 
nies, who  went  to  seek  their  fortune  in  that 
fertile  country. 

It  cannot  be  asserted  that  each  individual 
in  ain  army,  or  in  a  body,  which  undertakes 
the  conquest  of  a  country,  is  noble.  There 
must  be  among  them  under-ofiicers  and  com- 
mon soldiers,  who  cannot  be  presumed  of 
illustrious  birth.  Doubtless  the  majority  of 
those  chiefs  who  led  the  English  colonists 
into  Ireland,  were  of  noble  rank.  They 
were  knights,  and  the  younger  sons  of  fami- 
lies distinguished  by  birth  and  valor,  who 
had  retained  those  lofty  and  humane  senti- 
ments which  characterize  men  of  worth,  and 
(if  we  must  draw  a  veil  over  the  injustice 
of  the  fathers)  their  children,  at  least,  merit 

*  A  cantred  of  land  is  a  Breton  term  which  sig- 
nifies a  hundl-ed  villages. 


the  highest  degree  of  praise.  They  became 
attached  to  the  country  of  their  adoption  ; 
they  united  themselves  by  marriage  with  the 
natives  ;  they  adopted  its  language  and  its 
manners  ;  and  for  some  centuries  past  they 
have  formed  with  the  old  inhabitants  but  one 
people,  yielding  to  them  neither  in  zeal  for 
their  religion,  nor  fidelity  to  their  lawful 
princes.  They  have  been  victims  as  well 
as  the  former,  and  are  comprised  under  the 
same  anathema,  as  objects  of  hatred  and 
envy  to  the  English,  who  think  to  insult 
them  by  the  taunt  that  they  are  "  more  Irish 
than  the  Irish  themselves,"  "  ipsis  Hibernis 
Hiberniores  ;"  and  can  boast  of  a  nobility 
in  the  island  for  nearly  600  years,  sustained 
by  their  virtue  and  by  their  generous  senti- 
ments. If  they  rest  satisfied  to  confine 
themselves  to  that  limit,  (many  might  aspire 
to  higher  antiquity,)  the  period  is  sufficiently 
respectable. 

The  leaders  of  the  first  divisions  of  the 
force  which  joined  the  king  of  Leinster, 
were  Robert  Fitzstephen,  Hervy  de  Monte 
Marisco,  nephew  of  Strongbow,  Maurice 
Prendergast,  Maurice  Fitzgerald,  Barry, 
Cogan,  Raimond  le  Gros,  and  some  others. 
They  were  relatives  or  kindred,  and  engaged 
in  the  same  cause,  and  became  possessors 
of  large  estates  in  Ireland. 

The  first  establishment  of  Maurice  Fitz- 
gerald was  at  Wicklow,  and  in  the  country 
of  Ofaly,  county  Kildare,  which  was  granted 
to  him  by  his  relation,  Richard  Strongbow, 
earl  of  Pembroke.  The  family  of  Fitzgerald 
was,  according  to  Nichols,  descended  from 
Otho,*  an  Italian  baron,  who  drew  his  origin 
from  the  dukes  of  Tuscany.  The  son  of 
Otho,  named  Walter,  having  passed  into 
England  with  William  the  Conqueror,  was 
appointed  baron  and  constable  of  Windsor 
Castle,  and  became  possessed  of  many  lord- 
ships in  England.  Gerald,  the  eldest  son  of 
Walter,  went,  on  the  afTairs  of  the  king,  into 
the  principality  of  Wales,  where  he  built  the 
castle  of  Pembroke :  he  was  generally  called 
Fitz-Walter.  The  king  gave  him,  as  a  re- 
ward for  his  services,  considerable  estates  in 
Wales,  where,  having  fixed  his  residence,  he 
married  Nesta,  daughter  of  Rees  GrufTydh, 
prince  of  that  country.  She  had  been  origi- 
nally the  concubine  of  King  Henry  I.,  by 
whom  she  had  a  son,  who  was  called  Henry. 
The  latter  was  father  of  Meyler,  and  Robert 
Fitz-Henry,  who  arrived  in  Ireland  with 
Richard  Strongbow.  Nesta  was  married 
afterwards  to  Stephen,  constable  of  the 
castles  of  Cardigan  and  Pembroke.   She  had 

*  Lodge's  Peerage. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


269 


by  this  marriage  Robert  Fitzstephen,  of 
whom  we  have  already  spoken.  After  the 
death  of  Stephen,  she  became  the  wife  of 
Gerald  Fitz-Walter,  and  the  mother  of 
Maurice  and  William  Fitzgerald. 

Maurice  left  a  numerous  issue  in  the  prov- 
inces of  Leinster  and  Munster.  John,  one 
of  his  descendants,  was  created  earl  of  Kil- 
dare  in  1316,  by  king  Edward  II.  Maurice, 
brother  of  John,  was  made,  in  the  following 
reign,  earl  of  Desmond,  by  Edward  III. 
This  house  was  sacrificed,  in  the  reign  of 
Elizabeth,  for  its  attachment  to  religion  and 
country,  and  its  large  estates  confiscated  and 
bestowed  upon  English  adventurers.  The 
house  of  Kildare  is  still  in  being,  with  the 
rank  of  the  premier  earldom  of  Ireland. 
From  these  two  stocks  sprung  a  number  of 
distinguished  branches,  holding  large  pos- 
sessions, and  characterized  by  their  high 
and  generous  sentiments.  Of  these  were 
the  Fitzgeralds  of  Laccagh,  Allen,  Black- 
hall,  Blackwood,  Ballisonnan,  Rathrone, 
Teiroghan,  Windgate,  and  others  in  Lein- 
ster. From  them  were  also  descended  the 
knights  of  Kerry  and  Glynn  ;  the  knight 
Blanc,  who  took  the  name  of  Fitzgibbon  ; 
the  Fitzgeralds  of  Carrigilleere,  Carrigro- 
han,  Castlemore,  Moyallow,  Rathgrogan, 
Imokilly,  &c.,  in  the  county  of  Cork.  Sev- 
eral of  these  noblemen  were  dispossessed  of 
their  estates  on  account  of  their  religion,  in 
the  various  revolutions  which  happened  in 
the  country ;  others  among  them,  by  con- 
forming to  the  times,  saved  the  patrimony 
left  them  by  their  fathers.  William,  son  of 
Gerald  Fitz-Walter  by  Nesta,  and  brother  of 
Maurice  Fitzgerald,  was  father  of  Reymond 
le  Gros,  or  the  Fat,  who  had  a  great  share  in 
reducing  a  part  of  Ireland  to  the  sway  of 
Henry  II.  Reymond  married  Basilia,  the 
sister  of  earl  Strongbow.*  This  count  gave 
him  for  a  dowry  the  lands  of  Idrone,  Fot- 
hard,  and  Glascarrig  in  the  county  of  Car- 
low,  and  named  him  Constable  of  Leinster. 

In  an  expedition  which  Reymond  imder- 
took  against  Donald  O'Brien  king  of  Lime 
rick,  Dermod  M'Carty,  king  of  Cork,  sent  to 
ask  his  aid  against  his  son  Cormac  O'Leha 
nagh,  who  rebelled  against  him.  The  cause 
of  this  rebellion  of  the  son,  was  his  father's 
weakness  in  having  submitted  to  Henry  II. 
Reymond  did  not  hesitate  ;  he  marched 
against  the  disobedient  son  of  M'Carty, 
caused  him  to  be  arrested,  and  delivered 
him  to  his  father,  who  ordered  him  to  be  be- 
headed. In  reward  for  his  services,  Rey- 
mond received  from  M'Carty  a  large  district 

*  Lodge's  Peerage. 


in  the  county  of  Kerry,  which  formed  at  that 
time  part  of  the  kingdom  of  Cork.  Reymond 
granted  this  territory  to  his  eldest  son  Mau- 
rice :  the  latter  became  powerful,  his  de- 
scendants took  the  name  of  Fitzmaurice, 
and  the  district  was  called  Clan-Maurice. 
Reymond,  it  is  said,  had  another  son  named 
Hamon,  Hamo,  or  Heimond,  surnamed  like 
his  father,  le  Grosse ;  it  is  from  him  that  the 
family  of  Gi'ace  is  descended  ;  which  is  a 
corruption  of  Grosse.  This  family  has  been 
in  high  repute,  for  some  centuries,  in  the 
coimty  of  Kilkenny,  where  they  possessed 
a  large  district  named  Grace's  country. 

The  Fitz-Maurices  of  Kerry  were  much 
renowned  in  succeeding  ages  for  their  vir- 
tues, wealth,  and  connections.  Edmond, 
one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  family,  was  created 
by  Henry  VIII.,  in  1537,  Baron  of  Odorney 
and  Viscount  of  Kilmaule.  The  same  prince 
gave  him,  by  letters  patent,  the  spoils  of 
several  abbeys  and  religious  houses  in  his 
district.  This  noble  family  often  gave  proofs 
of  their  attachment  to  religion  :  the  Fitz- 
maurices  of  Lixnaw  greatly  distinguished 
themselves  in  the  war  of  the  Confederates 
against  Elizabeth  ;  so  much  that,  when  pro- 
claiming a  general  pardon  to  those  who  had 
borne  arms  against  her,  she  made  an  express 
exception  of  the  earl  of  Desmond,  his  brother 
John,  Pierce  Lacy,  the  knight  of  Glinn,  and 
Thomas  Fitz-Maurice,  son  of  the  late  baron 
of  Lixnaw  :  but  Fitz-Maurice  got  into  favor 
again,  upon  the  accession  of  James  I.  to 
the  throne. 

Historians  are  not  quite  agreed  respecting 
the  origin  of  the  noble  family  of  the  Barrys 
in  Ireland.*  According  to  Camden,  the 
Barrys  derive  their  name  from  an  island  be- 
longing to  Wales,  called  Barry.  That  island 
was  so  named  from  Barruch,  who  having 
lived  there  in  the  odor  of  sanctity,  was  in- 
terred in  it.  Others  say  that  the  name  of 
Barry  is  found  in  a  roll  of  Battle-Abbey.t 
among  the  number  of  those  who  had  assisted 
the  duke  William  in  the  conquest  of  Eng- 
land ;  from  hence  it  is  presumed  that  the 
family  of  Barry  has  its  origin  from  Norman- 
dy. However  this  be,  William  de  Barry  was 
the  common  ancestor  of  diff'erent  branches 
of  that  name  in  Ireland.  He  married 
Angareth  daughter  of  Nesta,  and  sister  of 
Robert  Fitzstephen  :  he  had  by  her  four 
sons,  namely,  Robert,  Philippe,  Walter,  and 
Girald,  or  Girard,  surnamed  Cambrensis,  of  j 
whom  we  have  spoken  in  the  first  part  of  | 
this   history.     Robert   Barry  accompanied 


*  Nichol's  Rudiments  of  Honor, 
t  Lodge's  Peerage. 


Brit.  p.  837. 


270 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Robert  Fitzstephen  to  Ireland  ;  he  was 
wounded  at  the  siege  of  Wexford,  and  was 
killed  afterwards  at  Lismore.  Philippe  de 
Barry,  brother  of  the  latter,  crossed  into 
Ireland  some  time  afterwards,  at  the  head 
of  some  troops,  to  assist  his  uncle  Robert 
Fitzstephen,  and  Reymond  le  Grosse,*  to 
keep  the  kingdom  of  Cork  against  the  efforts 
of  the  Mac-Cartys,  its  ancient  proprietors. 
Robert  Fitzstephen  gave  him  the  lands  of 
Olethan,  of  Muskerry,  of  Dunegan,  and 
Killede,  where  he  built  some  castles.  This 
donation  was  confirmed  to  William,  son  of 
Philippe,  by  king  John.  Sir  David  Barry, 
son  of  William,  was  Lord  Justice  of  Ire- 
land. He  made  war  against  the  M'Cartys 
and  the  Fitz-Geralds  of  Coshbride.  He 
increased  his  possessions  in  the  county  of 
Cork,  and  became  lord  of  Castle-Lyons, 
Buttevant,  and  Barrys-court.  This  high 
family  supported  the  splendor  of  their  origin 
down  to  our  time  ;  their  attachment  to  the 
interest  of  the  English  government,  partic- 
ularly under  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  has  well 
earned  its  favors  to  them.  David  Barry,  the 
head  of  it,  already  baron  of  Ibavvne,  and 
viscount  of  Buttevant,  was  created  earl  of 
Barrymore  in  1627  by  Charles  I. 

The  origin  of  the  Butlers  of  Ireland  is 
undoubted.  The  best  authors  give  them  an 
illustrious  descent  from  Normandy  ;  but  the 
author  who  seems  to  have  best  fathomed  the 
antiquity  of  that  house  is  Mr.  John  Butler, 
resident  at  his  benefice  in  the  county  of 
Northampton.  He  makes  it  a  younger 
branch  of  that  of  Clare,  formerly  so  illus- 
trious, so  numerous,  and  so  powerful  in 
England.  According  to  him,  Richard,  first 
count  of  Clare,  had  two  sons.  The  descend- 
ants of  the  elder  took  by  degrees  the  surname 
of  Clare,  from  the  manor  of  that  name  situate 
in  the  county  of  Suffolk.  The  posterity  of 
the  younger,  after  having  borne  for  some 
time  the  name  of  Walter,  or  Fitz-Walter, 
took  that  of  Butler,  when  the  office  of  Grand 
Butler  became  hereditary  in  Ireland,  and 
was  conferred  on  them  as  a  favor.  They 
enjoyed  the  same  office  in  England,  and  in- 
herited the  land  of  Baynard  Castle,  which 
was  annexed  to  it  as  a  perpetual  fief. 

When  M.  Nichols  gives  to  the  family  of 
Butler  a  descent  from  the  ancient  counts  of 
Brionne  in  Normandy,  he  must  have  been 
led  to  think,  according  to  Oldaricus  Vitalis, 
that  the  family  of  Clare  was  sprung  from 
that  of  Brionne,  which  house  of  Brionne, 
according  to  the  same  Oldaric,  is  descended 
from  the  dukes  of  Normandy. 

*  Ware's  Antiquities  of  Ilib.  c.  27. 


Mr.  Carte,  in  his  life  of  the  duke  of  Or- 
mond,  has  left  us  a  long  dissertation  upon 
the  origin  of  this  family,  but  it  is  more  cal- 
culated to  embarrass  than  throw  light  on  the 
subject,  if  there  was  a  necessity  for  it. 

If  Mr.  Lodge  had  condescended  to  give 
in  his  peerage  a  more  copious  and  accurate 
genealogy,  he  would  have  rendered  an  im- 
portant service  to  this  family.  But  our  au- 
thor was  as  modest  as  he  was  learned,  and 
did  not  wish  to  undertake  the  task.  He 
has  refrained  from  ascending  higher  than 
the  father  of  Hervy  Walter,  who  was  father 
to  the  first  grand  butler  of  Ireland. 

Camden  says  that  the  name  of  Butler  is 
derived  from  the  office  of  honorary  grand- 
butler  of  Ireland  ;  that  the  Butlers  are  de- 
scended from  a  sister  of  Thomas  a  Becket, 
archbishop  of  Canterbury,  and  that  Henry 
II.  had  heaped  upon  that  family,  already  so 
illustrious  and  wealthy  in  England,  posses- 
sions and  honors  in  Ireland,  in  order  to 
allay  in  some  degree  the  hatred  which  the 
murder  of  that  holy  prelate  had  drawn  on 
him. 

W"illiam  Dugdale,  king-at-arms  under 
Charles  II.,  makes  mention  of  Hubert  Wal- 
ter, in  the  counties  of  Norfolk  and  Suffolk  ; 
he  speaks  of  five  sons  of  Hervy  W^ alter, 
whom  he  had  by  Maud,  daughter  of  Theo- 
bald de  Valoines  ;  also  of  the  extensive  in- 
fluence of  Hubert,  one  of  their  sons,  arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  and  of  the  lordship  of 
Preston  in  Amunderness,  in  the  county  of 
Lancashire,  which  Richard  I.  gave  to  Theo- 
bald, brother  of  the  prelate,  who,  according 
to  him,  was  very  wealthy,  and  had  founded 
monasteries  and  endowed  churches.  He 
mentions,  likewise,  the  great  wealth  brought 
him  by  his  wife  Maud,  daughter  of  Robert 
Vavasour,  and  adds,  that  from  one  of  their 
sons  named  Theobald,  who  first  took  the 
name  from  the  office  of  grand-butler,  the 
noble  family  of  Butlers,  since  earls  of  Or- 
mond,  is  descended. 

The  same  author  likewise  mentions  that 
the  counts  of  Ormond  are  descended  by  the 
paternal  line  from  Hervy  Walter,  premier 
baron  of  England  in  the  time  of  Henry  II. 

While  Richard  Strongbow,  earl  of  Pem- 
broke, was  supporting  the  interests  of  the 
king  of  Leinster,  and  something  beyond, 
Theobald  Walter  was  with  Henry  II.  in 
Normandy,  where  he  succeeded  in  influ- 
encing the  prince  to  restore  his  favor  to 
Thomas  a  Becket,  archbishop  of  Canterbury. 
This  holy  prelate  was  his  maternal  grand- 
uncle,  Hervy,  the  father  of  Theobald,  having 
been  married  to  Maud,  daughter  of  Theo- 
bald Valoines  and  of  Matilda  Becket,  sister 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


271 


of  the  prelate.  Hubert  Walter,  brother  of 
Theobald,  was  one  of  the  successors  of  his 
uncle  Thomas  a  Becket,  in  that  see. 

After  the  martyrdom  of  the  primate,  which 
happened  December  28,  1171,   Henry  II. 
passed  over  to  Ireland,  and  was  accompanied 
in  the  expedition  by  a  great  number  of  lords, 
among  others,  by  Theobald  Walter.     He 
contributed  to  the  reduction  of  a  part  of  the 
kingdom  ;  his  services  merited  for  him  more 
1  and  more  the  favor  of  the  king,  who  re- 
warded him  liberally,  and  bestowed  on  him 
,  large  possessions,  besides  the  hereditary  of- 
I  fice  of  grand-butler  in  Ireland,  a  situation 
that  his  ancestors  had  filled  in  England. 

Theobald  was  powerful  in  England,  and 
one  of  the  wealthiest  of  the  great  old  feuda- 
tories of  the  crown,  and  his  descendants 
I  enjoyed    without    interruption    during  350 
:  years,  the  same  privileges  in  that  kingdom  ; 
but  in  1515  they  were  reduced  to  the  estates 
^  and  honors  held  by  them  in  Ireland  only. 
j  Thomas,  earl  of  Ormond,  who  died  in  that 
'  year,  left  only   daughters    after  him,  who 
iorought  their  English  estates  to  the  families 
of  St.  Ledger  and  Bollen.      Peter  Butler,  a 
member  of  the  house,  found  means  to  possess 
himself  of  the  estates  in  Ireland,  as  well  as 
the  titles  of  honor  which  they  bore  in  that 
country,   and  his  posterity  during  the  two 
last    centuries    supported   the  splendor  of 
their    family    from   1515    till   1717,   when 
James,  peer  of  the  three  kingdoms  and  duke 
of  Ormond,  having  taken  measures  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  reigning  family,  was  attainted, 
and  his  title  and  estates  confiscated. 

The  family  of  Burkes,  otherwise  de  Bourks, 
or  de  Burgo,  in  Ireland,  derives  its  origin 
from  William  Fitz-Adelm,  one  of  the  first 
English  who  landed  in  Ireland  under  Henry 
II.  Fitz-Adelm  was  descended  from  Serlo, 
or  Harlowen  de  Bourgo,  son  of  a  Norman 
lord  named  Eustace.  Serlo  having  espoused 
Arlotte,  mother  of  William  the  Conqueror, 
passed  over  with  that  prince  into  England. 
Of  this  marriage  of  Serlo  with  Arlotte,  was 
born  Robert,  earl  of  Cornwall,  from  whom 
descended  William,  who  succeeded  to  the 
dignity  of  the  earl.  The  latter  was  father 
to  Adelm  and  John,  who  was  father  to  Hu- 
bert de  Burgo,*  Chief-Justice  of  England 
and  earl  of  Kent.  He  was  deprived  of  his 
office,  judged  by  his  peers  in  full  parliament, 
and  degraded,  for  having  counselled  king 
Henry  HI.  to  annul  the  grand  charter  and 
the  privileges  of  his  subjects. 

*  Cox  is  not  in  accordance  wilh  Nicliols  respect- 
ing tlie  descent  of  William  Fitz-Adelm  ;  we  do  not 
mean  to  reconcile  them,  they  may  be  consulted  by 
the  reader. 


Adelm  was  father  to  William,  known  under 
the  name  of  William  Fitz-Adelm  ;  he  went 
with  Henry  II.  to  Ireland,  who  confirmed  to 
him  by  charter  five  military  fiefs  in  a  place 
called  Toth,  where  the  castle  of  Canice,  at 
present  Castleconnel,  is  situated ;  he  then 
gave  him  large  estates  in  Connaught,  where 
the  noble  family  of  the  Burkes,  his  descend- 
ants, becaine  settled.  William  de  Burgo, 
earl  of  Ulster,  and  chief  of  that  family, 
having  been  assassinated  in  1333,  without 
leaving  any  male  heirs  to  succeed  to  the 
possession  of  his  estates  in  Connaught,  two 
noblemen  of  his  name  and  family  made 
themselves  masters  of  all  his  lands  in  that 
province,  and  formed  two  powerful  families 
distinguished  by  the  names  of  Mac-AVilliam 
Eighter,  and  Mac-William  Oughter,  a  dis- 
tinction which  continued  for  a  long  time. 
These  houses  produced  several  collateral 
branches,  which  gave  origin  to  many  private 
families. 

The  sept  of  the  Burkes  was  honored  with 
four  peerages  in  the  persons  of  Ulysses 
Burke,  created  earl  of  Clanrickard  in  1543, 
by  Henry  VIII.  Theobald  Burke,  (com- 
monly called  Tibbod  ne  Lung,  that  is  to  say, 
the  naval,  because  he  was  conversant  in 
naval  pursuits,)  who  was  created  viscount 
of  Mayo  in  1627,  by  Charles  I.,  both  which 
titles  are  still  in  being.  There  have  been 
also  two  lord-barons  in  the  family,  namely, 
Castleconnel  and  Brittas.  These  titles  do 
not  exist  at  present  in  Ireland,  but  are  united 
in  the  person  of  N.  Burke,  captain  in  an  Irish 
regiment  in  the  service  of  his  most  Christian 
Majesty. 

The  noble  family  of  the  Lacys  in  Ireland 
derive  their  origin  from  Normandy.  Walter 
and  Ilbert  de  Lacy,  having  accompanied 
the  duke  William  into  England,  they  had  a 
share  in  the  conquest  of  that  kingdom,  where 
they  were  amply  rewarded  with  donations 
in  lands  by  that  prince. 

Hugh,  grandson  of  Walter  de  Lacy,  ac- 
companied Henry  II.  to  Ireland  in  1172. 
The  king,  to  reward  him  for  his  services  in 
England  and  Ireland,  gave  him  for  the  ser- 
vice of  fifty  knights,  the  territory  of  Meath, 
to  be  possessed  by  him  and  his  descendants 
in  the  manner  in  which  it  was  held  by  Mur- 
chard  O'Melachlin,  the  ancient  proprietor 
of  that  county.  He  left  him  also  all  the  fiefs 
which  he  had  around  Dublin,  and  all  which 
he  might  acquire  afterwards.  He  then  named 
him  governor  of  the  city  of  Dublin,  and 
Lord  Justice  of  Ireland.  Hugh  employed 
many  workmen  to  build  castles  ;  one  among 
whom,  named  Malva  Miadaiah,  cut  off  his 
head  with  the  stroke  of  an  axe,  either  to  take 


272 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


revenge  for  the  severity  which  that  noble- 
man had  practised  against  his  companions, 
or  for  the  ii\justice  done  to  O'Melacldin, 
whose  patrimony  he  had  seized.  WaUov 
left  two  sons  named  Walter  and  Hugh ;  the 
first  inherited  the  lordship  of  Meath,  and 
the  latter  was  made  earl  of  Ulster,  in  con- 
seqnence  of  the  disgrace  of  Sir  John  de 
Conrcy.  These  two  lords  having  left  none 
but  daughters  after  them,  their  vist  estates 
fell  into  the  hands  of  strangers. 

The  posterity  of  Ilbert  de  Lacy,  of  whom 
we  have  already  spoken,  settled  in  England. 
The  Conqueror  gave  to  this  nobleman  the 
castle  and  lordship  of  Pontfract  in  the  county 
of  York,  and  several  estates  in  the  county  of 
Lancaster  and  else  where, together  amounting 
to  the  number  of  150  lordships  in  England. 
We  discover  in  the  county  of  Limerick,  in 
Ireland,  some  families  of  Lacys,  very  distin- 
guished for  their  virtues  and  attachment  to 
the  interests  of  religion  and  country,  and  are 
able  to  trace  their  genealogy  to  one  or  other 
of  the  two  houses  of  which  we  have  just 
given  an  account. 

It  was  in  the  reign  of  Henry  II.  that  the 
noble  family  of  Nugent  established  them- 
selves in  Ireland.  They  are  of  Norman 
descent,  Sir  Gilbert  de  Nugent,  with  his 
brothers,  having  accompanied  in  1172  Hugh 
de  Lacy  in  the  expedition  to  Ireland.*  This 
nobleman,  in  gratitude  for  his  services,  gave 
him  in  marriage  his  sister  Rosa,  and  the 
fortune  he  received  with  her  was  the  terri- 
tory of  Dealma,  or  Delvin,  in  the  county  of 
Westmeath,  with  all  its  dependencies,  to  be 
held  by  him  and  his  descendants  for  ever. 
Gilbert  divided  the  estate  with  his  brothers 
and  other  relatives.  From  this  stock  nu- 
merous branches,  eminent  for  noble  and 
generous  sentiments,  were  produced.  The 
chief  of  the  family  was  first  called  to  par- 
liament in  1486,  in  quality  of  baron  of 
Delvin.  His  descendants  Avere  created 
peers  of  the  realm,  under  the  title  of  earls 
of  Westmeath,  by  James  I. 

The  liberality  of  Hugh  Lacy  was  not 
confined  to  the  Nugents.  He  gave  estates 
to  the  Tyrrels,  the  Petits,  Nangles,  Tuites, 
Missets,  Husseys,  Flemings,  and  to  many 
others. 

Sir  John  de  Courcy  of  Ulster,!  (part  of 
which  he  had  conquered,)  was  celebrated  in 
tl  e  twelfth  century.  He  left  a  son  named 
Milo,  or  Miles,  who  was  deprived  of  the  suc- 
cession by  his  father's  disgrace  and  the  in- 
fluence of  Hugh  de  Lacy,  who  was  a  favorite 


*  Ware's  Antiquities,  Hib.  cap.  27. 
t  Nichol's  Rudiments  of  Honor. 


at  court.*  King  Henry  III.  wishing  to  in- 
demnify Milo  de  Courcy,  gave  him  the  bar- 
ony of  Kinsale  in  the  county  of  Cork,  with 
the  title  of  baron  :  this  family  is  still  in  being, 
and  enjoys  a  peculiar  privilege  granted  by 
King  John  to  Sir  John  de  Courcy  and  his 
descendants,  of  remaining  covered  in  the 
presence  of  the  king.  Genealogists  give  to 
this  family  a  very  illustrious  origin.  They 
trace  their  descent  in  the  male  line  from  the 
house  of  Lorraine,  of  the  race  of  Charle- 
magne, and  in  the  female  line  from  the  house 
of  Normandy. 

The  Birminghams  of  Ireland  are  of  Eng- 
lish extraction  ;  they  derive  their  name  from 
the  town  of  Birmingham,  in  the  county  of 
Warwick,  of  which  Peter  de  Birmingham 
was  the  possessor  in  the  time  of  Henry  II. 
His  son  William,  or  according  to  others, 
Robert  de  Birmingham  his  grandson,  passed 
over  to  Ireland  in  the  twelfth  century  with 
Earl  Strongbow.  This  earl  gave  him  con- 
siderable possessions  in  Ofaly,  particularly 
the  barony  of  Carbry  in  the  county  of  Kil- 
dare. 

John  de  Birmingham,  one  of  the  descend- 
ants of  Robert,  was  created  knight  in  the 
fourteenth  century,  by  Roger  Mortimer,  at 
that  time  Lord  Justice  of  Ireland ;  he  was 
afterwards  made  baron  of  Athenry  (in  Irish 
Agh-na-Ry)  and  earl  of  Louth,  for  having 
killed  in  battle  Edward  Bruce,  brother  of 
the  king  of  Scotland.  The  Birminghams 
frequently  filled  public  offices  in  the  state. 
They  were  invested  during  some  time  with 
the  title  of  barons  of  Carbry.  The  house  of 
Athenry  is  still  in  existence,  with  the  title  of 
premier  baron  of  Ireland. 

The  noble  family  of  Preston  derives  its 
origin  from  Robert  Preston,  Esq.,  lord  of  the 
manor  of  Preston,  in  Lancashire,  England, 
in  the  reign  of  Edward  III.  In  the  year 
1470  he  was  first  created  knight  of  the  order 
of  the  garter,  and  in  1477  viscount  Gor- 
manstown,  in  the  county  of  Meath,  and  his 
descendants  have  filled  with  distinction 
places  of  trust  and  honor. 

Roche,  otherwise  de  la  Roche,  or  de  rupe, 
i.  e.  of  the  rock,  lord  of  Fermoy,  in  the 
county  of  Cork,  was  created,  the  same  year, 
viscount  of  Fermoy.  This  noble  family  is 
descended  from  Hugh  de  la  Roche,  whose 
ancestors  had  followed  William  the  Con- 
queror into  England.  Hugh  crossed  after- 
wards, with  Strongbow,  into  Ireland,  in  the 
twelfth  century,  under  Henry  II.,  where  he 
obtained  a  Cantred,  called  to  this  day 
Roche's    country,  with    its    dependencies. 

*  Lodge. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


273 


Ralph,  son  of  Alexander  de  la  Roche,  one 
of  the  descendants  of  Hugh,  married,  in 
the  fourteenth  century,  Elizabeth,  third 
daughter  of  Gilbert  de  Clare,  earl  of  Glou- 
cester and  Hereford,  to  whom  Nichols,  in 
his  rudiments  of  honor,  gives  a  descent 
from  Charlemagne,  through  a  great  number 
of  kings  and  sovereign  princes.  Such  is  the 
origin  of  that  house,  which  subsisted  in 
splendor  until  the  revolution  of  Cromwell ; 
when  David  Roche,  Viscount  Fermoy,  sacri- 
ficed for  his  loyalty  to  his  legitimate  sove- 
reigns, Charles  I.  and  II.,  an  extensive  es- 
tate, which  still  bears  the  name  of  Roche's 
country. 

The  Barnewalls  are  from  Little  Brittany, 
in  France,  where  some  of  their  ancestors 
were  allied  to  dukes  of  that  province.  Hav- 
ing accompanied  William  the  Conqueror  to 
England,  they  passed  afterwards  with  Henry 
II  to  Ireland,  where  they  became  possessed 
of  Beerhaven,  and  other  estates  that  be- 
longed to  the  O'Sullivans,  in  the  county  of 
Cork ;  but  the  O'Sullivans,  with  others  of 
the  Irish,  having  conspired  against  them, 
they  were  all  massacred,  except  the  wife  of 
the  head  of  that  family,  who  was  pregnant 
of  a  male  child  at  the  time,  and  escaped  the 
carnage.  This  murder  happened  about  the 
middle  of  the  fifteenth  century,  according 
to  a  letter  from  the  inhabitants  of  Cork  to 
the  duke  of  York,  as  mentioned  by  Cam- 
pion in  his  history, p.  184.  This  letter  makes 
mention  of  the  Barnewalls,  as  the  possessors 
of  Beerhaven  at  that  time.  It  also  speaks 
of  the  Irish  taking  advantage  of  the  disputes 
of  some  lords  in  the  county  of  Cork,  having 
fortified  themselves  in  the  country',  a  great 
part  of  which  had  fallen  into  their  possession. 
The  letter  adds,  that  there  remained  but 
Roche,  Courcy,  and  Barry,  who  possessed 
something  of  their  patrimony.  Madam 
Barnewall  withdrew  to  Dublin,  where  she 
lay  in  of  a  son,  who  raised  the  family,  which 
was  almost  extinct.  He  established  himself 
at  Dromenach,  in  the  county  of  Dublin,  and 
married  a  rich  heiress,  by  whom  he  had  two 
sons  ;  from  the  elder  of  whom  were  descend- 
ed the  Barnewalls  of  Crickston,  in  the  coun- 
ty of  Meath,  and  the  Viscounts  Kingsland, 
and  from  the  younger  the  barons  of  Trim- 
blestown. 

These  two  houses  gave  rise  to  several  im- 
portant branches  of  the  name  in  Ireland, 
who  sustained  in  splendor  the  cause  of  reli- 
gion and  of  their  country,  among  the  sev- 
eral revolutions  which  happened  in  it. 

The  noble  family  of  Flemings  in  Ireland,* 

*  Nichol's  Rudiments  of  Honor. 


take  their  origin  from  Michael  Fleming,  a 
native  of  Flanders,  whence  the  name  is  taken. 
He  was  related  to  Baldwin,  earl  of  Flanders, 
who  sent  him  with  some  troops  to  assist 
his  son-in-law,  William  the  Conqueror,  in 
his  expedition  into  England.  After  this  he 
was  sent  with  an  army  to  the  north  of  Eng- 
land, to  oppose  the  incursions  of  the  Scotch. 
'William  Rufus  subsequently  gave  him  some 
estates  in  the  counties  of  Lancaster  and 
Cumberland,  as  rewards  for  his  services. 
Archibald  Fleming,  one"  of  his  descendants, 
having  accompanied  Earl  Strongbow  to 
Ireland,  received  the  estate  of  Slane,  in 
the  county  of  Meath,  with  its  dependen- 
cies. This  family  always  supported  itself 
with  honor  in  the  country.  James  Fleming, 
lord  baron  of  Slane,  was  created  Knight 
of  the  Garter  in  1479  ;  and  lastly,  Christo- 
pher Fleming,  baron  of  Slane,  signalized 
himself  in  the  revolution,  under  James  II., 
and  sacrificed  his  fortune  for  the  good 
cause. 

The  noble  family  of  the  Plunkets,  more 
anciently  called  Plugenets,  of  Danish  ex- 
traction, were  established  first  in  England. 
They  came  afterwards  to  Ireland,  under 
Henry  II.,  and  settled  in  the  counties  of 
Meath  and  Dublin.  Many  great  men  were 
descended  from  them,  who  were  remarkable 
for  their  attachment  to  the  orthodox  faith, 
and  loyalty  to  their  legitimate  princes  ;  this 
family  gave  many  peers  to  Ireland,  viz.,  the 
barons  of  Dunsany,  of  Killeen,  and  Louth, 
and  the  earl  of  Fingal. 

The  Dillons*  hold  a  distinguished  rank 
among  the  Irish  nobility.  Lodge  gives  to 
this  family  a  very  illustrious  and  ancient 
origin.  He  says  that  they  are  descended 
from  Lochan,  or  Logan,  son  of  Hugh  Slaine, 
of  the  race  of  the  O'Neills,  and  monarch  of 
Ireland  towards  the  end  of  the  sixth  cen- 
tury. Lochan  having  killed  his  cousin.  Col- 
man  Kimidh,  Avhom  the  monarch  had  united 
to  him  in  the  government,  he  was  named 
Deloun,  or  Dillon,  which  signifies  brave  or 
valiant.  In  order  to  escape  from  the  anger 
of  his  father,  enraged  against  him  for  caus- 
ing the  death  of  Colman,  Lochan  went  into 
foreign  countries,  and  entered  into  the  ser- 
vice of  the  duke  of  Aquitaine,  at  that  time 
at  war  with  the  king  of  France,  and  contrib- 
uted greatly,  by  his  valor,  to  keep  that  prince 
in  his  sovereignty.  The  duke,  to  reward 
the  services  of  Lochan,  gave  him  his  only 
daughter  in  marriage,  and  by  virtue  of  this 
alliance  he  became  prince  of  Aquitc  ine  after 
the  death  of  his  father-in-law,  who  left  no 

*  Lodge's  Peerage. 


274 


HISTOKY    OF    IRELAND. 


malo  children  after  him.  The  descendants 
of  Ijoclian  ruled  for  a  long  time  in  Aqui- 
taine.  In  the  twelfth  century  this  family 
were  dispossessed  by  William,  prince  of 
the  house  of  Burgundy.  Two  male  chil- 
dren of  the  race  of  Lochan,  Thomas  and 
Henry,  were  still  living.  Henry  II.,  king 
of  England,  having  espoused  Eleanor,  daugh- 
ter of  William,  and  heiress  of  Aquitaine, 
thought  it  prudent  to  remove  the  two  young 
pretenders  to  the  principality ;  and  in  order 
to  take  every  opportunity  from  them  of  seek- 
ing after  it,  had  them  conducted  to  England, 
vvhere  he  provided  for  them  an  education 
suitable  to  their  birth,  and  on  attaining  man- 
hood, Henry  received  the  order  of  knight- 
hood. 

Sir  Henry  Diloune,  or  Delion,  now  called 
Dillon,  M^as  sent  to  Ireland  as  first  gentle- 
man and  secretary  to  John,  earl  of  Mor- 
tagne,  afterwards  king  of  England.  This 
prince  gave  him  the  territory  of  Corkny, 
which  belonged  to  Mac-Carron,  in  West- 
meath,  with  a  part  of  Annaly.  The  do- 
mains of  M'Geoghegan  and  O'Malachlin 
extended  from  the  river  Shannon,  as  far  as 
Cloghanenumore,  to  the  east  of  MuUin- 
gar.  The  family  of  Dillon  became  very 
numerous  and  renowned  in  the  counties  of 
Meath,  Westmeath,  Longford,  Roscommon, 
Mayo,  and  in  other  districts  of  the  kingdom. 

The  Dillons  have  filled  high  places  in  the 
church  and  state.  There  were  two  peerages 
in  the  family  ;  Sir  Robert  Dillon  was  created 
baron  of  Kilkenny  West,  in  1619,  by  James 
I.,  and  in  1622  the  same  king  created  him 
earl  of  Roscommon.  He  who  ought  to  be 
his  representative  now,  and  heir  to  his  for- 
tune as  well  as  title,  is  brigadier  in  the  king 
of  France's  armies.  The  second  peerage 
was  given  in  1621  to  Sir  Theobald  Dillon, 
who  was  created  viscount  of  Castillo-gillen, 
in  the  county  of  Mayo,  by  James  I.  This 
family  is  well  known  in  France,  where  an 
Irish  regiment  bears  the  name  of  Dillon. 
In  1745  and  1747,  two  brothers  of  the  fam- 
ily were  successively  its  colonels,  and  shed 
their  blood  at  the  head  of  that  regiment,  in 
the  battles  of  Fontenoy  and  Lawfeld,  in  the 
service  of  France. 

The  family  of  Nettervil  is  very  ancient 
in  Ireland ;  they  have  their  origin  fro 
Charles,  duke  of  Normandy.  Sir  Formal 
Nettervil  passed  over  into  Ireland  in  the 
twelfth  century.  He  married  Phaladelphia, 
daughter  of  William  Vesey,  by  whom  he 
had  a  son  named  Richard,  who  espoused 
Catherine,  daughter  of  Sir  Hugh  de  Lacy. 
This  family  continued  in  splendor  until  the 
reign  of  James  I.,  who   created   Nicholas 


Nettervil  viscount  of  Louth,  in  the  county 
of  Meath,  which  house  is  still  in  being. 

The  family  of  Bedlows,  or  Bellews,  owe 
their  descent  to  Normandy,  as  appears  from 
he  rolls  of  the'  abbey  of  Hastings.  A  no- 
bleman of  that  name  accompanied  William 
the  Conqueror  to  England,  in  quality  of 
marshal  of  his  army.  His  descendants  after- 
wards proceeded  to  Ireland,  where  they  es- 
tablished themselves,  and  still  hold  large 
estates.  Sir  John  Bellew  was  honored  with 
the  peerage  in  1686,  by  king  James  II., 
under  the  title  of  Lord  Baron  of  Duleek, 
in  the  county  of  Meath.  This  family  is 
still  in  being. 

The  Taff'es  of  Ireland  are  originally  from 
England  ;  their  first  appearance  in  Ireland 
was  at  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  and  begin- 
ning of  the  fourteenth  century.  William 
Talfe,  one  of  the  descendants  of  the  family, 
espoused  warmly  the  cause  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth against  the  Catholics  of  Ireland.  He 
served  that  princess  with  zeal  in  her  last 
campaigns  in  Munster,  for  which  he  was 
well  rewarded  ;  he  received  his  share  of  the 
confiscations  made  of  the  Catholic  proper- 
ties, in  that,  and  in  the  succeeding  reigns. 

James  I.,  wishing  to  compensate  the  ser- 
vices of  the  father,  created  Sir  John  Taffe, 
his  son,  baron  of  Ballymore,  and  viscount 
of  Coranne,  in  the  county  of  Sligo,  where 
the  estates  of  Mac-Donough  were  given  him. 
Theobald,  son  of  John,  was  created,  in  1662, 
earl  of  Carlingford,  in  the  county  of  Louth, 
by  Charles  II.  Nicholas,  son  of  the  latter, 
was  the  third  viscount,  and  second  earl  of 
Carlingford  ;  he  was  killed  at  the  head  of 
his  regiment  at  the  battle  of  the  Boyne. 
Francis,  his  brother,  was  the  third  earl ;  he 
served  with  distinction  during  30  years  in 
the  empire,  where  he  was  lieutenant-gen- 
eral of  cavalry,  and  colonel  of  the  Royal 
Cuirassiers.  This  earl  having  died  Avithout 
issue,  his  nephew  Theobald  became  the 
fourth  earl  of  Carlingford,  and  the  title  be- 
came extinct  by  his  death  in  1738,  at  Lisle, 
in  Flanders.  Lambert  Taffe,  brother  of  the 
earl,  colonel  of  cuirassiers  in  the  service  of 
the  emperor,  was  killed  in  1702,  at  the  fa- 
mous battle  of  Cremona,  where  the  French 
and  Irish  tore  from  Prince  Eugene  the  city 
and  victory  which  that  general  enjoyed  for 
a  few  hours. 

The  name  of  le  Poer,  at  present  Power, 
is  an  ancient  one  in  Ireland.  Sir  Roger  le 
Poer  entered  the  country  with  Strongbow, 
in  the  twelfth  century.  He  accompanied 
the  knight  Courcy  to  Ulster,  where  he  shared 
largely  in  the  conquest  of  a  part  of  that  prov- 
ince. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


275 


His  descendants  possessed  Curraghmore, 
Cowleftyn,  Gortbady,  and  other  estates  in 
the  county  of  Waterford.  Richard  le  Poer 
was  created  lord  baron  of  Curraghmore,  in 
1452,  by  Henry  H.  Another  Richard  Poer 
was  created,  in  1673,  viscount  of  Dcsies 
and  earl  of  Tyrone,  by  Charles  II.,  but 
the  title  of  Tyrone  afterwards  passed  into 
another  family. 

A  descendant  of  Roger  le  Poer,  named 
Eustace,  in  the  beginning  of  the  14th  cen- 
tury founded  the  illustrious  house  of  Fitz- 
Eustaces,  created  viscounts  of  Baltinglass 
by  Henry  VIII.  Under  the  reign  of  Eliza- 
beth, this  family  was  sacrificed  for  their  zeal 
in  the  Catholic  cause.  There  are  two  families 
of  the  name  still  in  being,  viz.,  the  Eustaces 
of  Gammonstown,  and  those  of  Cradokstown. 

Although  the  following  families  are  not 
found  in  the  list  of  Irish  peers,  still  there 
are  many  among  them  not  inferior  in  either 
nobleness  of  extraction  or  in  those  qualities 
which  characterize  good  citizens. 

The  Walshes  of  Ireland  are  originally 
from  Great  Britain.  The  Britons,  says 
Camden,  exhausted  by  the  long  war  they 
were  forced  to  maintain  against  the  perfidious 
Saxons,  were  constrained  to  seek  a  country 
even  in  their  own.  They  retired  into  the 
district  that  lies  west  of  Britain,  since  called 
Wales  by  the  Saxons,  and  the  inhabitants 
Welchmen,  which  signifies  strangers.  A 
striking  picture  of  the  conduct  of  the  Eng- 
lish in  Ireland,  where  the  ancient  inhabitants 
have  been  treated  as  strangers  among  them, 
and  compelled  to  obtain  letters  of  naturali- 
zation in  the  country  which  gave  them  birth. 
Two  noblemen  named  Welshes,  went  to 
Ireland  in  the  reign  of  Henry  II.  One  of 
them,  called  Philip,*  was  mentioned  by  Ware 
as  a  valiant  young  man,  from  the  bravery  he 
displayed  in  a  naval  engagement  with  the 
Danes  of  Cork  :  the  other,  named  David,  dis- 
tinguishedf  himself  particularly  at  the  pas- 
sage over  the  Shannon,  when  Reymond  le 
Gros  attempted  to  lay  siege  to  Limerick. 

These  were  the  two  stocks  of  the  different 
families  of  the  Walshes  (called  by  the  Irish 
Brannaghs)  established  in  Ireland.  We 
discover  them  in  the  counties  of  Kilkenny, 
Kildare,  and  Dublin, |  where  the  Walshes  of 
Carrickmain  were  lords  of  Oldcourt.  Their 
power,  says  Camden,  equalled  their  noble- 
ness in  that  country. 

We  see,  at  the  present  day,  two  brothers, 
who  are   offshoots  of  the  noble   family  of 


*  Annal.  Hib.  c.  5. 

t  Cox.  Hist,  of  Irel.  p.  28. 

t  Camden.  Brit 


Walshes  in  Ireland,  established  in  France, 
one  of  whom  conducted  Prince  Edward  into 
Scotland  in  1745,  which  would  have  earned 
for  him  the  title  of  lord.  The  other  has 
purchased  the  beautiful  estate  of  Seran  in 
Anjou,  and  has  been  honored  by  the  king 
of  France  with  the  title  of  count. 

The  Warrens  are  of  Norman  extraction. 
William,  count  of  Warren  in  Normandy, 
being  allied  to  the  duke  of  that  province. 
He  was  nephew  to  the  countess  of  Gunnora, 
great-grandmother  of  that  prince.  He  ac- 
companied the  duke  in  his  famous  expedition 
to  England  in  1066,  and  distinguished  him- 
self greatly  at  the  battle  of  Hastings,  which 
transferred  the  crown  of  England  to  the 
conqueror.  The  king,  in  consideration  of 
the  services  of  Count  Warren,  gave  him 
estates  and  lordships  in  the  counties  of  Nor- 
folk and  Lincoln.*  He  was  created  in  the 
following  reign  count  of  Surrey,  and  the 
house  became  powerful  in  England.  William, 
count  of  Surrey,  left  after  him  a  son  also 
named  William,  who  inhabited  his  estates 
and  titles.  The  latter  had  three  sons,  one 
named  William,  who  succeeded  him,  besides 
Reginald  and  Ralph.  Reginald  having  es- 
poused Alice,  heiress  of  Wirmgay,  in  the 
county  of  Norfolk,  founded  a  second  family 
of  Warren. 

The  descendants  of  that  family  removed 
afterwards  to  Ireland,  where  they  became 
very  numerous  and  influential,  as  well  by 
their  virtues  as  their  possessions.  In  addition 
to  public  notoriety,  this  account  is  strength- 
ened by  topographical  proofs  which  are  not 
to  be  despised.  We  discover  in  the  maps  on 
Ireland,  places  which  bear  their  name  in 
two  difTerent provinces.  The  name  Warrens- 
town,  that  is,  the  town  or  borough  of  War- 
ren, is  found  in  the  King's  county  in  Leinster, 
and  in  Down  in  Ulster ;  clearly  indicating 
the  old  proprietors.  There  was  a  family  of 
the  name  in  the  county  of  Meath  near  Dun- 
shaughlin,  who  possessed  a  large  estate  ; 
but  it  has  undergone  the  same  lot  with 
others,  and  there  remains  of  these  different 
branches,  only  Warren  of  CordufT,  near 
Dublin,  who  still  possesses  a  part  of  the 
family  estate. 

A  cursory  piece  written  by  Sir  .Tames 
Ware,  and  printed  under  his  own  inspection 
in  London,  a.  d.  1657,  gives  a  very  remote 
origin  to  the  Whites  of  England  and  Ireland. 
The  venerable  Bede,  in  his  ecclesiastical 
history  of  the  English  nation,  supplied  him 
with  the  materials  for  it.-f     Ware  gives  the 


*  Baker's  Cfiron.  on  the  reign  of  William. 
t  Book  1,  C.15. 


276 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


opinions  of  Politloro  Vivgil,  of  Speed,  Cam- 
den, Florcntius  Wigorn,  G  ratzius,  and  others ; 
and  from  drawing  a  comparison  of  all,  he 
concludes,  with  a  great  prol)ability  of  truth, 
that  White  is  a  Saxon  name,  derived  from 
Vitus,  Wite,  or  Weight,  according  to  the  dif- 
ferent changes  which  have  occurred  to  the 
name  since  the  establishment  of  the  Vites 
in  England,  in  the  beginning  of  the  fifth 
century. 

Sir  Walter  Wliyte  removed  with  his  bro- 
thers into  Ireland  in  the  time  of  Henry  II. ; 
his  father  was  governor  and  justice  of  South 
Wales,  which  had  then  the  title  of  akingdom. 
The  Whites  became  settled  in  different 
counties  of  Ireland,  where  they  held  a  dis- 
tinguished rank  among  the  nobility.  Cam- 
den, in  his  description  of  the  country,  places 
them  in  the  counties  of  Kildare,  W^exford, 
and  Down.  Among  the  different  families 
of  the  Whites,  that  of  Lexslip  ranks  the 
highest,  from  their  merits,  wealth,  and  con- 
nections. 

Chance  has  put  into  my  hands  some  very 
interesting  and  ancient  documents  respecting 
the  Whites  in  general,  but  more  particularly 
a  branch  of  that  name  established  in  Lime- 
rick, before  the  revolution  fomented  in  Ire- 
land by  the  tyrant  Cromwell.  These  docu- 
ments are  legally  authenticated  copies,  col- 
lated with  their  originals  at  Brussels. 

The  first  is  a  patent  of  the  Emperor  Max- 
imilian I.,  written  in  the  Latin  language, 
dated  at  Tournay,  a.  d.  1513.  By  this  patent, 
the  emperor  created  Dominic  Wliite  baron 
of  Albis,  both  for  himself  and  his  descendants. 
The  motives  which  induced  the  emperor  to 
grant  the  patent  are  particularized,  which 
are,  the  origin  of  the  name,  taken  fromViti, 
a  people  of  Germany,  (being  attested  by 
letters  from  Henry  VIII.  to  the  emperor;) 
the  bravery  which  that  nobleman  displayed 
at  the  sieges  of  Terouene  and  Tournay  ;  the 
goodness  of  his  disposition,  and  finally  the 
beauty  of  his  person,  a  quality  hereditary  in 
that  family. 

The  second  document  is  a  certificate  of 
the  earl  of  Strafford,  viceroy  of  Ireland. 
It  is  dated  Dublin,  25th  December,  anno 
1639.  It  is  followed  by  another,  signed  by 
the  bishop  of  Limerick,  the  mayor,  and  other 
magistrates  of  that  city.  We  have  already 
noticed  the  fragment  of  Sir  James  Ware, 
dated  London,  1657.  Charles  II.,  king  of 
England,  like  wise  gave  a  diploma  at  Brussels, 
in  1658,  which  is  in  conformity  with  those 
now  mentioned.  The  purport  of  all  is  to 
authenticate  the  origin  and  nobility  of  this 
ancient  family. 

The  Wales  of  Ireland  take  their  orisin 


from  a  barony  of  Northampton  in  England, 
of  which  they  had  been  the  possessors  in 
the  time  of  William  the  Conqueror. 

William  Wale,  son  of  that  ancient  family, 
went  over  to  Ireland  in  the  twelfth  century, 
when  Richard  Strongbow  was  invited  thither 
by  the  king  of  Leinster,  In  the  second 
division  which  Strongbow  made  of  the  estates 
in  Leinster,  he  gave  to  William  Wale  that 
of  Johnstown  in  the  county  of  Carlow,  to 
reward  him  for  the  services  he  had  rendered 
in  the  reduction  of  that  district.  This  first 
inheritance  was  afterwards  increased  by  the 
acquisition  of  other  estates,  viz.,  those  of 
Coolnamuckie,  Ballynakelly,  in  the  Queen's 
county,  and  several  others.  This  family 
was  distinguished  by  their  virtues  and  merited 
the  confidence  of  their  sovereigns,  who  fre- 
quently appointed  them  to  offices  of  high 
trust  in  the  state  ;  but  their  attachment  to 
the  religion  of  their  fathers  caused  them  to 
share  the  same  lot  of  many  among  their 
countrymen.  Count  Wale,  minister  to  the 
court  of  Spain,  is  descended  from  this  noble 
house.* 

The  family  of  the  Stacks  is  of  consider- 
able antiquity  in  Ireland.  It  derives  its 
origin  from  the  ancient  Gauls.  Some  of  the 
family  having  followed  the  fortunes  of  Wil- 
liam the  Conqueror  into  England,  established 
themselves  in  Wales.  It  is  asserted,  that 
before  the  time  of  Henry  II.,  Mac-Carty 
More  had  married  a  lady  belonging  to  it, 
and  that  he  brought  over  with  her  into  Ire- 
land her  four  brothers,  to  whom  he  offered 
estates  in  the  county  of  Kerry.  However 
this  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  the  family  set- 
tled in  the  country  at  a  very  early  period, 
and  formed  several  branches  which  possessed 
considerable  property  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Ardfert,  as  far  as  the  river  Smearlagh. 
There  is  still  a  district  of  the  country  called 
Puble-Stuckagh,  that  is,  the  country  of  the 
Stacks,  who  were  proprietors  of  it.  This 
topographical  proof  is  not  to  be  disregarded, 
being  a  public  testimony  to  the  antiquity  of 
the  family.  Its  alliances  too  with  the  best 
families  of  the  province,  namely,  the  Mac- 

*  It  is  a  singular  feature  in  the  character  of  the 
virtuous  and  renowned  family  of  the  Wales,  that  the 
author  of  this  translation  is  enabled  to  bear  testi- 
mony to  the  nobleness  of  sentiment  and  reputation 
sustained  by  their  descendants.  While  residing  at 
Versailles,  immediately  before  the  abdication  of 
Charles  X.,  M.  de  AVale,  captain  in  the  regiment  of 
cuirassiers  quartered  then  in  that  city,  was  very 
intimately  known  to  him.  His  father,  Count  de 
Wale,  was  military  commander  and  governor  of 
Paris  at  the  particular  juncture  of  Louis  Philippe 
gaining  the  throne  of  France ;  the  de  Wales  are  of 
theCarlist  party,  taking  no  place  under  L.  Philippe. 
—P.  O'Kelly. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


277 


Mahons,  the  Fitzgeralds,the  McCarthys,  tlie 
Burkes,  the  Fitzmaurices,  and  others,  shew 
the  consideration  in  which  it  was  hekl.  The 
Stacks  met  the  fate  of  so  many  of  their  fel- 
low-countrymen ;  their  zeal  for  religion  and 
attachment  to  their  legitimate  monarch,  were 
crimes  with  them  as  with  others.  They 
were  on  these  grounds  deprived  of  their 
possessions,  some  under  Elizabeth,  others 
by  the  usurper  Cromwell.  Ponsonby,  a 
soldier  of  fortune  and  a  creature  of  his,  ob- 
tained the  estates  of  Stackstown  and  Crotto. 

To  establish  the  antiquity  of  the  noble 
family  of  the  Darcys  in  Ireland,  it  is  sufficient 
to  say  that  they  are  descended  from  Sir 
John  Darcy,  lord-justice  and  viceroy  in 
that  kingdom  in  the  fourteenth  century.  The 
first  stock  of  that  name  was  Norman  de 
x\rcy,  who  had  entered  England  with  Wil- 
liam the  Bastard.  The  Conqueror  gave  him 
thirty-three  lordships  in  the  county  of  Lin- 
coln,* the  chiefof  which  was  Nocton,  where 
he  established  his  residence  ;  his  son  Robert 
succeeded  him,  and  Thomas  succeeded  the 
latter.  These  noblemen  founded  and  en- 
dowed religious  houses.  They  filled  high 
places  in  the  military  and  civil  departments, 
and  were  greatly  esteemed  by  their  sove- 
reig-ns.  The  name  de  Areci  was  afterwards 
changed  into  that  of  d'Arcy ;  the  accent 
was  at  length  suppressed,  and  at  present  it  is 
written  Darcy. 

John  Darcy,  mentioned  above,  was  fre- 
quently named  lord-justice  of  Ireland,  j 
Edward  III.  to  reward  his  services  gave  him 
by  letters  patent  the  estates  of  Rathwer  and 
Kildalk,  in  the  barony  of  Farbile,  in  Ireland. 
His  first. wife  was  Emelina,  daughter  and 
heiress  of  Walter  Heron.  He  had  by  her 
three  children,  John,  Eleanor,  and  Roger ; 
this  was  the  stock  of  the  house  of  Hold^r- 
ness,  in  England.  Having  become  a  widower, 
he  married  Joanna,  daughter  of  Richard 
Burgh,  earl  of  Ulster,  and  the  widow  of 
Thomas,  earl  of  Kildare.  He  had  by  this 
marriage  a  son  named  William,from  whom  the 
Darcys  of  Plattin  are  descended,  and  those 
of  Dunmow,  in  the  county  of  Meath ;  the 
first  were  dispossessed  in  the  late  revolution 
for  their  attachment  to  the  loyalist  cause. 

The  Darcys  of  Connaught  were  a  collat- 
eral branch  of  the  house  of  Plattin.  Nicho- 
las, brother  to  John  Darcy  of  Plattin,  and 
descended  in  the  fifth  degree  from  John 
Darcy,  lord-justice  of  Ireland,  having 
married  the  daughter  and  heiress  of  0'- 
Duraghy,  lord  of  Partry,  in  the  county  of 
Mayo,  became  possessed  of  the  whole  for- 
tune  of  that  family.     This  branch  multi- 

*  Dugdale's  Baronage  of  England,  b.  2,  p.  369. 


plied  exceedingly  ;  several  other  families 
sprang  from  it,  viz.,  the  Darcys  of  Kiltolla, 
of  Clunuane,  of  Gorteen,  and  others  in  Con- 
naught.  Some  other  families  may  be  intro- 
duced here,  which,  according  to  Camden, 
were  of  English  descent,  to  wit,  the  Jordans, 
the  Nangles  of  Castlough,  and  the  Prender- 
gasts  of  Clan-Moris. 

The  family  of  the  Aylmers  were  estab- 
lished at  Lyons  in  the  county  of  Kildare, 
in  Ireland,  at  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury. It  is  said  that  they  have  their  origin 
from  Aylmer,  earl  of  Cornwall  in  the  reign 
of  Ethelred,  king  of  England  in  the  tenth 
century.  However  this  be,  history  mentions 
Ralph  Aylmer  and  William  his  brother,  to 
have  been  in  possession  of  Lyons  in  the 
year  1300.  This  family  multiplied  them- 
selves exceedingly,  and  subsequently  gave 
out  the  collateral  branches  of  the  Aylmers 
of  Ballykenan,  Donadea,  DuUardstown,  and 
of  Balrath.  They  were  distinguished  by  j 
their  virtues  and  high  connections,  as  well 
as  for  their  attachment  to  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic religion.  The  houses  of  Lyons  and 
Balrath  are  still  in  being. 

There  are  several  families  of  Browns  in 
Ireland.  They  are  not  less  respected  for 
their  virtues  and  nobleness  than  for  their 
extraction.  They  are  of  English  descent, 
and  there  is  in  England  a  viscount  Montague 
who  bears  that  name. 

The  Browns  of  Kenmare  are  established 
in  the  county  of  Kerry  since  the  reign  of 
Elizabeth.  The  first  of  that  noble  family 
who  went  to  Ireland,  was  Sir  Nicholas 
Brown,  of  Tataridge,  in  the  county  of  Hert- 
ford. This  family  Avas  allied  to  the  O'Sul- 
livans,  McCartys,  Fitzgeralds,  Butlers,  and 
other  noblemen  of  that  province.  They 
received  the  honor  of  the  peerage  from 
James  II.,  who  created  Valentine  Brown 
baron  of  Caslleross  and  viscount  Kenmare, 
in  the  county  of  Kerry. 

Some  families  of  Browns  were  established 
in  Connaught,  viz.,  those  of  Neal,  Westport, 
Elystren,  and  others.  Some  also  were  of 
the  counties  of  Limerick  and  Waterford ; 
we  discover  a  family  of  the  name  in  the 
county  of  Kildare  in  possession  of  the  lord- 
ship of  Castlebrown. 

The  noble  family  of  the  Wogans  of  Rath- 
coffey  is  well  known  in  that  district.  They 
are  descended  from  Sir  John  Wogan,  lord- 
justice  of  Ireland  at  the  close  of  the 
thirteenth  century.  We  find  also  in  the 
county  of  Kildare,  the  Husseys  of  Moyle- 
Hussey  ;  there  are  also  the  Husseys  of  Old- 
town,  near  Kilcock,  and  some  others.  Cam- 
den places  in  the  same  county,  the  de  la 


278 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Hides,  the  Boiseles,  the  Suttons,  and  others.* 
These  last,  as  well  as  the  Suttons  of  Wexford, 
have  tlieir  descent  from  Sir  John  Sutton, 
lord  DudU-y,  viceroy  in  Ireland  in  the  be- 
giiuiing  of  the  fifteenth  century-f 

The  family  of  Devereux,  in  Wexford, 
have  the  same  origin  as  the  Devereuxs  of 
England,  sometime  earls  of  Essex.  They 
are  descended  from  a  count  d'Evreux  in 
Normandy,  who  was  archbishop  of  Rouen. 
The  other  good  families  of  the  county  of 
Wexford  are  the  Sinnotts,  StafTords,  Chee- 
vers,  Furlongs,  Fitzharris,  Mastersons, 
Hores,  Hates,  Coddes,  Maylers. 

In  the  county  of  Kilkenny  are  found  the 
Graces,  Lovels,  Foresters,  Shortels,  Blanch- 
fields,  Drilands,  Comerfords.  The  Carews 
were  established  in  the  county  of  Carlow, 
the  Herberts,  Colbys,  Moores,  in  the  King's 
county.  The  respectable  family  of  the  Tyr- 
rels  are  said  to  have  been  first  of  Castle- 
knock,  in  the  county  of  Dublin,  and  to  have 
had  the  title  of  barons.  They  were  trans- 
planted afterwards  into  the  barony  of  Fer- 
tullagh  in  the  county  of  Westmeath,  where 
they  supported  for  a  long  time  the  noble- 
ness of  their  origin. | 

There  are,  in  the  county  of  Dublin, 
the  Talbots,  of  Malahide,  who  are  yet  in 
being,  the  Holywoods,  Lutterells,  Burnills, 
Fitzwilliams,  Gouldings,  Ushers,  Caddels, 
Finglas,  Sarsfields,  Purcels,  Blackneys, 
Cruces,  Baths,  and  others. 

The  county  of  Meath,  besides  titled  fami- 
lies, contains  the  Husseys,  barons  of  Gal- 
trim,  Cusacks,  and  Garvys.  In  Westmeath, 
the  Petits,  Tuites,  Nangles,  Daltons,  and 
other  names  may  be  discovered. 

In  the  county  of  Waterford,  an  ancient 
family  named  Strange  is  established.  They 
are  descended  from  Sir  Thomas  Strange,^ 
a  deputy  in  Ireland  in  the  15th  century. 
This  family  was  transplanted  by  Cromwell 
into  Connaught.  According  to  Camden, 
the  Hurleys,  Chaceys,  Suppels,  Purcels 
all  of  English  origin,  are  to  be  met  with  in 
the  county  of  Limerick. 

The  expedition  which  Sir  John  Courcy 
conducted  into  Ulster,  afforded  an  oppor- 
tunity to  some  English  families  to  establish 
themselves  in  that  province.  In  the  county 
of  Louth,  the  Verdons,  Tates,  Clintons, 
Dowdals,  Gernons,  Hadsors,  Wottons,Bran 
dans.  Moors,  and  Chamberlans,  are  to  be 
found ;  and  in  the  county  of  Down,  the 
Russels,  Audleys,  Savages,  Ridells,  Man 

*   Dugdale's  Baronage,  book  2,  p.  215. 
t  Ware's  Annals. 

t  Camden's  Description  of  Ireland. 
§  Ware's  Annals. 


dcvills,  Jordans,  Stantons,  Stokes,  Passe- 
levys,  Copclands,  Martels,  Logans,  Sandals, 
and  the  Camcrars,  appear  to  be  established. 
Besides  the  families  mentioned,  according 
to  Camden  and  Ware,  the  following  are  dis- 
covered to  have  been  found  in  Ireland  in  the 
r2th  century,  and  afterwards  in  the  time  of 
Henry  VIII.,  when  they  were  in  possession 
of  estates. 

In  Leinster,  the  "Wolwostons,  the  Pep- 
pards,  the  Wallases,  Blacks,  Redmonds, 
Esmonds,  Chettens,  Tobins,  Aliens,  Gen- 
nits,  Wades,  Swectmans,  St.  Logers,  Grants, 
Archers,  Rochfords,  Datons,  Rothes,  Wares, 
Purfields,  Smiths,  Cooks,  Hooks,  Taylors, 
Dens,  and  Archdekins. 

In  Munster,  there  were  the  Lacys,  Can- 
tillons,  Mathias,  Nagles,  Morres,  Keatings, 
Johns,  Piercies,  Comminges,  Rices,  Moc- 
lers,  Cantwels,  Stapletons,  Mandevills,  Lom- 
bards, Tallons,  Golds,  Baggots,  Bagnels, 
Coppingers,  Porters,  Cosbys,  Dennys,  Ter- 
rys,  Goughs,  Stritches,  Pickets,  Dondons, 
Waters,  Skiddys  or  Squiddys,  the  Woulfs, 
of  Tirry-Callane,  in  the  county  of  Clare. 
In  the  county  of  Galway,  we  see  the  Blakes, 
Keerevans,  Lynches,  Frenchs,  Bodkins, 
Martins,  Craftons,  and  others. 

In  Meath  are  found  the  Everards,  Gar- 
lands, Griffins,  Biataghs,  Dungans,  Ivers, 
Dardis,  Ledwidges,  Pallas,  Aliens,  Deases, 
Cheevers,  Dowdals,  Cruces,  Malpas,  and 
others  :  and  lastly,  a  family  named  Drom- 
golds,  in  the  county  of  Louth. 


CHAPTER  XVm. 

Henry  II.,  having  received  the  submission 
of  some  of  the  principal  lords  in  Ireland, 
established  a  colony  of  English  in  Leinster; 
and  having  settled  governors  in  the  import- 
ant places,  (as  has  been  observed  in  the 
preceding  chapter,)  sailed  for  England  du- 
ring Easter,  a.  d.  11 72.*  He  went  afterwards 
to  Normandy,  where  his  son  Henry,  to  whom 
he  had  given  a  share  in  the  government  some 
time  before,  rebelled  like  a  second  Absalom 
against  his  father  and  benefactor.  The  king's 
debaucheries  were  in  a  great  degree  the  cause 
of  this  revolt.  Eleanor,  his  queen,  jealous 
of  the  number  of  concubines  he  supported, 
in  violation  of  all  conjugal  fidelity,  excited 
her  son  Henry,  who  had  been  crowned  with 
Marguerite,  his  princess,  daughter  of  Louis 


*  Christophori  Pembrige  Annal.     Hib.  h.  Camd. 
edit,  ad  calccm  Britan. 


CIIRISTCAN    IRELAND. 


279 


VII.,  to  lay  claim  to  liis  father's  throne.* 
This  young  prince  was  abetted  in  his  rebel- 
lion by  his  brothers,  Richard  and  Geoftroy, 
and  supported  by  his  father-in-law,  Louis 
VII.,  and  Phihp  Augustus,  his  son  and  suc- 
cessor. The  consequences  of  this  rebellion, 
were  the  invasion  of  his  states  by  the  neigh- 
boring princes,  and  by  his  own  subjects  ; 
the  taking  of  Verneuil  in  Normandy,  in  the 
time  of  Louis  VII.,  and  of  Mans,  his  native 
city,  under  Philip  Augustus.  So  strongly 
was  he  affected  by  the  loss  of  Mans,  that  he 
cried  out  in  blasphemous  imprecations,  "  I 
shall  no  longer  love  God,  who  has  permit- 
ted that  I  should  be  deprived  of  a  place  so 
dear  to  me." 

Henry  II.  was  too  busily  employed  on  the 
continent,  to  attend  to  the  affairs  of  Ireland 
himself.  As  a  skilful  politician,  he  consid- 
ered it  necessary  to  induce  his  English  sub- 
jects, whom  he  had  left  there,  to  support  his 
interests  for  the  sake  of  their  own.  Among 
the  English  chiefs  he  divided  the  lands  of 
those  princes  who  had  just  acknowledged 
his  dominion  by  a  voluntary  submission, 
■violating  thereby  the  treaties  and  solemn 
promises  which  he  had  made  to  maintain 
them  in  their  wealth  and  dignities. 

Notwithstanding  the  jealousy  which  the 
success  of  Richard  Strongbow,  and  his  alli- 
ance with  the  royal  house  of  Leinster,  excited 
in  Henry,  he  granted  to  this  nobleman,  as 
a  military  tenure,  the  entire  of  the  country, 
except  Dublin  and  other  maritime  towns, 
with  their  dependencies,  and  the  strong 
places,  which  he  reserved  for  himself.f 
This  donation  was  afterwards  confirmed  by 
a  charter  granted  by  King  John  to  William 
Marshal,  earl  of  Pembroke,  who  had  mar- 
ried Isabella,  daughter  and  heiress  of  Earl 
Richard.  The  copy  of  this  charter  is  among 
the  archives  in  the  tower  of  London. 

Strongbow  found  himself  enabled,  through 
the  liberality  of  his  prince,  to  be  generous  to 
his  favorites,  and  created  vassals  for  himself 
by  sub-infeudations.  He  first  gave  to  Ray- 
mond, who  had  married  his  sister  Basilea, 
the  lands  of  Fothert,  Odrone,  and  Glascarig  ; 
to  his  cousin  Hervey,  surnamed  de  Monte 
Marisco,  the  district  of  Obarthy  ;  to  Maurice 
Prendergast  the  lands  of  Fernegenelan  ;  to 
Myler  Fitzhenry  the  district  of  Carbry,  at 
present  a  barony  in  the  county  of  Kildare  ; 
Naas,  a  considerable  town  in  this  country, 


*  Baker,  Chron.  Eiigl.  p.  54.  Abridg.  Chron.  of 
the  Hist,  of  France,  on  the  reign  of  Louis  VII., 
and  Philip  Augustus. 

t  Stanihurst,  de  Reb.  in  Hib.  Gest.  Ub.  3.  War. 
de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  27.     Idem,  in  Annal.  cap.  3. 


with  its  dependencies,  extending  to  Kildare 
town,  which  gives  name  to  the  country,  and 
which  formerly  belonged  to  Mackelan,  were 
given  to  Maurice  Fitzgerald,  together  with 
the  town  of  Wicklow.  This  concession  was 
confirmed,  after  the  death  of  Maurice  Fitz- 
gerald, to  his  son,  by  King  John,  the  charter 
of  which  is  in  Bermingham  tower,  in  Dublin. 

In  this  distribution  of  the  properties  of  the 
Irish,  Walter  Ridelesford  had  the  district  of 
Omorthy,  in  the  county  of  Kildare,  near 
Castledermot,  given  him  ;  Vivian  de  Cursun 
received  the  district  of  Ratheny,near  Dublin, 
(formerly  the  patrimony  of  Gilcolm  ;)  John 
Clahul,  the  lands  extending  from  Aghavo, 
in  Ossory,  as  far  as  Lechlin,  with  the  office 
of  Marshal  of  Leinster  ;  and  Robert  Ber- 
mingham got,  as  his  portion,  O'Faly,  that 
is,  that  part  of  the  domain  of  O'Connor  Faly, 
in  the  county  of  Kildare,  extending  towards 
the  river  Boyne.  Adam  of  Hereibrd,  one 
of  his  favorites,  obtained  extensive  posses- 
sions, which  are  specified  in  an  ancient 
registry  in  the  monastery  of  St.  Thomas, 
Dublin  :  namely,  a  territory  in  the  county 
of  Kildare,  near  the  waterfall  called  the 
Salmon  leap,  on  the  river  Liftey,  at  present 
the  barony  of  Salt ;  the  lands  of  Cloncoury, 
Kille,  Houterard,  and  the  district  of  Don- 
ning, with  its  dependencies.  Adam,  who 
never  had  or  would  have  been  so  rich  in  his 
own  country,  sent  to  England  for  his  bro- 
thers John  and  Richard,  the  better  to  defend 
himself  against  any  attempts  of  the  ancient 
proprietors.  With  them  he  shared  the  pro- 
perty thus  obtained,  reserving  to  himself  the 
territory  of  Salt  and  its  dependencies. 

Strongbow  likewise  conferred  on  Milo 
Fitzdavid  the  district  of  Overk,  in  Ossory. 
He  made  some  other  grants  also  :  namely, 
the  lands  of  Arde  to  Thomas  Le  Fleming  ; 
to  Gilbert  Borard,  those  of  Ofelmith  ;  to  a 
certain  knight*  called  Reinand,  fifteen  mili- 
tary fiefs  along  the  sea-shore  ;  and  to  one 
Robert,  son  of  Richard,  who  was  afterwards 
killed  in  Connaught,  the  barony  of  Norragh, 


*  Tlie  word  knight  was  anciently  called  Miles. 
Knights,  in  general,  had  neither  regiments  nor  even 
companies  ;  they  were  commonly  volunteers,  formed 
into  corps  like  our  Gendarmes.  It  is  not  easy  to 
decide  what  was  the  pay  of  a  knight :  Sir  John 
Davis,  in  his  historical  narrative,  wherein  the  dif- 
ferent ranks  of  officers  who  accompanied  Prince 
Lionel,  son  of  Edward  III.,  to  Ireland,  in  the  four- 
teenth century,  are  given,  makes  it  two  shillings  a 
day.  Troops  were  not  raised  in  those  times  in  the 
name  of  the  king,  nor  by  commission,  as  at  pre- 
sent ;  but  the  lords  had  to  supply  forces  for  their 
prince,  in  time  of  war,  either  by  paying  a  sum  of 
money,  or  by  a  portion  of  land,  the  proceeds  of 
which  were  to  be  applied  to  that  purpose. 


280 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


on  the  river  Barrow,  in  the  county  of  Kil- 
dare.  At  length  the  earl  having  come  to 
Ferns,  gave  his  natural  daughter  in  marriage 
to  Robert  do  Quincy,  with  the  district  of 
Daflrcn  as  a  dowry,  and  afterwards  appointed 
him  constable  of  Lcinster.  After  the  cele- 
bration of  the  nuptials,  the  earl  departed  for 
Kildarc,  whence  he  set  out  in  the  beginning 
of  the  year,  at  the  head  of  a  thousand  horse 
and  foot  soldiers,  to  invade  the  possessions 
of  O'Dempsy,  in  Oftaly,  where  he  pillaged 
and  burned  some  villages,  and  carried  off 
considerable  booty  to  Kildare  ;  but  he  had 
the  mortification  to  lose  Quincy,  his  son-in- 
law  and  general,  who  was  killed  at  the  head 
of  his  troop  in  a  defile,  where  he  was  at- 
tacked by  O'Dempsy.  Quincy  left  an  only 
daughter,  who  was  afterwards  married  to 
Philip,  son  of  Maurice  Prendergast. 

However  weak  Henry  H.'s  claim  may 
have  been  to  the  proAdnce  of  Leinster,*  he 
had  still  less  to  the  territory  of  Meath,  which 
had  been  for  many  ages  the  domain  of  the 
monarchs  of  Ireland,  and  in  no  way  de- 
pendent upon  Leinster.  Nevertheless,  by 
a  charter,  dated  at  Wexford,  he  granted  this 
extensive  territory  to  Hugh  de  Lacy,  (on 
condition  of  keeping  fifty  knights  for  his 
service,)  and  to  his  descendants,  as  pos- 
sessed by  Murchard  O'Melaghlin  before  him. 
This  grant  was  confirmed  in  favor  of  his 
son,  Walter  de  Lacy,  by  King  John,  as  we 
discover  by  a  charter,  among  other  registries 
in  the  tower  of  London  ;  whereby  he  added 
some  other  fiefs  which  belonged  to  the 
crown,  in  the  territory  of  Fingal,  near  Dub- 
lin, to  the  grants  made  by  his  father  Henry  .f 

To  secure  himself  in  the  possession  of 
Meath,  Hugh  de  Lacy  exercised  unheard-of 
cruelties  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  country. 
Not  content  with  depriving  the  old  proprie- 
tors of  their  possessions,  he  caused  a  great 
number  of  them  to  be  massacred.  He  after- 
wards penetrated  into  the  territory  of  Annaly, 
(Longford,)  sword  in  hand,  where  he  com 
mitted  horrible  devastations,  and  killed,  in  i 
skirmish,  Donald  O'Ferral,  prince  of  that 
country.      O'Melaghlin,   hereditary  prince 


*  The  right  of  Henry  II.  to  the  crown  of  Lein- 
ster was  founded  upon  the  settlement,  only,  which 
the  king  of  this  province  had  made  of  it  on  Richard 
Strongbow,  in  consequence  of  the  assistance  he  had 
given  him  in  the  recovery  of  it,  and  the  forced  ab- 
dication which  Strongbow  had  made  iii  favor  of 
Henry  II. 

t  The  military  fief  was  a  certain  portion  of  land, 
producing  twenty  pounds  a  year  ;  the  county  com- 
prised about  twenty  military  fiefs,  and  the  barony 
nearly  thirteen. — Selden.  Titul.  Honor,  part  2, 
cap.  5. 


of  Meath,*  overwhelmed  with  grief  at  the 
hostilities  exercised  against  his  native  coun- 
try, came  to  Dublin,  to  Lacy,  to  complain 
of  the  outrages  perpetrated  in  Meath  and 
other  districts.  These  two  lords,  unable  to 
bring  their  differences  to  a  conclusion  in 
Dublin,  agreed  to  meet  at  Tara,  in  Meath, 
and  explain  matters  more  fully,  in  order  to 
bring  about  a  reconciliation.  The  number 
of  persons  that  were  to  accompany  each 
party  was  fixed  upon,  and  also  the  kind  of 
arms  they  were  to  carry. 

The,  prince  of  Meath  inveighed  loudly  at 
their  conference,  against  the  injustice  of  the 
king  of  England,  who,  notwithstanding  the 
promises  he  had  given  of  supporting  him  in 
the  possession  of  his  wealth  and  dignities, 
had  sent  robbers  to  invade  his  patrimony  ; 
and  who,  although  avaricious  and  sparing  of 
his  own  possessions,  was  lavish  of  those  of 
others,  and  enriched  libertines  and  profli- 
gates, who  had  consumed  the  property  of 
their  fathers  in  debauchery.  However  just 
these  reproaches  were,  it  may  be  readily 
inferred  that  they  were  not  palatable  to  De 
Lacy.  He  was  highly  offended  with  the 
rebuke,  but  still  dissembled  for  the  moment. 

Stanihurst,  who  was  in  heart  as  much  an 
Englishman  as  if  born  in  London,  being 
desirous  to  cast  a  doubt  upon  the  honor  of 
O'Melaghlin,  dares  to  affirm  that  this  prince 
had  posted  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  which 
the  conference  was  held,  a  body  of  armed 
men,  ready  to  appear  on  the  first  signal. f 
He  also  adds,  that  the  prince  of  Meath  struck 
De  Lacy  with  an  axe,  and  that  missing  him, 
he  killed  his  secretary.  The  same  author, 
however,  acknowledges  that  there  was  a 
body  of  English,  well  mounted  and  armed, 
lying  in  ambush  at  a  short  distance  from  the 
place  of  meeting,  to  await  the  event ;  and 
in  order  to  warrant  such  precaution,  he  art- 
fully introduces  a  dream,  that  he  said  Griffin, 
brother  of  Raymond  le  Gros,  had,  which 
portended  evil  to  De  Lacy.  However  this 
be,  O'Melaghlin  was  struck  by  Griffon  with 
a  poniard  in  the  back,  as  he  was  mounting 
his  horse  ;  and  was  then  beheaded,  and  his 
body  interred  with  the  feet  upwards.  Tliis 
head  was  sent  to  Dublin,  and  thence  to 
England,  as  the  head  of  a  traitor  and  a  rebel. | 


*  The  same  as  we  have  in  another  place  called 
Mortough  Mac-Floiiin,  father  of  Derforguill,  who 
had  married  O'Rourke,  or  O'Rork. 

t  De  Reb.  in  Hib.  Gest.  lib.  3,  page  133. 

X  Tlie  English  had  scarcely  set  their  foot  in  Ire- 
land,  when  they  began  to  treat  the  natives,  who  so 
justly  defended  their  homes  against  tiicm,  as  rebels. 
Such  has  been  always  since  the  manner  in  which 
that  imperious   nation  had   acted.       This   cannot 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


28] 


Stanihurst,  who  mentions  O'Rourke  to  have 
been  prince  of  Meath,  ascribes  this  catastro- 
phe to  him.  The  tyranny  of  De  Lacy  drew 
on  him  afterwards  the  execration  of  all  good 
men,  and  merited  for  him  a  ^-iolent  death  in 
the  end. 

This  English  nobleman,  eager  to  have  his 
vassals,  divided  Meath  into  dynasties,  which 
he  conferred  on  his  favorites.*  To  Hugh 
Tirrel,  his  friend,  he  gave  the  territory  of 
Castleknock ;  and  to  William  Petit,  that  of 
Castlebreck.  He  also  granted  to  the  latter, 
according  to  an  ancient  charter,  the  lands  of 
Magherithirnan  and  its  dependencies,  ex- 
cept the  lake  and  town,  called  Dissert.  To 
Meilcr  Fitzhcnry,  he  gave  the  lands  of  Mag- 
heran,  Rathkcnin,  and  the  cantred  of  Athi- 
norker ;  to  Gilbert  De  I'Angle,  or  Nangle, 
the  land  of  Magherigallen  ;  to  Joceline,  son 
of  Gilbert  Nangle,  the  town  of  Navan,  and 
the  lands  of  Ardbraccan ;  to  Robert  De 
Lacy,  those  of  Rathever  ;  to  Richard  Tuit, 
and  Richard  De  la  Chappelle,  he  gave 
several  districts ;  to  Galfrid  Constantine, 
the  lands  of  Kilbixy  and  Rathmarthy,  near 
the  river  Inny.  A  charter  granted  by  Wal- 
ter De  Lacy,  son  of  Hugh,  treats  more 
largely  of  this  grant;  according  to  it,  it  con- 
sisted of  live  fiefs  in  the  Theof  of  Kilbixy, 
with  a  castle,  and  of  fifteen  in  the  district  of 
Conemake  (Conmacne)  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  castle,  beyond  that  river.  To  Adam 
De  Feipo,  Gilbert  De  Nugent,  M^iUiam  De 
Misset,  and  Hugh  De  Hose,  he  granted  ex- 
tensive possessions  ;  namely,  to  Adam  De 
Feipo,  the  territory  of  Skrine,  in  Meath, 
with  the  fiefs  of  Clontorht,  and  StantrefF, 
near  Dublin,  as  appears  by  the  copy  of  the 
charter,  which  has  been  preserved  in  a  regis- 
try in  the  monastery  of  t"he  blessed  Virgin, 
near  Dublin.  To  Gilbert  Nugent  he  granted 
the  district  of  Dealbna,  (Delvin,)  which  had 
till  then  been  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Finel- 
lans,  with  its  towns  and  dependencies,  ex- 
cept the  town  of  Torrechelasch,  belonging 
to  the  abbot  of  Foure.  Lastly,  he  conferred 
on  Misset  the  lands  of  Luin  ;  on  Hose,  or 
Hussey,  the  whole  district  of  Deldies,  for- 
merly belonging  to  Schaclin,  or  Moelsachlin ; 
on  Adam  Dullard,  the  lands  of  Dullenvarthy  ; 
on  one  Thomas,  the  lands  of  Cramly,  Tim- 
lath-Began,  east  of  Kenlis,  Lathrakalim, 
and  Sendevonath;  and  on  Richard  Le 
Fleming,  he  bestowed  the  lands  of  Cran- 
don. 

he  wondered  at,  since  in  latter  times  we  find  that 
their  writers  look  upon  those  troops  as  rebels,  who 
supported  the  cause  of  their  lawful  prince,  James 
II.,  against  a  usurper. 
*  VVar.  de  Antiq. 


In  the  year  1172,  died  Giolla  Ada  O'Mu- 
gin,  bishop  of  Cork,  and  previously  abbot 
of  the  abbey  of  St.  Finbar  near  that  city,  a 
man  distinguished  for  his  piety.  About  the 
same  period  Dubhay,  archbishop  of  Tuam, 
convoked  a  provincial  council  in  that  city. 
This  prelate  consecrated  three  churches  at 
the  time  mentioned.* 

The  king  of  England  finding  himself  hard 
pressed  by  his  enemies  in  Normandy,  a.  d. 
1173,  sent  in  the  month  of  April,  in  the  year 
following,  an  order  to  Earl  Strongbow,  to 
repair  immediately  to  him  with  all  the  forces 
he  could  collect. t  Having  placed  garrisons 
in  the  towns  and  castles  which  were  in  the 
power  of  the  English,  the  earl  obeyed  with 
alacrit)',  and  set  out  with  a  few  chosen  troops 
for  Normandy,  where,  Regan  says,  he  re- 
mained for  some  time  as  warden  or  governor 
of  Gisors.  The  king,  however,  Avho  knew 
that  his  sway  in  Ireland  was  not  firmly  estab- 
lished, desired  that  Strongbow  should  re- 
turn thither  as  chief-justice  or  viceroy,  in 
order  to  keep  his  new  subjects  firm  in  their 
allegiance  to  him.  The  earl,  in  obeying  the 
king's  orders,  represented  to  him,  that  as 
great  envy  prevailed  among  his  country- 
men, it  was  necessary  he  should  have  a  col- 
league to  be  witness  to  his  administration, 
in  order  to  remove  any  suspicions  which 
might  attach  to  his  conduct ;  and  required, 
therefore,  that  he  would  send  Raymond  Le 
Gros  with  him  to  Ireland.  The  king  was 
much  pleased  by  this  apparent  modesty,  and 
granted  his  request ;  and  as  a  stimulus  to  his 
zeal  in  his  service,  he  gave  him  in  perpetuity 
the  town  of  Wexford  and  the  castle  of 
Wicklow. 

On  Strongbow's  return  to  Ireland  with 
Raymond,  Hugh  De  Lacy  gave  him  up  the 
city  of  Dublin,  where  he  was  joyfully  re- 
ceived. At  the  same  time  Robert  Fitzber- 
nard,  Robert  Fitzstephen,  and  Maurice 
Prendergast,  were  ordered  to  proceed  to 
England,  where  they  joined  the  English 
army,  and  defeated  Robert,  earl  of  Essex, 
who  had  revolted  against  the  king.  The 
earl  was  made  prisoner,  and  brought  over 
to  the  king,  who  was  still  in  Normandy. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Irish,  convinced  of 
the  injustice  and  tyranny  which  the  English 
exercised  among  them,  began  to  have  re- 
course to  arms,  to  defend  their  properties, 
and  revenge  the  loss  of  their  liberty.  The 
present  they  thought  a  favorable  oppor- 
tunity for  their  purpose.     The  affairs  of  the 

*  War.  de  Episc.  Corcag.  Idem,  de  Archiep. 
Tuam. 

t  Stanihurst,  ibid,  lib.  3.  War.  de  Annal.  Hib. 
cap.  5. 

36 


282 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


Strangers  were  in  a  bad  state,  and  part  of 
their  army  absent ;  the  exchequer  was  drained 
by  the  imprudence  of  Strongbow,  and  those 
to  whom  it  had  been  intrusted ;  the  troops 
were  in  want  of  every  thing,  and  began  to 
mutiny  against  Ilervey  De  Monte  Marisco, 
who  commanded  them  in  the  absence  of 
Raymond  Le  Gros.  He  kept  his  men  under 
severe  discipline,  and  was  obnoxious  to  the 
soldiery,  from  his  desire  to  restrain  tliem  in 
their  thirst  for  plunder.  In  order  to  allay 
among  the  troops  a  discontent  which  might 
be  attended  with  dangerous  consequences, 
Strongbow  gave  the  command  to  Raymond, 
who  possessed  their  confidence,  and  they 
then  left  the  fortresses  to  go  in  quest  of 
plunder.  Raymond  led  them  into  the  ter- 
ritory of  Desie,  belonging  to  the  O'Faolans, 
and  from  thence  to  Lismore,  where  theylaid 
waste  the  whole  country.  The  booty  was 
so  considerable,  that  he  was  obliged  to  dis- 
patch part  of  it  by  sea  to  Waterford,  under 
the  command  of  Adam  De  Hereford,  a.  d. 
1174. 

The  Danes  of  Cork,  determined  to  inter- 
cept this  convoy,  equipped  thirty-five  vessels 
and  attacked  the  English  fleet.  They,  how- 
ever, lost  the  victory  through  the  valor  of 
Philip  Walsh,  who  leaped,  sword  in  hand, 
on  board  the  admiral's  ship,  and  killed  Gil- 
bert, son  of  Turgesius,  who  commanded  the 
Danes,  when  the  latter,  finding  themselves 
deprived  of  their  chief,  thought  prudent  to 
withdraw,  and  De  Hereford  continued  his 
course  to  Waterford.  In  the  mean  time, 
Raymond  with  difficulty  marched  his  army 
thither  by  land,  with  the  remainder  of  his 
spoils  from  the  province,  consisting  chiefly 
of  cattle,  to  the  number  of  four  thousand. 
He  had  to  contend  with  Dermod,  king  of 
Cork  and  Desmond,  who  opposed  him  in  his 
march.  On  his  arrival  at  Waterford,  he 
received  intelligence  of  the  death  of  his 
father,  William  Fitzgerald,  which  obliged 
him  to  cross  over  into  Wales  ;  but  others 
say  that  displeasure  caused  his  sudden  de- 
parture. According  to  Regan,  he  loved 
Basilia,  sister  of  Earl  Strongbow,  who  re- 
fused her  to  him,  and  also  the  office  of  con- 
stable of  Leinster,  during  the  minority  of 
Quincy's  daughter,  which  made  him  adopt 
that  line  of  conduct.  He  retired  to  the  cas- 
tle of  Carew  in  Wales,  and  determined  to 
lead  a  private  life. 

This  year  was  remarkable  for  a  plague 
which  desolated  the  provinces  of  Munster 
and  Connaught,  and  for  the  death  of  the 
following  illustrious  personages :  Maurice 
O'CofTy,  bishop  of  Derry,  (where  he  was 
interred,  in  the  monastery  of  St.  Columb,) 


one  whose  memory  was  always  held  in  high 
veneration  for  his  eminent  virtues  ;  Celesti- 
nus,  or  Ilyned  O'Ronan,  bishop  of  Glenda- 
lough  ;  and  Melissa  Mac-Award,  bishop  of 
Clonfcrt.  Dunleve,  prince  of  Ulidia,  was 
likewise  killed  by  his  own  subjects  ;  and  was 
succeeded  in  the  government  of  his  princi- 
pality by  his  son  Roderick. 

After  Raymond's  retirement  to  Wales,  the 
army  being  without  a  chief,  Strongbow  ap- 
pointed Hervey  to  the  command.  This 
general,  desirous  of  trying  the  success  of  an 
iiicursionupon  Limerick,  collected  the  troops 
of  Waterford  and  Dublin,  and  jnarched  to- 
wards Cashel ;  but  being  met  by  the  mon- 
arch, Roderick  O'Connor,  at  Durlas  Hy- 
Ogarta,  at  present  Thurles,  in  the  territory 
of  Ormond,  his  army  was  completely  de- 
feated, and  seventeen  hundred  English  left 
dead  upon  the  field.*  Ware  ascribes  the 
glory  of  this  action  to  Donald  O'Brien,  king 
of  Limerick,  and  calculates  that  the  loss  of 
the  English  was  not  so  considerable.  Strong- 
bow was  so  much  affected  by  the  disaster, 
that  he  kept  himself  secluded  for  some  time 
at  Waterford,  without  seeing  any  one. 

Animated  by  this  success,  Roderick  march- 
ed at  the  head  of  his  army  into  Meath, 
which  was  then  in  possession  of  the  English ; 
pillaged  and  burned  their  habitations,  and 
laid  the  whole  country  waste.  Hugh  Tyrrel, 
governor  of  this  part  of  the  country,  in  the 
absence  of  De  Lacy,  who  was  in  England, 
finding  himself  unable  to  oppose  so  superior 
an  army,  led  his  troops  towards  Dublin,  and 
destroyed  the  fortifications  of  Trim  and 
Duleek.  According  to  Regan,  the  allies  of 
Roderick  in  this  expedition  were,  beside  the 
princes  of  Connaught,  O'Melaghlin,  prince 
of  Meath,  O'Neill,  prince  of  Tyrone,  and 
others. 

Strongbow's  alarm,  while  he  remained 
secluded  at  Waterford,  was  greatly  increased 
by  the  intelligence  he  received  of  the  loss  of 
Meath.  The  natives  were  rising  on  every 
side,  as  well  as  the  Danes  who  inhabited  the 
coasts,  and  he  saw  himself  on  the  eve  of 
sharing  the  evil  fortune  of  his  countrymen. 
In  order  to  avert  the  danger,  he  consulted 
with  his  friends,  and  wrote  to  Raymond, 
who  had  withdrawn  the  preceding  year  into 
Wales,  an  affectionate  letter,  in  which  he 
represented  the  unhappy  posture  of  his  affairs 
in  Ireland,  and  entreated  him  to  return  im- 
mediately with  some  assistance  to  extricate 
him  from  his  embarrassments  ;  proposing,  as 
an  inducement,  to  give  himhis  sister  Basilia 


*  Cambrens.  Evers.    cap.  9,   page  89.     Annal. 
c.  6,  regnant.  Hen.  I.I. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


283 


in  marriage,  Avith  whom  he  knew  that  he  was 
deeply  in  love.  It  may  be  easily  inferred, 
that  Raymond  felt  pleased  with  a  proposal 
that  flattered  both  himself  and  his  inclina- 
tions. "Without  loss  of  time,  he,  in  concert 
with  his  cousin  iMilo,,  collected  thirty  young 
men  of  his  own  family,  who  were  desirous 
of  making  their  fortunes,*  and  one  hundred 
horsemen,  besides  three  hundred  foot-sol- 
diers, and  with  this  force  he  embarked  for 
Ireland.  On  his  arrival  at  Watcrford,  finding 
the  inhabitants  ready  to  attack  the  place,  he 
facilitated  Strongbow's  escape,  and  brought 
him  to  Wexford.  After  this  retreat  of  the 
earl,  the  Danes  made  themselves  masters  of 
the  city,  and  put  the  English  to  the  sword, 
without  sparing  either  age  or  sex  ;  but  being 
unable  to  force  the  tower  of  Reynald,  which 
part  of  the  garrison  had  shut  themselves  up 
in,  and  defended  with  obstinacy,  the  Danes, 
dreading  the  consequences  of  their  rash 
enterprise,  surrendered  the  city  on  unfavor- 
able terms. 

Earl  Strongbow  was  not  unmindful  of  his 
promises  to  Raymond ;  he  sent  to  Dublin 
for  his  sister  Basilia,  and  their  marriage  was 
celebrated  with  great  pomp  at  Wexford. 
Raymond  was  immediately  appointed  con- 
stable of  Leinster,  in  the  room  of  Hervey, 
by  whom  that  oflice  had  been  held  since  the 
death  of  Quincy. 

Raymond  now  began  to  collect  his  forces, 
and  putting  himself  at  their  head,  led  them, 
by  order  of  Strongbow,  towards  Meath. 
Roderick's  army  was  already  weakened  by 
the  retreat  of  his  allies  after  the  reduction 
of  the  province,  so  that  his  own  troops  alone 
remained,  with  whom,  according  to  Cam- 
brensis,  he  retired  into  Connaught,  finding 
himself  quite  unable  to  keep  the  field  against 
a  general  of  Raymond's  high  military  repu- 
tation. Regan,  in  whom  more  reliance  can 
be  placed  than  in  Cambrensis,t  asserts  that 
the  earl  was  there  himself;  that  having 
attacked  Roderick's  rear-guard,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men  were  killed  ;  and  that  having 
reinstated  Tirrel  at  Trim,  he  returned  to 
Dublin.  However  this  be,  it  is  certain  that 
the  English  remained  in  possession  of  Lein- 
ster and  Meath. 

In  the  course  of  this  year,  Hervey  de  Monte 
Marisco  married  Nesta,  cousin  to  Raymond, 
and  daughter  of  Maurice  Fitzgerald ;  and 
the  earl  gave  his  daughter  Aliva  in  marriage 
to  William  Fitzgerald,  eldest  son  of  Maurice. 

*  Ireland  was  at  that  time  another  Peru  for  the 
English,  who  were  poor.  The  law  which  forbids 
us  to  usurp  the  goods  of  others,  had  no  weight 
timong  them. 

t  He  was  a  near  relative  of  Raymond's. 


In  the  same  year  died  Gelasus,  archbishop 
of  Armagh,  and  primate  of  Ireland  ;  Eleu- 
therus,  bishop  of  Clogher,  in  Meath  ;  Melissa 
O'Conactain,  bishop  of  Elphin ;  Patrick 
O'Bannan,  formerly  bishop  of  Connor,  who 
had  retired  to  the  abbey  of  Hy-Collum-Kill ; 
and  Florence,  or  Flamin  O'Gorman,  a  cele- 
brated professor  in  the  university  of  Armagh. 

We  discoA^er  at  this  time  many  celebrated 
writers  in  Ireland,  even  before  the  arrival  of 
the  English.  Giolla,  or  Gilbert,  bishop  of 
Limerick,  wrote  some  epistles,  and  a  treatise 
on  the  state  of  the  church,  which  Usher 
deemed  worthy  of  being  published.*  Celsus, 
or  Celestinus,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  wrote 
an  abridgment  of  theology,  Avhich,  accord- 
ing to  Ware,  was  published  at  Vienna. 
According  to  Bede,  he  wrote  several  letters 
to  Malachi,  and  certain  ordinances,  which 
were  probably  those  enacted  in  the  celebrated 
synod  held  at  Usneach  in  1110,  or  11 12,  in 
the  reign  of  Moriertach  O'Brien. 

Malachi  O'Morgain,  archbishop  of  Ar- 
magh, wrote  many  epistles  to  St.  Bernard ; 
he  gave  a  compilation  of  the  general  statutes, 
and  wrote  laws  on  celibacy ;  besides  tradi- 
tions, and  the  life  of  St.  Cuthbert,  which  he 
dedicated  to  David,  Idng  of  the  Scots.  A 
prophecy  respecting  the  popes  is  ascribed  to 
him,  which  was  published  by  Arnold  Wion, 
in  his  Lignum  Vitm. 

Tundal,  or  Tungal,  a  native  of  Cashel  or 
Cork,  in  Munster,  flourished  about  the  year 
1159.  He  had  frequent  visions,  which  he 
himself,  or  some  other  person  for  him,  has 
described.  They  are  quoted  by  Tinmouth 
and  Vincent,  and  are  preserved  in  manu- 
script in  the  library  of  the  university  at 
Oxford. 

Congan,  a  Cistertain  monk,  lived  in  1150. 
It  is  said  that  he  wrote  the  life  of  Malachi, 
archbishop  of  Armagh,  and  some  epistles  to 
St.  Bernard.  It  was  at  his  request  that  this 
saint  composed  the  life  of  Malachi,  as  appears 
by  the  preface,  in  which  he  styles  him  his 
reverend  brother  and  dear  friend.  It  is 
said  that  he  also  wrote  the  acts  of  St.  Ber- 
nard. 

Maurice  Regan,  secretary  and  interpreter 
of  Dermod  Mac-Murrough,  last  king  of 
Leinster,  lived  in  1171.  He  wrote  with 
care  a  history  of  the  affairs  of  Ireland  in  his 
time,  which  was  put  into  French  verse  by 
one  of  his  friends,  and  translated  into  Eng- 
lish by  Sir  George  Carew,  president  of  Mun- 
ster in  the  reign  of  queen  Elizabeth. 

In  this  century,  Concubran  wrote  three 
books  on  the  life  of  St.  Moninna,or  Modvven, 

*  Vet.  Epist.  Hib.  Syllog. 


284 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


a  virgin,  lie  composed  also  two  hymns  in 
her  praise.  The  original  of  these  works  is 
in  the  Cottonian  library,  from  whence  Ware 
says  he  obtained  the  copy.  There  is,  in  the 
same  library,  another  manuscript,  on  the 
birth  and  dignity  of  St.  Cuthbert,  composed 
according  to  the  ancient  histories  of  Ireland, 
by  Eugene,  bishop  of  Ardmore,  a  suflragan 
of  Cashel. 

Mathew  O'Heney,  archbishop  of  Cashel, 
lived  about  the  end  of  this,  and  perhaps  in 
the  beginning  of  the  following  century. 
Among  other  things,  he  wrote  the  life  of 
St.  Cuthbert,  bishop  of  Lhidisfarn,  and  some 
epistles  to  the  popes  Celestinus  III.  and  In- 
nocent III. 

About  this  time,  says  Ware,  following 
the  English  authors,  by  whom  alone  it  is 
mentioned,  Henry  II.  sent  Nicholas,  prior 
of  Wallingford,  afterwards  abbot  of  Malms- 
bury,  and  William  Fitz-Adelm  to  Ireland, 
A.  D.  1175,  with  the  bull  of  Alexander  III., 
Avhich  they  say  was  read  and  approved  of 
in  an  assembly  of  bishops  at  Waterford. 
This  bull,  according  to  them,  confirmed  that 
by  which  Adrian  IV.  had  already  granted 
to  this  prince  the  title  of  lord  of  Ireland,  and 
other  privileges.* 

Strongbow  being  anxious  to  paralyze  the 
efforts  which  Donald  O'Brien,  king  of  Lim- 
erick, was  making  in  that  country,  sent  Ray- 
mond with  forces  sufficient  to  reduce  the 
capital  in  which  he  had  taken  shelter.  On 
his  way  he  met  Donald  Mac-GioUa-Phad- 
ruig,  (Fitzpatrick,)  prince  of  Ossory,  the 
avowed  enemy  ofDonald  O'Brien,  who  joined 
him  in  his  expedition.  Limerick  was,  at  the 
time,  open,  and  without  fortifications  ;  the 
great  difficulty  being  in  crossing  the  river 
Shannon,  by  which  it  was  surrounded.  This 
was  removed  by  the  intrepid  boldness  of 
David  Walsh,  a  young  man  of  Wales,  and 
nephew  to  Raymond  ;  he  swam  across  the 
river,  and  by  the  goodness  of  his  horse,  sur- 
mounted the  danger  caused  by  the  rapidity 
of  the  waters.  This  example  was  followed 
by  the  army,  part  of  whom  crossed  by  swim- 
ming also,  and  the  remainder  by  a  ford. 
When  the  English  reached  the  opposite 
bank,  they  repulsed  a  detachment  of  the 
garrison  which  had  made  a  sally  against 
them,  and  pursuing  that  portion  of  it  now 
in  disorder,  made  themselves  masters  of  the 
city.  It  was  then  given  up  to  pillage,  and 
Raymond,  having  placed  a  garrison  in  it, 
under  the  command  of  MeyJer  de  St.  David, 
returned  to  Wexford.  Roderick  O'Connor 
witnessed  with  grief  the  tyranny  which  the 

*  Annal.  Hib.  cap.  7,  reg.  Hen.  II. 


English  were  practising  in  Ireland,  and  find- 
ing it  impossible  to  put  an  end  to  the  dis- 
orders, judged  it  prudent  to  yield  to  the  ne- 
cessity of  the  times  by  a  voluntary  submis- 
sion to  the  king  of  England.  For  this  pur- 
pose he  sent  to  him,  as  ambassadors,  Cathol- 
icus,  archbishop  of  Tuam,  Concord,  abbot  of 
St.  Brendan  of  Clonfert,  and  Laurence  his 
chancellor,  who  were  received  by  Henry  on 
the  8th  of  October,  1175,  at  Windsor,  where 
he  was  holding  his  parliament.*  The  king 
of  England,  flattered  by  this  embassy,  granted 
peace  to  Roderick,  with  the  title  of  tributary 
king,  which  was  transmitted  to  some  of  his 
successors.  His  son  is  called  king  of  Con- 
naught,  in  a  roll  in  the  tower  of  London, 
dated  the  sixth  year  of  the  reign  of  John. 
In  the  fifth  year  of  the  reign  of  Henry  HI., 
he  sent  letters  patent  to  the  kings  of  Con- 
naught  and  of  Kinel-Ean.  Mathew  Paris 
mentions,  in  the  year  1240,  the  dispute  be- 
tween Fedlim  O'Connor  and  John  de  Bur- 
go,  and  the  complaints  which  the  former 
made  to  Henry  HI.  in  presence  of  his  court, 
in  London  ;■]■  this  historian  calls  him  king 
of  that  part  of  Ireland  called  Cunoch,  (Con- 
naught.)!  Lastly,  Henry  HI.  granted  to 
O'Brien,  by  charter,  the  lands  of  Thuomond, 
with  the  title  of  king.  There  is  no  charter 
to  be  found  respecting  Ulster,  the  kings  of 
which  had  not  as  yet  submitted  to  the  Eng- 
lish yoke. 

About  this  time  the  kings  of  England  be- 
gan to  nominate  to  the  vacant  benefices  in 
that  part  of  Ireland  which  was  under  their 
dominion.  Hoveden  says  that  Henry  HI. 
had  appointed  to  the  bishopric  of  Waterford, 
Augustin,  an  Irishman  by  birth,  and  that  he 
sent  him  to  Ireland  with  Laurence,  arch- 
bishop of  Dublin,  to  be  consecrated  by  Do- 
natus,  archbishop  of  Cashel.  According  to 
annalists,  Flathbert  O'Brolcan,  bishop  of 
Derry,  Malachi,  or  Melissa  Mac-Inclericuit, 
aiidGelasus  Mac-Cormac,both  successively 
bishops  of  Down,  died  during  this  year. 
O'Brolcan  was  celebrated  for  his  learning 
and  generosity ;  he  resigned  the  episcopal 
see  of  Derry  a  short  time  before  his  death, 

*  "  This  was  the  final  agreement  made  at  Windsor, 
on  the  8th  of  October,  1175,  between  Henry,  king 
of  England,  son  of  the  Empress  Matilda,  and  Rod- 
erick, king  of  Counaught,  through  Catholicus,  arch- 
bishop of  Tuam,  Concord,  abbot  of  St.  Brendan, 
and  Laurence,  chancellor  of  the  king  of  Connanght, 
viz.,  that  the  king  of  England  granted  to  the  afore- 
said Roderick,  liege  king  of  Connauglit,  that  he 
shall  continue  king  under  him  so  long  as  lie  sliull 
serve  him  faithfully,  and  shall  be  prepared  for  his 
service  as  his  subject." — Hoveden,  ad  ann.  1175. 

t  Hist.  Anglic,  page  365. 

X  Rotulus  Chart,  an  G,  Hen.  III.,  Memb.  2. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


285 


and  confined  himself  to  the  government  of 
the  abbey  of  St.  Cokimb,  having  refused  that 
of  Hy. 

The  alliance  which  Hervey  had  formed 
the  preceding  year  with  Raymond,  by  his 
marriage  with  his  cousin  Nesta,  daughter  of 
Maurice  Fitzgerald,  was  insufficient  to  re- 
move the  secret  jealousy  he  entertained  of 
him,  caused  by  the  loss  of  the  office  of  con- 
stable of  Leinster,  which  Strongbow  had 
given  to  Raymond,  and  the  preference  testi- 
fied towards  the  latter  by  the  troops,  who  are 
generally  good  judges  of  a  general's  merit ; 
he  therefore  determined  to  injure  him.*  He 
wrote  a  letter  to  the  king  of  England,  dictated 
with  all  the  art  that  malice  coidd  devise, 
A.  D.  1176  ;  in  which  strong  suspicions  were 
cast  upon  the  conduct  of  Raymond,  repre- 
senting him  as  an  intriguing  and  popular 
character,  likely  to  corrupt  his  majesty's  sub- 
jects in  Ireland.  The  too  credulous  Henry 
•dispatched  four  commissioners  to  Ireland  in 
the  spring ;  namely,  Robert  Poer,  Osbert 
de  Herlotera,  AVilliam  de  Bendenges,  and 
Adam  de  Gervensan,  two  of  whom  Avere 
ordered  to  bring  Raymond  to  England,  and 
the  other  two  to  remain  with  Earl  Strongbow 
in  Ireland.  When  the  commissioners  pre- 
sented their  commands  to  Raymond,  he  im- 
mediately obeyed;  but  while  they  were  wait- 
ing for  a  favorable  wind  to  embark,  news  ar- 
rived that  Limerick  was  besieged  by  Donald 
O'Brien,  at  the  head  of  a  powerful  army, 
that  the  city  was  in  want  of  provisions,  and 
consequently  that  it  should  surrender  if  re- 
lief was  not  sent  in  time. 

Strongbow  held  a  council  of  war  to  de- 
liberate on  the  means  of  sending  succor  to 
Limerick,  but  finding  that  the  troops  refused 
to  serve  if  they  were  not  commanded  by 
Raymond,  he,  as  well  as  the  commissioners, 
considered  this  captain's  presence  necessary 
in  so  critical  a  conjuncture  ;  so  that  instead 
of  embarking  for  England,  Raymond  resu- 
med his  command  by  order  of  the  earl.  He 
marched  with  all  possible  diligence  towards 
Limerick,  at  the  head  of  eighty  knights,  two 
hundred  horsemen,  and  three  hundred  foot- 
soldiers,  with  the  troops  of  Murchard,  prince 
of  Kinseallagh,  and  Donald,  prince  of  Ossory, 
who  both  joined  him  as  allies.  The  king  of 
Limerick,  informed  of  the  march  of  the  Eng- 
lish, raised  the  siege,  and  came  to  meet 
them  as  far  as  Cashel,  where  he  fell  into  an 
ambuscade  on  Easter  Saturday  :  his  army 
was  surrounded  by  the  superior  forces  of  the 
English,  and  routed,  after  a  vigorous  resist- 

*  Stanihurst,  ibid.  lib.  4.  War.  Annal.  Hib.  cap. 
reg.  Hen.  II. 


ance.  The  English  then  marched  to  Lim- 
erick, which  they  entered  three  days  after- 
wards. We  here  discover  the  perfidy  of 
tlie  prince  of  Ossory,  who  had  contributed 
much  to  the  gaining  of  this  battle  :  although 
an  Irishman,  he  sacrificed  the  welfare  of  his 
country  to  his  private  hatred  against  Donald 
O'Brien  ;  and  not  content  with  aiding  the 
English  against  him,  he  signalized  himself 
in  the  beginning  of  the  action  by  encouraging 
them  to  the  combat.  The  English  general 
had  separate  interviews  with  Roderick,  king 
of  Connaught,  and  Donald,  kingof  Limerick. 
They  agreed  on  both  sides  to  make  peace, 
and  Raymond  received  hostages  from  them. 

About  this  time,  Dermod  Mac-Carty,  king 
of  Cork  and  Desmond,  wrote  to  Raymond, 
requesting  him  to  send  him  some  assistance 
against  Cormacleiavac,  his  eldest  son,  who 
had  rebelled  against  him  with  a  design  of 
dethroning  him.  This  captain  marched  to- 
wards Desmond,  at  the  head  of  some  troops, 
and  having  quelled  the  revolt,  and  reinstated 
Dermod  in  the  possession  of  his  kingdom, 
he  returned  to  Limerick.  This  imnatural 
son  again  conspired  against  his  father,  and 
put  him  into  confinement ;  but  a  violent 
death,  by  which  this  horrid  action  was  pun- 
ished, restored  the  unhappy  father  to  his 
liberty.  Mac-Carty,  filled  with  gratitude 
for  the  services  he  had  received  from  Ray- 
mond, conferred  an  extensive  territory  on 
him  in  the  county  of  Kerry,  where  he  estab- 
lished his  son  Maurice,  who  became  power- 
ful by  his  marriage  with  Catherine,  daughter 
of  Miles  Cogan,  and  gave  his  name  to  his 
descendants,  as  well  as  to  the  territory, 
which  is  called  Clan-Morris. 

In  the  beginning  of  June,  1176,  according 
to  Keating,  the  celebrated  Richard  Strong- 
bow died  a  miserable  death  in  Dublin,  having 
exercised  his  tyranny  over  the  inhabitants  of 
Leinster  for  the  space  of  seven  years,  sparing 
neither  the  clergy,  churches,  or  monasteries.* 
His  sister  Basilia,  wife  of  Raymond,  did  not 
fail  to  give  timely  information  to  her  husband 
of  an  event  which  was  so  likely  to  change 
the  aspect  of  their  affairs.  Raymond  having 
consulted  with  his  friends,  it  was  determined 
that  they  should  abandon  Limerick,  which 
was  too  distant  from  the  centre  of  their  pos- 
sessions ;  that  Raymond's  presence  was 
necessary  in  Dublin  to  guard  the  ports  and 
fortresses  belonging  to  the  English';  and  that 
the  troops,  which  had  been  scattered  in  the 
different  quarters,  should  be  collected  to  se- 
cure the  possession  of  Leinster.  On  leaving 
Limerick,  Raymond  gave  the  command  of 

*  History  of  Ireland,  book  2. 


286 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


the  place  to  Donald  O'Brien,  who  set  fire  to 
it  immediately.* 

Raymond  repaired  with  all  possible  dili- 
gence to  Dublin,  where  they  waited  his 
arrival,  to  attend  the  funeral  ceremonies  of 
Strongbow,  in  accordance  with  the  last  will 
of  that  nol)lcnian.  His  body  was  interred 
with  great  pomp,  by  Laurence  O'Tool,  arch- 
bishop of  the  city,  in  the  cathedral  of  the 
holy  Trinity,  since  called  Christ's  Church, 
where  his  tomb  is  still  to  be  seen. 

The  commissioners  who  were  sent  some 
time  before  by  Henry  II.  to  bring  Raymond 
to  England,  finding  the  face  of  affairs  altered 
by  the  earl's  death,  intrusted  that  general 
with  the  government  of  the  colony  till  other 
arrangements  could~  be  made,  and  set  out  for 
England  to  render  to  the  king  an  account  of 
his  affairs  in  Ireland.  Upon  their  arrival 
Henry  immediately  sent  over  William  Fitz- 
Adelm,  with  the  title  of  viceroy,  and  ap- 
pointed for  his  colleagues  John  Courcy, 
Robert  Fitzstephen,  and  Milo  Cogan,  who 
had  rendered  him  important  services  during 
the  war  in  which  he  had  been  engaged 
during  two  years,  both  in  France  and  Eng- 
land. 

By  his  marriage  with  Eva,  daughter  of 
Dermod,kingofLeinster,  Strongbow  had  one 
daughter,  called  Isabella,  heiress  of  his  ex- 
tensive possessions  in  that  province.  Some 
time  afterwards  this  princess  married  Wil- 
liam Marshal,  an  English  lord,  by  whom  she 
had  five  sons,  and  as  many  daughters  :  the 
sons  all  died  without  issue  ;  the  daughters 
were  married  to  English  noblemen,  who,  in 
virtue  of  their  alliance,  claimed  extensive 
estates  in  Leinster.  It  was  thus  the  race 
of  this  celebrated  man  became  extinct,  whom 
the  English  have  ranked  as  a  hero,  but  who 
in  reality  was  an  extortioner  and  a  tyrant ; 
it  might  be  said  of  him,  as  the  royal  prophet 
said  of  the  wicked  man,  that,  having  been 
raised  above  the  cedars  of  Mount  Libanus, 
there  remained  no  vestige  of  him,  but  a  hor- 
ror for  his  memory.!  "  He  carried  nothing 
with  him,"  says  Nubrigensis,  "of  the  spoils 
of  the  Irish,  for  which  he  had  evinced  such 


*  This  action  of  O'Brien,  which  the  English  have 
treated  of  as  a  signal  perfidy,  is  not  so  atrocious  as 
may  seem  at  first  view.  It  should  be  observed,  that 
as  it  was  the  want  of  any  other  defender  which  in- 
duced the  English  to  confide  the  place  to  Donald, 
it  is  evident  that  the  latter  considered  himself  un- 
der no  gratitude  for  a  forced  mark  of  their  confi- 
dence. Besides,  O'Brien  was  the  lawful  master  of 
the  country  ;  it  therefore  appears  just  that  he  should 
have  used  the  only  means  of  recovering  it  from  un- 
just usurpers,  which  was  to  destroy  their  settlements 
altogether. 

t  Ps.  36,  ver.  38,  39. 


greediness,  and  left  to  ungrateful  heirs  all 
the  riches  which  he  had  amassed  at  the  risk 
of  his  salvation  ;  his  fall  furnishes  a  salutary 
warning  to  posterity."* 

The  Irish  still  retained  a  passion  for  found- 
ing religious  houses,  even  in  the  midst  of  the 
troubles  with  which  their  country  was  agi- 
tated. In  the  history  of  this  period  we 
discover  a  strange  mixture  of  cruelty  and 
religion  ;  at  one  time  an  inclination  to  mutual 
destruction,  at  another  to  raising  monuments 
of  religious  devotion.  A  people  stripped  of 
their  possessions,  to  be  given  away  in  alms  ; 
M'hat  justice  !  what  charity !  Little  did 
these  pious  founders  think  that  their  zeal 
would  be  soon  made  unavailing  by  the  im- 
piety of  their  descendants.  Although  the 
account  of  those  foundations  may  appear  te- 
dious to  the  reader,  still,  as  they  are  facts 
which  do  not  admit  of  doubt,  my  respect 
lor  religion,  and  consideration  for  the  great 
number  of  virtuous  persons  that  are  yet  in 
being,  and  interested  to  know  the  good  ac- 
tions of  their  ancestors,  will  not  allow  me 
to  pass  them  over  unnoticed. 

Richard  Strongbow,  head  of  the  English 
colony,  was  the  first  who  gave  the  example 
to  his  fellow-citizens  :  being  desirous  of 
devoting  to  God,  before  his  death,  part  of 
what  he  had  taken  from  man,  he  founded  a 
priory  at  Kilmainham,  near  Dublin,  in  1174, 
so  called  from  St.  Mainan,  or  Maignan,  a 
bishop  who  lived  in  the  seventh  century. 
This  house  was  magnificent,  and  considered  i 
one  of  the  finest  in  the  kingdom  before  the 
suppression  of  religious  houses  in  Ireland. 
It  was  the  grand  priory  of  the  order  of 
Templars,  which  was  reunhed  in  the  four-  I 
teenth  century  with  its  eight  commanderies, 
namely,  Kilclogan,  in  the  county  of  Wex- 
ford ;  Killergy,  in  the  county  of  Carlow  ; 
Kilsaran,  county  of  Louth  ;  Kilbarry,  Kilure, 
and  Crooke,  coimty  of  Waterford  ;  Clonaul, 
county  of  Tipperary,  and  Teach-Temple,  in 
the  county  of  Sligo,  to  the  order  of  MaUa. 

The  order  of  Malta  was  inconsiderable 
before  this  reunion,  having  but  one  priory, 
namely,  that  of  Wexford,  and  nine  com- 
manderies, which  were,  Kilbeg,  Kilheal,  and 
Tully,  in  the  county  of  Kildare  ;  Kilmainan- 
Beg,  and  Kilmainan  Wood,  in  east  Meath ; 
St.  John  the  Baptist  of  Ardes,  county  of 
Down  ;  Morne,  or  Ballinemony,  county  of 
Cork  ;  Any,  county  of  Limerick,  and  Kil- 
nalekin,  county  of  Gahvay  ;  so  that  by  this 
union  there  were  two  grand  priories  of  the 
order  of  Malta  in  Ireland,  and  seventeen 
commanderies. 

*  Nubrig.  de  Rcb.  Anglic,  lib.  2. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


287 


When  William  Fitz-Adelm  arrived  in  Ire- 
land as  chief-justice  or  viceroy,  Raymond 
w^cnt  to  Wexford  to  congratulate  him,  and 
gave  up  the  government  with  which  he  had 
been  intrusted  by  the  commissioners ;  where- 
upon the  new  viceroy  took  possession,  in 
the  name,  and  by  order  of  the  king,  of  all 
the  places  which  had  belonged  to  Strong- 
bow. 

According  to  Stanihurst,  Fitz-iVdelm  Avas 
neither  a  foolish  nor  a  wise  man ;  he  was 
hostile  to  the  Fitzgeralds,  and  frequently 
made  them  feel  that  he  was  possessed  of 
more  will  than  power  to  injure  them.  This 
family  was  already  firmly  established  in 
Leinster,  and  allied  to  the  principal  chiefs 
of  the  English  colony.  Maurice  Fitzgerald 
died  this  year  at  Wexford,  much  regretted  ; 
he  was  the  ancestor  of  all  the  noble  families 
of  that  name  in  Ireland,  by  his  three  sons, 
William,  Gerald,  and  Alexander.  He  was 
scarcely  dead,  when  Fitz-Adelm  seized  upon 
the  castle  of  Wicklow,  Avhich  had  been  given 
him  by  Strongbow ;  and  in  order  to  give 
some  color  to.  so  flagrant  an  injustice,  by 
way  of  compensation  he  gave  to  the  three 
brothers  the  little  town  of  Ferns,  where  the 
fortresses  had  been  the  only  security  against 
the  insults  of  the  inhabitants,  to  which  they 
were  exposed.  These  brothers,  wishing  to 
render  their  new  establishment  secure,  began 
to  build  a  castle,  which  was  immediately 
demolished  by  Walter  Allemand,  Fitz- 
Adelm's  nephew,  and  a  man  of  obscure  ori- 
gin,Iput  who  was  become  conspicuous  through 
the  influence  of  his  uncle,  who  committed  to 
him  the  government  of  Wexiord. 

About  this  time,  Vivian,  cardinal  priest, 
with  the  title  of  St.  Stephen  in  Monte  CeeUo, 
was  sent  as  legate,  by  Pope  Alexander  III., 
to  visit  the  churches  of  Scotland,  Ireland, 
and  Norway.  When  passing  through  Eng- 
land, he  was  reproved  by  Henry  II.  for 
having  entered  his  kingdom  without  permis- 
sion, and  was  made  to  swear  that  he  would 
not,  in  his  capacity  of  legate,  do  any  thing 
prejudicial  to  his  interests,  whereupon,  he 
proceeded  to  Scotland,  from  whence  he  set 
sail  for  the  Isle  of  Man,  on  Christmas  eve, 
where  he  was  honorably  received  by  God- 
frey, king  of  that  island.  He  remained  there 
for  a  fortnight,  and  from  thence  he  went  to 
Down,  in  Ireland. 

The  castle  of  Slane,  in  Meath,  was  taken 
the  same  year  by  assault,  and  destroyed  by 
Melaghlin  Mac-Loghlin,  the  former  pro- 
prietor of  that  country ;  and  Richard  le 
Fleming,  who  was  then  master  of  it,  having 
been  given  up  to  him  by  De  Lacey,  was 
killed,  with  several  of  his  followers. 


John  Courcy,  a  warlike  but  cruel  man, 
seeing  the  rapid  success  of  his  countrymen 
in  Ireland,  and  the  extensive  estates  they 
had  become  possessed  of  by  force,  resolved 
to  try  his  own  fortune.  With  this  view  he 
turned  his  thoughts  on  Ulster,  which  had 
not  been,  as  yet,  entered  by  the  English. 
He  accordingly  set  out  from  Dublin,  with 
four  hundred  men,  in  the  month  of  January, 
A.  D.  1177,  for  the  county  of  Down,  then 
called  UUagh,  and  arrived  in  the  capital, 
called  Down  also,  without  meeting  an  enemy 
to  oppose  him.*  The  sight  of  these  adven- 
turers caused  great  consternation  in  a  place 
not  provided  with  means  of  defending  itself 
against  an  enemy,  who  were  thought  too  re- 
mote to  be  feared.  The  general  having  given 
his  orders,  the  barbarians  commenced  to 
break  in  the  doors  in  all  directions,  to  force 
open  the  chests  and  presses,  and  to  carry 
oft'  the  property  of  the  citizens,  to  satisfy, 
says  Stanihurst,  their  extreme  indigence  and 
poverty.  Nothing  was  heard  on  all  sides, 
but  tears,  groans,  and  lamentations,  while 
the  streams  were  dyed  with  the  blood  of  the 
innocent  inhabitants.  Such  was  the  manner 
in  Avhich  the  English  carried  on  their  war- 
fare in  Ireland — this  was  the  mode  in  which 
they  preached  the  gospel,  and  the  example 
they  gave  to  a  people,  whose  morals  they 
pretended  to  reform.  The  remonstrances 
of  Cardinal  Vivian,  who  was  at  that  time  in 
Down,  produced  no  good ;  in  vain  he  en- 
treated of  their  leader  to  put  an  end  to  his 
cruel  proceedings,  and  make  peace  with  a 
people  who  were  ready  to  submit  to  the  king 
of  England,  and  pay  him  tribute.  Nothing 
could  soften  the  barbarous  heart  of  De 
Courcy,  who  only  sought  happiness  in  the 
misfortunes  of  others. 

Roderick,  son  of  Dunleve,  prince  of  the 
country,  finding  the  necessity  of  having  re- 
course to  arms,  collected  ten  thousand  men 
in  one  week,  to  deliver  the  city  of  Down 
from  the  tyranny  of  the  English.  When 
Courcy  heard  of  the  preparations  that  were 
making  against  him,  he  left  the  city,  and 
gave  battle  to  Roderick  in  the  open  plain, 
where,  after  a  severe  action,  he  put  the 
Irish  army  to  flight. 

There  is  an  obvious  contradiction  in  the 
account  which  Stanihurst  gives  of  this  affair ; 
according  to  him,  Courcy  had  nearly  four 
hundred  men,  who  overcame  ten  thousand  ; 
the  disproportion,  as  to  numbers,  is  at  the 
extraordinary  rate  of  thirty  to  one  ;  still  he 
allows  that  the  bravery  and  skill  in  arms 
were  equal  on  both  sides.     "  The  men  of 

*  Stan.  ibid.  lib.  4.     War.  de  Annal.  Hib.  cap.  9. 


288 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Ulster,"  he  says,  "  are  naturally  warlike, 
and  accustomed  to  arms  ;  they  advance  bold- 
ly and  fearlessly  against  the  Britons,  engage 
with  them  in  fight,  and  prove  themselves 
equal  in  valor  to  their  enemies."*  How  is  it 
then  possible  that  four  hundred  men  could 
have  conquered  ten  thousand,  who  were 
their  equals  in  courage  and  experience. 

In  order  to  support  the  opinion  which  our 
author  entertains  of  the  bravery  of  the  Ul- 
ster men,  we  should  diminish  their  numbers 
greatly,  or  suppose  them  to  have  been  taken 
from  the  plough,  and  to  have  faced  the 
English  without  arms  or  discipline.  In  truth, 
their  having  been  levied,  according  to  Ware, 
in  a  Aveek,  favors  this  conjecture,  and  takes 
away  considerably  from  the  glory  of  this 
boasted  achievement  by  the  English.  A 
company  of  grenadiers  woidd  easily  put  two 
hundred  peasants,  armed  with  sticks  or  pitch- 
forks, to  flight.  It  is  true  that  the  author 
resorts  to  the  divina  interference,  in  order  to 
affix  an  appearance  of  probability  to  his  ac- 
count ;  saying,  that  God  gave  the  victory  to 
Courcy.  God,  of  course,  was  peculiarly  in- 
terested for  the  success  of  the  English!  as  if 
robbery,  rapine,  and  the  fury  of  a  band  of 
adventurers,  are  virtues  that  can  claim  the 
protection  of  heaven.  A  young  Englishman 
named  Roger  Poer,  who  signalized  himself 
in  the  engagement,  is  much  praised  for  his 
courage.  Malachi,  bishop  of  Down,  was 
made  prisoner,  but  restored  to  his  liberty  at 
the  solicitation  of  Cardinal  Vivian,  and  rein- 
stated in  his  dignities.  Courcy  gained  some 
further  advantages  over  the  people  of  Ulster 
in  the  mon',h  of  June  following  ;  many,  how- 
ever, were  killed  and  wounded  on  both  sides ; 
among  the  latter  Avere  Almerick  de  St. 
Laurence,  and  his  son  Nicholas. f 

Courcy  also  made  some  incursions  the 
same  year  into  Tyrone  and  Dalrieda,  burning 
and  destroying  all  before  him,  and  carried 
off  considerable  booty.  He  was  extremely 
superstitious,  and  thought  himself  to  have 
been  designated  in  the  prophecies  of  Am- 
brosius  Merlin,  as  the  conqueror  of  Ulster  ; 
when  the  mind  is  enthusiastically  smitten, 
every  thing  that  flatters  hope  being  readily 
believed.  He  likewise  held  the  prophecy  of 
St.  Columb  in  high  veneration,  in  which  it 
is  said  the  destruction  of  that  province  had 
been  foretold  ;  and  John  Courcy  persuaded 


*  Stan,  de  Eeb.  in  Hib.  Gest.  page  182. 

t  The  barons  of  Howth  are  descended  from  Al- 
merick. The  land  of  Howtli  and  its  dependencies 
were  confirmed  to  his  son  by  a  charter  of  John,  earl 
of  Mortagne  and  lord  of  Ireland,  given  to  S.  Edmond 
in  presence  of  John  de  Courcy,  Godfrey  de  Cc 
stantine,  Gilbert  Angulo,  and  his  brother  Jordan 


himself  that  the  prophecy  applied  to  him. 
This,  which  was  written  in  the  Irish  lan- 
guage, he  kept  with  great  respect  about  him, 
and  concealed  it  while  he  slept  under  the 
head  of  his  bed. 

The  legate,  who  seemed  to  have  come  to 
Ireland  but  to  hasten  its  subjugation  to  the 
English,  convened  a  council  of  bishops  and 
abbots  at  Dublin ;  in  which  he  endeavored 
to  make  good  Henry  II. 's  right  to  the  throne 
of  Ireland,  in  an  eloquent  discourse,  and 
enjoined  the  Irish  people  to  obey  him  under 
pain  of  excommunication.  From  thence  he 
set  out  for  the  coast  of  England,  where  he 
requested  a  passport  to  continue  his  embassy 
to  Scotland. 

During  this  prelate's  stay  in  Dublin,  Fitz- 
Adelm  founded  the  celebrated  monastery 
called  Thomas-Court,  in  that  city,  by  order 
of  the  king  his  master,  for  regular  canons  of 
the  order  of  St.  Victor.  The  king  bestowed 
for  ever  on  this  house,  the  land  of  Donoure 
as  an  offering  for  the  souls  of  Geoflry,  earl 
of  Anjou,  and  the  empress  Matilda,  his  father 
and  mother,  and  likewise  for  the  souls  of  his 
other  ancestors,  for  himself  and  his  children, 
as  is  expressed  in  the  charter ;  he  should 
have  added  the  souls  of  those  whom  he  had 
deprived  of  their  lands. 

About  this  time,  says  HoA'^eden,  Henry  II., 
with  the  approbation  of  Pope  Alexander  III., 
gave  his  son  John  the  title  of  king  of  Ireland, 
in  a  parliament  held  at  Oxford.  This  year, 
says  Brompton,  the  king  obtained  the  pope's 
leave  to  crown  whichever  of  his  sons  he 
thought  fit,  as  king  of  Ireland,  and  to  reduce 
the  lords  of  that  country  under  his  dominion. 
However,  in  the  charter  granted  by  Henry 
for  that  purpose,  and  confirmed  by  Richard 
I.,  John  Lackland  is  only  called  lord  of  Ire- 
land and  earl  of  Mortagne,  and  his  successors 
were  content  with  that  title  till  the  reign  of 
Henry  VIII.,  who  was  the  first  to  assume 
that  of  king  of  Ireland. 

The  ready  submission  of  the  kings  of  Cork 
and  Limerick,  and  the  other  princes  of  Mun- 
ster,  did  not  secure  them  from  sharing  the 
fate  of  their  countrymen.  By  a  charter, 
given  at  Oxford  about  the  year  1177,  Henry 
granted  to  Robert  Fitzstephen  and  Milo 
Cogan  the  kingdom  of  Cork  and  Desmond, 
reserving  for  himself  the  city  of  Cork,  the 
cantred  of  the  Ostmans,*  and  all  the  land 
lying  between  Waterford  and  the  river  that 
separates  Lismore  and  Cork,  and  which  now 

*  The  Ostmans  were  the  Danes  or  Normans 
who  inhabited  Cork  and  a  few  other  maritime  towns 
in  Ireland.  The  cantred  was  a  tract  of  land  con- 
taining about  one  hundred  villages  or  town  lands. 
War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  27. 


CHRISTIAN'  IRELAND. 


289 


forms  the  county  of  Waterford.  He  also 
confided  to  them  the  regency  and  govern- 
ment of  the  city  of  Cork,  the  cantred  of  the 
Ostmans,  and  the  other  districts  he  had  re- 
served for  himself,  making  about  twenty- 
four  cantreds.  Two  years  afterwards, 
Fitzstephen  and  Cogan  divided  the  seven 
cantreds  which  the  king  had  given  them  ; 
Fitzstephen  taking  the  three  which  adjoined 
the  sea,  and  Cogan  the  remaining  four. 

It  appears  from  the  charters  of  King  John, 
dated  in  the  ninth  year  of  his  reign,  that 
Fitzstephen  had  given  to  PhiHp  de  Barry, 
his  nephew,  and  son  of  Philip,  three  cantreds 
in  the  county  of  Cork,  namely,  Olethan  and 
its  dependencies,  Muscherie,  Dunegan,  and 
Killede  ;  to  Adam  de  Rupe,  (De  la  Roche,) 
the  cantred  of  Rosselihir  and  its  depend- 
encies ;  to  Richard  de  Cogan,  the  cantred  of 
Muscherie  O'Millane,  together  with  twenty- 
five  military  tenures  ;  and  lastly,  some  fiefs 
to  Robert  Fitzmartin,  and  to  Henry  and 
Maurice,  brothers,  (and  sons  of  Philip,)  a 
cantred  where  Dunalahoth  lies. 

The  kingdom  of  Limerick  shared  the 
same  fate  as  that  of  Cork.  The  king  of 
England  ceded  it  to  Philip  de  Breus,  or 
Braos,  reserving,  however,  for  himself,  the 
chief  city,  the  cantred  of  the  Ostmans,  the 
holy  island,  and  the  power  of  nominating  to 
the  bishoprics  and  abbeys. 

After  Philip  de  Braos,  the  principal  per- 
sonages who  settled  in  this  county  were 
Hamo  de  Valois,  (Walsh,)  Philip  de  Wig- 
orn,  Theobald  Walter,  William  Fitz-Adelm, 
and  Thomas  Fitz-Maurice. 

All  these  grants  of  extensive  estates  from 
Henry  H.  to  the  principal  English  chiefs, 
and  the  lesser  fiefs  which  the  latter  bestowed 
on  their  creatures,  were  given  on  condition 
of  military  service  ;  which  consisted  in  a 
certain  number  of  armed  men  furnished  by 
each  in  proportion  to  the  extent  of  land 
which  he  held. 

The  king  of  England  confided  to  Robert 
Puher,  or  Le  Poer,  the  government  of  the 
city  of  Waterford,  and  the  surrounding 
country  ;  to  W^illiam  Fitz-Adelm,  that  of 
the  town  of  Wexford  and  its  dependencies  ; 
and  to  Hugh  de  Lacy  the  government  of 
Dublin,  and  all  the  country  depending  on  it. 
He  made  other  arrangements  relative  to  the 
counties  which  were  to  be  subservient  to 
the  cities  of  Waterford,  Wexford,  and  Dub- 
lin. 

We  have  now  reviewed  Ware's  researches 
respecting  the  distribution  of  the  lands  of 
the  Irish  by  Henry  II.  and  his  son  John  ; 
on  which  head  he  mentions  some  letters 
patent,  granted  by  these  two  princes,  and 


also  quotes  contemporary  authors  :  namely, 
Regan,  the  secretary  and  interpreter  of 
Dermod,  king  of  Leinster,  and  an  eye-wit- 
ness to  the  facts  which  he  advances  ;  the 
Abbe  Benedict,  who  wrote  the  life  of  Henry 
II.,  and  Giraldus  Cambrensis.  Still  the 
account  he  gives  is  very  general,  consider- 
ing the  great  number  of  English  families 
that  settled  in  this  country  in  the  twelfth 
and  succeeding  centuries,  who  are  pos- 
sessed of  immense  landed  property. 

The  rebellion  of  Conchovar  and  Mur- 
chard,  sons  of  Roderirk  O'Connor,  broke 
out  at  this  time.  These  unnatural  children, 
wishing  to  usurp  their  father's  rule,  had  re- 
course to  the  enemies  of  their  country,  and 
applied  to  Milo  Cogan,  who  had  been  lately 
appointed  warden  of  Dublin  by  Fitz-Adelm, 
for  assistance.  The  Englishman,  who  only 
thought  of  extending  his  power,  seized  the 
opportunity  with  avidity,  and  taking  Ralph, 
son  of  Fitzstephen,  as  his  lieutenant,  crossed 
the  river  Shannon  at  the  head  of  forty 
knights,  two  hundred  horsemen,  and  three 
hundred  archers,  and  entered  Connaught, 
which  had  been  till  then  unknown  to  the 
English.  He  advanced  as  far  as  Tuam  ; 
but  as  Roderick  had  caused  the  provisions, 
in  every  place  through  which  he  had  to  pass, 
to  be  either  burned  or  removed,  he  soon  saw 
his  army  ready  to  perish,  which  obliged  him 
to  return.  After  a  march  of  eight  days,  he 
was  attacked  when  crossing  a  wood,  by 
Roderick,  who  killed  several  of  his  men. 
As  usual,  Cambrensis  makes  the  loss  but 
very  trifling.  Having  conquered  the  Eng- 
lish, Roderick  turned  his  thoughts  towards 
chastising  his  rebellious  children  ;  he  con- 
demned Murchard  to  perpetual  imprison- 
ment, and  caused  his  eyes  to  be  put  out ; 
and  banished  Conchovar  to  an  island  in  the 
lake  Lochcuan,  from  whence  he  was  taken 
a  year  afterwards,  by  the  faction  of  the 
O'Flahertys,  and  other  friends,  who  restored 
him  to  his  father's  favor.  About  this  time, 
Hugh  O'Neill,  king  of  Tireon,  or  Tyrone, 
was  killed  by  Melachlin  Mac-Loghlin,  and 
his  brother  Argal. 

Courcy  had  not  abandoned  his  enterprise 
in  Ulster  :  he  marched  towards  Uriel  at  the 
head  of  his  army,  a.  d.  1178,  where  he  was 
vigorously  attacked  in  his  camp  at  Gliury, 
by  Murtach  O'Carwil,  prince  of  that  coun- 
try, in  conjunction  with  Roderick,  prince  of 
Ullagh,  (Ulidia.)  The  action  was  brisk, 
and  Courcy  and  his  army  were  completely 
routed.* 


*  Stan.  ibid.  lib.  4,  page  182.     War. 
Hib.  reg.  Hen.  II.  cap.  10. 


Annal. 


290 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


This  English  general  soon  afterwards 
gave  a  second  battle  to  the  same  princes  on 
the  frontiers  of  Dalaradie,  near  Fernia, 
which  was  altogether  fatal  to  him.  After 
witnessing  the  total  defeat  of  his  army, 
he  escaped  with  much  difficulty,  and  was 
obliged  to  walk  thirty  miles  without  any 
sustenance,  and  in  continual  danger  of  losing 
his  life,  till  he  arrived  at  the  castle  of  Down. 

William  Fitz-Adelm,  viceroy  of  Iceland, 
fell  into  disgrace,  and  was  deprived  of  his 
office  :  he  was  succeeded  by  Hugh  de 
Lacy,  to  whom  the  king  gave  as  colleague, 
Robert  Poer,  warden  of  the  cities  of  Water- 
ford  and  Wexford. 

When  the  viceroy  was  changed,  Cogan 
and  Fitzstephen  were  recalled  to  England, 
to  give  an  account  of  their  conduct,  which 
had  always  been  looked  upon  with  suspicion 
by  the  king,  as  indeed  had  that  of  all  the 
chiefs  of  the  English  colony  in  Ireland. 

In  the  mean  time  Robert  Poer,  warden  of 
Waterford,  sent  troops  to  lay  waste  the  dis- 
trict of  Imurede,  in  the  county  of  Wicklow, 
whence  they  returned  to  Wexford,  loaded 
with  booty,  having  assassinated  Dunlang 
O'Toole,  lord  of  that  country. 

The  English  who  had  settled  in  Meath 
built  a  castle  at  Kenlis,  to  preserve  them- 
selves against  the  incursions  of  their  neigh- 
bors, the  people  of  Ulster. 

The  abbey  called  Monasterevan,  or  Ross- 
Glass,  de  Rosea  Valle,  in  the  county  of  Kil- 
dare,  on  the  river  Barrow,  was  founded  this 
year,  and  dedicated  to  the  blessed  Virgin 
and  St.  Benedict,  for  Cistertian  monks,  by 
Dermod  O'Dempsy,  lord  of  Clanmalire  ;  but 
others  say  it  was  founded  so  late  as  1189. 
This  abbey  was  a  branch  of  that  of  Baltin- 
glass.* 

Donald  O'Fogarty,  bishop  of  Ossory,  died 
this  year,  and  was  succeeded  by  Felix 
O'Dullany,  of  the  order  of  Citeaux. 

Robert  Fitzstephen  and  Milo  Cogan, 
whom  the  king  had  recalled  to  England  the 
preceding  year,  repaired  to  Waterford  in 
the  month  of  November,  accompanied  by 
Philip  de  Braos,  to  whom  the  king  had 
granted  the  district  of  Limerick,  a.  d.  1179. 
These  noblemen  brought  a  reinforcement  of 
Englishmen  to  Ireland,  consisting  of  one 
hundred  and  ten  knights,  as  many  horsemen, 
and  a  considerable  number  of  foot  soldiers. 
They  went  from  Waterford  to  Lismore,  and 
from  thence  to  Cork,  where  they  were  hon- 
orably received  by  John  de  Londres,  on 
Avhom  Fitz-Adelm  had  conferred  the  govern- 

*  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  26.  Allemand,  Hist. 
Monast.  dirl.  page  17(). 


ment  of  that  city.  They  then  marched  to- 
wards Limerick,  intending  to  besiege  it ;  but 
their  new  troops  were  disheartened  by  the 
difficulty  of  crossing  the  river  which  sur- 
rounds it,  and  prevailed  on  Philip  de  Braos 
to  return  to  England,  rather  than  incur  the 
risk  of  a  hazardous  war  in  an  enemy's  coun- 
try. Fitzstephen  and  Cogan  proceeded  to 
Cork,  to  watch  over  the  safety  of  the  Eng- 
lish colony  in  that  district. 

The  abbey  of  Ashro,  or  Easrua,  called 
also  de  Samario,  for  Cistertian  monks,  was 
founded  in  Tirconnel,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Erne,  by  Roderick  O'Cananan,  an 
Irish  lord,  about  this  period,  or  according 
to  others  five  years  later,  by  his  successor 
Flahertach.  Jungelinus  mentions  the  abbey 
of  Kilfothuir,  in  the  same  country,  founded 
by  O'Dogharty.  The  wars  having  subse- 
quently forced  the  monks  to  abandon  this 
house,  it  was  united  to  the  abbey  of  Ashro, 
of  which  it  was  a  branch. 

An  abbey  of  Bernardines,  under  the  title 
of  our  Lady,  a  branch  of  the  abbey  of  Bal- 
tinglass,  was  also  founded  at  this  time,  at 
Geripont,  or  Jeripont,  a  small  town  on  the 
river  Nure,  in  the  county  of  Kilkenny,  by 
Donald  Fitzpatrick,  prince  of  Ossory.* 

About  the  end  of  December  in  this  year, 
Laurence,  archbishop  of  Dublin  ;  Catholicus, 
archbishop  of  Tuam  ;  Constantius,  bishop  of 
Killaloe  ;  Felix,  bishop  of  Lismore ;  Augustin, 
bishop  of  Waterford  ;  and  Brice,  bishop  of 
Limerick,  set  out  for  Rome,  where  they  at- 
tended at  the  third  council  of  Lateran,  con- 
vened by  Alexander  III.  As  they  passed 
through  England,  Henry  II.  made  them 
swear  they  would  do  nothing  prejudicial  to 
his  welfare,  or  that  of  his  kingdom.  The 
pope  appointed  Laurence  legate  for  Ireland  ; 
and  on  his  return,  according  to  the  author 
of  his  life,  he  discharged  the  duties  of  that 
office.  If  we  can  believe  Cambrensis,  this 
holy  prelate  never  returned  to  Ireland,  hav- 
ing incurred  the  king's  displeasure  by  obtain- 
ing some  privilege  from  the  pope  in  favor 
of  his  country,  which  this  prince  looked 
upon  as  opposed  to  his  authority. 

John  Courcy,  who  had  been  already  cre- 
ated earl  of  Ulster  by  the  king,  though  he 
owned  but  a  very  inconsiderable  part  of  it, 
made  an  alliance  with  Godfry,  king  of  the 
Isle  of  Man,  by  marrying  his  daughter  Africa, 
A.  D.  1180,  in  order  to  secure  the  interest 
of  that  prince. t  The  island  being  but  a 
short  distance  from  the  coasts  of  Ulster,  it 
was  easy  to  draw  resources  from  it. 

*  Allemand,  ibid,  page  175. 
t  War.  dc  Annal.  Hib.  cap.  12. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


291 


This  year,  according  to  Hoveden,  Lau- 
rence, archbishop  of  Dublin,  accompanied  a 
son  of  Roderick,  king  of  Connaught,  who 
was  sent  as  a  hostage  to  Henry  II.,  for  the 
payment  of  the  tribute  agreed  upon  between 
his  father  and  that  king.*  The  holy  prelate 
fell  sick  at  Eu,  where  he  died  in  the  odor 
of  sanctity,  on  the  14th  of  November,  and  was 
interred  in  the  church  of  our  Lady,  in  that 
city.f  His  life,  quoted  by  Surius,  was  ac- 
curately written,  according  to  Baronius,  by 
an  anonymous  author,  of  the  college  of  Eu. 
The  miracles  which  God  wrought  through 
his  intercession,  both  before  and  after  his 
death,  induced  Pope  Honorius  III.  to  place 
him  among  the  number  of  saints  in  1225, 
by  a  bull  dated  the  eleventh  of  December, 
in  the  tenth  year  of  his  pontificate,  a  copy  of 
which  is  in  the  collection  of  bulls  of  Laurent 
Cherubin.  The  relics  of  this  saint  were 
removed  to  Dublin,  and  deposited  in  the 
cathedral  of  the  holy  Trinity.  Henry  II. 
took  care  to  send  his  chaplain  Geoffry  de 
Haya,  and  another  to  collect  the  revenues 
of  the  archbishopric,  while  it  continued 
vacant. 

The  abbey  of  Chore,  or  Dc  Choro  Bcne- 
dicti,  called  by  the  Irish  Monaster-Ore,  in 
the  county  of  Cork,  was  founded  this  year 
for  Bernardins,  by  the  Geraldines,  or  Fitz- 
geralds.|  Jungelinus  says  it  was  founded 
by  the  Barrys  ;  however  this  be,  this  abbey, 
founded  under  the  title  of  our  Lady,  was  a 
branch  of  that  of  Nenay,  or  Magio. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  St.  Patrick's 
crosier,  called,  in  the  language  of  the  country, 
Baghal  P/f.a(ZrMic,  thatis,thestafFof  Patrick, 
and  sometimes  the  staff  of  Jesus,  which, 
according  to  St.  Bernard,  in  the  life  of  St. 
Malachi,  was  ornamented  with  gold  and  pre- 
cious stones,  and  preserved  with  veneration 
in  the  church  of  Armagh  since  the  death  of 
the  apostle,  was  carried  away,  by  orders  of 
Fitz-Adelm,  and  placed  in  the  cathedral  of 
the  holy  Trinity,  in  Dublin,  a.  d.  1181,  where 
it  was  carefully  preserved  till  the  suppression 
of  the  monasteries. 

The  death  of  Gilbert  O'Caran,  archbishop 
of  Armagh,  is  said  to  have  occurred  about 


*  This  accou.nt  appears  rather  incredible  ;  for 
why  should  the  king  oi  Connaught  have  sent  a  hos- 
tage this  year  to  tiie  king  of  England,  when,  ac 
cording  to  the  same  Hoveden,  (in  the  year  1175,) 
peace  and  unity  had  been  ratified  between  these 
princes  five  years  previously.  It  is,  however,  well 
known  that  English  writers  are  fond  of  claiming 
honors  which  they  never  enjoyed. 

t  Mcssingham,  Florileg.  Insul.  Sanct.  Vit.  Sanct. 
Laurent. 

\  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  26.  Allemand,  ibid, 
page  181. 


this  date,  some  time  before  which  the  cathe- 
dral church,  the  monastery  of  the  apostles 
St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  two  nunneries,  and 
a  great  part  of  the  city,  were  consumed  by 
fire,  a  frequent  disaster  in  Ireland  in  ancient 
times,  on  account  of  the  prevalence  of  wood- 
en buildings.  It  is  to  prevent  similar  acci- 
dents, which  still  often  occur  in  the  north  of 
Europe,  particularly  in  Sweden  and  Den- 
mark, that  privileges  are  granted  by  the  gov- 
ernments of  those  countries  to  those  who 
build  of  stone.  The  holy  prelate  of  Armagh 
was  the  benefactor  of  the  monastery  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  near  Dublin.  He  added  the 
village  of  Ballibaghal,  situated  in  the  county 
of  Dublin,  to  the  revenues  of  that  house. 
MoelisaMac-Carwil,  bishop  of  Clogher,  was 
elected  to  succeed  him  in  the  see  of  Armagh, 
but  died  on  his  way  to  Rome. 

As  the  churches  and  monasteries  were  the 
only  places  of  safety  in  those  disturbed  times, 
the  Irish  carried  thither  their  gold,  silver, 
and  other  valuable  matters,  as  to  a  secure 
asylum  ;  but  as  nothing  is  held  sacred  by  the 
wicked,  these  places  were  often  violated. 
The  church  of  Ardfert,  and  the  priory  of 
Inis-Fallen,  in  lake  Lene,  in  the  county  of 
Kerry,  were  pillaged  this  year  by  Milduin, 
son  of  Daniel  O'Donagha,  and  those  of  his 
retinue,  and  the  lives  of  several  of  the  com- 
munity lost. 

Having  settled  his  followers  in  Meath, 
Hugh  de  Lacy  turned  his  thoughts  towards 
defending  it  against  its  former  masters  ;  for 
which  purpose  he  built  strong  castles  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  this  province.  This  ambitious 
nobleman,  finding  himself  supported  by  his 
colonists,  and  encouraged  by  his  alliance 
with  Roderick  O'Connor,  began  to  extend 
his  views,  and  to  think  himself  possessed  of 
more  power  in  Ireland  than  the  king  of 
England. 

Henry  II.  having  been  informed  of  the 
intentions  of  De  Lacy,  sent  him  an  order  to 
return  to  England ;  but  the  latter  confirmed 
the  suspicions  entertained  of  his  presump- 
tion, by  refusing  to  obey.  Cambrensis  says 
that  De  Lacy  was  suspected  of  aspiring  to 
the  sovereignty,  from  the  vast  estates  he  had 
acquired ,  the  immense  wealth  he  had  amassed 
for  himself  and  his  dependents  by  the  op- 
pression of  others,  and  the  familiar  and  pop- 
ular manners  he  had  assumed  towards  every 
one.*  Henry  was  already  dissatisfied  with 
him  for  having  married  without  his  permis- 
sion the  daughter  of  O'Connor,  king  of  Con- 
naught, after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Rosa 
de  Munene:  and  he  therefore  sent  John,  con- 

*  Hib.  Expug.  lib.  2,  cap.  19,  20. 


292 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Stable  of  Chester,  and  Richard  de  Pech,  to 
Ireland,  in  the  beginning  of  May,  as  chief- 
justices  in  room  of  Dc  Lacy,  who  repaired 
to  England  and  removed  all  suspicion  from 
the  king's  mind  in  the  short  space  of  six 
weeks.  Before  his  departure  for  England  he 
had  given  a  plan  to  the  English  who  pos- 
sessed land  in  Leinstcr,  to  fortify  this  prov- 
ince as  he  had  done  in  Meath,  which  plan 
was  executed  in  the  ensuing  summer.  The 
castle  of  Fort  O'Nolan  was  built  by  Raymond 
le  Gros,  and  another  by  his  brother  Griffin. 
A  third  was  built  at  Tristle-Dermot,  in  the 
district  of  Omorthy,  by  Walter  de  Ridles- 
ford ;  John  de  Clahut  built  a  fourth  at 
Leighlin,  on  the  river  Barrow,  and  a  fifth 
was  constructed  at  Kildroghed,  by  John  de 
Hereford. 

During  Lacy's  absence,  and  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  justices  whom  Henry  had  sent 
to  Ireland,  Myler  Fitzhenry  was  forced  to 
give  up  the  land  of  Carby,  which  he  had 
received  from  Strongbow  in  the  county  of 
Kildare,  and  to  be  satisfied  with  an  equivalent 
in  the  county  of  I^ese,  where  he  was  more 
exposed,  being  surrounded  by  the  O'Mordhas, 
or  O'Mores,  a  warlike  people,  and  lords  of 
that  district ;  but  Lacy,  whose  niece  he  had 
married,  caused  the  castle  of  Temogho  to  be 
built  for  him  some  time  afterwards. 

Lacy  having  been  restored  to  the  king's 
favor,  was  sent  back  to  Ireland  the  winter 
following  as  chief-justice,  accompanied  by 
Robert,  earl  of  Shrewsbury,  as  his  colleague, 
who  was,  however,  to  keep  watch  over  his 
conduct.  He  filled  the  post  for  nearly  three 
years,  during  which  time  he  built  several 
castles  in  Leinster  and  Meath ;  among 
others,  that  of  Oboney,  in  the  county  of 
Lese,  the  government  of  which  he  confided 
to  Robert  de  Bigarz  ;  another  in  the  district 
of  Omurthy,  near  the  river  Barrow,  of  which 
he  made  Thomas  le  Fleming  governor  ;  and 
that  of  Norragh  for  Robert  Fitzrichard.  The 
castles  he  caused  to  be  built  in  Meath  were 
those  of  Clonard,  Killair,  Delvin,  and  that 
of  Adam  de  Ruport. 

The  English  had  now  usurped  both  the 
spiritual  and  temporal  government  of  Ireland. 
Henry  II.  nominated  John  Comin,  a  native 
of  England,  to  the  archbishopric  of  Dublin, 
(vacant  by  the  death  of  St.  Laurence  ;)  an 
eloquent  and  learned  man,  according  to  the 
writers  of  his  own  country.  The  election 
took  place  on  the  sixth  of  September,  in  the 
monastery  of  Evesham,  in  England,  by  the 
clergy  of  Dublin.  The  candidate  was  ordain- 
ed priest  on  the  12th  of  March  following,  at 
Velletri,  in  Italy,  and  consecrated  archbishop 
by  Pope  Lucius  III.     Some  time  afterwards 


this  prelate  obtained  a  bull  from  the  same 
pope,  dated  the  thirteenth  of  April,  (convo- 
cation ]  5,)  by  which  the  holy  father  granted 
several  privileges  to  the  see  of  Dublin.  It 
was  forbidden  by  this  bull  that  any  arch- 
bishop or  bishop  should  hold  assemblies  in 
the  ecclesiastical  province  of  Dublin,  or  take 
cognizance  of  the  affairs  of  that  diocese 
without  the  consent  of  the  archbishop,  or  a 
special  license  from  the  pope  or  his  legate. 
The  copy  of  this  bull  may  be  found  in  an 
old  registry  in  the  archbishop's  palace  of 
Dublin,  beginning  with  the  words,  "  Crede 
7nihi."  This  bull  was  the  cause  of  warm  de- 
bates between  the  prelates  of  Armagh  and 
Dublin,  respecting  the  primacy,  which  have 
lasted  to  our  time  :  the  subject  of  them  being 
whether  the  archbishop  of  Armagh,  as  pri- 
mate of  Ireland,  possessed  the  right  to  hold 
visitations  in  the  ecclesiastical  province  of 
Dublin,  or  to  carry  the  cross  raised,  and 
receive  appeals  there.* 

In  the  month  of  May  of  this  year,  Fla- 
hertach  O'Meldory,  prince  of  Tirconnel, 
indignant  at  the  unnatural  conduct  of  the 
princes  of  Connaught,  who  were  still  in  arms 
against  their  father  Roderick,  entered  their 
province  at  the  head  of  his  troops  and  gained 
a  complete  victory  over  them  and  their  allies. 
Many  lives  were  lost,  among  them  those  of 
sixteen  distinguished  persons,  of  the  royal 
race  of  Connaught. 

In  the  beginning  of  summer,  a.  d.  1182, 
Courcy  marched  at  the  head  of  his  troops 
into  Dalrieda,  or  Route,  county  of  Antrim, 
where  he  defeated  a  body  of  troops  com- 
manded by  Donald  O'Loghlin,  and  pillaged 
the  whole  country.! 

About  this  time  Hugh  de  Lacy  founded 
two  chapels  or  priories,  for  regular  canons 
of  the  order  of  St.  Augustin,  one  at  Colpa, 
a  small  village  on  the  sea-shore  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river  Boyne,  below  Drogheda,  and 
the  other  at  Duleek  ;  one  of  these  houses 
depended  on  the  priory  of  Lauthon,  in  Mon- 
mouthshire, England,  and  the  other  on  that 
of  Lauthon,  near  Gloucester. 

Edan  O'Kelly,  bishop  of  Clogher,  died 
this  year,  and  was  interred  in  the  priory  of 
St.  Mary,  which  he  had  founded  for  regular 
canons  in  Louth,  in  1148,  with  the  aid  of 
Donat  Mac-Carwell,  king  of  Ergalic.  This 
prelate  was  disciple  of  St.  Malachi,  by  whom 

*  Wcdiscoverinthisan  act  of  English  policy  ;  they 
caused  the  see  of  Dublin,  situated  in  the  English 
province,  to  be  erected  into  a  primary,  in  order  to 
cause  a  schism  in  the  church  of  Ireland,  by  with- 
drawing from  the  jurisdiction  of  Armagh  the 
churches  under  their  dominion, 
t  War.  de  Annal.  cap.  14. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


293 


he  was  consecrated  in  1140,  and  having  filled 
the  see  of  Clogher  for  forty-two  years,  he 
was  succeeded  by  Malachi  Mac-Carwel. 
Edan  was  the  confessor  of  Dermod,  king  of 
Leinster ;  he  endowed  the  monastery  of 
Knock,  near  the  town  of  Louth,  (otherwise 
called  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul's  Mount,)  which 
Donat  caused  to  be  built.  This  place  was 
more  anciently  called  Knock  Na-Sengan, 
that  is,  the  Mount  of  the  Ants.  Philip  Seguin 
and  Christopher  Henriques  are  wrong  in 
placing  Edan  among  the  prelates  of  Armagh. 

About  this  time  died  also  Donald  O'Hul- 
lucan,  archbishop  of  Cashel;  who  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Maurice,  called  by  Cambrensis  a 
learned  and  discreet  man,  "  Vir  literatus  et 
discretus."* 

We  must  not  omit  to  introduce  in  this 
place,  the  sharp  and  satirical,  though  indirect 
answer  which  Maurice  gave  Cambrensis  in 
presence  of  Gerald,  the  pope's  legate,  who 
was  then  on  some  mission  in  Ireland,  in 
which  he  alludes  both  to  the  martyrdom  of 
St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury,  and  the  cruelties 
which  the  English  had  after  that  committed 
in  Ireland.  Cambrensis  reproached  the  pre- 
late, in  his  accustomed  haughty  manner, 
with  the  indolence  of  the  Irish  clergy,  and 
the  little  care  they  took  to  instruct  the  people, 
the  result  of  which  was  a  degeneracy  in 
their  morals  ;  and  as  proof  of  what  he  ad- 
A^anced,  he  alleged  that  he  had  never  known 
any  in  Ireland  to  have  suffered  martyrdom 
for  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ.  "  It  is  true," 
replied  the  prelate  of  Cashel,  modestly,  "that 
our  people,  Avho  are  said  to  be  barbarous, 
rude,  and  even  cruel,  have  always  behaved 
with  honor  and  respect  to  the  clergy,  and 
none  have  yet  been  found  among  them  im- 
pious enough  to  raise  their  hands  against 
the  saints  of  the  Lord.  But  there  are  men 
now  among  us  who  can  make  us  suffer  mar- 
tyrdom, and  Ireland,  like  other  nations,  shall 
henceforward  have  her  martyrs ;"  which 
prediction  has  been  amply  verified. 

Courcy  being  master  of  the  episcopal  city 
of  Down,  A.  D.  1183,  changed  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  cathedral  church,  by  substituting 
Benedictine  monks  for  the  secular  canons  to 
whom  it  belonged  till  that  time  :  those  monks 
came,  by  his  directions,  from  St.  Werburgh's 
abbey,  at  Chester,  and  he  appointed  William 
Etleshale,  a  monk  of  their  fraternity,  as 
prior  over  them.f  He  also  changed  the  in- 
vocation title  of  the  church  from  the  Holy 
Trinity  to  that  of  St.  Patrick,  which,  accord- 
ing to  the  general  opinion  of  the  times,  says 

*  Topograph.  Hib.  dist.  3,  cap.  32. 
t  War.  de  Anrial.  Hib.  cap.  15. 


an  English  author,  was  the  cause  of  the 
misfortunes  that  afterwards  befell  this  noble- 
man. 

Malachi,  bishop  of  Down,  endowed  this 
church  with  several  tracts  of  land,  reserving 
for  himself  the  title  of  warden,  or  abbot,  and 
half  of  the  offerings  of  the  five  grand  festivals 
of  the  year  ;  namely,  Christmas,  Candlemas, 
the  festival  of  St.  Patrick,  Easter,  and  Pen- 
tecost.* It  was  much  frequented,  on  account 
of  its  containing  St.  Patrick's  tomb,  and  the 
transferring  to  it  of  the  bodies  of  St.  Columb 
and  St.  Bridget, 

Courcy  founded  other  houses,  viz.,  the 
priory  of  Toberglorie,  at  Down,  (so  called 
from  its  having  been  built  near  a  fountain  of 
that  name,)  for  the  cross-bearers  of  the  order 
of  St.  Augustin,  and  the  abbey  of  Nedrum, 
for  Benedictines,  which  was  connected  with 
that  of  St.  Bega,  in  Cumberland. 

While  Courcy  was  acting  in  Ulster  the 
parts  alternately  of  a  robber  and  a  bigot, 
fresh  disturbances  broke  out  in  Munster. 
Milo  Cogan  and  Ranulph  Fitzstephen,  his 
son-in-law,  with  five  knights,  were  killed  on 
the  road  to  Lismore,  by  a  band  of  men  under 
the  command  of  a  celebrated  leader  called 
Mactire.  This  news  having  spread  over  the 
country,  Dermod  M'Carty,king  of  Desmond, 
and  some  other  princes  of  the  province,  be- 
ing determined  to  make  an  effort  to  recover 
their  liberty,  took  up  arms  and  invested  the 
city  of  Cork,  where  Robert  Fitzstephen 
was.  However,  a  reinforcement  of  twenty 
knights,  v.dth  a  hundred  men,  both  horse 
and  foot,  brought  by  Raymond  le  Gros  by 
sea  from  Wexford  to  Cork,  together  with 
the  strength  of  the  place,  frustrated  their 
attempt,  and  averted  the  storm  which  threat- 
ened the  English.  Richard  Cogan  was 
afterwards  sent  to  Ireland  by  the  king  of 
England,  with  a  body  of  troops,  to  replace 
his  brother  Milo. 

About  the  end  of  February,  Philip  Barry 
and  his  brother  Gerald,  known  by  the  name 
of  Cambrensis,  crossed  over  with  a  reinforce- 
ment to  Ireland,  both  to  assist  their  uncle 
Fitzstephen,  and  recover  the  estate  of  Ole- 
than,  which  had  been  given  them  by  Fitz- 
stephen, and  was  usurped  by  his  son  Ralph. 

Hervey,  surnamed  De  Monte  Morisco,  (in 
English  he  was  called  Heremon  Morty,) 
wishing  to  expiate  the  crimes  of  his  past  life, 
particularly  his  having  pillaged  the  churches 
of  Inis-Catha  in  concert  with  William  Fitz- 
Adelm,  (the  revenues  of  which  they  appro- 
priated to  their  own  use,)  founded  an  abbey 
for  Bernardine   monks   this   year,  at  Don- 

*  War.  de  Prsesul.  Duncns. 


294 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


brody,  or  Dun-Broilh,  in  the  county  of  Wex- 
ford, near  the  confhionce  of  the  rivers  Bar- 
row and  Suire  ;  lie  afterwards  became  a 
monk  in  Christ's  Church  at  Canterbury, 
where  he  was  interred.* 

About  this  time  was  founded,  also,  an 
abbey  of  Bernardine  monks  on  the  river 
Nore,  in  that  part  of  the  Queen's  county 
called  Loise.f  This  abbey  was  called  "  De 
Lege  Dei,'''  or  "  of  the  law  of  God,"  and 
was  founded  by  an  Irish  lord  of  the  ancient 
and  noble  family  of  the  O'Mordhas,  (in  Eng- 
lish IVIoore,)  to  whom  the  country  belonged 
for  many  ages.  Flatzburius  fixes  the  found- 
ation of  this  house  in  1180. 

Henry  II.,  being  desirous  of  transferring 
the  lordship  of  Ireland  to  his  son  John,  sent 
John  Comin,  archbishop  of  Dublin,  in  the 
beginning  of  the  month  of  August,  to  pre- 
pare the  minds  of  the  people  for  his  reception, 
A.  D.  1184. 1  He  also  recalled  Hugh  de  Lacy 
in  the  month  of  September  following,  and 
granted  the  office  of  chief-justice  to  Philip 
de  Wigorne,  who  came  to  Ireland  accompa- 
nied by  forty  knights,  to  take  possession  of 
the  government.!^  The  new  viceroy  having 
reannexed  to  the  king's  domain  the  privi- 
leges which  Lacy  had  alienated,  marched 
the  Lent  following,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
month  of  May,  with  a  powerful  army  to 
Armagh,  where  he  imposed  a  heavy  tribute 
on  the  clergy,  which  he  made  them  pay  by 
a  military  execution. ||  He  had  scarcely  left 
the  city,  when  he  was  seized  with  an  attack 
in  his  bowels,  so  violent  that  he  was  very 
near  dying ;  which  was  considered  a  just 
punishment  for  his  crimes.  Hugh  Tirrel 
was  an  accomplice  of  the  viceroy  in  his 
depredations  ;  having  retired  to  Down  with 
his  share  of  the  spoils,  he  witnessed  the  fruits 
of  his  robberies,  the  house  in  which  he  lodged, 
the  stables,  horses,  and  a  considerable  part 
of  the  city,  being  destroyed  by  fire  the  night 
following;  by  which  he  was  so  much  affected 
that  he  immediately  restored  all  that  remained 
of  the  plunder  of  the  churches  of  Armagh. 
Lacy,  his  friend  and  benefactor,  returning 
from  England  some  time  afterwards,  he  con- 
ceived an  implacable  hatred  towards  him,  and 
declared  war  against  him  ;  but  after  several 
battles,  in  which  much  blood  was  spilled, 
Tirrel  was  obliged  to  bend  to  the  authority 
of  his  rival. 


*  Keating,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  b.  S,  page  117. 

+  Allemand,  ibid,  page  177. 

t  Westmon.  Floras  Hist.  lib.  2,  ad  an.  1184. 

§  Stanih.  ibid.  lib.  4.  War.  de  Annal.  Hib.  cap. 
16. 

il  Cainbrens.  Top.  Hib.  distinc.  2,  c.  50.  Stan, 
ibid.  lib.  4. 


How  edifying  it  is  to  behold  the  spoliators 
of  churches  and  of  the  goods  of  others, 
founding  religious  establishments !  This  ex- 
traordinary devotion  was  introduced  into 
Ireland  by  the  English.  Philip  de  Wigorne, 
viceroy  of  Ireland,  who  a  short  time  before 
had  pillaged  the  clergy  of  Armagh,  founded 
a  priory  for  Benedictine  monks  at  Kilcumin, 
in  the  county  of  Tipperary,  dedicated  to  St. 
James  and  St.  Philip.*  It  appears  by  the 
act  of  its  foundation,  the  original  of  which 
has  been  discovered  in  the  Cottonian  library, 
that  this  English  nobleman  bestowed  several 
estates  which  he  possessed  in  Ireland  on  the 
abbots  of  Glaston  in  England,  on  condition 
that  they  would  build  a  house  of  their  order 
at  Kilcumin,  in  Ireland,  the  land  of  which 
he  had  also  given  them ;  this  priory  conse- 
quently depended  on  the  above-mentioned 
abbey. 

About  this  time  Arthur  O'Melaghlin,  chief 
of  his  tribe  in  Meath,  was  killed  by  the 
English  ;  he  was  succeeded  by  O'Melaghlin 
Beg,  or  the  little.  Three  English  noblemen 
shared  the  same  fate  as  O'Melaghlin ;  namely, 
Robert  Barry,  who  was  killed  at  Lismore  ; 
Raymond,  son  of  Hugh,  at  Lechana ;  and 
Cantilon,  at  Idrone. 

In  the  month  of  June,  on  Saint  Barnaby's 
day,  Henry  the  younger,  son  of  Henry  II., 
died  in  the  castle  of  Martell,  in  Gascony,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-eight  years  ;  he  was  the 
cause  of  frequent  troubles  to  his  father  during 
his  reign.  His  body  was  brought  to  Rouen, 
and  buried  in  the  cathedral  there  near  the 
grand  altar. 

John,  earl  of  Mortagne,  named  lord  of 
Ireland,  having  been  created  a  knight  at  the 
age  of  twelve  years,  by  the  king  his  father, 
at  Windsor,  set  out  in  the  month  of  April 
for  Milford,  where  a  fleet  was  waiting  to 
convey  him  to  Ireland,  a.  d.  llSS.f  He  set 
sail  during  the  Easter,  accompanied  by 
Ralph  Glanvill,  chief-justice  of  England,  and 
his  preceptor,  Gerald  Cambrensis  ;  and  at- 
tended by  four  hundred  knights,  and  some 
troops,  among  whom  were  several  young 
men  of  dissipated  habits,  who  possessed  his 
entire  confidence.  As  soon  as  they  landed  at 
Waterford,  the  Irish  lords  of  the  neighbor- 
hood hastened  to  greet  the  young  prince  on 
his  arrival.  The  manners  and  customs  of 
the  two  people  were  very  different ;  the  Irish 
were  naturally  hospitable,  familiar,  and  polite 
towards  the  strangers  ;  while  the  English, 

*  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  26.  Allemand,  ibid, 
page  149. 

t  "  John,  the  younger  son  of  King  Henry,  was 
created  knight  by  his  father,  and  sent  into  Ireland." 
—  Ware^s  Annals. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


295 


who  rarely  possess  these  qualhies,  received 
them  with  coldness  and  contempt.  In  con- 
sequence, therefore,  they  on  a  sudden  with- 
drew, with  the  determination  of  being  re- 
venged. The  kings  of  Cork,  Limerick,  Con- 
naught,  and  other  princes  of  the  country, 
were  soon  informed  of  what  had  occurred : 
they  looked  upon  the  whole  nation  to  have 
been  insulted  in  the  persons  of  these  noble- 
men, and  foresaw,  by  the  conduct  of  the 
strangers,  what  they  might  expect  from  them 
if  they  became  absolute  masters  of  the  coun- 
try. These  considerations  for  a  time  putting 
an  end  to  all  domestic  quarrels,  they  formed 
a  general  league,  and  took  up  arms  indis- 
criminately and  without  leaders,  throughout 
the  several  districts,  against  the  English. 
Many  lives  were  lost  in  this  conspiracy, 
which  was  followed  by  no  other  result  than 
that  of  disturbing  the  pleasures  of  the  young 
prince,  (who,  together  with  his  courtiers, 
spent  their  days  and  nights  in  debauchery,) 
and  inspiring  him  with  a  dislike  for  his  newly- 
acquired  dignity  of  lord  of  Ireland.  He  re- 
solved therefore  to  return  to  England,  leaving 
Ireland,  which  he  found  in  peace,  a  prey  to 
tumult  and  sedition.  During  his  stay  in  the 
country  he  caused  three  castles  to  be  built, 
one  at  Tibract,  one  at  Ardfinan,  and  another 
at  Lismore,  to  defend  his  subjects  against 
the  insults  of  their  enemies.  According  to 
i  Hoveden,  John  appropriated  the  chief  part 
{  of  the  money  intended  for  the  payment  of 
!  the  troops  to  his  own  purposes  ;  the  rest  he 
j  squandered  in  a  petty  warfare  with  the  Irish, 
and  his  funds  being  at  length  exhausted,  he 
placed  garrisons  in  all  the  strong  places,  and 
returned  to  England,  leaving  the  government 
to  De  Lacy.  The  only  good  action  attributed 
to  this  prince,  during  his  stay  in  Ireland,  was 
the  foundation  of  the  priory  of  St.  John  the 
j  Evangelist,  at  Waterford,  for  Benedictine 
j  monks.  Cambrensis,  his  tutor,  and  Bertram 
j  de  Verdon,  remained  after  him  in  Ireland, 
{  to  execute,  it  is  said,  a  commission  which 
this  prince  had  intrusted  them  with  ;  but 
more  probably  to  collect  the  fables  of  which 
Cambrensis  composed  his  history.  How- 
ever this  be,  the  prince  granted  them  four 
cantreds  and  a  half  of  land  in  the  territories 
of  Uriel  and  Luva,  (Louth,)  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Dundalk,  where  Verdon  founded, 
some  time  afterwards,  the  priory  of  St. 
Leonard. 

The  bodies  of  St.  Malachi,  St.  Columb, 
and  St.  Bridget,  having  been  discovered  this 
year  at  Down,  Malachi,  bishop  of  that  place, 
sent  intelligence  of  it  to  Pope  Urban  III.* 

*  Usser,  in  Indice  Chron.  ad  an.  1186. 


The  holy  father  immediately  sent  a  legate 
(probably  Cardinal  Vivian)  to  Ireland,  who 
performed  the  translation  of  the  bodies  of 
these  saints  on  the  fifth  of  June. 

The  Irish  and  English  carried  on  a  con- 
tinual petty  warfare  in  the  southern  parts  of 
the  island.*  Four  English  officers,  with  a 
detachment  from  the  garrison  of  Ardfinan, 
were  put  to  the  sword  by  a  body  of  men 
under  the  command  of  Donald  O'Brien,  king 
of  Limerick.  Another  detachment  from  the 
same  garrison,  having  been  taken  in  the  act 
of  plundering  near  that  city,  shared  the 
same  fate. 

When  the  king  of  England  saw  the  ill- 
success  of  his  son  John  in  the  management 
of  his  Irish  affairs,  he  deemed  it  prudent  to 
consign  them  to  military  veterans,  who  had 
been  trained  in  the  art  of  war  and  were  ac- 
quainted with  the  country,  and  he  therefore 
gave  the  viceroyalty  of  Ireland  to  John 
Courcy  the  following  winter. 

This  skilful  general  made  frequent  incur- 
sions into  the  kingdoms  of  Cork  and  Con- 
naught,  with  unequal  success ;  but  though 
he  was  not  always  victorious,  his  reputation 
rendered  him  very  formidable. 

In  the  mean  time,  O'Connor,  surnamed 
Maonmuighe,  son  of  Roderick,  still  enter- 
tained the  horrible  design  of  dethroning  his 
father,  notwithstanding  a  recent  reconcilia- 
tion between  them.  Having  collected  his 
vassals,  and  all  those  who  were  attached  to 
his  interest,  he  entered  Connaught  in  a  hos- 
tile manner,  where  he  treated  his  father's 
subjects  with  great  cruelty,  but  was  checked 
in  his  career  by  the  united  forces  of  Roder- 
ick and  Donald  O'Brien,  king  of  Limerick, 
who  gave  him  battle.  The  victory  of  the 
two  kings  put  an  end  to  the  rebellion,  and  a 
solid  peace  was  concluded  between  O'Con- 
nor and  his  father  through  the  mediation  of 
their  mutual  friends. 

The  fatigues  and  grief  which  Roderick 
O'Connor  had  undergone  having  given  him 
a  disgust  for  governing,  he  abdicated  the 
monarchy.  He  sent  back  the  hostages  which 
he  had  exacted  from  those  princes  who  had 
acknowledged  his  sovereignty,  and  gave  up 
to  his  son  Conchovar  (O'Connor)  the  totter- 
ing throne  of  Connaught.  He  then  with- 
drew to  the  abbey  of  Cong,  where  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  thirteen  years,  in 
preparing  for  eternity.  He  died  on  the  28th 
of  November,  at  the  age  of  82  years,  and 
left  several  pious  legacies  to  the  churches 
of  Ireland,  Rome,  and  Jerusalem.  His  body 
was   removed   from  Cong   to   Cluan-Mac- 

*  Trias.  Thaum.  not.  2,  3,  in  Vit.  6  Sanct.  Patr. 


296 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Noisk,  and  interred  in  tliat  church  with 
great  pomp  and  solemnity.  Thus  ended, 
with  this  prince,  the  monarchy  of  Ireland, 
which  had  lasted  lor  more  than  two  thou- 
sand years. 

Amlave  O'Murid,  or  O'lMurry,  who  had 
been  nominated  to  the  archbishopric  of  Ar- 
magh, alter  Mselisa  Mac-Carwel,  who  died 
on  his  way  to  Rome,  soon  followed  his  pre- 
decessor, and  was  succeeded  by  Tomnltach, 
or  Thomas  O'Connor.  The  latter  had  al- 
ready been  archbishop  of  Armagh,  upon  the 
death  of  Gilbert,  which  took  place  in  1180; 
but  the  tumults  of  war  having  caused  him  to 
resign,  he  ceded  the  archbishopric  to  Ma^lisa 
Mac-Carwel  in  1184,  and  resumed  it  again 
on  the  death  of  Amlave.  He  was  a  noble 
and  prudent  man,  says  the  author  of  the  an- 
nals of  the  monastery  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
near  Dublin,  and  governed  that  diocese  the 
second  time  for  nearly  sixteen  years. 

About  this  time  Dermod  M'Carty,  king  of 
Desmond,  having  placed  too  much  reliance 
on  the  good  faith  of  the  English,  was  sacri- 
ficed to  their  fuiy.  He  was  killed,  with  all 
his  retinue,  by  Theobald  Walter  and  the 
Englishmen  of  Cork,  at  a  conference  which 
he  was  holding  with  them  for  the  regidation 
of  some  affairs,  near  that  city. 

John  Cumin,  archbishop  of  Dublin,  as- 
sembled a  provincial  council  the  following 
licnt,  in  the  church  of  the  Holy  Trinity, 
Dublin,  which  he  opened  by  a  sermon  on  the 
sacraments  of  the  church.  Aubin  O'Molloy, 
abbot  of  Baltinglass,  and  afterwards  bishop 
of  Ferns,  preached  the  day  following  on  the 
chastity  of  ecclesiastics  ;  he  inveighed  in 
strong  terms  against  the  impurity  of  those 
who  came  from  England  and  Wales,  and  at- 
tributed the  corruption  which  was  beginning 
to  creep  in  among  the  Irish  clergy  to  their 
evil  example.  This  sermon  caused  a  warm 
altercation  between  the  abbot  of  Baltinglass 
and  Giraldus  Cambrensis,  who  was  present 
at  it.  Cambrensis  repaired  soon  afterwards 
to  his  archdeaconry  in  Wales,  where  he 
completed  his  Topogi-aphy,  and  his  history 
of  the  Conquest  of  Ireland. 

Hugh  de  Lacy,  lord  of  Meath,  having 
persecuted  the  Irish  for  a  considerable  time, 
and  committed  the  most  flagrant  acts  of  in- 
justice upon  the  inhabitants  of  Meath,  ended 
his  days  miserably  at  Dermagh,  now  Dur- 
rogh,  A.  D.  1186.*  The  tyrant's  head  was 
cut  off  by  a  blow  of  an  axe,  which  he  re- 
ceived from  a  young  Irish  nobleman  in  the 
disguise  of  a  laborer,  while  he  was  super- 


*  War.  de  Annal.  Hib.  c.  18.     Keating,  Hist,  of 
Ireknd,  b.  2. 


intending  the  building  of  a  strong  castle  in 
that  place.  The  person  who  performed 
this  deed  (whom  some  call  Malachi  Maclair, 
and  others  Symmachus  O'Cahargo)  fled  to 
a  neighboring  wood.  The  English  who  be- 
longed to  De  Lacy's  retinue  were  attacked 
also,  and  put  to  the  sword.  If  we  cannot 
justify  this  action,  which  was  barbarous  in 
itself,  circumstances  must  at  least  extenuate 
its  atrocity.  The  dead  body  of  the  English 
nobleman  was  deprived  of  burial  by  the 
people  for  the  cruelties  he  had  committed, 
and  kept  concealed  for  some  time  ;  it,  how- 
ever, was  discovered  in  1195,  and  interred 
with  great  pomp  in  the  abbey  of  Bective, 
on  the  river  Boyne,  by  Matthew  O'Heney, 
archbishop  of  Cashel,  and  apostolical  le- 
gate ;  assisted  by  John  Cumin,  archbishop 
of  Dublin.  The  head  of  De  Lacy  was 
brought  to  Dublin,  and  buried  with  Rosa  de 
Munemnene,  his  first  wife,  in  the  abbey  of 
Thomas  Court.  Lacy  left  two  sons,  Walter 
the  elder,  lord  of  Meath,  and  Hugh,  after- 
wards earl  of  Ulster. 

Geoffroy,*  fourth  son  of  Henry  II.  by  his 
wife  Eleanor,  and  duke  of  Brittany,  died 
August  16th,  1186,  and  was  buried  in  the 
choir  of  the  church  of  Notre  Dame,  at  Paris. 
He  had  by  his  wife  Constantia  (who  was 
the  daughter  and  heiress  of  Conon,  count  of 
Brittany,)  two  daughters,  and  a  son  named 
Arthur,  who  was  born  after  his  death. 

Henry  II.,  upon  hearing  of  the  tragical 
end  of  De  Lacy,  dispatched  his  son  John, 
with  a  large  army,  to  resume  the  govern- 
ment of  Ireland  ;  but  the  news  of  Geoffrey's 
death  at  Paris  having  reached  hiin  while  the 
prince  was  detained  at  Chester  by  contrary 
winds,  orders  were  sent  for  him  to  return, 
and  the  command  of  the  expedition  to 
Ireland  was  given  to  Philip  de  Wigorne. 
Some  people  say  that  Henry  himself  sailed 
with  it. 

The  destruction  which  now  threatened 
the  country  from  the  continual  incursions 
of  the  English,  was  still  insufficient  to  unite 
the  people  in  its  defence,  and  to  suppress 
the  factions  which  prevailed  among  them. 
Donald,  son  of  Hugue  O'Loghlin,  prince  of 
the  family  of  the  O'Neills,  and  king  of  Tir- 
ven,  was  dethroned,  and  Roderick  O'Lach- 
ertair  was  declared  king  in  his  stead.  The 
year  following  Tirconnel  was  invaded  by 
the  latter,  who  was  killed,  and  Donald  re- 
stored to  the  throne. 

The  death  of  Christianus  O'Conarchy, 
the  late  bishop  of  Lismore  and  apostolical 
legate,  is  said  to  have  occurred  in  this  year, 

*  Westnioiiast.  P'lores  Hist.  lib.  2,  ad  an.  1186. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


297 


1186;  he  was  buried  in  the  abbey  of  0'- 
Dorny,  where  he  spent  many  years  after  he 
had  retired  from  the  attractions  of  the 
world. 

This  year  was  also  remarkable  for  the 
death  of  an  illustrious  woman,  namely,  Ma- 
tilda, daughter  of  Henry  I.,  king  of  Eng- 
land, wife  of  Henry  IV.,  emperor  of  Ger- 
many, and  the  mother  of  Henry  II.  She, 
like  her  father,  died  at  Rouen,  in  Normandy, 
and  was  interred  in  the  abbey  of  Bee.  Others 
say  that  she  was  buried  in  the  abbey  of 
Reading,  in  England,  where  the  subjoined 
epitaph  on  her  may  be  seen.* 

Cardinal  Octavianus  and  Hugue  Nunant, 
bishop  of  Coventry  and  Lichfield,  were  sent 
in  quality  of  legates  by  Pope  Urban  HI., 
at  the  solicitation  of  Henry  II.,  to  assist  at 
the  coronation  of  his  son  John  as  king  of 
Ireland.  But  this  ceremony,  says  Hoveden, 
was  dispensed  with  on  account  of  the  affairs 
of  Henry,  who  brought  with  him  to  Nor- 
mandy these  two  legates,  to  be  present  at  a 
conference  which  he  was  about  to  hold  with 
Philip  Augustus,  concerning  a  peace,  a.  d. 
1188. 

The  viceroy  of  Ireland,  together  with 
Conchovar  O'Dermod,  carried  their  hostile 
intentions  into  Connaught,t  and  having  ad- 
vanced as  far  as  Esadar,  pitched  their  camp 
there  with  a  design  of  desolating  and  ravag- 
ing the  country  of  Tirconnel.  The  news, 
however,  of  Flahertach  O'Maolduin  march- 
ing with  an  army  from  that  quarter,  made 
them  abandon  this  project ;  they  set  fire  to 
Esadar,  and  returning  into  Connaught  met 
the  united  forces  of  Conchovar  Maonmuighe, 
king  of  the  province,  and  of  Donald  O'Brien, 
king  of  Limerick.  The  viceroy  gave  them 
battle,  which,  however,  proved  fatal  to  him  ; 
he  lost  the  flower  of  his  forces,  besides  sixteen 
persons  of  rank  in  his  army,  and  the  remain- 
der were  put  to  flight.  About  this  time 
Roderick  O'Gavanan,  king  of  Tirconnel,  to- 
gether with  his  brother  and  several  persons 
belonging  to  his  suite,  were  killed  near  the 
bridge  of  Sligo,  by  Flahertach  O'Maolduin. 
The  annals  of  Ulster  mention  a  sanguinary 
conflict  that  took  place  in  the  same  year, 
between  Donald,  son  of  Hugh  O'Lochlin, 
king  of  Tyrone,  and  the  English  garrison  of 
the  castle  of  Moycava,  or  Cava-na-Cran. 

*  Ortu  magna,  viro  major,  sed  maxima  partu 
Hie  jacet  Henrici  filia,  sponsa,  parens. 

Matth.  Paris,  ad  an.  1196,  p.  99. 
"  Here  lies  the   daughter,  wife,   and  mother  of 
Henry  ;  great  by  birth,  greater  by  her  husband,  but 
greatest  by  her  ofTspring." — Matthew  Paris,  ad  an. 
1196,  p.  99. 

t  War.  de  Annal.  Hib.  cap.  20. 


The  action  was  brisk,  and  the  victory  for  a 
long  time  doubtful ;  but  was  at  length  gained 
by  Donald,  with  the  loss  of  his  life.  The 
body  of  this  celebrated  prince  was  removed 
to  Armagh,  and  interred  with  great  pomp. 

Alured  le  Palmer,  of  Danish  extraction, 
founded  the  priory  of  St.  John  the  Baptist, 
of  which  he  was  the  first  prior,*  outside  of 
the  new  gate  of  Dublin.  This  house  was 
afterwards  endowed,  and  changed  into  an 
hospital,  with  accommodations  for  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-five  patients,  besides  the  chap- 
lains, and  other  necessary  attendants.  It 
belonged  in  latter  times  to  hermits  of  St. 
Augustin. 

Courcy  suppressed  the  abbey  of  Carrick, 
founded  near  the  bridge  of  St.  Finn,  by 
Magnal  Mac-Eulof,  one  of  the  kings  of  Ul- 
ster, and  appropriated  its  revenues  to  a  new 
house  which  he  founded  at  Inis,  dedicated 
to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  to  which  he 
brought  over  Cistertian  monks  from  the  ab- 
bey of  Furnes,  in  England.  It  was  the  poli- 
cy of  the  English  to  make  the  monks  inter- 
ested in  the  success  of  their  arms.  One  of 
these  monks,  called  Jocelin,  wrote  the  life 
of  St.  Patrick,  at  the  request  of  Tomultach 
O'Connor,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  Malachi, 
bishop  of  Down,  and  De  Courcy.  Martan 
O'Broley,  a  celebrated  professor  in  the  uni- 
versity of  Armagh,  died  about  this  time ; 
he  is  highly  eulogized  for  his  learning  in 
the  annals  of  Ulster. 

The  Irish  princes  having  determined  to 
make  an  effort  to  rescue  themselves  from  the 
slavery  of  the  English,  and  finding  no  reme- 
dy for  their  misfortunes  but  unhing  under 
one  chief,  offered  the  sovereignty  to  O'Con- 
nor Maonmuighe.  The  princes  who  formed 
this  league  were,  Donald  O'Brien,  king  of 
Limerick,  Roderick,  son  of  Dunsleve,  king 
of  UUagh,  Donald  Mac-Carthy,  king  of 
Desmond,  O'Melaghlin,  surnamed  Beag,  or 
the  little,  king  of  Meath,  and  O'Rourke, 
king  of  Brefny  and  Conmacne.  This  con- 
federacy, however,  Avas  productive  of  no 
good  result,  in  consequence  of  the  acci- 
dental death  of  O'Connor,  at  Dun-Leoga, 
in  Hymaine,  where  he  held  his  court.  He 
left  a  son  called  Cahal-Carrach. 

John  Courcy,  accustomed,  like  most  of 
his  countrymen  in  Ireland,  to  live  by  pil- 
lage, laid  waste  the  neighborhood  of  Ul- 
lagh,  (county  of  Dov/n,)  not  sparing  Ar- 
magh, A.  D.  IISS."!"  His  accomplices  there 
were  the  Audleys,  Gernons,  Clintons,  Rus- 
sels.  Savages,  Whites,  Mandevils,  Jordans, 

*  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26. 
t  War.  de  Annal.  Hib.  cap.  21 


298 


HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


Staiitons,  and  Poors,  wlio  had  followed  liis 
fortune,  and  on  whom  he  had  bestowed  es- 
tates and  lordships  which  did  not  belong 
to  him.  It  is  easy  to  be  generous  at  the 
expense  of  others. 

While  Dc  Courcy  was  carrying  on  his 
military  expeditions  in  Ulster,  Roger  Poor, 
a  brave  man,  of  noble  family,  was  killed, 
with  the  garrison,  in  the  castle  of  Dangis- 
drony,  in  the  district  of  Ossory,  which  the 
Irish  took  by  assault.  They  also  reduced 
the  castle  of  Lismore  ;  but  finding  it  impos- 
sible to  hold  out  against  the  English,  they 
determined  to  destroy  it. 

Murchard  Mac-Carwel,  king  of  Ergail, 
finding  his  end  approaching,  retired  to  the 
abbey  of  Mellifont,  where  he  was  buried 
near  his  father  Donat,  by  whom  it  had  been 
founded.  I  have  now  given  an  imperfect 
sketch  of  what  passed  in  Ireland  from  the 
first  invasion  of  the  English,  under  Henry 
II.,  to  the  death  of  that  prince,  which  took 
place  on  the  sixth  of  July,  in  his  castle  of 
Chinon,  in  Normandy.*  His  body  was  in- 
terred with  great  pomp  in  the  monastery  of 
Font  Everard,  which  he  had  founded.  He 
had  been  for  some  time  in  a  declining  state 
of  health,  overcome  Avith  grief  and  sorrow  ; 
but  the  list  which  Philip  Augustus  sent  to 
him  of  those  who  had  conspired  against  him, 
among  whom  was  his  favorite  son  John, 
was  the  immediate  cause  of  his  death. 

The  following  ceremony  was  observed, 
according  to  Baker,  at  his  funeral  obsequies : 
"He  was  clothed  in  his  royal  robes,  his  crown 
on  his  head,  white  gloves  on  his  hands,  boots 
and  spurs  of  gold  on  his  feet,  a  valuable 
ring  on  his  finger,  the  sceptre  in  his  hand, 
his  sword  to  his  side,  and  his  face  un- 
covered. 

"  As  they  were  carrying  his  body  to  the 
grave,  his  son  Richard  approached  it  with 
eagerness,  in  order  to  look  at  it,  whereupon 
a  quantity  of  blood  issued  from  the  nose. 
Although  the  above  fact,"  continues  our 
author,  "  was  not  a  proof  of  the  innocence 
of  Richard,  the  torrent  of  tears  which  he 
shed  on  the  occasion  was  a  sign  that  he  had 
repented."  Baker  speaks  of  a  princess  of 
the  house  of  Anjou,  from  whom  Henry  was 
descended,  who  was  suspected  of  being  a 
sorceress,  and  who,  it  is  said,  flew  through 
the  windows  of  the  church  when  it  was 
required  of  her  to  receive  the  blessed  Eu- 
charist ;  and  that  it  never  could  be  discovered 
what  became  of  her.  This  story,  he  says, 
which  has  been  published  by  every  writer, 
might  have  aflbrded  to  Heraclius,  patriarch 

*   Baker,  Chron.  of  England,  on  the  year  1189. 


of  Jerusalem,  (who  solicited  the  aid  of 
Henry  against  Saladin,)  the  opportunity  of 
foretelling  many  misfortunes  that  should 
befall  that  king,  and  of  announcing  to  his 
children,  that  they  should  return  to  the 
devil,  from  whom  they  had  gone  forth.  But 
he  remarks,  with  justice,  that  historians 
ought  rather  to  have  passed  over  the  sub- 
ject in  silence. 

I  have  already  portrayed  the  morals  of 
Henry  II. ;  let  English  writers  therefore 
draw  his  panegyric.  A  flatterer  has  written 
the  following  line,  in  itself  fine,  and  very 
laudatory  of  the  memory  of  that  prince, 
and  of  Richard,  his  successor. 

"  Mira  canam,  sol  occubuit,  nox  nulla  secuta  est." 

John  Comin,  archbishop  of  Dublin,  Aubin 
O'Mulloy,  bishop  of  Ferns,  and  Concert, 
bishop  of  Enaghdun,  assisted  at  the  coro- 
nation of  Richard,  surnamed  C(Eur  de  Lion, 
on  the  third  of  September  following,  at 
Westminster,  which  was  performed  by  Bald- 
win, archbishop  of  Canterbury.  His  brother 
John,  earl  of  Mortagne,  was  content  with 
being  lord  of  Ireland.  The  marriage  of 
William  Marshal  with  Isabella,  daughter  of 
Earl  Strongbow,  took  place  about  this  time  ; 
by  which  he  acquired  extensive  possessions 
in  Leinster,  and  the  title  of  earl  of  Pem- 
broke. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 


As  soon  as  Richard  I.,  surnamed  Coeur  de 
Lion,  was  crowned  king  of  England,  he 
determined  to  undertake  an  expedition  to 
the  Holy  Land,  a.  d.  1190,  in  order,  it  is 
said,  to  make  atonement  for  the  rebellion 
which  he  had  been  guilty  of  against  his 
father.  He  set  out  for  Palestine,  where  he 
arrived  the  year  following  with  a  numerous 
army,  without  leaving  any  orders  relative  to 
the  government  of  Ireland,  thinking,  perhaps, 
that  he  had  no  right  to  interfere  in  the 
affairs  of  that  island,  since  Henry  II.  had 
granted  the  sovereignty  of  it  to  his  brother 
John.  He  sent  a  deputation,  however,  to 
Pope  Clement  III., requesting  himtoappoint 
William  de  Long-Champs,  bishop  of  Ely, 
legate  of  the  British  dominions,  and  of  that 
part  of  Ireland  which  was  subject  to  his 
brother  John.  It  appears  by  the  pope's 
rescript,  quoted  in  the  history  of  Matthew 
Paris,*  that  the  English  then  owned  but  a 

*  "  Richard,  king  of  England,  sent  Willianij 
bishop  of  Ely,  with  a  deputation  to  Pope  Clement, 
from  whom  he  obtained  the  following  rescript — 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


299 


small  portion  of  that  country.  We  do  not 
discover  that  the  legate  had  ever  been  in 
Ireland,  or  made  any  regulations  concerning 
it. 

The  O'Connors  had  still  retained  a  vestige 
of  sovereignty  in  Connaught.  Cahal-Car- 
rach,  son  of  O'Connor  Maonmuighe,  suc- 
ceeded his  father ;  but  had  a  formidable 
rival  in  his  grand-uncle,  Cahal-Crovedarg, 
brother  to  Roderick  the  monarch.  These 
princes  had  each  his  party  to  vindicate  their 
respective  claims,  and  the  province  suffered 
greatly  by  their  disunion.  They  even  sought 
for  partisans  among  the  English.*  William 
Fitz-Adelm  declared  in  favor  of  Cahal- 
Carrach,  and  Crovedarg  was  supported  by 
John  de  Courcy.  After  many  acts  of  hos- 
tility on  both  sides,  they  at  length  came  to  a 
decisive  engagement.  Both  armies  were 
composed  of  Irish  and  English,  who  per- 
formed prodigies  of  valor,  and  the  victory 
was  long  doubtful ;  but  the  troops  of  Cahal- 
Carrach  beginning  to  give  way,  were  at 
last  put  to  flight.  The  prince  himself,  and 
several  nobles  of  the  province,  were  found 
among  the  slain,  and  Fitz-Adelm  returned 
to  Limerick  with  the  troops  that  remained. 
Cahal-Crovedarg  then  besieged  a  strong 
castle  which  Fitz-Adelm  had  buiU  at  Mi- 
leach  O'Madden,  in  the  district  of  Siola- 
namchad,  to  favor  his  retreat  in  case  of 
need  :  the  garrison,  which  was  composed  of 
Englishmen,  finding  themselves  unable  to 
defend  the  place,  and  dreading  military  exe- 
cution in  case  of  resistance,  whhdrew  during 
the  night,  and  the  victorious  prince  caused 
the  castle  and  all  its  fortifications  to  be  razed 
to  the  ground. 

As  an  act  of  thanksgiving,  Cahal-Crove- 
darg founded  an  abbey  for  Bernardine 
monks  in  a  place  called  Knock-Moy,  in  the 
county  of  Galway,  where  he  had  gained  the 
victory,  which  he  called  De  Colle  Victorice, 
or  the  Mount  of  Victory.!  This  house  was 
a  branch  of  the  abbey  of  Boyle,  of  the  order 
of  Clairvaux.     Jungelinus  places  this  foun- 


"  Clement,  bishop,  &c.,  according  to  the  com- 
mendable desire  of  our  dearetit  son  in  the  Lord, 
Richard,  the  ilhistrious  king  of  England,  we  have 
by  our  apostolical  authority  decreed  that  the  office 
of  legate  be  intrusted  to  thy  charge  over  England, 
Wales,  including  the  archbishoprics  of  Canterbury 
and  York,  and  those  parts  of  Ireland  in  which  .lohn, 
the  noble  knight  of  Moreton,  and  brother  of  his 
majesty,  exercises  control  and  dominion."  "  Given 
on  the  fifth  of  June,  in  the  3d  year  of  our  ponti- 
ficate."— Matthew  Paris,  on  the  year  1188,  part 
108. 

*  Keating,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  b.  2. 

t  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  2G.  AUemand,  Hist. 
Monast.  d'lil.  page  189. 


dation  in  1190,  and  others  so  late  as  1200  : 
however  this  be,  Crovedarg  soon  afterwards 
finding  his  end  approaching,  assumed  the 
monastic  habit  in  this  house,  where  he  was 
interred,  having  governed  the  province  as 
chief  of  the  Hy-Brunes  and  of  Clan-Murray. 
The  descendants  of  this  valiant  prince  never 
accepted  of  titles  of  honor  from  the  kings 
of  England  ;  titles  which  most  of  the  ancient 
Irish  families  then  despised,  and  looked  upon 
as  marks  of  slavery.  The  name  of  O'Con- 
nor Don,  which  belonged  to  the  chief  of 
this  tribe,  as  well  as  those  of  other  chiefs  of 
great  families,  was  much  more  noble,  accord- 
ing to  the  genius  and  manners  of  the  nation, 
than  the  title  of  earl  or  marquis.  The  pres- 
ent chief  of  this  illustrious  house  of  O'Con- 
nor, is  Daniel,  son  of  Andrew  O'Connor,  of 
Ballintobber,  who  still  retains  a  small  por- 
tion of  the  vast  possessions  of  his  ancestors 
in  Connaught. 

Ware  mentions  the  foundation  of  a  priory 
at  this  time,  under  the  title  of  Saint  Mary, 
at  Kenlis,*  in  the  county  of  Kilkenny,  by 
Galfridus,  seneschal  of  Leinster,  for  regular 
canons  of  St.  Augustin.  But  in  the  additions 
made  to  the  Monasticum  Anglicanum  of 
Dugdale  and  Dodswort,  this  foundation  is 
fixed  earlier,  that  is,  in  1183,  under  the 
reign  of  Henry  II. 

At  Navan,  a  considerable  town  in  Meath, 
at  the  confluence  of  the  rivers  Boyne  and 
Blackwater,  there  was  an  abbey  founded  for 
regular  canons  of  St.  Augustin,  by  Jocelin 
Nangle,  [De  Angulo,)  an  English  lord,  who 
had  settled  in  this  country.! 

In  the  neighborhood  of  the  town  of  Wex- 
ford, we  discover  the  priory  of  Saints  Peter 
and  Paul,  called  Selsker,  founded  in  this 
century,  for  regular  canons  of  the  order  of 
St.  Augustin,  by  the  Roches,  lords  of  Fer- 
moy. 

John  Comin,  archbishop  of  Dublin,  em- 
ployed himself  in  beautifying  the  churches 
of  that  city ;  he  had  the  cathedral,  called 
Christ's  Church,  repaired  ;  and  St.  Patrick's 
Church,  which  was  falling  into  ruins,  com- 
pletely rebuilt.  He  founded  thirteen  pre- 
bendaries, which  number  was  afterwards 
increased  to  twenty-two.  He  also  founded 
a  nunnery  in  that  city  for  regular  canon- 
esses  of  St.  Augustin,  called  De  Gratia  Dei, 
"  of  the  grace  of  God."| 

The  war  between  the  O'Briens  of  Thuo- 
mond,  and  the  Mac-Cartys  of  Desmond,  had 
lasted  for  a  considerable  time  ;  and  though 
peace  was  at  length  concluded  between  these 

*  War.  de  Antiq.  cap.  26. 

t  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irl.  page  32. 

t  Idem,  page  341. 


300 


HISTORY    OF   IRELAND. 


two  septs,  it  was,  unluckily,  but  of  short 
continuance.  Heaven  itself  seemed  displeas- 
ed with  the  discord  of  these  people  at  a  pe- 
riod when  luiion  was  so  necessary  for  the 
defence  of  their  country.  Munster  was  visited 
at  this  time  by  dreadful  storms  and  hurri- 
canes, which  destroyed  several  houses  and 
churches,  and  caused  the  loss  of  many  lives. 

About  this  time  was  celebrated,  in  the 
monastery  of  Clairvaux  in  France,  the  festival 
of  the  translation  of  the  relics  of  St.  Malachi, 
archbishop  of  Armagh.  They  were  after- 
wards removed  to  the  abbey  of  INIellifont  in 
Ireland,  and  particles  of  them  distributed  to 
the  dilFerent  houses  of  the  Cistertian  order. 

Matthew  O'Heney,  archbishop  of  Cashel, 
having  been  nominated  legate  of  Ireland  by 
Pope  Celestinus  III.,  convened  a  council  in 
Dublin,  A.  D.  1192  ;  but  we  are  unacquainted 
with  what  passed  in  it.  About  this  time  the 
city  suffered  considerably  by  fire. 

While  some  of  the  English  were  occupied 
in  building  the  castles  of  Ballinorcher  and 
Kilbixi,  in  Westmeath,  and  that  of  Kilkenny, 
in  Leinster,  others  of  them  were  completely 
destroyed  at  Dunlus  O'Fogerte,  by  Donald 
O'Brien,  king  of  Limerick  ;  after  which  the 
English,  in  revenge  for  their  losses,  collect- 
ed a  force  and  pillaged  the  country  of  Thuo- 
raond. 

About  the  samQ,time  an  abbey  of  Bene- 
dictines was  founded  at  Glascarrig,  in  the 
county  of  Wexford  ;  an  abbey  also  of  the 
Cistertian  order  at  Ballinamore,  in  West- 
meath, and  one  in  the  city  of  Down.* 

There  were  two  priories  in  Eastmeath, 
one  near  the  town  of  Trim,  and  the  other 
at  Kells,  in  the  same  county.  Both  belonged 
to  the  order  of  the  Holy-Cross.  The  former 
was  founded  by  a  bishop  of  Meath,  the  lat 
ter  by  AV alter  de  Lacy.f 

Richard,  king  of  England,  whom  we  left 
in  Asia,  was  shipwrecked  in  the  Adriatic 
sea,  on  his  return  to  Europe.  In  order  to 
conceal  his  coming  to  England,  he  took  the 
road  through  Germany,  where  he  had  the 
misfortune  of  falling  into  the  hands  of  Leo- 
pold, marquis  of  Austria.  This  prince  had 
not  forgotten  the  insult  he  had  received  at 
the  siege  of  Acre,  from  Richard,  who  tore 
down  the  standard  he  had  set  up  on  the  top 
of  a  tower,  and  placed  his  own  in  its  stead. 
He  sold  Richard  to  the  Emperor  Henry  VI., 
who  detained  him  a  prisoner  for  fifteen 
months.  His  brother  John,  lord  of  Ireland, 
wishing  to  take  advantage  of  this  opportunity, 
and,  according  to  Ware,  at  the  instigation  of 


*  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26. 
t  Alleinand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irl. 


Philip  Augustus,  made  some  attempts  to 
usurp  the  crown  of  England  ;*  but  being 
doubtful  of  success,  he  only  fortified  some 
castles  in  England,  and  went  to  Normandy, 
where  Philip  Augustus  then  was,  by  whom 
he  was  honorably  received. 

Richard  having  been  released  from  his 
captivity,  returned  to  England,  where  he  was 
joyfully  received  by  his  subjects  ;  and  then 
went  to  Normandy,  to  put  a  stop  to  the 
progress  of  Phihp.f  His  brother  John  fol- 
lowed him  thither,  and  implored  his  forgive- 
ness in  the  humblest  manner,  promising  him 
fidelity  for  the  future.  He  granted  him  his 
pardon,  through  the  solicitation  of  his  mother 
Eleanor,  saying,  "  I  wish  I  may  forget  your 
crime,  and  that  you  alone  may  preserve 
the  remembrance  of  it."| 

In  Ireland  the  O'Briens  were  still  opposed 
to  the  M'Cartys,  and  in  1193  the  king  of 
Limerick  consented  to  the  building  of  the 
castle  of  Briginis,  in  the  country  of  Thuo- 
mond,  to  favor  the  incursions  of  the  Eng- 
lish into  Desmond.  These  strangers  still  con- 
tinued their  depredations  ;  they  held  nothing 
sacred.  Gilbert  de  Nangle  pillaged  the  island 
of  Inisclohran,  in  lake  Ree,  and  also  the  ab- 
bey ;  while  Africa,  wife  of  John  de  Courcy, 
founded  the  abbey  of  our  Lady  of  Leigh,  or 
De  Jugo  Dei,  in  Ulster,  in  which  she  was 
afterwards  interred.  About  this  time  died 
Derforgill,  wife  of  Tigernach  O'Rourk, 
whose  misconduct  had  drawn  irremediable 
misfortunes  on  her  country.  She  had  been 
at  first  confined,  by  order  of  Roderick  O'Con- 
nor, in  the  abbey  of  St.  Bridget  in  Kildare, 
from  whence  she  was  removed  to  the  abbey 
of  Mellifont,  where  she  died. 

The  year  following  was  much  more  memo- 
rable by  the  death  of  Donald  O'Brien,  king 
of  Limerick,  a.  d.  1194.  This  prince  was  no 
less  pious  than  warlike  ;  he  founded  several 
monasteries,  and  made  also  many  efforts, 
though  too  late,  to  shake  off  the  yoke  of  the 
English.  His  first  fault  was  irreparable  : 
instead  of  joining  the  other  princes  of  Ire- 
land in  the  common  cause,  he  had  been  one 
of  the  first  to  submit  to  Henry  II.,  without 
makuig  the  least  resistance,  and  thereby 
afforded  the  English  an  opportunity  of  be- 
coming strong  in  the  country.  Although 
the  last  king  of  Limerick,  he  was  succeeded 
in  the  government  of  that  part  of  the  island 
by  his  son  Donogh  Cairbreach.  The  eyes  of 
his  second  son,  Alortough,  were  put  out  by 
the  English. 

*  Annal.  Hib.  ad  an.  1193. 
t  Westmonast.  Flores  Hist.  lib.  2,  ad  an.  1192. 
\  Walslng.  Ypodig.  Meust.  ad  an.  1193,  1194. 
Bak.  Chron.  of  Engl,  on  the  reign  of  Richard. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


301 


The  affairs  of  the  English  in  Ireland  were 
in  a  very  precarious  state,  a.  d.  1195  ;  after 
being  defeated  in  several  engagements,  they 
were  expelled  from  Limerick  by  Donald 
M'Carty.  The  Irish  knew  how  to  gain  vic- 
tories, but  had  not  the  art  of  turning  them 
to  advantage  ;  the  superiority  of  their  arms 
was  soon  counterbalanced  by  the  stratagems 
of  war  skilfully  made  use  of  by  the  English, 
and  by  the  succor  these  strangers  were 
continually  receiving  from  England.  Philip 
de  Wigorne  landed  this  year  on  the  coasts 
of  Munster,  with  a  strong  reinforcement, 
which  changed  the  aspect  of  their  affairs. 
In  Ulster,  Roderick,  son  of  Dunleve,  with  a 
body  of  troops  composed  of  both  English 
and  Irish,  made  incursions  into  Tyrone  ;  but 
was  repulsed,  and  attacked  in  his  retreat  at 
Armagh,  by  Mortough  O'Loghlin,  prince  of 
that  district,  who  destroyed  a  considerable 
part  of  his  army.  This  prince,  celebrated 
in  the  histories  of  the  country,  was  killed 
some  time  afterwards,  by  Donough  M'Blos- 
chy  O'Cahan,  and  his  body  interred  with 
great  pomp  at  Derry. 

About  this  time  Pope  Celestine  III.  con- 
firmed the  foundation  of  a  monastery  for 
Augustin  nuns  at  Termonfechau,  in  the 
county  of  Louth,  by  the  M'Mahons,  lords  of 
the  country.* 

Courcy  having  taken  the  castle  of  Kil- 
sandall,  placed  a  garrison  in  it,  a.  d.  1196, 
under  the  command  of  one  Russell,  who,  to 
try  his  fortune,  made  some  incursions  with 
the  troops  of  his  garrison  into  the  country 
of  Tirconnel,  from  whence  he  carried  away 
considerable  booty  ;  but  he  was  attacked  on 
the  way  and  killed,  Avith  several  of  his  fol- 
lowers, by  Flahertach  O'Maolduin,  prince 
of  Tirconnel. 

In  Munster,  Donald  M'Carty  put  the 
English  garrison  of  Imacalle  to  the  sword, 
and  razed  the  castle  to  the  ground.  He 
treated  the  garrison  of  Kilfeacle  in  the  same 
manner,  and  pillaged  the  castle.  In  order 
to  put  a  stop  to  the  enterprises  of  M'Carty, 
the  English  sent  an  army,  composed  of  the 
garrisons  of  Cork  and  other  places,  against 
him  ;  but  did  not,  however,  come  to  an 
engagement.  A  truce  was  concluded,  and 
hostilities  ceased  for  some  time. 

Gilbert  de  Nangle,  a  man  of  considerable 
power  in  Meath,  put  himself  at  the  head  of 
a  body  of  troops,  and  committed  dreadful 
devastation  in  the  surrounding  country  ;  but 
finding  himself  threatened  by  Hamon  de 
Valoines,  who  had  succeeded  Peter  Pippard 

*  War.  de  Antiq.  AUemand,  Hist.  Monast. 
d'lrl.  page  349. 


as  lord-justice  of  Ireland,  he  laid  down  his 
arms  and  took  to  flight,  after  which  his  cas- 
tles were  seized,  and  his  estates  confiscated. 

A  serious  dispute  occurred,  a.  d.  1179, 
between  John  Comin,  archbishop  of  Dublin, 
and  Hamon  de  Valoines,  and  other  ministers 
of  John,  lord  of  Ireland,  who  were  encroach- 
ing on  the  privileges  of  his  church.  The 
prelate  excommunicated  them,  and  then  went 
to  England,  where  he  in  vain  complained 
of  the  injustice  of  these  ministers.  It  has 
since  been  discovered  in  the  registries  of 
the  church  of  Dublin,  that  Hamon  granted 
to  the  successor  of  Comin,  twenty  carucates 
or  quarters  of  land,  in  compensation  for  the 
wrongs  he  had  done  it. 

John  de  Courcy  continued  his  tyranny  in 
Ulster.  He  made  the  people  suffer  for  the 
crime  of  an  individual  ;  putthig  several  in- 
nocent persons  to  death  in  order  to  be  re- 
venged for  the  death  of  his  brother  Jordan, 
who  was  killed  by  his  own  servant.  He 
laid  waste  the  country  of  Tirconnel,  from 
which  he  carried  off  much  booty,  after  hav- 
ing killed  O'Dogherty,  who  became  prince 
of  that  country  ufter  the  death  of  Flahertach 
O'Maolduin.  The  latter,  who  was  so  cele- 
brated among  the  Irish  for  his  military  ex- 
ploits, and  other  virtues,  died  at  Inis-Samer, 
on  the  10th  of  February,  after  a  long  illness, 
and  was  buried,  with  pomp,  at  Drum-Tuama. 

Hamon  de  Valoines,  lord-justice  of  Ire- 
land, was  at  length  recalled,  a.  d.  1198. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Meyler  Fitzhenry, 
renowned  in  history  for  his  exploits  against 
the  Irish. 

The  castle  of  Ard-Patrick,  in  Munster, 
was  built  this  year  by  the  English  ;  and  the 
year  following,  that  of  Astretin,  in  the  same 
province. 

Richard  I.  survived  his  captivity  but  five 
or  six  years.  He  was  almost  continually  at 
war  with  Philip  Augustus.*  Several  truces 
were  concluded  between  them.  Richard 
was  at  length  wounded  in  the  arm  by  an 
arrow  that  was  discharged  by  Bertram  de 
Gordon,  otherwise  called  Peter  Basile,when 
he  was  endeavoring  to  enter  the  castle  of 
Chains,  near  Limoge,  by  force.f  His  wound 
having  mortified  through  the  ignorance  of  i 
the  surgeon  who  dressed  it,  he  died  after  a  i 
few  days.  His  body  was  interred  ai  Fonte- 
veraud,  near  the  tomb  of  his  father,  and  his 
heart  brought  to  Rouen,  in  gratitude  for  the 
love  which  that  city  had  always  manifested 
towards  him.| 

*  Westmon.  Flores  Hist.  lib.  2,  ad  an.  1199. 
t  Matth.  Paris,  Angli.  Hist.  Major.  Vit.  Richard. 
t    Baker's    Chron.    of    Engl,    on    the    reign    of 
Richard  I. 


302 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


John,  earl  of  Mortagne,  lord  of  Ireland, 
who  had  endeavored  to  usurp  the  throne 
of  England  during  his  brother's  lifetime, 
did  not  fail  to  lay  claim  to  it  after  his  death, 
to  the  prejudice  of  his  nepliew  Arthur,  son 
of  Gcotrry,  of  Brittany,  his  elder  brother.* 
Arthur  took  up  arms,  and  was  supported  I)y 
Philip  Augustus  ;  but  John  made  him  pris- 
oner at  Mirabel,  in  Poitou,  whence  he  sent 
him,  under  a  strong  escort,  to  Falaise,  and 
thence  to  Rouen,  where  he  had  him  put  to 
death  ;  by  which  means  he  imited  the  he- 
reditary domains  of  his  family,  on  the  con- 
tinent, with  the  kingdom  of  England.! 

The  English  still  continued  their  hostili- 
ties in  Ireland,  a.  d.  1199.  John  de  Courcy 
sent  a  body  of  troops  this  year  to  Tyrone, 
who  laid  the  country  waste  and  carried 
away  several .  herds  of  cattle.  They  were 
not,  however,  so  fortunate  in  a  second  enter- 
prise. Hugh  O'Neill,  prince  of  the  country, 
marched  to  meet  them,  and  defeated  them  at 
Donoughmore.  Meanwhile,  the  English  of 
Munster  continued  to  devastate  the  country 
of  Desmond  from  the  river  Shannon  to  the 
Eastern  Sea.  About  the  same  period,  a 
fortified  castle  was  built  at  Granard,  in  the 
district  of  Aumale,  in  the  county  of  Longford, 
by  Richard  Tuite,  to  check  the  O'Reillys 
and  other  Irish  chieftains,  who  were  carry- 
ing on  a  continual  warfare  against  the  Eng- 
lish, who  had  settled  in  that  quarter. 

The  abbey  of  Comerer,  or  Comber,  in  the 
county  of  Down,  was  founded  this  year,  for 
Cistertian  monks,  by  the  Whites,  who  had 
settled  in  that  country. |  This  abbey  wa.s 
inconsiderable,  and  was  a  branch  of  that  of 
Blancheland,  in  Wales,  whence  its  first 
monks  came  over. 

King  John  was  not  less  avaricious  than 
his  father  :  he  drew  money  from  all  quarters, 
and  it  may  be  said  that  his  reign  was  one 
coutiiiual  tax.^  According  to  Hoveden,  he 
sold  to  William,  nephew  of  Philip  de  Braos, 
for  four  thousand  marks  of  silver,  the  lands  of 
the  O'Carrols,  the  O'Kennedys,  O'Maghers, 
O'Fogartys,  O'Ryans,  O'llifferans,  and  oth- 
ers, which  Henry  his  father  had  given  to 
Philip  de  Worcester,  and  to  Theobald  Fitz- 
walter.  But  Worcester,  who  was  then  in 
England,  returned  to  Ireland  through  Scot- 
land, and  recovered  his  estates  by  open 
force.  Fitz waiter,  with  the  assistance  of 
his  brother  De  Hubert,  archbishop  of  Can- 


*  Wcstmonast.  ibid,  ad  ay.  1202. 

t  Matth.  Paris,  Angli.  Hist.  Major,  ad  an.  1292. 
Baker,  Chron.  of  Engl,  on  tlie  reign  of  John  I. 

t  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irl.  page  193. 

§  Baker,  Chron.  of  Engl,  on  the  reign  of  John  I. 
War.  de  Annal.  Hib.  ad  an.  1200. 


terbury,  compounded  with  De  Braos  for  his 
estates,  by  paying  five  hundred  marks.* 
Those  lands  were  Truohekcd,  Eile-y-Car- 
rol,  Eile-y-Ogarthi,  Orwon,  Areth,  and  Ovvny, 
Owny  Ilokathelan,  and  Owny  IlilTernan. 
William  de  Braos  gave  up  those  lands  to 
Fitzwalter,  by  a  charter  delivered  at  Lin- 
coln in  presence  of  the  king.  Henry  11. 
had  already  conferred  on  Fitzwalter  the 
office  of  grand  hereditary  butler  of  Ireland, 
from  whence  is  derived  the  name  of  Butler, 
which  was  afterwards  taken  by  the  de- 
scendants of  that  nobleman. 

William  Marshal,  earl  of  Pembroke,  being 
in  danger  of  shipwreck  on  his  passage  from 
England  to  Ireland,  made  a  vow  to  build  a 
religious  house  ;t  in  consequence  of  which 
he  Ibunded,  a.  d.  1199,  the  abbey  called 
Little  Tinterne,  in  Ireland,  in  a  village  of 
that  name  on  the  coast  of  Wexford.  The 
abbey  was  so  called  to  distinguish  it  from 
the  great  Tinterne,  in  Wales,  where  the 
Cistertian  order  was  established,  and  of 
which  it  was  a  branch.  This  nobleman 
also  founded  two  religious  houses  ;  one  at 
Kilrush,  in  the  county  of  Kildare,  for  regular 
canons,  and  the  other  at  Wexford,  for  hospi- 
tallers of  St.  John  the  Baptist  of  Jerusalem, 
and  St.  Bridget. I  Besides  the  latter  house, 
which  was  the  grand  priory,  the  order  of 
Malta  had  nine  commanderies  in  Ireland 
before  the  suppression  of  the  Templars. 

About  this  time  Donat,  son  of  Donald 
O'Brien,  king  of  Limerick,  founded  two 
abbeys,  dedicated  to  the  blessed  Virgin  ; 
one  that  of  Corcumroe,  or  de  Pelra  Fertili, 
in  the  county  of  Clare,  of  the  Cistertian 
order  ;  the  other  that  of  Kilcoul,  or  de  Ar- 
vicampo,  in  the  county  of  Tipperary,  a 
branch  of  the  abbey  of  Jeripont. 

We  discover  at  the  same  time  the  founda- 
tion of  two  nunneries  :  one  at  Kilcreunata, 
in  the  county  of  Galway,  called  de  Casta 
Sylva,  founded  by  Cahal  O'Connor,  sur- 
named  Crovderg,  for  Benedictines  ;  the 
other  at  Granary,  county  of  Kildare,  found- 
ed by  Walter  de  Ridelesford,  an  English  no- 
bleman, for  monks  of  St.  Augustin.^  This 
monastery  is,  perhaps,  the  same  as  Grane, 
a  priory  of  Benedictines  in  the  same  county, 
founded  by  the  same  nobleman  ;  the  act  of 
its  foundation  is  mentioned  by  the  authors 
of  the  "  Monasticum  Anglicanum,"  to  have 
been  inserted  in   a  bull  of  Pope  Innocent 

*  Introduction  to  the  life  of  the  duke  of  Ormond, 
vol.  1,  p.  18, 

t  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  26. 

t  Allem.  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irl.  pages  24,  124. 

§  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  26.    Allem.  ibid.  p.  347. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


303 


III.,  in  the  year  1207,  by  wliich  it  appears 
that  this  English  nobleman,  its  founder,  and 
baron  of  Bre,  lord  of  Tristeldermot  and 
other  places,  granted  it  to  the  lands  of 
Grane,  Dolke,  and  others. 

.\t  Nenagh,  in  the  county  of  Tipperary. 
there  was  a  priory  or  hospital  called  Teach- 
Eon,  dedicated  to  St.  John  the  Baptist, 
founded  by  Theobald  Walter,  the  chief  of 
the  Butlers,*  a.  d.  1200.  At  Athassel,  a 
small  town  in  the  same  county,  was  the  pri- 
ory of  St.  Edmond,  king  and  martyr,  found- 
ed for  regular  canons  in  1200  by  William 
de  Burgo,  from  whom  the  Burkes  are  de- 
scended. 

At  Kilbeggain,  in  Westmeath,  there  was 
an  abbey  of  Cistertian  monks,  called  De 
Flumine  Dei,  founded  by  the  Daltons,  bar- 
ons of  Rathcomire.f  It  was  a  branch  of 
the  abbey  of  Mellifont,  its  first  monks  hav- 
ing come  from  that  abbey. 

At  Tristernach,  in  Westmeath,  there  was 
also  a  priory'  for  regular  canons  of  St.  Au- 
gustin,  called  St.  Mary's,  founded  about  this 
time  by  Geoffry  de  Constantin,  an  English 
lord.  Dugdale  and  Dodsworth  mention  the 
act  of  its  foundation  in  the  additions  to  the 
"  Monasticum  Anglicanum ^ 

In  the  neighborhood  of  the  town  of  Wex- 
ford, the  priory  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul 
was  founded  by  the  Roches,  lords  of  Fer- 
moy,  for  regidar  canons  of  St.  Augustin. 
There  was  also  a  priory  of  the  same  order, 
under  the  title  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  at 
Naas,  in  the  county  of  Kildare,  founded  by 
a  baron  of  Naas. 

The  church  of  Ireland  lost  two  celebrated 
prelates  at  this  period,  (a.  d.  1201 ;)  Thomas 
O'Connor,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  a  noble 
and  virtuous  character,  was  one  ;  he  was 
interred  in  the  abbey  of  Mellifont.;}:  The 
English  wishing  to  make  themselves  mas- 
ters of  the  see,  which  had  become  vacant 
by  his  death,  the  king  of  England  appointed 
Humfred  de  TikhuU  to  it ;  but  he  was  pre- 
vented from  acting  by  the  pope,  who  confer- 
red it  on  Eugene  Mac-Gillevider,  a  native  of 
Ireland.  Eugene  was  a  man  of  great  virtue, 
"  vir  magnse  honestatis  et  vita?  laudabilis  ;" 
he  died  at  Rome  in  1216,  after  having  as- 
sisted at  the  fourth  council  of  Lateran. 

Catholicus  O'Dubhay,  archbishop  of  Tuam, 
was  the  other  prelate  alluded  to.  He  was  a 
grave  and  learned  man,  and  had  made  peace 
between  Roderick  O'Connor  and  Henry  II. ; 
he  was  also  one  of  the  six  Irish  prelates  that 


*  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irl.  page  6.5. 

t  War.  de  Antiq.  ibid.     Allemand,  ibid.  p.  179. 

X  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Ardmach. 


had  assisted  at  the  council  of  Lateran.  His 
death  took  place  at  Cong,  at  an  advanced 
age,*  and  he  was  buried  in  the  monastery  of 
the  regular  canons  of  St.  Augustin,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Felix  O'Ruadan. 

There  had  always  existed  a  jealousy  and 
secret  enmity  between  the  Lacys  and  John 
de  Courcy,  which  broke  out  openly  in  the 
beginning  of  the  reign  of  king  John.f  This 
king  was  abhorred  by  all  good  men,  not  only 
for  having  deprived  Arthur  of  the  crown, 
who  was  legitimate  heir  to  it,  but  also  for 
having  imbrued  his  own  hands  in  the  blood 
of  that  innocent  prince.  Every  one  ex- 
pressed his  indignation  openly,  particularly 
John  de  Courcy,  earl  of  Ulster,  who  was  a 
violent  and  hasty  man,  and  who,  not  con- 
tent with  the  mere  abhorrence  which  so 
detestable  an  act  excited,  gave  vent  to  im- 
precations, of  which  the  king  was  soon  in- 
formed. In  order  to  punish  De  Courcy's 
imprudence,  John  sent  orders  to  De  La- 
cy, whom  he  had  just  appointed  lord-jus- 
tice of  Ireland,  to  have  him  arrested  and 
brought  to  England  in  chains.  Lacy  was 
glad  to  receive  these  orders,  so  much  in  ac- 
cordance with  his  own  wishes,  and  lost  not 
a  moment  in  using  all  his  efforts  to  execute 
the  commission.  Courcy,  informed  of  the 
danger  which  threatened  him,  withdrew  to 
Ulster,  where  he  placed  himself  on  the 
defensive,  and  defeated  the  king's  troops, 
whom  De  Lacy  had  sent  in  pursuit  of  him, 
near  Down.  The  viceroy  finding  it  impos- 
sible to  reduce  his  enemy  by  force  of  arms, 
published  a  manifesto,  in  the  king's  name, 
declaring  De  Courcy  a  traitor  to  the  king 
and  a  rebel  to  his  commands,  and  ofl^ered  a 
reward  to  whomsoever  should  take  and 
bring  him,  dead  or  alive,  to  him.  This  re- 
ward some  of  De  Courcy's  own  household 
were  base  enough  to  earn  ;  he  was  arrested 
on  Good  Friday  by  some  of  his  own  attend- 
ants, and  brought  to  the  viceroy,  Avho,  after 
giving  those  who  delivered  him  up  the  prom- 
ised reward,  had  them  all  hanged.  Lacy 
immediately  set  out  with  his  prisoner  for 
England,  and  presented  him  to  the  king,  by 
whose  orders  he  was  confined  in  a  dungeon. 
As  a  reward  for  this  service.  Lacy  received 
from  his  royal  master  all  the  lands  which 
belonged  to  De  Courcy  in  Ulster  and  Con- 
naught,  together  with  the  title  of  earl  of 
Ulster. 

The  people  of  Tyrone  deposed  Hugh 
O'Neill  this  year,  and 'placed  Cornelius 
Mac-Lausfhlin  in  his  stead,  who  was  killed 


*  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Tuamens. 

+  Stanihurst,  de  Reb.  in  Hib.  Gest.  page  212. 


304 


HISTORY    OF   IRELAND. 


in  battle  a  short  time  afterwards  by  Eignea- 
chain  O'Donnel  ;  after  which  O'Neill  was 
reinstated.  ' 

The  discord  which  prevailed  between 
Philip  do  Worcester  and  William  de  Braos, 
to  whom  the  king  had  sold  the  lands  of 
Philip,  as  has  been  already  observed,  Avas 
productive  of  great  troubles  in  Munster, 
particularly  in  the  district  of  Moy-Femin, 
which  was  pillaged  :  but  the  year  following, 
the  castle  of  Knockgrassan,  and  other  places 
which  had  been  seized  by  Philip,  were  re- 
stored to  WilUam  by  order  of  the  king. 

William  Fitz-Adelm,  or  De  Burgo,  made 
some  incursions  into  the  country  of  Des- 
mond, and  carried  off  considerable  booty. 
The  king  gave  him  by  charter  five  military 
fiefs  in  a  place  called  Toth,  where  the  cas- 
tle of  Canic,  now  Castle-Connel,  stands, 
which  have  remained  in  the  hands  of  his 
descendants  to  the  present  time. 

Keating  mentions  an  expedition  which 
Fitz-Adelm  made  into  Connaught,  where  he 
committed  dreadful  devastations.*  Accord- 
ing to  him,  cruelty  was  the  ruling  passion  of 
this  nobleman  ;  he  put  the  priests  and  peo- 
ple to  the  sword  without  distinction,  and  de- 
stroyed the  religious  houses  and  other  holy 
places  in  this  province,  so  that  his  tyrannical 
conduct  drew  upon  him  the  censures  of  the 
clergy,  and  he  was  solemnly  excommunica- 
ted by  the  church  ;  in  which  state  he  died 
of  an  extraordinary  sickness,  which  caused 
frightful  distortions.  He  gave  no  signs  of 
repentance  ;  his  body  was  carried  to  a  vil- 
lage, the  inhabitants  of  which  he  had  put  to 
death,  and  was  thrown  into  a  well,  from 
whence  it  was  never  afterwards  taken. f 

Stanihurst,  following  Cambrensis,|  gives 
the  following  account  of  him.  He  was  a 
man,  he  says,  solely  occupied  in  amassing 
riches,  a  mercenary  governor,  and  detested 
both  by  prince  and  people ;  the  duties  of  his 
office  he  discharged  in  a  shameful  and  sordid 
manner,  and  disregarded  justice  when  his 

*  History  of  Ireland,  book  2. 

t  Keating  takes  this  fact  from  an  authentic  manu- 
script written  three  hundred  years  before  his  time, 
consequently  in  or  about  the  thirteenth  century. 
He  calls  this  manuscript  Leavar  Breac,  or  the  book 
of  Mac-Eogain. 

\  The  honors  which  he  conferred  on  any  one 
were  always  but  a  mask  of  his  treacherous  inten- 
tions, concealing  poison  beneath  the  honey,  and  re- 
sembling a  snake  lurking  in  the  grass.  Liberal  and 
mild  in  his  aspect,  but  carrying  more  aloes  than 
honey  withiu — 

Pelliculam  veterem  retinens,  vir  fronte  politus, 
Astutam  vapido  portans  sub  pectore  vulpem  ; 
Impia  sub  dulci  melle  venena  ferens. 

Hibernia  Expugnata,  c.  16. 


own  interest  was  in  question.  He  concludes 
by  saying  it  is  not  surprising  that  his  memory 
should  be  held  in  abhorrence  by  the  people : 
"  ut  non  mirum  fuerit,  si  incolis  tristem  horri- 
bilemque  memoriam  nominis  sui  reliquerit."* 

Although  the  historians  of  the  times  have 
represented  William  Fitz-Adelm  as  a  wicked 
man,  he  left  a  posterity  in  Ireland  who  were 
worthy  of  a  better  ancestor,  and  who  were 
always  distinguished  for  their  religion,  vir- 
tue, and  fidelity  to  their  lawful  princes. 

There  were  some  religious  houses  foimd- 
cd  about  this  time  in  Ireland.  At  Conol,  a 
village  on  the  river  Liffey,  in  the  county  of 
Kildare,  a  rich  priory  was  established  for 
regular  canons  of  St.  Augustin,  by  Myler 
Fitzhenry.f  This  priory  depended  on  the 
abbey  of  Anthoni,  in  England,  and  the 
original  act  for  its  establishment  is  in  the 
Bodleian  library. 

In  a  very  pleasant  situation  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  river  Liffey,  in  the  county  of 
Kildare,  there  was  a  handsome  priory  of  the 
order  of  St.  Victor,  dedicated  to  St.  Wol- 
stan,  who  had  been  lately  canonized  by  Pope 
Innocent  III.  This  house  was  commonly 
called  Scala  CorU,  or  the  ladder  of  heaven. 
It  was  founded  by  Richard,  the  first  abbot, 
and  Adam  de  Hereford,  both  Englishmen, 
in  1235.^ 

About  this  time  Theobald  Fitzwalter,  first 
grand  butler  of  Ireland,  founded  at  Owny, 
or  W^etheni,  in  the  district  of  Limerick,  an 
abbey  for  Cistertian  monks  ;§  it  was  a 
branch  of  the  abbey  of  Lavigiu,  diocese  of 
Avranche,  in  Normandy,  from  whence  its 
first  monks  were  brought. 

At  Inistiock,  in  the  county  of  Kilkenny, 
there  was  a  priory  for  regular  canons  of  St. 
Augustin,  called  after  St.  Columbanus, 
founded,  according  to  Ware,  in  1206,  by 
Thomas,  seneschal  of  Leinster,  at  the  re- 
quest of  Hugh,  bishop  of  Ossory. 

Ware  also  mentions  a  religious  house, 
founded  in  the  neighborhood  of  Drogheda, 
which  was  called  De  JJrso,  having  been 
founded  by  Ursus  de  Samuel  ;  it  was  a 
priory  and  hospital  for  the  order  of  the 
Holy  Cross,  the  monks  of  which  were 
called  cross-bearers.  Some  believe  that  it 
was  a  custodia,  or  hospital,  belonging  to  the 
regular  canons  of  ,St.  Augustin. 

At  Newtown,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Trim,  on  the  river  Boyne,  there  was  a  rich 
and  handsome  priory,  founded  in  1206,  for 

*  De  Reb.  in  Bib.  Gest.  lib.  4,  p.  185. 
t  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  26.     Allemand,  Hist. 
Monast.  d'Irl.  page  22. 

X  War.  de  Antiq.  ibid,  page  120. 
§  Allemand,  ibid,  page  184. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


305 


regular  canons  of  St.  Augiistin,  under  the 
title  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  by  Simon 
Rochford,  bishop  of  Meath,  who  fixed  his 
abode  there  .*  This  prelate  having  removed 
the  episcopal^  see  of  Clonard  to  Trim,  the 
bishops  of  that  diocese  were  afterwards  called 
Episcopi  Trimciises,  instead  of  Cluanar- 
denscs ;  but  the  diocese  was  commonly 
called  the  bishopric  of  Meath,  taking  its 
name  from  the  county  rather  than  from  a 
city. 

In  his  annals  of  the  same  year,  (1202,) 
Ware  fixes  the  martyrdom  of  St.  Manon,  a 
native  of  Ireland,  whom  Molanus  ranks 
among  the  saints  of  Flanders.  This  saint 
was  a  disciple  of  Saint  Remulch  and  St. 
John  Agnus,  bishop  of  Utrecht.  He  was 
massacred  in  the  forest  of  Ardenne,  and 
buried  in  a  church  which  he  had  founded  at 
Nassoin,  in  Ardenne,  where  he  is  acknow- 
ledged as  the  patron  saint. 

In  the  year  1207,  a  religious  house  was 
founded  at  Douske,  in  the  county  of  Kilken- 
ny, by  William  Marshal,  earl  of  Pembroke, 
for  Cistertian  monks.  This  abbey  was 
called,  "  Valley  of  the  Blessed  Saviour." 
Another  was  founded  at  Atherdee,  or  De 
Atrio  Dei,  in  the  county  of  Louth,  by  Roger 
Pipard,  a^lord  of  that  district,  for  monks 
called  cross-bearers,  under  the  title  of  St. 
John  the  Baptist. 

Geoffry  M'Moris,  or  Morich,  an  Irish  no- 
bleman, having  caused  a  revolt  against  the 
English   in  the  county  of  Tipperary,  a.  d. 

1208,  Hugh  de  Lacy  marched  as  viceroy 
towards  Thurles,  with  all  the  troops  he  could 
collect,  where  he  destroyed  the  castle  called 
Castle  Meiler ;  but  having  lost  several  of 
his  men  at  the  taking  of  this  place,  and  in 
the  various  conflicts  he  had  with  the  Irish, 
he  was  forced  to  abandon  his  enterprise. 

A   tragical   scene   occurred  in   the  year 

1209,  which  gave  rise  to  what  the  English 
have  since  called  "  black  Mon^Jay."  It  was 
as  follows : — A  contagious  distemper  raged  in 
Dublin,  by  which  it  was  almost  depopulated, 
and  being  deserted  by  the  inhabitants,  an 
English  colony  was  sent  for  to  Bristol  to 
replace  them.  These  strangers,  who  had 
been  accustomed  to  go  to  the  country  on 
festival  days  for  their  amusement,  left  the 
city  in  crowds  on  Easter  Monday ;  when 
approaching  Cullin's  Wood,  (so  called  from 
the  noble  family  of  the  O'Cullens,  to  whom 
it  had  formerlybelonged,)  they  were  attacked 
by  the  O'Byrnes  and  O'Tools,  from  the 
county  of  Wicklow,  with  their  vassals,  who 
massacred  three  hundred  of  them,  sparing 

*  AUemand,  ibid,  page  31. 


neither  women  nor  children.  At  that  time 
England  was  an  inexhaustible  source  of 
men,  particularly  when  to  make  a  fortune  in 
Ireland  was  in  question,  and  the  loss  was 
soon  repaired  by  a  new  colony  from  Bristol. 
The  mayor,  aldermen,  and  citizens  of  Dub- 
lin, celebrated  for  many  ages  the  anniversary 
of  this  fatal  day,  in  the  place  where  the 
massacre  was  committed,  by  feasting  and 
rejoicings. 

At  Fermoy,  in  the  county  of  Cork,  on  the 
river  called  Avoine  Moer,  there  was  an 
abbey  called  De  Castro  Dei,  founded  by  the 
noble  family  of  De  Rupe,  Roche,  or  De  la 
Roche,  lords  of  that  place.*  The  monks 
of  this  abbey  were  of  the  Cistertian  order, 
and  came  from  the  abbey  of  Suire  ;  several 
were  brought  afterwards  from  the  abbey  of 
Furnese,  in  England.  Jungelinus  says  it 
was  founded  in  11 70,  which  does  not  accord 
with  the  period  when  the  founder  of  it  settled 
in  Ireland.  It  should  be  fixed  some  years 
later,  viz.,  about  the  beginning  of  the  thir- 
teenth century. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Waterford,  there 
was  also  the  priory  of  St.  Catherine,  of  the 
order  of  St.  Victor,  founded'by  the  Danes, 
or  Ostmans,  of  that  city,  and  confirmed  by 
Innocent  III.  in  1210. 

At  Lerha,  near  Granard,  in  the  county  of 
Longford,  there  was  an  abbey  of  Bernardins, 
founded  by  Richard  Tuite,  an  Englishman, 
lord  of  Granard.  The  first  monks  of  this 
abbey  came  from  that  of  our  Lady,  of  Dub- 
lin, of  the  order  of  the  Clairvaux.f  Some 
say  that  this  house  was  founded  in  1210, 
Jungelinus  in  1211,  and  Flatzburi  in  1212. 
The  founder  was  killed  the  following  year 
at  Athlone,  by  the  falling  of  a  tower,  and 
his  body  interred  in  this  abbey. 

At  Beaubec,  a  place  so  called  from  its 
being  situated  on  a  delightful  peninsula, 
formed  by  the  confluence  of  the  rivers  Boyne 
and  Blackwater,  in  Meath,  there  was  an 
abbey  founded  by  Walter  de  Lacy,  lord  of 
that  district.  This  abbey  was  of  the  Cis- 
tertian order,  and  a  branch  of  that  of  Beau- 
bec in  Normandy.  It  was  afterwards  united 
to  that  of  Furnese  in  England.  Ware  men- 
tions in  his  annals  a  monastery  which  he 
calls  Fort,  founded  by  the  above-mentioned 
nobleman. 

Courcy,  whom  we  had  left  confined  in 
England,  found  means  to  recover  the  king's 


*  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  26.  Allemand,  Hist. 
Monast.  d'Irl.  page  181. 

t  War.  de  Antiq.  cap.  26.  Allemand,  Hist. 
Monast.  d'Irl.  page  180 


306 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


favor,*  and  was  restored  by  him  to  both  his 
liberty  and  fortnnc.  This  nobleman  was 
particularly  desirous  of  returning  to  Ireland, 
where  he  had  such  extensive  possessions. 
He  set  sail  fifteen  times  for  that  country, 
and  was  as  often  driven  back  by  contrary 
winds,  as  if  some  invisible  and  avenging 
hand  would  deprive  him  of  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  a  country  in  which  he  had  committed 
so  many  and  such  flagi-ant  crimes.  He  was 
at  length  cast  upon  the  coast  of  France, 
where  he  died.  Such  was  the  end  of  this 
great  tyrant,  whom  the  English  call  a  great 
general.  According  to  Stanihurst,  he  left 
no  posterity,  like  many  other  chiefs  of  the 
English  colony.t  However,  Nichols,  the 
author  of  the  "  Compendium,"  alleges  that 
he  had  a  son  called  Myles,  who  was  deprived 
of  his  father's  title  and  possessions,  which 
the  king  conferred  on  De  Lacy.  By  way  of 
indemnification,  he  was  created  baron  of 
Kingsale,  where  his  descendants  have  sup- 
ported their  dignity  to  the  present  time. 

John  visited  Ireland  in  the  twelfth  year  of 
his  reign.  He  landed  at  Waterford,  at  the 
head  of  a  numerous  and  well-provided  array, 
to  put  down  the  Irish  who  had  rebelled,  and 
were  continually  pillaging  and  destroying  his 
English  subjects.  It  is  affirmed  by  some, 
that  their  rebellion  was  caused  by  an  exor- 
bitant tax,  which  the  king  wished  to  lay  on 
them  in  order  to  enable  him  to  carry  on  the 
war  against  France,  and  that  finding  this 
tax  too  heavy  to  be  borne,  they  determined 
to  have  recourse  to  arms  rather  than  submit 
to  it. 

The  king  having  marched  with  his  forces 
towards  Dublin,;]:  the  people,  alarmed  at  his 
power,  came  from  all  quarters  to  submit  to 
an  oath  of  allegiance  and  to  keep  the  peace. 
Twenty  petty  kings,  called  Reguli  by  the 
English  authors,  paid  him  homage  in  Dub- 
lin.'^ There  were  others,  however,  who 
disdained  to  bend  beneath  the  yoke  of  Eng- 
land. "  Pauci  tamen  ex  Regulis  superse- 
derimt,  qui  ad  regem  venire  contempserunt." 

It  appears  that  the  object  of  this  prince's 
expedition  was  not  only  to  quell  the  insur 
rection  of  the  Irish,  but  likewise  to  punish 
his  English  subjects  who  were  oppressing 

*  Stanihurst,  de  Reb.  in  Hib.  Gest.  lib.  p.  217. 
t  "  He  was  married  to  the  daughter  of  the  king  of 
Man,  but  left  no  issue  after  him,  like  many  of  those 
I  who  ruled  over  tlie  Irish  at  that  time  ;  whose  fanii- 
'    lies,  from  want  of  children,  were  quickly  reduced 
to  a  small  number." — Stanihurst,  b.  4,  p.  218. 
t  Matth.  Paris,  Angl.  Hist.  Major,  ad  an.  1210 
§  This  is  an  exaggeration  of  those  writers.    There 
never  were   twenty  kings  at  one  time  in   Ireland. 
1  The  title  of  king  was  given  only  to  the  monarch 
and  the  four  provincial  kings. 


them,  and  exercising  an  insupportable  ty- 
ranny everywhere  their  authority  extended. 
For  this  purpose  he  advanced  into  the 
country,  and  seized  upon  their  castles  and 
fortified  places.  All  fled  before  him,  and 
among  others,  William  de  Braos,  his  wife 
Matilda,  his  son  William,  and  their  whole 
retinue  ;  but  they  were  seized,  brought  to 
England  under  a  strong  guard,  and  confined 
in  Windsor  castle,  where,  by  order  of  the 
king,  they  were  starved'to  death.*  Others, 
however,  say  that  William  de  Braos,  having 
been  banished  the  kingdom,  died  of  grief  in 
Paris,  and  was  buried  on  the  eve  of  St. 
Laurence's  day,  in  the  abbey  of  St.  Victor, 
in  that  city.f 

The  De  Lacys  were  not  more  fortunate 
than  De  Braos.  Walter,  lord  of  Meath,  and 
his  brother  Hugh,  earl  of  Ulster  and  lord- 
justice  of  Ireland,  goaded  by  remorse  for 
their  extortions  and  tyranny,  and  also  for 
the  murder  of  John  de  Courcy,  lord  of 
Ratheny  and  Kilbarrock,  near  Dublin,  (who 
was  natural  son  to  the  former  earl  of  Ulster, 
and  whose  death  Avas  so  justly  attributed  to 
them,)  as  well  as  pressed  by  the  complaints 
which  had  been  made  of  them  to  the  king, 
resolved  to  quit  the  kingdom,  and  accord- 
ingly took  refuge  in  Normandy.  The  king 
immediately  appointed  John  Gray,  bishop  of 
Norwich,  his  deputy  in  Ireland,  in  place  of 
Hugh  de  Lacy. 

In  order  to  guard  against  every  search 
which  the  king  might  make  after  them,  the 
Lacys  disguised  themselves  as  laborers,  and 
were  admitted  in  that  capacity  into  the  abbey 
of  St.  Taurin  of  Evreux,  where  they  lived 
by  their  labor  during  two  or  three  years, 
cultivating  the  grounds  of  the  abbey,  and 
attending  to  the  gardens.  What  a  fall ! 
The  abbot  being  pleased  with  the  two  work- 
men, sent  for  them  one  day  ;  and  either  from 
a  previous  knowledge  of  their  situation,  or 
from  discovering  something  superior  to  what 
they  professed  to  be  in  their  comportment 
and  manner,  questioned  them  concerning 
their  origin,  birth,  and  country.  Having 
obtained  a  knowledge  of  their  entire  history, 
he  felt  a  deep  interest  and  pity  for  them, 
and  promised  to  restore  them  to  their  prince's 
favor.  In  this  he  was  successful ;  the  king 
gave  them  his  pardon,  and  permitted  them 
to  ransom  their  estates.  Walter  paid  two 
thousand  five  hundred  marks  in  silver  for 
Meath  ;  and  his  brother  Hugh  a  much  larger 
sum  for  his  possessions  in  Ulster  and  Con- 
naught.     These  noblemen  were  so  grateful 


*  Matth.  Paris,  ibid. 

\  Westmonast.  Flores  Hist,  ad  an.  1211. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


307 


for  the  services  which  the  abbot  of  St.  Tau- 
rin  had  rendered  them,  that  they  brought 
his  nephew  Ahired  with  them  to  Ireland, 
and  loaded  him  with  riches. 

In  the  city  of  Kilkenny,  a  priory  and  hos- 
pital of  the  order  of  the  regular  canons  of 
St.  Augustin  were  founded  at  this  time,  by 
William  Marshal,  earl  of  Pembroke.  The 
authors  of  the  "  Monasticum  Anglicanum" 
mention,  that  this  house,  which  was  under 
the  protection  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist, 
was  not  founded  till  1220.  There  was  also 
a  priory  of  the  same  order  in  the  county  of 
Kilkenny,  founded  by  the  Blanchfelds. 

The  king  of  England  having  allayed  the 
troubles  in  Ireland,  thought  of  giving  a  form 
of  government  to  his  new  subjects.  He 
divided  that  part  of  the  island  which  obeyed 
him,  into  twelve  shires  or  counties  ;  and 
established  sheriffs  or  provosts,  and  other 
officers  of  justice  in  those  counties,  to  govern 
the  people  according  to  the  laws  of  England. 
Lastly,  he  remodelled  the  coin,  and  decreed 
that  the  same  should  pass  in  England  and  in 
Ireland  ;  after  which  he  embarked  for  Wales, 
where  he  appeased  some  troubles  as  he 
passed,  and  took  with  him  twenty-eight 
children  of  the  first  rank,  as  hostages,  to 
secure  the  fidelity  of  the  people  ;*  but  having 
heard  some  time  afterwards  that  the  Welsh 
were  beginning  to  rebel  again,  he  was  so 
transported  with  rage  that  he  had  all  these 
innocent  victims  hanged  in  his  presence,  as 
he  was  sitting  to  table,  a.  d.  1212. t 

About  this  time  died  John  Comin,  arch- 
bishop of  Dublin,  who  had  governed  that 
church  for  thirty  years.  He  was  interred  in 
the  choir  of  Christ's  Cathedral,  a.  d.  1213. | 
His  successor  was  Henry  Loundres,  so  called 
from  the  city  in  which  he  was  born.  The 
latter  was  likewise  nominated  lord-justice 
of  Ireland,  which  office  he  filled  till  the  year 
1215,  when  he  was  summoned  to  attend  the 
fourth  council  of  Lateran,  and  in  his  absence 
Geoffry  de  Mariscis  performed  the  duties  of 
lord-justice.  He  was  appointed  legate  of 
Ireland  two  years  afterwards,  by  Pope 
Honorius  III.  On  his  returning  thither,  he 
convened  a  synod  at  Dublin,  in  which  useful 
regulations  were  made  respecting  the  govern- 
ment of  the  church.  Geoffry  dc  INIariscis 
having  been  recalled  to  England  in  1219, 
Henry  Loundres  resumed  the  administration 
of  affairs  by  order  of  the  king,  during  which 
period  he  built  the  castle  of  Dublin,  in  which 
the  viceroys  hold  their  court.     He  erected 

*  Matth.  Paris,  Angl.  Hist.  Major, 
t  Baker,  Chron.  of   England,  on  the  reign  of 
John. 

t  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Dublinieos. 


the  church  of  St.  Patrick,  which  his  prede- 
cessor had  rebuilt,  into  a  cathedral,  and 
founded  the  dignities  of  chorister,  chancel- 
lor, and  treasurer.  He  increased  the  reve- 
nues of  the  monastery  of  Be  Gratia  Dei. 
He  removed  the  priory  of  Holm-Patrick, 
which  had  been  founded  by  Sitrick  in  an 
island  on  the  coast,  for  regular  canons  of 
St.  Augustin,  to  a  more  convenient  situa- 
tion inland.  Lastly,  the  see  of  Glen-da- 
Loch,  which  had  become  vacant  by  the 
death  of  William  Piro,  was  annexed  to  the 
see  of  Dublin  under  his  episcopacy. 

The  prelate  of  Dublin,  though  he  governed 
the  church  and  state  with  applause,  was 
guilty  of  an  act  which  left  an  indelible  stain 
on  his  character.  He  sent  orders  to  all  the 
farmers  to  repair  to  him  on  a  certain  day, 
to  show  the  leases  and  titles  by  which  they 
held  the'  lands  of  the  archbishopric.  These 
unsuspecting  people  obeyed  his  orders  with- 
out hesitation  ;  and  produced  their  papers 
to  him,  which  he  threw  immediately  into  the 
fire,  before  their  faces.  This  naturally  caused 
consternation  and  tumult  among  the  people. 
Some  were  struck  with  horror  at  the  injus- 
tice of  his  conduct,  while  others,  forgetting 
all  respect  towards  him,  loaded  him  with  in- 
sults, calling  him,  in  the  Gothic  English  of 
those  times,  Schorch  bill  and  Scorch  villen* 
Others,  still  more  indignant,  ran  to  take  up 
arms,  and  the  prelate  was  too  happy  to  es- 
cape through  a  back  door,  while  his  attend- 
ants were  beaten,  and  some  almost  killed. 
This  conduct  of  this  prelate  exasperated 
the  king  to  such  a  degree,  that  he  deprived 
him  of  all  administration  in  the  affairs  of 
Ireland,  and  transferred  them  to  Maurice 
Fitzgerald. 

Some  abbeys  for  monks  of  the  order  of 
St.  Augustin  were  founded  about  this  time  : 
the  principal  of  which  were  that  of  Tuam, 
in  Connaught,  built  in  the  twelfth  century, 
by  the  Burkes  ;  that  of  Enachdune,  in  the 
county  of  Galway,  called  Our  Lady  of  Portu 
Patrum,  a  branch  of  the  abbey  of  Tuam ; 
one  in  the  island  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  in 
lake  Ree,  county  of  Roscommon,  founded 
in  1215,  by  an  archdeacon  of  Elphin,  called 
Mac-Maylin,  a  native  of  Ireland  ;  and  thai 
of  Goodborne,  near  Carrickfergus,  in  the 
county  of  Antrim,  in  Ulster. 

At  Ballintobber,  in  the  county  of  Mayo, 
also,  there  was  the  abbey  of  the  Blessed 
Trinity,  called  De  Fonte  Saiicti  Patricii, 
from  the  fountain  of  St.  Patrick.!  It  was 
founded  in  1216  for  regular  canons  of  St. 

*  A  countryman. 

t  War.  de  Antiq.  Mib.  cap.  26. 


308 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Augiistin,  by  Charles  O'Connor,  otherwise 
Cahal-Crovedarg,  king  of  Connaught,  some 
time  before  his  death. 

John  Lackland  was  the  most  unfortunate 
of  princes  ;  he  was  despised  by  foreigners, 
and  hated  by  his  suljjects.  Having  put  his 
nephew  Arthur  to  deatli,  he  was  summoned 
before  the  court  of  peers  in  France,  to  be 
tried  for  his  crime  ;  but  not  appearing,  he 
was  declared  a  rebel,  in  consequence  of 
which  his  possessions  were  confiscated  and 
he  himself  condemned  to  death,  as  being 
guilty  of  the  murder  of  his  nephew,  com- 
mitted within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  govern- 
ment of  France.*  Philip  Augustus  seized 
upon  Normandy,  which  he  annexed  to  his 
crown,  about  three  hundred  years  after  it 
had  been  separated  from  it ;  and  likewise  on 
Touraine,  Anjou,  and  Maine,  so  that  the 
king  of  England  retained  only  the  province 
of  Guienne  in  France. 

This  unhappy  prince  having  opposed  the 
election  of  cardinal  Stephen  Langton  to  the 
see  of  Canterbury,  the  pope  put  his  king- 
dom under  an  interdict. 

After  this,  John,  not  content  with  confis- 
cating all  the  property  in  his  kingdom  which 
belonged  to  the  church,  drew  upon  himself 
the  hatred  of  the  lords,  by  refusing  them 
the  privileges  and  liberties  which  Henry  I. 
had  granted  them  by  charter.  Reiterated 
complaints  of  his  conduct  having  been  car- 
ried to  the  pope,  he  proceeded  from  the  in- 
terdict to  sentence  of  excommunication,  ab- 
solving John's  subjects  from  their  oath  of 
allegiance,  and  conferring  his  crown  upon 
the  king  of  France.  John,  finding  himself 
abandoned  by  the  whole  nation,  resolved  to 
submit  to  the  pope,  and  acknowledge  his 
kingdom  tributary  to  the  holy  see.  This, 
however,  did  not  reconcile  his  subjects  to 
him  ;  for  he  had  made  them  promises  which 
I  he  did  not  fulfil.  He  therefore  assembled 
I  his  forces  ;  the  nobles  raised  troops,  and 
i  were  supported  by  the  city  of  London,  and 
hostilities  began  on  both  sides.  The  Eng- 
lish having  no  longer  any  regard  for  him, 
appealed  to  Louis,  son  of  Philip  Augustus, 
who  thereupon  entered  England  and  was 
'crowned  in  Ijondon. 

John,  who  was  at  Dover,  thought  it  pru- 
dent not  to  wait  for  his  rival,  and  having 
given  the  command  of  the  place  to  Hubert 
Burgh,  he  marched  with  his  army  towards 
the  north.  Louis  began  his  march  also,  took 
Norwich  and  Dover,  and  both  armies  com- 
mitted dreadful  havoc.     In  the  mean  time, 

*  Westmonast.  Florcs  Hist,  ad  an.  1212,  et  seq. 
Matth.  Paris,  Angli.  Hist.  Major,  ad  an.  1212. 
Baker,  Chron.  on  the  reign  of  John 


John  sent  to  implore  the  pope's  protection, 
who  excommunicated  Louis  and  the  English 
who  had  rebelled.  This  excommunication, 
however,  did  not  better  John's  fortune,  for 
his  whole  army,  together  with  their  baggage, 
were  lost  by  the  overflowing  of  the  sea,  on 
their  march  along  the  shore,  near  Walpoole, 
in  the  county  of  Norfolk.  He  died,  after 
a  few  days,  overwhelmed  with  grief  and 
affliction,  at  Newark,  and  was  buried  at 
Worcester  under  the  grand  altar.  With 
him  died  also  the  resentment  of  the  Eng- 
lish, who  declared  now  in  favor  of  his  son 
Henry,  against  Louis. 

About  this  time  there  Avere  three  com- 
manderies  founded  for  knights  Templars  ; 
one  at  Kilclogan,  in  the  county  of  Wexford, 
by  the  O'Morras,  (Moore,)  Irish  lords ;  one 
at  Killergy,  in  the  county  of  Carlow,  by 
Philip  Borard,  and  a  third  at  Kilsaran,  in 
the  county  of  Louth,  founded  by  Matilda,  a 
lady  of  the  family  of  the  Lacys  of  Meath. 
These  houses  were  given  to  the  order  of 
Malta,  after  the  abolition  of  the  Templars. 

The  author  of  the  first  part  of  the  annals 
of  Innis-Faill  lived  in  1215.  He  first  gave 
an  abridgment  of  the  general  history,  till 
the  year  430  ;  he  then  wrote  with  precision 
upon  the  affairs  of  Ireland  down  to  his  own 
time  :  this  chronicle  was  continued  then  by 
another  writer  to  the  year  1320. 


CHAPTER  XX 

Henry  III.,  eldest  .son  of  John  Lackland, 
succeeded  him  at  the  age  of  nine  years,  and 
was  crowned  at  Gloucester,  by  Peter,  bish- 
op of  Winchester,  and  Jocelin,  bishop  of 
Bath,  in  presence  of  Guallo,  the  pope's  le- 
gate, A.  D.  1216.  After  taking  the  usual 
oath,  to  respect  God  and  his  holy  church, 
and  to  do  justice  to  all  his  subjects,  this 
prince  paid  homage  to  the  church  of  Rome, 
and  to  Pope  Innocent,  for  his  kingdom.  By 
another  oath,  also,  he  engaged  to  pay  the 
thousand  marks  punctually  which  his  father 
had  sworn  to  give  to  the  church. 

Ambition  and  a  desire  of  amassing  w^ealth, 
which  had  at  first  united  the  English  against 
the  Irish,  became  afterwards  incentives  to 
discord  among  themselves.  Unaccustomed 
to  hold  such  extensive  possessions  at  home, 
the  spoils  of  the  Irish  served  only  to  create 
jealousies  among  them,  and  a  reciprocal 
dislike,  which  frequently  led  to  the  perpe- 
tration of  dreadful  excesses  by  them  against 
each  other,  at  the  expense  of  the  public 
peace.      The  wars'  of  Hugh  de  Lacy  the 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


309 


younger,  and  William  Marshal,  caused  many  I 
troubles  in  Meath.*  The  town  of  Trim  was  i 
besieged,  and  reduced  to  the  last  extremity ;  | 
but  the  disturbances  being  quelled,  Lacy 
built  a  strong  castle  in  that  town  to  secure 
it  against  future  attacks.  The  provinces  of 
Leinster  and  Munster  were  frequently  de- 
vastated by  the  quarrels  of  Marshal  with 
Meyler  Fitzhenry.f  According  to  Hanmer, 
William  Marshal  took  possession  of  some 
lands  that  belonged  to  the  bishop  of  Ferns, 
and  on  his  refusing  to  restore  them,  was  ex- 
communicated by  that  prelate 4  He  died 
afterwards  in  his  own  coimtry,  while  under 
this  anathema.  His  wickedness  drew  on 
him  the  vengeance  of  heaven  :  not  one  of 
the  five  sons  whom  he  had  by  Isabella, 
daughter  of  earl  Strongbow,  and  heiress  of 
Leinster,  to  whom  he  was  married,  havhig 
left  any  posterity. 

Meyler  Fitzhenry,  one  of  the  first  Eng- 
lish adventurers  who  came  to  Ireland,  and 
whose  father  was  natural  son  of  king  Henry 
I.,  died  about  this  time,  and  was  buried  a.  d. 
1220,  in  the  monastery  of  Conal,  of  which 
he  was  the  founder.  He  was  naturally  a 
cruel  man.  Independently  of  the  tyranny 
which  he  practised  against  the  people  of 
his  province,^  he  attacked  Cluan-Mac- 
Noisk,  Avhich  he  took  by  assault  after  a 
siege  of  twelve  days,  and  put  all  whom  he 
met  to  the  sword.  The  houses  were  pil- 
laged, the  churches  and  monasteries,  with 
their  ornaments  and  sacred  vessels,  given 
up  to  plunder,  and  left  a  prey  to  his  licen- 
tious soldiery.  It  was  thus  that  the  English 
continued  to  reform  the  morals  of  Ireland. 

Henry  Loundres,  archbishop  of  Dublin, 
was  succeeded  by  Lucas,  dean  of  the  church 
of  St.  Martin,  in  London,  who  was  appointed 
through  the  influence  of  Hubert  de  Burgo, 
earl  of  Kent. 

Eugene,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  died 
some  time  before,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Lucas  de  Netterville.  Donatus  O'Lonar- 
gan  succeeded  another  prelate  of  the  same 
name  in  the  archbishopric  of  Cashel.  Fe- 
lix O'Ruadan  then  governed  the  metropoli- 
tan church  of  Tuam.  Roger  and  William 
Peppard,  successively  lords  of  the  Salmon 
Leap,  died  about  this  time. 

About  the  same  period,  too,  the  following 
houses  were  founded  for  regular  canons  of 
the  order  of  St.  Augustin  ;  namely,  Aghma- 
cart,  in  Clanmaltre,  at  present  the  Queen'i 
county,   by  the   O'Dempsys,   lords  of  that 

*  Keating,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  b.  2. 

t  Keating,  ibid. 

t  War.  dc  Episc.  Fernens. 

§  Keating,  Hist,  of  Irel.  b.  2. 


country  ;  one  at  Carrick-ne-Sure,  on  the 
river  Suir,  in  the  county  of  Tipperary,  by 
William  de  Cantelo,  (Cantwell  ;)  one  at 
Aghrim,  county  of  Galway,  by  the  Butlers  ; 
and  one  of  the  same  order,  called  the  mon- 
astery of  O'Gormogan,  or  St.  Mary,  De 
Via  Nova,  in  the  county  of  Galway,  by  the 
O'Gormogans,  Irish  lords.  About  the  same 
time  the  abbey  of  Tracton,  or  De  Albo 
Tractu,  was  established  in  the  county  of 
Cork  by  the  Mac-Cartys,  Irish  lords,  for 
Cistertian  monks. 

Although  Ireland  vvas  already  well  stock- 
ed with  religious  establishments,  the  devo- 
tion of  its  inhabitants  was  not  exhausted. 
They  soon  admitted  the  orders  which  had 
been  recently  instituted  ;  namely,  those  of 
St.  Francis  of  Assissium  and  St.  Dominick, 
and  also  the  hermits  of  St.  Augustin,  and 
the  Carmelites. 

The  order  of  St.  Dominick,  says  AUc- 
mand,  is  considered  the  first  of  the  four 
mendicant  orders,  inasmuch  as  the  bull  by 
which  the  pope  confirmed  or  established  it 
is  antecedent  to  those  of  the  others.*  How- 
ever, Pere  Calmet  alleges  that  the  Francis- 
can friars  were  approved  of  in  1210  by  Pope 
Innocent  III.,  and  places  the  confirmation 
of  the  order  of  Dominicans  six  years  later, 
that  is,  in  1216,  by  Honorius  Ill.f  How- 
ever men  may  disagree  on  this  point  of 
chronology,  it  is  quite  certain  the  Domini- 
cans were  the  first  who  settled  in  Ireland. 

If  we  can  attach  belief  to  the  writers  of 
the  hermits  of  Augustin  and  the  Carmel- 
ites, those  two  orders  are  the  most  ancient, 
not  only  in  Ireland,  but  in  all  Europe.  The 
former  attribute  their  establishment  to  St. 
Augustin  himself,  and  the  latter  to  the  pro- 
phet Elias.  Both  one  and  the  other  assert 
that  St.  Patrick,  St.  Congal,  and  the  other 
saints  in  the  first  ages  of  the  Irish  church 
were  of  their  order,  which  we  can  scarcely 
credit  at  present.  We  must  therefore  place 
them  in  the  list  of  mendicant  friars,  whose 
first  establishment  we  discover  to  have  been 
in  the  beginning  of  the  thirteenth  century, 
the  time  that  they  were  sanctioned  by  bulls 
from  the  popes. 

The  first  foundation  of  the  Dominicans  in 
Ireland  was  in  Dublin.  We  may  judge  of 
the  extent  and  beauty  of  this  convent,  from 
its  being  at  present  the  Westminster  of  Dub- 
lin,! in  which  are  held  the  four  principal 

*  Hist.  Monast.  p.  199. 

t  Chron.  Abr. 

t  Westminster,  in  London,  was  formerly  a  cele- 
brated abbey,  which  has  since  become  a  public 
building,  in  wliich  the  meetings  of  the  superior 
courts  of  law  are  held. 


310 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


courts  of  justice  in  Irelatul  ;  namely,  the 
court  of  chancery,  king's  bench,  common 
pleas,  and  the  exchequer  ;  on  which  account 
this  extensive  and  splendid  edifice  is  now 
called  the  Four  Courts.*  This  convent  was 
one  of  the  most  ancient  of  the  order,  having 
been  established  in  1223.  The  authors  of 
the  order,  however,  observe  that  this  house 
had  previously  belonged  to  Cistertian  monks, 
but  that  it  was  granted  to  the  Dominicans  on 
condition  that  they  should  present  a  lighted 
wax  taper  every  year,  on  Christmas  day,  to 
the  abbey  of  St.  Mary,  of  the  Cistertian  or- 
der, which  was  in  the  immediate  vicinity, 
as  a  mark  that  they  held  their  convent  from 
that  abbey. 

At  Drogheda,  in  the  county  of  Louth, 
there  was  a  convent  of  Dominicans,  found- 
ed in  1224  by  Lucas  de  Netterville,  arch- 
bishop of  Armagh.  It  is  mentioned  in  the 
registries  of  the  order,  and  also  by  Ware. 

In  the  city  of  Kilkenny  one  of  the  finest 
and  most  extensive  convents,  of  the  order 
of  St.  Dominick,  was  founded  in  1225  by 
William  Marshal,  carl  of  Pembroke. 

There  was  a  convent  of  this  order  at 
Waterford,  founded  in  1226  by  the  citizens, 
called  the  convent  of  our  Blessed  Saviour. 
There  was  also  one  of  the  same  order  in 

Limerick,  founded  in  1227  by O'Brien, 

who  was  interred  in  it,  and  whose  tomb, 
surmounted  by  his  statue,  is  still  to  be  seen 
there.  Finally,  at  Aghavoe,  in  Ossory,  the 
Fitzpatricks,  whose  descendants  were  bar- 
ons of  Upper  Ossory,  founded  a  house  for 
Dominican  friars. 

Radulphus  Petit,  bishop  of  Meath,  found- 
ed in  1227  the  priory  of  St.  Mary,  which 
was  formerly  called  Domus  Dei  de  Molin- 
gare,  in  MuUingar,  the  chief  town  of  West- 
meath,  for  regular  canons  of  the  order  of 
St.  Augustin.  Lucas  de  Netterville,  arch- 
deacon of  Armagh,  having  been  appointed 
bishop  of  that  see  by  the  chapter,  in  1217, 
held  it  for  ten  years.  He  died  a.  d.  1227, 
and  was,  according  to  his  request,  buried  in 
the  abbey  of  Mellifont,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Donat  O'Fidabra. 

During  the  lord-justiceship  of  Maurice 
Fitzgerald  in  Ireland,  Pope  Gregory  IX.  sent 
Stephen  as  nuncio,  a.  d.  1229,  with  an  apos- 
tolical mandate,  to  require  a  tenth  of  the 
chattel  property  from  the  clergy  and  people 
of  England,  Ireland,  and  Wales,  in  order  to 
enable  him  to  carry  on  the  war  against  the 

*  The  building  here  alluded  to  exists  no  longer. 
Its  site  was  adjoining  Christ's  Church  cathedral, 
and  the  courts  of  justice  continued  to  be  held  there 
till  the  beginning  of  the  present  century. — Note 
by  Ed. 


Emperor  Frederick.  The  carls  and  barons 
in  England  rejected  the  demand,  but  the 
clergy,  who  dreaded  his  excommunication, 
submitted  to  it  with  reluctance.  Though  this 
tax  was  a  l)urd(Mi  to  the  Irish,  many  of  them 
sold  their  furniture,  and  even  the  church 
utensils,  to  comply  with  the  pope's  request. 

Fitzgerald  being  engaged  in  war,  the  king, 
during  his  absence,  conferred  on  Hubert  de 
Burgo,  brother  of  William  Fitz-Adelm,  (of 
whom  we  have  frequently  spoken,)  the  of- 
fice of  lord-justice,  with  the  lordship  of  Con- 
naught,  and  the  title  of  earl  of  that  prov- 
ince.* Hubert  enjoyed  a  high  reputation 
on  account  of  the  noble  defence  which  he 
made  against  Prince  Louis,  when  he  com- 
manded the  town  of  Dover.  He  was  re- 
called some  time  afterwards  to  England, 
where  he  was  appointed  governor  to  the 
king,  lord  chief-justice  of  England,  and  earl 
of  Kent.  He  fell  into  disgrace,  however, 
subsequently  with  this  monarch,  who  de- 
clared him  to  be  an  old  traitor,  and  had 
him  confined  in  the  Tower  of  London. 

Geoffry  March,  otherwise  Maurish,  or  De 
Maurisco,  held  the  office  of  lord-justice  of 
Ireland  in  place  of  Hubert  de  Burgo.  Mau- 
rice Fitzgerald  being  still  absent. 

During  the  administration  of  Geoffry,! 
the  king  of  Connaught  wishing  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  absence  of  William  Marshal 
and  Maurice  Fitzgerald,  whom  the  king  of 
England  had  brought  with  him  to  Gascony 
to  make  some  efforts  in  favor  of  his  country, 
collected  his  forces,  and  invaded  the  Eng- 
lish possessions.  Geoffry,  to  whom  was 
intrusted  the  protection  of  these  provinces, 
sent  for  Walter  de  Lacy,  lord  of  Meath,  and 
Richard  de  Burgh,  and  with  their  united 
forces  marched  towards  Connaught.  On 
arriving  at  the  entrance  of  a  wood,  they 
learned  through  their  spies  that  the  king  of 
Connaught  and  his  army  were  encamped  at 
a  short  distance  on  the  other  side  of  the 
wood.  Geoffry  then  divided  his  army  into 
three  parts  ;  to  De  Lacy  and  De  Burgh  he 
gave  two  divisions,  with  orders  to  conceal 
themselves  in  the  wood,  on  the  right  and 
left  of  the  road.  With  the  third  he  crossed 
the  wood  himself,  and  drew  up  his  men  in 
order  of  battle  opposite  to  the  enemy,  who 


*  Nicholas,  in  his  Rudiments  of  Honor,  when 
speaking  of  the  earls  of  Clanrickard,  asserts  that 
Richard,  son  of  William  Fitz-Adclm,  was  lord- 
justice  of  Ireland  in  1227.  I  leave  to  others  the 
trouble  of  reconciling  this  fact  with  the  opinion  of 
those  who  affirm  that  Hubert  Fitz-Adelm's  brother 
had  immediately  succeeded  Maurice  Fitzgerald  in 
1230,  who  filled  that  office  since  the  year  1220. 

t  Matt.  Paris,  Ang.  Hist.  Major,  ad  an.  1238. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


311 


attacked  him  immediately  ;  but  the  English 
pretending  to  fly,  retreated  into  the  wood, 
drawing  the  Irish  after  them,  who,  being 
immediately  surrounded  by  those  that  lay 
in  ambush,  were  cut  to  pieces,  and  their 
king  made  prisoner.  The  English  authors, 
from  whom  this  account  is  taken,  make  no 
mention  of  the  place  where  the  battle  was 
fought,  nor  of  the  name  of  the  king  of  Con- 
naught  ;  with  which  they  were  probably 
unacquainted.  They  say  that  twenty  thou- 
sand Irish  were  killed  on  the  spot ;  but  they 
always  exaggerate,  and  it  is  highly  probable 
that  the  king  of  Connaught  could  not  have 
brought  half  that  number  into  the  field. 

The  more  elevated  a  man's  situation  is, 
the  more  danger  there  is  of  his  fall.  Geoffry 
de  Maurisco,  after  being  raised  to  the  highest 
honors,  and  loaded  with  riches  in  Ireland, 
fell  into  disgrace  with  the  king.  He  was 
sent  into  exile,  where  he  suffered  many 
hardships  ;  and  the  disgraceful  death  of  his 
son  William,  who  was  hanged  and  quartered 
I  for  his  crimes,  shortened  his  career  ;  he  died 
unregretted.  The  memory  of  the  son  was 
held  in  universal  detestation  ;  particularly 
by  the  king,  whom  he  had,  in  concert  with 
his. father,  attempted  to  assassinate. 

Cornelius,  a  native  of  Ireland,  surnamed 
Historicus,  from  his  profound  knowledge 
of  antiquity,  flourished  about  this  time.  Bale 
and  Stanihurst  have  given  us  an  abridgment 
of  his  life.  It  is  said  that  he  wrote  a  treatise 
entitled,  "  Multarum  Rerum  Chronicon,  lib. 
1 ."  Hector  Boetius  acknowledges  himself 
to  be  indebted  to  this  author  for  many  things 
essential  to  his  history  of  Scotland.  As 
usual,  Dempster  asserts  that  this  celebrated 
man  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  since  the 
Scotch  Highlanders,  according  to  his  ac- 
count, were  called  Irish. 

The  following  religious  houses  were 
founded  about  this  time  ;  namely,  a  convent 
for  Dominicans,  at  Cork,  by  the  Barrys, 
noblemen  of  English  extraction  ;*  and  also 
a  convent  for  Franciscans,  in  the  same  city, 
founded,  according  to  Wadding,  in  1231, 
or  in  1240  according  to  Ware.f  These 
two  authors  difl'er  respecting  the  name  of 
the  founder  of  this  latter  house.  Ware 
ascribes  it  to  the  Prendergasts,  lords  of 
English  origin  ;  and  Wadding  to  the  M'Car- 
tys,  who  were  Irish  noblemen  ;  his  reason 
for  which  opinion  is,  that  in  the  centre  of 
the  choir  was  to  be  seen  the  tomb  of  M'Carty 
More,  who  had  an  apartment  built  for  him- 
self in  the   convent,  to  which    he  retired 

*  War.  de  Autiq.  Hib.  c.  26.     AUeraand,  Hist. 
Monast.  d'Irl.  page  219. 
t  AUem.  ibid,  page  249. 


during  the  great  festivals  of  the  year.  The 
error  might  have  arisen  from  this  :  that  part 
of  the  possessions  of  the  M'Cartys  had  been 
confiscated  by  the  English,  and  given  to  the 
Prendergasts,  which  might  have  given  rise 
to  the  opinion  that  the  latter  were  the 
founders  of  this  house. 

The  convent  of  Franciscans,  near  Youg- 
hal,  was  built  at  this  time  by  Maurice  Fitz- 
gerald, who  became  a  monk  himself,  and 
died  in  it,  at  an  advanced  age.  The  O'Mord- 
has,  (Moores,)  lords  of  Loise,  Queen's 
county,  founded  in  their  domain  at  Strad- 
bally,  a  house  for  the  same  order.  The 
foundation  of  another  convent  for  Francis- 
cans at  Trim,  in  Eastmeath,  may  be  men- 
tioned here.  Allemand,  following  Wadding, 
ascribes  the  merit  of  this  establishment  to 
King  John  ;  but  it  is  doubtful  if  the  Fran- 
ciscans were  known  in  Ireland  in  the  time 
of  this  prince,  who  died  in  1216.  Others 
attribute  it  to  the  Plunkets,  who  had  settled 
in  that  part  of  the  country. 

At  Carrickfergus,  in  the  county  of  Antrim, 
there  was  a  Franciscan  convent,  founded  in 
1232,  by  Hugh  de  Lacy,  earl  of  Ulster,  who 
was  buried  there.  It  is  believed  by  some 
that  the  O'Neills  were  the  founders  of  it, 
as  this  place  belonged  to  them,  their  tombs 
being  in  the  church  ;  but  others  say  that  it 
was  the  Magennises  of  Yveach.  At  Kil- 
more,  on  the  river  Shannon,  in  the  county 
of  Roscommon,  we  discover  the  priory  of  St. 
Mary,  founded  in  1232  for  regular  canons 
of  St.  Augustin,  by  Cone  O'Flanagan,  a 
man  of  noble  family,  who  was  the  first  prior 
of  it. 

Walter  de  Lacy,  lord  of  Meath,  died  in 
1234.  He  had  no  male  children,  but  left 
two  daughters,  co-heiresses  of  his  extensive 
possessions  :  namely,  Margaret,  who  was 
married  to  lord  Theobald  Verdon,  and  Ma- 
tilda, to  Geoffry  Geneville.* 

There  was  a  convent  for  Franciscans 
built  by  order  of  Henry  III.,  in  1236,  on 
some  land  which  Radulphus  le  Porter  had 
given  him  for  that  purpose.  Donel  O'Fida- 
bra,  bishop  of  Clogher,  who  was  removed  to 
the  see  of  Armagh  after  the  death  of  Lucas 
de  Netterville,  died  in  England  in  1237,  on 
his  return  from  Rome.  At  Mullingar,  the 
chief  town  of  Westmeath,  a  fine  convent 
was  built  in  1237,  for  Franciscans,  by  the 
Nugents,  lords  of  Delvin. 

At  Ballibeg,  near  Butevant,  in  the  county 
of  Cork,  a  priory  was  founded  for  regular 
canons  of  St.  Augustin,  by  William  Barry, 
in  1237,  and  endowed  by  his  son  David. 

*  War.  de  Annal.  Hib.  on  the  reign  of  Henry  III. 


312 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


About  this  time,  the  see  of  Armagh  having 
become  vacant  by  the  death  of  Donald 
O'Fidabra,  who  succeeded  Lucas  de  Net- 
terville,  Albert,  surnamed  Coloniensis,  was 
appointed  archbishop,  and  consecrated  at 
Westminster,  in  presence  of  the  king,  of 
Otho,  the  pope's  legate,  and  several  bishops, 
by  Waller  de  Chanteloup,  bishop  of  Wigorn, 
A.  D.  1240.* 

Marianus  O'Brien,  bishop  of  Cork,  suc- 
ceeded Donatus  O'Lonargan  in  the  arch- 
bishopric of  Cashel.  In  the  beginning  of  his 
episcopacy,  Pope  Honorius  III.  granted  a 
bull,  whereby  he  confirmed  the  number  of 
twelve  canons  of  the  church  of  Cashel. 
Henry  III.,  king  of  England,  gave  to  this 
prelate  the  city  of  Cashel  as  an  alms,  to 
belong  for  ever  to  him  and  his  successors, 
without  tax  or  impost.  The  prelate  gave 
up  his  right  afterwards  to  the  mayor  and 
aldermen  of  that  city,  on  condition  of  their 
paying  some  pensions  to  his  church.  He  also 
granted  leave  to  David  le  Latimer,  knight  and 
seneschal,  to  found  in  that  city  an  hospital 
for  the  leprous.  After  this  he  undertook  a 
voyage  to  Rome  ;  but  falling  ill  upon  his 
journey,  and  thinking  his  end  approaching, 
he  took  the  habit  in  the  abbey  of  Citeaux. 
His  health,  however,  being  restored,  and  his 
affairs  at  Rome  terminated,  he  returned  to 
his  see,  and  died  five  years  afterwards  in 
the  monastery  of  Suire,  or  Innislaunaght. 
He  was  succeeded  by  David  M'Kelly, 
(O'Kelly.) 

Felix  O'Ruadan,  having  governed  the 
metropolitan  church  of  Tuam  till  1235,  then 
abdicated  it,  and  withdrew  to  the  monastery 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  near  Dublin,  where 
he  died  three  years  afterwards. f  The  chap- 
ter of  Tuam  appointed  as  his  successor  Ma- 
rianus O'Laghnan,  a  dean  of  the  chapter, 
who  was  well  versed  in  canon  law. 

Near  Enniscorthy,  in  the  county  of  Wex- 
ford, on  the  river  Slaney,  we  find  a  priory  of 
St.  John  the  Evangelist.  It  belonged  to  the 
order  of  regular  canons  of  St.  Victor,  and 
was  founded  by  Girald  de  Prendergast,  lord 
of  the  country,  and  John  de  St  John,  bishop 
of  Ferns.  They  made  a  cell  or  convent  of  it, 
and  it  was  annexed  to  the  abbey  called 
Thomas  Court,  in  Dublin. 

Several  houses  were  founded  about  this 
time  for  Franciscans  :  one  at  Kilkenny,  one 
at  Drogheda,  and  one  at  Down,  by  Hugh 
de  Lacy,  earl  of  Ulster ;  one  at  Waterford, 
by  Hugh  Purcel ;  and  one  at  Innis  Cluan- 
ruada,  in  the  county  of  Clare,  by  Donal 
Carbrac  O'Brien. 

*  War.  de  Arcliicpisc.  Ardniach. 
t  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Tuamens. 


There  was  also  a  nunnery  for  the  order 
of  St.  Augustin,  founded  at  LismuUen,  in 
Eastmeath,  by  the  sister  of  Richard  de  la 
Corner,  bishop  of  Meath,  who  conferred 
upon  it  the  lands  of  Dunsink  and  Bailli- 
Godman. 

The  tyranny  and  continual  injustice  which 
the  English  practised  against  the  Irish,  were 
the  cause  of  frequent  insurrections.  John 
de  Burgo,  (Burke,)  son  of  Hubert,  entered 
Connaught  with  an  army.  O'Comior,  king 
of  the  province,  finding  himself  unable  to 
repel  his  attack,  crossed  over  to  England, 
and  presented  himself  to  the  king,  in  London. 
He  made  a  spirited  remonstrance  against 
the  violence  and  tyranny  of  Burgo,  and  the 
ravages  he  incessantly  committed  ;  and  sup- 
plicated Henry  HI.  to  interpose  his  author- 
ity, and  do  him  justice,  by  preventing  his 
being  trampled  upon  by  an  ignoble  adven- 
turer, (as  he  termed  him,)  while  he  paid  five 
thousand  marks  a  year  for  his  kingdom  to 
the  crown  of  England.  Henry  heard  with 
attention  the  complaints  of  the  king  of  Con- 
naught,  and  gave  orders  to  Maurice  Fitz- 
gerald, lord-justice  of  Ireland,  who  was  then 
present,  to  destroy  the  hotbed  of  tyrants 
which  had  been  planted  by  Hubert,  earl  of 
Kent,  during  his  unlimited  lust  of  power 
in  that  unhappy  country.  At  the  same  time 
the  king  sent  his  orders  to  the  other  lords 
of  Ireland,  to  expel  John  de  Burgo,  and 
leave  the  king  of  Connaught  in  peaceful 
possession  of  his  kingdom.* 

Girald  Fitzmaurice,  Richard  de  Burgo, 
and  Hugh  de  Lacy,  earl  of  Ulster,  died  about 
this  time.  The  two  first  ended  their  career 
in  Gascony,  where  they  were  engaged  in 
war  ;  De  Lacy  died  in  Ireland,  and  was  in- 
terred at  Carrickfergus.  He  left  an  only 
daughter  heiress  to  his  extensive  posses- 
sions, who  married  Walter  de  Burgo,  who, 
by  this  marriage,  became  earl  of  Ulster. 
We  have  already  observed  that  Walter  de 
Lacy,  lord  of  Meath,  and  brother  to  Hugh, 
left  only  daughters.  In  this  manner  ended 
the  male  line  of  these  two  chiefs. 


*  "  A  certain  king  of  that  part  of  Ireland  called 
Connaught,  came  to  London  with  heavy  complaints 
to  the  king  and  parliament,  that  vast  injuries  had 
been  inflicted  on  him  by  John  de  Burgh,  who  was 
devastating  his  estates  by  fire  and  sword.  For  all 
these  grievances  he  sought  redress,  and  prayed  that 
such  violent  excesses  should  be  curbed  by  the  regal 
authority,  and  that  the  king  would  not  suffer  his 
faithful  subject  to  be  disinherited  by  an  ignoble 
stranger,  (as  he  called  him  ;)  nor  allow  him,  who 
paid  the  annual  impost  of  5,000  marks,  to  be  driven 
from  his  inheritance,  which  King  John  had  con- 
firmed  to  him,  &c." — Matthew  Paris,  p.  365. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


313 


Peter,  surnamed  Hibernicus,  a  celebrated 
philosopher  and  theologian,  flourished  in 
1240.*  The  Emperor  Frederick  II.  having 
re-established  the  university  of  Naples,  in- 
vited him  in  pressing  terms  to  go  thither, 
as  may  be  seen  in  a  collection  of  letters  of 
Peter  de  Vineis,  chancellor  and  secretary  to 
the  emperor. f  Peter  presided  over  the  phi- 
losophical department  in  that  university,  and 
had  Thomas  Aquinas  as  his  disciple,  who 
became  afterwards  so  celebrated.  It  is  said 
that  he  was  the  author  of  some  tracts  on 
theology. 

The  Welsh,  headed  by  their  prince,  David 
Ap-Llewelin,  rebelled  against  the  king  of 
England,  and  defeated  the  royal  army,  which 
was  reduced  to  the  greatest  hardships  during 
the  winter.  Henry  was  obliged,  from  the 
state  of  his  affairs,  to  send  to  Maurice  Fitz- 
gerald, lord-justice  of  Ireland,  for  succor. 
After  some  delay,  which  caused  the  king  un- 
easiness, which  however  he  concealed,  Mau- 
rice arrived  with  a  body  of  troops,  accom- 
panied by  Phelim  O'Connor,  and  having 
joined  the  king's  army,  they  gained  a  com- 
plete victory  over  the  Welsh.  The  king 
then  renewed  his  garrisons  in  Wales,  and 
having  dismissed  the  Irish  troops,  returned 
to  England. 

On  his  return  to  Ireland,  Maurice  found 
Ulster  in  a  state  of  revolt.  On  the  death  of 
Hugh  de  Lacy,  O'Donnel  laid  waste  the 
parts  of  the  country  which  were  under  the 
dominion  of  that  nobleman,  and  attacked  the 
English  wherever  he  met  them.  In  order  to 
create  a  division  among  the  Irish,  Maurice 
formed  an  alliance  with  Cormac  M'Dermot, 
M'Dory,  and  other  princes  of  the  country. 
He  then  entered  in  a  hostile  manner  the 
country  of  Tirconnel,  where  he  destroyed 
all  before  him,  and  killed  Maolseachlin  O'- 
Donnel, GioUa  Canvinelagh,  O'Buhil,  Mac- 
Surley,  and  other  noblemen  of  the  country. 
Several  English  of  rank  also  lost  their  lives 
in  this  expedition,  after  which  Maurice 
placed  a  garrison  in  the  castle  of  Sligo,  that 
he  had  built  three  years  before,  and  left  there 
the  hostages  he  had  received  from  O'Neill 
as  pledges  for  his  keeping  peace  with  the 
king.  He  bestowed  on  Cormac  Mac-Dermod 
several  estates  in  Connaught,  as  rewards  for 
the  services  he  had  received  from  him. 

At  Athenry,  in  the  county  of  Galvvay,  a 
convent  for  Dominicans  was  founded  in  1241 
by  the  Berminghams,  who  were  originally 
English,  and  had  settled  in  Ireland.  In  the 
church  of  this  convent  were  to  be  seen  the 


*  Fleuri,  Hist.  Eccles. 
t  Wad.  Annal.  Min.  a 
cap.  10. 


an.  1270,  n.  28,  lib.  3, 


tombs  of  several  persons  of  distinction,  par- 
ticularly that  of  William  Bermingham,  arch- 
bishop of  Tuam,  and  son  of  the  founder. 
The  Fitzgeralds  founded  a  convent  for  Do- 
minicans this  year,  also  in  the  county  of 
Kerry.  The  founder  of  it  and  his  son  were 
both  killed  by  M'Carty,  and  buried  in  the 
convent.  Another  of  this  order  was  estab- 
lished at  the  same  date,  in  Cashel,  by  an 
archbishop  of  that  see.  There  was  likewise 
a  convent  for  Dominicans  at  Newtown,  on 
the  coast  in  the  peninsula  of  x\rdes,  in  the 
county  of  Down;  it  was  built  in  1244  by 
the  Savages,  a  family  of  English  extraction. 

Nothing  could  remove  the  suspicions  which 
Henry  HI.  had  entertained  of  the  fidelity  of 
Maurice  Fitzgerald  in  the  war  against  the 
Welsh.  He  withheld  his  vengeance  for  a 
while,  but  it  broke  forth  at  length,  a.  d.  1245  ; 
when  John  Fitzjeffery  de  Maurisco  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  king  lord-justice  of  Ireland, 
in  place  of  Maurice.  This  nobleman  after- 
wards took  the  monastic  habit  in  a  convent 
of  Franciscans,  Avhich  he  had  founded  at 
Youghal ;  and  died  in  it  after  some  time  at 
an  advanced  age,  having  borne  the  reputation 
of  a  brave,  able,  and  irreproachable  man. 
He  was  accused,  indeed,  though  perhaps 
unjustly,  of  the  death  of  Richard,  the  earl 
marshal. 

There  was  an  earthquake  this  year  in 
England,  Ireland,  and  the  western  parts  of 
our  hemisphere,  which  infected  the  air,  and 
rendered  it  unwholesome,  a.  d.  1247.  This 
phenomenon  was  followed  by  a  cold,  stormy, 
and  damp  winter,  which  lasted  till  the  month 
of  July,  and  caused  considerable  uneasiness 
about  the  harvest. 

Albert,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  gave  up 
his  see  in  1247,  and  was  succeeded  by  Re- 
inerius,  a  monk  of  the  order  of  St.  Dominick. 
He  united  the  county  of  Louth,  which  had 
long  formed  part  of  the  bishopric  of  Clogher, 
to  the  archbishopric  of  Armagh.  This  prelate 
died  at  Rome  in  1256,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Abraham  O'Conellan. 

Ware  places  an  abbey  belonging  to  the 
order  of  St.  Augustin,  in  an  island  called 
the  Blessed  Trinity,  in  lake  Oughter,  in  the 
county  of  Cavan,  where  he  says  it  was 
founded  in  1249,*  by  Clarus  Mac-Mailin, 
archdeacon  of  Elphin,  and  endowed  by 
Charles  O'Reilly,  an  Irish  nobleman.  It 
might  be  the  same  which  we  have  already 
mentioned  to  have  been  founded  in  1215,  in 
an  island  in  lake  Rea,  called  the  island  of 
the  Trinity,  in  the  county  of  Roscommon, 
by  the  same  archdeacon  of  Elphin.  However, 

*  De  Antiq.  cap.  28. 


314 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


as  different  places  and  times  are  given  for 
their  foundation,  it  is  more  probable  that 
they  were  different  houses. 

Henry  III.  began  to  think  of  marriage 
for  his  son,  Prince  Edward,  a.  d.  12.52  ;  and 
as  it  was  necessary,  for  this  purpose,  to 
make  settlements  upon  him,  he  gave  him 
the  sovereignty  of  Gascony,  Ireland,  Wales, 
&;c.  He  then  sent  him  to  Spain,  where  he 
married  Eleanor,  sister  of  King  Alphonso, 
and  brought  her,  loaded  with  riches,  to 
England. 

David  O'Kelly  having  been  appointed  to 
the  see  of  Cloyne,  was  afterwards  removed 
to  Cashel.  It  appears  by  the  registry  of  the 
church  in  Dublin,  called  "  Crcde  mihi,"  that 
this  prelate  had  taken  part  in  the  disputes 
between  the  archbishops  of  Dublin  and  Ar- 
magh, respecting  the  primacy,  to  which  we 
have  alri3ady  alluded.  He  died  in  1252, 
and  was  succeeded  in  the  see  of  Cashel  by 
David  Mac-Carwel. 

During  the  period  that  Lucas  was  arch- 
bishop of  Dublin,  a  controversy  arose  be- 
tween the  cathedrals  of  that  city,  namely, 
Christ's  Church  and  St.  Patrick's.  In  order 
to  effect  a  reconciliation,  the  prelate  decreed 
that  the  election  should  be  always  held  in 
Christ's  Church,  and  that  the  dean  and  chap- 
ter, together  with  the  prior  and  monks, 
should  have  the  right  of  voting  at  the  elec- 
tion. This  prelate  was  deprived  of  his  sight 
during  some  years,  and  at  length  died  in 
1255.  Both  churches  concurred  in  electing 
Randulphus  de  Norwic,  a  canon  of  the 
cathedral  of  St.  Patrick's,  but  his  appoint- 
ment being  sent  to  the  court  of  Rome  it  was 
rejected,  and  Fulck  de  Saunford,  treasurer 
of  the  church  of  St.  Paul,  in  London,  was 
nominated  by  the  pope  to  the  archbishopric 
of  Dublin. 

Three  houses  for  Dominicans  were  found- 
ed at  this  time  ;  one  at  Strade,  in  the  county 
of  Mayo,  by  the  Mac-Jordans  ;  another  at 
Sligo,  by  Maurice  Fitzgerald,  who  built  a 
strong  castle  there  ;  and  the  third  at  Ros- 
common in  1253,  by  Feilim  O'Connor,  an 
Irish  nobleman.  The  O'Connors  built  an- 
other house  for  the  same  order  atTowemone. 
About  this  time  a  monk  of  the  abbey  of 
Boyle  wrote  the  annals  of  Connaught,  which 
he  continued  to  his  own  time,  that  is,  till 
1253.  His  manuscript  is  in  the  Cottonian 
library. 

Alanus  de  la  Zouch  was  appointed  lord- 
justice  of  Ireland  in  room  of  Fitz-Jeffrey, 
A.  D.  1255.  He  afterwards  became  lord- 
justice  of  England,  where  he  ended  his  days 
inatragical  manner.  Some  difference  having 
arisen  between  some  nobleman  in  England, 


respecting  the  boundaries  and  limits  of  their 
estates,  and  the  titles  by  which  they  held 
them,  the  king  determined  to  call  an  assem- 
bly at  Westminster,  to  decide  upon  the  mat- 
ter. De  la  Zouch,  as  lord-justice,  having 
asked  Earl  Warren  by  what  right  his  lands 
belonged  to  him,  the  earl,  drawing  his 
sword,  replied  :  "  By  this  right  my  ancestors 
possessed  them,  and  by  the  same  do  I  intend 
to  hold  them,"  at  the  same  time  running  his 
sword  through  his  body.  While  endea- 
voring to  escape,  he  wounded  the  son  of 
the  man  whom  he  had  just  killed  ;  and  then 
withdrew  to  his  castle  of  Risgate,  whither  he 
was  pursued  by  prince  Edward,  the  king's 
eldest  son,  at  the  head  of  a  few  troops.  He 
at  length  surrendered  himself  to  the  prince, 
and  with  the  assistance  of  a  sum  of  money, 
and  the  influence  of  his  friends,  obtained  his 
pardon. 

A.  D.  1256.  About  this  time  flourished  the 
celebrated  John,  surnamed  "  De  Sacro  Bos- 
co."  Bale  and  Leland,  without  any  further 
proofthan  conjectures  drawn  from  his  name, 
assert  that  he  was  a  native  of  Halifax,  in  the 
county  of  York,  in  England,*  which  is  not  at 
all  probable  ;  the  word  fax,  according  to 
Camden,  signifying  hair  among  the  people 
beyond  the  river  Trent.  That  author  adds, 
too,  that  the  place  called  Halifax  is  not 
very  ancient. f  He  says  that  a  few  centuries 
before  his  time  that  place  was  called  Horton, 
and  that  in  1443  it  was  a  village  containing 
but  thirteen  houses  ;  it  therefore  is  clear 
that  Halifax  could  not  possibly  have  given 
its  name  to  John  a  Sacro  Bosco,  since  it 
was  not  known  by  that  name  at  the  time  of 
that  learned  man's  birth.  Stanihurst  and 
some  others,  say  that  he  was  a  native  of 
Holy  wood,  in  the  district  of  Fingal,  Ireland, 
about  twelve  miles  from  Dublin,  as  they  dis- 
cover an  analogy  between  his  name,  De  Sacro 
Bosco,  and  Holywood.|  However  this  be, 
that  learned  man  went  to  Paris,  where  he 
taught  the  sciences  with  universal  appro- 
bation ;  he  was  partial  to  the  philosophy  of 
Aristotle,  and  surpassed  all  those  of  his  own 
time  in  mathematical  science.  He  wrote 
several  treatises ;  namely,  one  upon  the 
globe,  which  was  much  esteemed,  and  read 
in  the  public  schools  during  many  years  for 
the  instruction  of  youth ;  a  tract  on  Al- 
gorithms, or  calculations  on  the  ecclesiastical 
year ;  a  breviary  of  law,  and  several  other 
works.  He  died  at  Paris  in  1256-57,  and 
was  buried  in  the  cloister  of  the  Mathurins, 

*  War.  de  Annal.  Hib.  ad  an.  1256. 
t  Brit,  in  Brigant.  page  564,  Edit.  Lond.  1607. 
t  Harris,  Hist,  of  Irisii  writers  in  the  thirteenth 
century. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


315 


near  the  church,  where  his  tomb  is  still  to 
be  seen,  on  which  the  following  inscription 
and  a  globe  are  engraved  : 

De  Sacro  Bosco  qui  computista  Joannes ; 
Tempora  discrevit,  jacet  hie  a  tempore  raptus. 
Tempore  qui  sequiris,  memoresto  quod  morieris, 
Si  miser  es,  plora,  miserans,  pro  me,  precor,  ora. 

Marian  O'Laghnan,  archbishop  of  Tuam, 
having  received  the  pallium  from  Pope 
Gregory  IX.,  made  a  voyage  to  Jerusalem, 
the  particulars  of  which  he  has  written.  He 
died  at  Athlone  in  1249,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Florence  M'Flin,  chancellor  of  the  church 
of  Tuam,  who  was  celebrated  for  his  learning 
and  profound  knowledge  of  the  canon  law. 
He  went  to  Rome,  and  obtained  the  pope's 
sanction  ;  and  upon  his  return  to  his  dio- 
cese, convened  a  synod,  in  which  regulations 
were  made  respecting  ecclesiastical  disci- 
pline, which  were  then  published,  but  have 
been  since  lost.  He  established  a  school  in 
the  Dominican  convent  at  Athenry,  where 
he  himself  gave  lessons  to  the  students,  and 
governed  the  church  of  Enaghdune  while 
that  see  was  vacant.  This  holy  prelate  at 
length  died  at  Bristol,  in  England,  in  the 
year  1256.  The  pope  appointed  Walter  de 
Salern,  dean  of  St.  Paul's,  London,  to  this 
see,  notwithstanding  the  election  of  James 
O'Laghnan  by  the  chapter  of  Tuam.  It 
seems  that  Walter  never  took  possession  of 
his  diocese,  having  died  on  his  return  from 
Rome  in  1258.  Thomas,  or  Tomultach 
O'Connor,  bishop  of  Elphin,  was  elected  in 
his  stead,  and  his  election  confirmed  by  the 
pope,  who  honored  him  with  the  pallium. 

At  Athy,  a  small  town  on  the  river  Bar- 
row, in  the  county  of  Kildare,  there  was  a 
handsome  convent  founded  for  Dominicans 
in  1257,  by  the  Boiseles  and  AVogans,  Eng- 
lish noblemen  who  had  settled  in  Ireland. 

The  earl  of  Salisbury,  called  Stephen  de 
Longa  Spada,  "  long  sword,"  was  sent  to 
Ireland  as  lord-justice,  a.  d.  1258.  He  gave 
battle  to  the  O'Neills  and  other  rebels*  of 
Ulster  and  Connaught,  near  Down,  in  which 
many  lives  were  lost.     Salisbury  died  two 


*  English  writers  called  the  Irish  rebels,  who  did 
not  immediately  surrender ;  at  a  time,  too,  when, 
far  from  considering  themselves  subjects,  more 
than  half  of  Ireland,  and  particularly  Ulster,  which 
is  here  in  question,  refused  to  acknowledge  the 
dominion  of  those  foreigners.  According  to  the 
maxims  of  every  other  nation,  a  rebel  is  a  subject 
who  resists  the  legal  authority.  But,  of  course, 
according  to  the  system  of  that  imperious  people, 
the  English,  a  man  was  looked  upon  as  a  rebel 
who  was  unwilling  to  submit  at  once  to  the  most 
unjust  oppression. 


years  afterwards,  and  was  succeeded  in  the 
government  by  William  Denn. 

In  1259  a  convent  for  the  hermits  of  St. 
Augustin  was  founded  in  the  eastern  suburb 
of  Dublin  :  the  founders  are  unknown  ;  some 
say  they  were  the  Talbots. 

Munster  was  in  a  state  of  rebellion  during 
the  administration  of  the  new  lord-justice, 
A.  D.  1260.  Green  Castle  {Arx  Viridis) 
was  destroyed.  TheM'Cartys  were  the  chief 
belligerents  ;  they  brought  terror  and  devas- 
tation into  Desmond,  their  old  patrimony, 
then  in  possession  of  the  English,  and  be- 
came so  formidable  that  their  enemies  dared 
not  to  appear  in  public.  They  killed  several 
of  them  at  Callan,  the  principal  of  whom 
were  John  Fitzthomas,  who  had  founded  the 
monastery  of  Tralee ;  Maurice,  his  son ; 
eight  barons,  fifteen  knights,  and  several 
others.  The  English  at  length  found  safety 
in  the  discord  which  arose  between  the 
M'Cartys,  O'Driscols,  O'Donavans,  M'Ma- 
hons,  and  other  tribes  of  Muskerry,  who 
were  so  much  weakened  by  civil  war  that 
they  were  unable  to  face  the  common  enemy. 
In  the  mean  time  William  Denn,  lord-justice 
of  Ireland,  died,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Richard  de  Capella. 

Abraham  O'Conellan,  archpriest  of  Ar- 
magh, was  elected  archbishop  of  that  city, 
and  went  to  Rpme,  where  he  was  confirmed 
by  the  holy  father,  who  granted  him  the  pal- 
lium. He  then  returned  to  Armagh,  where 
he  was  solemnly  received  by  the  dean  and 
chapter ;  but  he  did  not  long  enjoy  his  dig- 
nity, having  died  in  1260.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Patrick  O'Scanlain. 

A  religious  house  was  founded  this  year 
at  Kildare,  for  Franciscan  friars,  by  Gerald 
Fitz-Maurice  ;  or  according  to  some  writers, 
by  William  de  Vescy. 

Thomas  Palmeran,  or  Palmerston,  a  na- 
tive of  the  county  of  Kildare,  Ireland,  was 
known  to  foreign  authors  by  the  name  of 
Thomas  Hibernicus.  Having  concluded  his 
studies  in  the  university  of  Paris,  where  he 
received  the  cap  of  doctor  in  theology,  he 
went  to  Italy  and  shut  himself  up  in  the 
monastery  of  Aquila,  on  the  confines  of  the 
kingdom  of  Naples,  where  he  died  and  was 
buried  about  the  year  1269.  He  was  au- 
thor of  the  book  entitled,  "  Flores  omnium 
Doctorum  illustrium ;"  which  is  an  alpha- 
betical summary  of  virtues  and  vices,  with 
those  passages  from  the  fathers  which 
were  calculated  to  support  the  former  and 
eradicate  the  latter.  Our  author  was  in- 
debted for  the  plan  of  his  book  to  a  similar 
work,  which  had  been  begun  by  John  Wal- 
les,  a  Minorite,  under  the  title  of  a  "  Bunch 


316 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


of  Flowers,"  but  which  he  was  prevented  by 
death  from  continuing.  The  book  of  Tho- 
mas Ilibcrnicus  was  printed  at  Paris  in  IGG  I. 
He  also  wrote  treatises  on  the  Christian  re- 
ligion ;  the  illusions  and  temptations  of  the 
devil ;  the  remedies  to  be  used  against  vice, 
and  tlie  beauties  of  the  Bible.  He  was 
thought  also  to  have  been  the  author  of  a 
"  Promptuarium  Morale,"  or  moral  collec- 
tion of  passages  from  the  holy  Scriptures, 
published  at  Rome,  in  1624,  according  to  a 
manuscript  in  the  library  of  the  Minor 
brothers,  De  Am  C(zU,  by  Luke  Wadding. 
Marianus  de  Florence  says,*  in  his  manu- 
script chronicle,  that  Thomas  Hibernicus 
lived  in  1270  in  the  monastery  of  Aquila, 
of  the  province  of  St.  Bernardin,  in  high  re- 
i  putation  for  his  piety  and  learning.  Lastly, 
John  de  Saxe,  in  his  lives  of  the  Preaching 
Brothers,  speaks  highly  of  "  Master  Thomas 
of  Ireland,  of  the  house  of  Sorbonne." 

The  annals  of  the  Minorites  of  Multifer- 
nan,  by  an  anonymous  writer,  begin  with 
the  Christian  era  and  end  with  the  year 
1274,  in  which  year  the  author  lived,  as  ap- 
pears by  the  antiquity  of  the  letters.  GioUa, 
or  Gelasius  Mac-Firbissy,  an  historian  and 
poet  of  some  eminence,  flourished  towards 
the  end  of  this  century ;  he  wrote  a  chroni- 
cle of  his  times,  and  some  poems.  These 
works,  as  well  as  the  annals  of  Multifernan, 
are  still  to  be  found  in  manuscript. 

Walter  Burke,  earl  of  Ulster,  had  a  son 
called  Walter,  by  his  marriage  with  the 
heiress  of  Hugh  de  Lacy,  who  left  one  son 
and  five  daughters,  a.  d.  1261.  Ellen,  the 
eldest,  married  Robert  Bruce,  king  of  Scot- 
land ;  Jane  and  Margaret  married  the  two 
Fitzgeralds  of  Ophaly  and  Desmond  ;  and 
the  others  were  also  allied  to  noblemen. 
These  alliances  were,  however,  unable  to 
allay  the  reciprocal  hatred  that  had  long 
prevailed,  between  the  Fitzgeralds  and 
Burkes,  which  ended  in  a  civil  war,  in  which 
many  lives  were  sacrificed  to  their  revenge. 
The  Fitzgeralds  carried  their  resentment  so 
far  as  to  arrest  and  confine,  in  the  dungeons 
of  Leix  and  Donamese,  Richard  de  Capella, 
Theobald  le  Butler,  and  Miles  Cogan,  who 
had  espoused  the  quarrel  of  the  Burkes. 

A  convent  for  Dominicans  was  founded 
about  this  time  at  Trim,  on  the  river  Boyne, 
in  Eastmeath,  by  Galfridus  de  Genevil,  who 
took  the  habit  of  the  order,  and  another  at 
Arklow,  by  Theobald  Walter,  high  butler 
of  Ireland,  who  was  interred  in  it,  and  his 
tomb  and  statue  erected  there. f     AUemand, 

*  Lib.  2,  cap.  3. 
I       t  War.  de  Antiq.  cap.  26.    Allemand,  Hist.  Mo- 
I  nasi.  d'Irl.  pages  166,  210. 


however,  makes  no  mention  of  an  abbey  for 
Bernardines,  founded  in  that  town  by  the  ! 
same  Theobald,  probably  confounding  the  ] 
Bernardines  with  the  Dominicans.  A  house  i 
for  Franciscan  friars  was  founded  about  this  I 
time  also  at  Armagh,  according  to  some,  by  \ 
the  O'Donnels,  princes  of  Tyrconnel,  but  \ 
others  say,  by  Patrick  O'Scanlain,  arch-  ! 
bishop  of  Armagh.  j 

The  king  of  England,  informed  of  the  ; 
troubles  which  prevailed  among  his  subjects  , 
in  Ireland,  and  the  excesses  they  committed  1 
against  each  other,  thought  prudent  to  put  a  i 
stop  to  them  ;  he  therefore  recalled  Richard  j 
deCapella,and  appointed  David  Barry  as  lord-  1 
justice  oflreland  in  his  stead,  who,  by  his  pru- 
dence and  moderation,  quelled  the  fury  of 
the  rival  houses  above  mentioned,  a.  d.  1267. 

The  convent  of  Rosse  Ibarcan,  on  the 
river  Barrow,  in  the  county  of  Kilkenny, 
was  founded  at  this  time  for  Dominicans,  by 
the  Graces  and  Walshes,  English  noblemen 
who  had  settled  in  that  country. 

David  Barry  having  completed  his  mis- 
sion to  Ireland,  was  succeeded  the  year  fol- 
lowing, in  his  office  of  lord-justice,  by  Rob- 
ert Ufford,  and  the  latter  by  Richard  de 
Excester. 

Two  convents  for  Dominicans  were  found- 
ed at  this  time,  one  at  Youghal,  in  the  county 
of  Cork,  by  the  Fitzgeralds  ;  the  other  at 
Lurchoe,  in  the  county  of  Tipperary,  by  the 
Burkes.  A  convent  was  also  built  in  the 
same  county  for  Franciscans. 

Lord  Audley  was  appointed  lord-justice  I 
of  Ireland  in  the  place  of  Richard  de  Ex- 
cester. a.  D.  1270.  During  his  administra- 
tion, the  Irish  revolted  against  the  English, 
fell  upon  them  wherever  they  could  be  met, 
(not  sparing  their  magistrates,)  and  plun- 
dered their  habitations.  The  king  of  Con- 
naught  defeated  Walter  Burke,  earl  of  Ul- 
ster, in  a  pitched  battle,  and  the  earl  with 
great  difficulty  saved  his  life  by  flight ;  sev- 
eral noblemen  of  his  retinue  being  killed. 
This  war  was  followed  by  a  plague  and 
general  famine  throughout  the  island. 

Patrick  O'Scanlan,  of  the  order  of  St. 
Dominick,  bishop  of  Raphoe,  was  elected 
by  the  chapter  of  Armagh  as  the  successor 
of  Abraham  O'Connellan.  His  election  was 
confirmed  by  a  bull  of  Pope  Urban  IV.,  in 
the  month  of  November,  1261.  He  con- 
vened a  synod  at  Drogheda  the  year  follow- 
ing, in  which  some  statutes  were  enacted, 
which  are  to  be  discovered  in  the  registry 
of  Octavianus  de  Prelatio,  afterwards  arch- 
bishop of  Armagh  ;  rebuilt  St.  Patrick's  ca- 
thedral at  Armagh,  and  founded  a  house  in 
that  city  for  Franciscan  friars.     He  died  in 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


317 


1270,  in  the  monastery  of  St.  Leonard  at 
Dundalk,  whence  his  body  was  taken  to 
Drogheda,  and  buried  in  the  Dominican  con- 
vent. He  was  succeeded  by  Nicholas-Mac- 
Molisse. 

Fulck,  archbishop  of  Dublin,  died  a.  d. 

1271.  His  body  was  interred  in  the  chapel 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  in  the  cathedral 
church  of  St.  Patrick.  The  see  remained 
vacant  for  seven  years  after  his  death,  on 
account  of  the  disputes  which  arose  between 
the  monks  of  Christ's  Church  and  the  chap- 
ter of  St.  Patrick's,  about  the  choice  of  his 
successor,  which  terminated  in  1279,  by  the 
election  of  John  de  Derlington. 

An  abbey  for  Bernardines,  under  the  in- 
vocation of  Our  Lady,  formerly  called  Hore 
Abbey,  was  founded  at  Cashel  in  1272,  by 
David  O'Carroll,  archbishop  of  that  city. 
It  is  affirmed  that  he  suppressed  a  convent 
of  Benedictines  to  enrich  this  abbey.  He 
also  annexed  to  this  house  a  lazaretto,  which 
had  been  founded  by  a  knight  named  Lati- 
mer, in  the  same  city. 

In  this  year,  1272,  is  fixed  the  death  of 
Henry  III.  Among  the  children  this  king 
had  by  Eleanor,  daughter  of  Raymond,  count 
of  Provence,  was  Edward,  his  eldest  son 
and  successor. 

In  the  reign  of  Henry  several  religious 
houses  were  founded,  the  dates  of  which  are 
unknown.  The  following  were  for  Francis- 
can friars  :  one  at  Wicklow,  founded  by  the 
O'Byrnes  and  O'Tools  ;  one  at  Cashel  by 
the  Hackets  ;  one  at  Nenagh,  probably  Ao- 
nagh  Oroun,  in  the  country  of  Ormond,  by 
the  O'Kennedys,  the  ancient  owners  of  that 
district ;  and  one  at  Multifernan,  in  West- 
meath,  by  William  Delamer.  At  Dundalk, 
in  the  county  of  Louth,  a  house  for  the  same 
order  was  founded  by  John  de  Verdon. 
Lastly,  there  was  one  established  at  Limer- 
ick, but  authors  do  not  agree  either  upon  the 
time  of  its  establishment  or  the  name  of  its 
founder.  There  was  also  a  house  founded 
at  the  same  time  in  the  town  of  Tipperary, 
for  Augustin  hermits,  and  one  of  the  order 
of  Templars,  called  Teach  Temple,  in  the 
county  of  Sligo ;  likewise  one  for  Carmel- 
ites on  the  river  Barrow,  near  Leighlin 
bridge,  in  the  county  of  Carlow,  by  the  Ca- 
rews,  English  lords  who  had  settled  in  the 
country,  and  another  at  Kildare,  by  William 
de  Vescy. 

A  century  had  now  elapsed  since  the  Eng- 
lish began  to  rule  in  part  of  Ireland.  Though 
the  kings  of  England  had  taken  the  title  of 
lords  of  Ireland.,  Dominus  Hiberni<E,  their 
dominion  did  not  extend  to  more  than  one 
third  of  the  island,  called,  in  their  language, 


The  English  Pale,  which  signified  the 
English  province,  eft-  the  province  governed 
by  the  laws  of  England.  Though  some  of 
the  princes  of  the  country  had  submitted  to 
pay  a  tribute  to  the  kings  of  England,  still 
they  governed  their  own  immediate  subjects 
according  to  the  ancient  laws  and  customs 
of  the  country,  and  the  English  laws  were 
obeyed  only  within  the  English  province. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


Immediately  after  the  death  of  Henry 
III.,  his  son  Edward,  though  absent,  was  pro- 
claimed king  of  England  by  the  lords,  who 
assembled  in  London,  A.  d.  1272.  More  than 
a  year  had  passed  since  this  prince  had  ar- 
rived in  the  Holy  Land,  where  he  had  wrest- 
ed from  the  enemies  of  Christianity  the  city 
of  Aeon,  which  was  on  the  point  of  surren- 
dering, but  the  succors  that  were  promised 
him  having  failed,  he  put  a  garrison  into  those 
places  which  were  still  in  the  power  of  the 
Christians,  and  returned  to  Europe  with  his 
wife  Eleanor.  Having  landed  in  Sicily,  he 
heard  there  of  his  father's  death,  and  after 
sojourning  there  a  short  time,  he  continued 
his  route  for  England,  where  he  was 
crowned,  together  with  his  consort,  at  West- 
minster, by  Robert  Kilwarby,  archbishop  of 
Canterbury.  To  render  this  ceremony  the 
more  magnificent,  five  hundred  untamed 
horses  were  let  loose,  which  were  to  become 
the  property  of  those  who  should  succeed 
in  catching  them. 

In  the  first  year  of  Edward's  reign,  Mau- 
rice Fitzmaurice,  (Fitzgerald,)  was  named 
lord-justice  of  Ireland.  In  his  time  the  Irish 
took  up  arms,  devastated  the  lands  of  the 
Anglo-Irish,  and  destroyed  the  castles  of 
Aldleek,  Roscommon,  Scheligath,  and  Ran- 
don.  Maurice,  however,  being  betrayed, 
according  to  Glynn,  by  his  vassals,  was  ar- 
rested in  the  country  of  Offaly,  and  sent  to 
prison.  He  was  succeeded  the  year  follow- 
ing, in  his  capacity  of  lord-justice,  by  Wal- 
ter Genevil.  During  his  government  in  Ire- 
land, the  Scotch  made  a  descent  upon  it, 
where  they  burned  a  great  number  of  vil- 
lages, and  put  all  whom  they  met  to  the 
sword,  without  distinction  of  age  or  sex. 
They  then  returned  laden  with  spoil  to  their 
ships,  before  there  was  time  to  pursue  them. 
The  English  colonists  of  Ulster  and  Con- 
naught,  headed  by  Richard  de  Burgo  and 
Sir  Eustace  le  Poer,  made  an  attack  soon 


318 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


afterwards  upon  Scotland,  and  availed  them- 
selves of  the  right  of  reprisal  against  the 
Scotch,  even  surpassing  them  in  cruelty. 

Some  houses  belonging  to  the  Dominican 
order  were  established  about  this  time  in 
Ireland,  viz. ;  in  the  cities  of  Derry  and 
Coleraine  by  the  O'Donnels,  princes  of  Tir- 
conncl ;  by  the  M'Donoghs,  lords  of  Tir- 
rereil,  in  the  county  of  Sligo,  at  Ballindown, 
and  at  Rathbran,  in  the  county  of  Mayo,  by 
the  M'Jordans.  About  this  time  also  a  beau- 
tiful convent  for  the  Carmelites  was  founded 
in  Dublin  by  Robert  Bagot. 

Ireland  was  still  agitated  with  troubles 
and  domestic  war.  She  enclosed  for  a  cen- 
tury within  her  bosom,  like  Rebecca  in  her 
womb,  two  distinct  people,  whose  interests 
would  not  suffer  them  to  live  together  in 
peace.  Their  objects  and  their  motives  were 
different.  On  one  side  they  were  influenced 
by  feelings  of  just  resistance  ;  on  the  other 
by  tyranny  and  usurpation.  The  ancient 
inhabitants  made  frequent  efforts  to  defend 
themselves,  the  only  result  of  which  was  the 
shedding  of  much  blood.  The  Irish  took 
possession  of  the  castle  of  Roscommon,  a.  d. 
1276,  overthrew  the  English  completely  at 
Glynburry,  and  made  many  of  them  prison- 
ers, besides  killing  a  great  number.  At  the 
same  period  also  O'Neill  gave  battle  in  the 
north  to  a  body  of  English,  who  were 
commanded  by  Ralph  Peppard  and  O'Han- 
lon. 

Walter  Genevil,  lord-justice  of  Ireland, 
was  recalled,  a.  d.  1277,  to  England,  and 
Robert  Ufford  appointed  to  succeed  him  ;  the 
second  time  he  was  appointed  to  that  com- 
mission. Murtagh,  a  celebrated  rebel,  (as 
the  English  call  him,)  was  taken  in  arms  at 
Noraght,  by  Walter  de  Fant,  and  executed. 
O'Brien  Roe,  prince  of  Thuomond,  was 
killed  by  Thomas  Clare,  who  was  married, 
some  time  before,  to  the  daughter  of  Maurice 
son  of  Maurice  Fitzgerald  ;  but  he  and  his 
father-in-law  Fitzmaurice,  together  with  the 
whole  of  their  troops,  were  surrounded  after- 
wards by  the  Irish  at  Slieve-Bloema,  and 
to  save  their  lives,  were  forced  to  surrender. 
After  laying  down  his  arms,  Clare  was  forced 
to  mnke  atonement  for  the  death  of  O'Brien 
and  his  followers,  and  to  give  up  the  castle 
of  Roscommon,  which  the  English  had  taken : 
to  secure  the  performance  of  which  treaty 
he  gave  hostages.  These  conditions  were 
very  humiliating  to  the  English,  but  they 
were  compelled  to  submit,  in  order  to  save 
their  lives. 

The  English  were  not  the  only  enemies 
that  the  Irish  had  to  contend  with.  They 
had  more  to  fear  from  themselves  even  than 


from  those  foreigners,  whenever  their  dis- 
union caused  them  to  turn  their  arms  against 
each  other.  Some  difference  having  arisen, 
A.  D.  1278,  between  O'Connor,  prince  of 
Connaught,  and  M'Dermot,  of  Moy-Lurg, 
the  two  at  the  head  of  their  vassals  entered 
the  field,  and  a  bloody  engagement  took 
place  :  many  lives  were  lost  on  this  occasion, 
and  O'Connor  himself  was  among  the  num- 
ber of  slain.  The  news  of  these  commotions 
among  the  Irish  having  reached  the  king  of 
England,  Robert  Uflbrd  was  ordered  to  come 
to  him  and  give  an  account  of  the  disorders 
that  had  so  often  occurred  under  his  admin- 
istration. Ufford,  to  justify  himself  with  the 
king,  represented  to  him  that  his  majesty 
was  badly  informed,  and  that  all  which  was 
advanced  against  him  was  but  a  calumny  ; 
for  that  he  considered  it  only  an  act  of  good 
policy  to  shut  his  eyes  while  one  rebel  was 
cutting  the  throat  of  another.  "  By  this 
means,  sire,"  said  he,  "  your  treasures  will 
be  spared,  and  peace  secured  to  Ireland." 
The  plan  suited  the  king's  taste,  and  Ufford 
was  sent  back  to  rule  the  island  as  chief 
magistrate. 

Thomas  O'Connor,  archbishop  of  Tuam, 
died  A.  D.  1279,  having  governed  that  see 
and  Enaghdune  for  twenty  years.  This  pre- 
late was  a  learned  man,  and  possessed  all 
the  virtues  which  form  the  apostolical  char- 
acter. 

The  see  of  Tuam  continued  vacant  for 
some  time,  in  consequence  of  a  dispute  that 
occurred  at  the  election  of  a  bishop  ;  but 
was  filled  at  length  by  Stephen  of  Fulburn, 
bishop  of  Waterford. 

John  Derlington  governed  the  church  of 
Dublin  for  five  years,  but  died  suddenly  in 
London,  a.  d.  1284  ;  and  was  buried  among 
the  Dominicans  of  that  city.  John  of  Saun- 
ford  succeeded  him  in  the  see  of  Dublin. 

At  Clane,  a  little  village  in  the  county  of 
Kildare,  distant  some  leagues  from  Dublin, 
a  convent  was,  according  to  Ware,  founded 
for  Franciscans,  in  1287.  It  is  supposed 
that  Gerald,  son  of  Maurice  Fitzgerald, 
baron  of  Offaly,  was  founder  of  this  house, 
inasmuch  as  he  was  buried  there,  and  his 
statue  was  seen  upon  his  tomb,  which  was 
formed  entirely  of  marble.  There  was  a 
house  of  that  order  also  at  Tristle-Dermot, 
in  the  same  county  :  but  it  is  not  known  who 
were  the  founders  of  it.  A  convent  of  them 
was  likewise  founded  at  Ross,  county  of 
Wexford,  by  Sir  John  Devereux. 

Stephen  of  Fulburn,  archbishop  of  Tuam, 
died  about  this  time,  and  was  succeeded  by 
William  of  Birmingham,  son  of  Meyler  Bir- 
mingham, lord  of   Athenry.     The    see  of 


CHRISTIAV    IRELAND. 


319 


Cashel  continued  vacant  for  a  year  by  the 
death  of  David  O'Carrol,  who  succeeded 
Stephen  O'Brogan. 

It  may  be  affirmed  that  since  the  arrival 
of  the  English  in  Ireland,  it  had  been  a 
theatre  of  tyranny  where  every  species  of 
cruelty  was  acted.  If  the  ancient  Irish  some- 
times took  up  arms  to  oppose  their  usurpa- 
tion, (though  nothing  could  be  more  natural 
or  more  just  than  to  defend  their  property 
against  those  who  strove  to  wrest  it  from 
them  without  any  just  title,)  they  were  repre- 
sented as  rebels  at  the  tribunal  of  England, 
to  which  they  had  neither  access  nor  the 
opportunity  of  defending  their  cause. 

The  divisions  that  prevailed  among  the 
new  or  Anglo-Irish,  were  also  the  cause  of 
many  misfortunes  to  their  country,  and  every 
year  was  memorable  for  some  tragical  oc- 
currence. The  Fitzgeralds  and  the  Burkes 
were  always  opposed  to  each  other.  The 
Butlers,  Verdons,  and  Berminghams,  took 
part  in  their  quarrels  according  to  their  re- 
spective interests,  and  several  of  them  lost 
their  lives  in  the  contest.  Some  of  the  Irish 
nobility  were  involved,  likewise,  in  these 
misfortunes  ;  O'Connor  Faly  was  killed  by 
Jordan  Comin,  and  his  brother  Charles  was 
murdered  in  the  house  of  Piers  Bermingham, 
at  Carrick.  The  lands  which  were  usurp- 
ed by  these  new-comers,  had  belonged  for 
many  ages  to  the  O'Connors,  whose  preten- 
sions became  a  source  of  misfortune  to  them, 
as  it  was  thought  fit  by  the  usurpers  that  they 
should  be  exterminated.  Mac-Coghlan  was 
more  successful  than  the  O'Connors  ;  he 
gained  a  complete  victory  over  William 
Burke  and  his  adherents  at  Dealna.  It 
may  be  readily  imagined  that  the  conse- 
quence of  these  troubles  was  the  loss  of 
many  lives,  the  devastation  of  the  provinces, 
and  a  total  obstniction  to  agriculture.  The 
passion  for  erecting  religious  houses  still, 
however,  prevailed.  Jordan  Comin,  who 
had  assassinated  O'Connor  Faly  some  time 
before,  established  a  priory  for  regular  can- 
ons under  the  invocation  of  the  Blessed 
Trinity,  called  also  De  Laude  Dei,  at  Balli- 
bogan,  in  Meath,  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river  Boyne,  between  Clonard  and  Castle- 
jordan.  The  Franciscans  had  a  house  at 
Ross-Pont,  in  the  county  of  AVexford,  found- 
ed at  this  time  by  the  Devereuxes  ;  one  at 
Killeigh,  in  Hy-Regan,  founded,  it  is  said, 
by.  one  O'Connor,  probably  of  the  house  of 
Offaly  ;  and  one  at  Butavant,  in  the  county 
of  Cork,  which  was  founded,  some  say,  by 
the  Prendergasts,  and  others  by  the  Barrys. 
There  was  also  one  in  an  island  near  Gal- 
way,  established  by  one  of  the  Burkes,  and 


another  at  Clare,  in  the  same  country,  of 
which  John  de  Cogan  was  the  founder. 

Houses  were  founded  for  the  Carmelites 
at  Drogheda,  Atherdee,  in  the  county  of 
Louth,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  lake  Rea,  in 
the  county  of  Galvvay.  The  first  was  es- 
tablished by  the  citizens  of  the  town  ;  the 
second  by  Radulphus  Pippard,  and  the  third 
by  Richard  de  Harlay.  A  convent  for  Do- 
minicans was  also  founded  during  this  reign, 
at  Kilmallock,  or  Killocie,  in  the  county  of 
Limerick,  and  another  for  the  fathers  of  the 
Redemption  of  Captives,  at  Athdara,  in  the 
same  county.* 

John  de  Saunford,  archbishop  of  Dublin, 
was  a  favorite  of  Edward  I.,  who  appointed 
him  lord-justice  of  Ireland  on  the  death  of 
Fulburn.  The  king  recalled  him  afterwards 
to  England,  and  sent  him  as  ambassador  to 
the  emperor,  which  commission  he  dis- 
charged to  the  satisfaction  of  his  prince. 
Having  died  shortly  afterwards  in  England, 
his  body  was  brought  to  Dublin,  and  buried 
in  the  cathedral  of  St.  Patrick.  He  had  the 
reputation  of  a  learned  and  prudent  man. 
His  successor  in  the  see  of  Dublin  was 
William  de  Hothum,  who  died  the  same 
year,  and  was  replaced  by  Richard  de  Fer- 
ings.  The  office  of  lord-justice  of  Ireland 
was  conferred  on  Sir  William  Vescy,  and 
after  him  on  William  Dodinsell,  who  was 
succeeded  by  Thomas  Fitzmaurice.  The 
death  of  the  latter  put  an  end  to  the  disputes 
which  had  long  prevailed  between  the  houses 
of  the  Fitzgeralds  and  Burkes  ;  and  his  son 
John  Fitzlhomas  was  reconciled  to  the  earl 
of  Ulster.  During  De  Vescy's  administra- 
tion in  Ireland,  there  were  violent  quarrels 
between  him  and  John,t  son  of  Thomas 
Fitzgerald,  the  baron  of  Offiily,  which,  ac- 
cording to  the  chronicle  of  HoUingshead,  de- 
generated into  gross  rebukes  and  sarcastic 
recriminations  at  an  assembly  where  these 
noblemen  met.  They  accused  each  other  in 
turn  of  robbery,  extortion,  murder,  &c.  The 
baron  having  made  some  remarks  on  the 
birth  of  the  viceroy,  the  latter  replied  that 
the  De  Vescys  were  noble  before  the  Fitz- 
geralds were  barons  of  Offiily  ;  "  even  (said 
he)  before  your  bankrupt  ancestor^  had 
made  his  fortune  in  Leinster."  Their  dis- 
pute did  not  even  end  in  Ireland ;  they  went 
to  England  to  plead  their  cause  before  the 
king  and  his  court ;  and  in  the  presence  of 
Majesty  they  continued  their  invectives  and 
reproaches,which  were  apparently  accordant 

*  AUemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'lrlande,  page  35. 
t  Con.  Hib.  Angl.  page  78. 

\  Maurice  Fitzgerald,  who  came  to  Ireland  with 
Strongbow. 


320 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


with  the  taste  of  the  times  and  of  the  nation. 
Fitzgerald,  at  length  wearied  with  these  con- 
tentions, proposed  to  settle  the  quarrel  by 
single  combat,  which  was  approved  of  by 
the  assembly,  and  accepted  at  first  with 
much  boasting  by  De  Vescy  ;  but  the  day 
being  named,  the  latter  embarked  for  France, 
leaving  the  baron  without  an  antagonist.* 
Dugdale  gives  a  different  account  of  this 
transaction  ;  saying  that  Fitzgerald  refused 
to  fight.  When  the  king  was  informed  of 
the  tUght  of  De  Vescy,  he  bestowed  the 
lordships  of  Kildare  and  Rathangan  on  Fitz- 
gerald, which  had  till  then  belonged  to  the 
former,  saying,  that  although  he  had  carried 
his  body  to  France,  he  had  left  his  property 
in  Ireland.  The  acquisition  of  the  districts 
of  Kildare  and  Rathangan  raised  consider- 
ably the  fortunes  of  the  Fitzgeralds,  who 
had  afterwards  sufficient  influence  to  have 
the  title  of  earl  bestowed  on  them. 

Stephen  O'Brogan,  a  native  of  Ulster, 
from  being  archdeacon  of  Glendaloch  be- 
came archbishop  of  Cashel,  by  a  canonical 
election.  He  filled  that  see  for  the  space 
of  eleven  years,  and  died  in  1300.  He  was 
buried  in  his  church  of  Cashel,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Maurice  O'Carroll. 

In  the  year  1303,  Nicholas  M'Molisse, 
archbishop  of  Armagh,  died.  He  had  gov- 
erned this  see  for  thirteen  years,  and  was 
celebrated  for  his  eloquence,  prudence,  and 
zeal  in  the  worship  of  God.  He  ornament- 
ed and  enriched  his  cathedral  with  books,  or- 
naments, and  every  thing  necessary  for  the 
divine  service,  and  bequeathed  to  that  church 
twenty  marks  of  silver,  charged  upon  his 
lands  at  Termo  Feichan .  He  was  succeeded 
by  John  Taaf. 

The  manner  in  which  the  Welsh  were 
treated  by  the  English,  is  an  example  of 
cruelty,  and  a  subject  of  horror  to  all  who 
have  had  the  misfortune  of  falling  beneath 
their  dominion.  The  Welsh  are  descended 
from  the  ancient  Britons,  whom  their  allies, 
the  Saxons,  had  expelled  from  England 
about  the  seventh  century,  and  forced  to 
seek  safety  in  the  country  called  Wales,  on 
the  western  coast  of  Britain,  and  formed  a 
distinct  people  from  the  English,  governed 
by  their  own  kings  till  the  eleventh  century. 
The  English,  equally  treacherous  with  the 
Saxons,  filled  with  an  idea  of  the  right  of 
conquest,  and  unable  to  bear  so  small  an  in- 
dependent sovereignty  near  them,  subjugated 
Wales,  and  put  Rees,  its  last  king,  to  death, 
in  the  eleventh  century,  under  William  Rufus . 
The  recollection  of  their  former  liberty,  and 

*  English  Baronetcy,  vol.  1,  page  94. 


the  tyranny  of  their  new  masters,  often  forc- 
ed the  Welsh  into  rebellion.  The  superior 
power  of  England,  however,  always  quelled 
these  revolts,  with  the  loss  of  many  lives  ; 
but  it  was  the  lot  of  Edward  I.  to  complete 
their  subjugation  a.  d.  1283.  This  king 
declared  war  against  Llewelyn,  a  prince  of 
Wales,  of  the  royal  race,  who,  having  been 
betrayed,  fell  into  the  hands  of  a  soldier, 
who  cut  off  his  head,  and  sent  it  to  Edward, 
by  whom  it  was  ordered  to  be  exposed  on 
the  tower  of  London.*  David,  the  brother 
of  Llewelyn,  was  taken  prisoner  some  time 
afterwards,  and  condemned  to  an  ignomi- 
nious death  in  England.  He  was  first  tied 
to  the  tail  of  a  wild  horse,  and  dragged 
through  the  city  of  Shrewsbury  ;  his  head 
was  cut  oft',  sent  to  London,  and  placed 
upon  the  tower  with  his  brother's  ;  his 
heart  and  entrails  were  then  torn  from  his 
body  and  burned  ;  and  the  four  limbs  were 
exposed  on  the  gates  of  four  cities  in  Eng- 
land, namely,  Bristol,  Northampton,  York, 
and  Winchester.  In  this  unparalleled  man- 
ner was  the  son  of  a  prince  treated,  whose 
only  crime  was  a  desire  to  restore  freedom 
to  his  country,  and  to  rescue  it  from  the  yoke 
of  England.  Wales  was  then  united  to  the 
crown  of  England ;  the  king  gave  it  a  form 
of  government  in  conformity  with  the  laws 
of  England,  and  his  eldest  son  has,  since 
that  time,  assumed  the  title  of  prince  of 
Wales. 

A  convent  for  Dominicans  was  founded 
in  this  century,  in  the  town  of  Carlingford, 
in  the  county  of  Louth ;  another  for  Augus- 
tin  hermits  near  Galway  :  a  convent  for 
Franciscans  was  founded  in -1300  at  Cavan, 
by  the  O'Reillys  ;  and  a  house  for  Carmel- 
ites at  Thurles,  county  Tipperary,  by  the 
Butlers. 

The  English  set  no  bounds  to  their  pre- 
tensions over  their  neighbors  ;  the  kings  of 
England  considered  themselves  as  protectors 
of  the  kingdom  of  Scotland,  and  arbitrators 
of  any  difficulty  that  might  arise  respecting 
the  succession  to  that  crown.  Alexander 
III.,  king  of  Scotland,  having  died  without 
issue,  the  great  number  of  pretenders  to  the 
throne  gave  rise  to  factions,  and  afforded 
a  favorable  opportunity  for  Edward  I.  to  en- 
force his  pretended  jurisdiction.  The  two 
most  powerful  competitors  were  John  Baliol, 
earl  of  Galloway,  and  Robert  Bruce  of 
Anandale.  Edward  set  out  for  Scotland, 
and  had  an  interview  with  Robert  Bruce, 
whose  claim  was  not  so  strong  as  Baliol's, 

*  Baker,  Chron.  of  Engl.  Life  of  Edward  I.  page 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


321 


but  who  was  possessed  of  more  influence.  He 
proposed  to  make  him  king  of  Scotland,  on 
condition  that  he  would  take  an  oath  of  al- 
legiance to  him,  and  do  homage  to  the  crown 
of  England,  a.  d.  1291.  This  generous  no- 
bleman replied,  that  he  would  not  sacrifice 
the  liberty  of  his  country  to  the  ambition  of 
reigning.  But  Baliol,  whose  opinions  were 
less  honorable,  accepted  the  terms,  and  was 
crowned  king  of  Scotland  at  Scone,  after 
which  he  paid  homage  to  the  king  of  Eng- 
land at  Newcastle,  as  his  sovereign  lord.  He 
afterwards  retracted,  which  caused  bloody 
wars  between  the  two  nations,  that  lasted 
for  almost  three  centuries ;  but  were  at 
length  terminated,  after  much  bloodshed,  by 
the  union  of  both  crowns  under  James  I. 
Edward  having  begun  this  war,  was  deter- 
mined to  prosecute  it  with  all  his  energies, 
for  which  purpose  he  marched  an  army 
towards  Scotland,  and  created  in  one  day 
three  hundred  youngmen  knights,  a.  d.  1291, 
in  order  to  excite  their  emulation.  John 
Wogan,  who  shared  in  this  promotion,  was 
sent  to  Ireland  as  lord-justice,  in  place  of 
Thomas  Fitzmaurice,  who  had  just  died. 

About  this  time  more  establishments  were 
founded  for  Carmelites  ;  the  monastery  of 
Thurles,  county  of  Tipperary,  by  the  But- 
lers ;  and  that  of  Ardnecran,  in  the  county 
of  Westmeath,  by  the  Dillons.  There  was 
also  one  near  lake  Reogh,  in  the  county  of 
Galvvay,  founded,  according  to  Ware,  by 
Richard  de  Burgo,  earl  of  Ulster.  Allemand 
attributes  this  foundation  to  Richard  de 
Harlay,  and  alleges  that  the  Harlays  of 
France  are  descended  from  him. 

Edward  I.,  having  gained  some  advantages 
over  the  Scotch,  was  seized  with  a  dysentery, 
of  which  he  died,  a.  d  1306,  regretting  deeply 
that  he  had  not  been  able  to  take  full  revenge 
upon  them.  When  on  his  death-bed,  he 
enjoined  Edward,  his  son  and  successor,  to 
have  his  remains  carried  with  the  army 
through  Scotland,  till  he  should  have  reduced 
that  people  ;  but  his  last  Avill  was  neglected 
in  this  particular,  as  well  as  in  every  other 
matter  which  he  had  imposed  on  that  young 
prince. 

John  Taaf,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  died 
this  year,  and  was  succeeded  by  Walter  de 
Jorse,  of  the  order  of  St.  Dominick.  He 
had  six  brothers,  all  in  the  same  order,  one 
of  whom,  called  Thomas,  was  a  cardinal, 
under  the  name  of  St.  Sabina,  and  another 
named  Roland,  succeeded  him  in  the  see  of 
Armagh,  which  he  gave  up  in  1321. 

Richard  de  Ferings,  archbishop  of  Dub- 
lin, who  labored  incessantly  to  establish 
peace  between  the  two  metropolitans  in  this 


city,  died  about  this  time.  The  articles 
of  agreement  between  the  two  churches, 
Christ's  and  St.  Patrick's,  were,  that  each 
should  enjoy  the  title  of  metropolitan  ;  that 
Christ's  church,  as  being  the  larger  and  more 
ancient,  should  take  precedence  in  ecclesias- 
tical matters ;  that  it  should  have  the  custody 
of  the  cross,  mitre,  and  episcopal  ring ;  and 
that  the  prelates  of  the  see  should  be  buried 
alternately  in  both  churches.  This  prelate 
founded  three  prebendaries  in  St.  Patrick's 
church.  He  was  succeeded  by  John  Lech. 
John  Duns  Scotus,  a  Franciscan  friar, 
flourished  in  the  beginning  of  this  century. 
The  subtilty  of  his  genius,  and  great  pene- 
tration on  learned  subjects,  gained  him  the 
name  of  "  subtle  doctor."  He  was  educated 
at  Oxford,  under  William  de  Wara,  or  Varro, 
where  he  wrote  on  the  four  books  of  Sen- 
tences. He  also  composed  many  scholastic 
works  in  Paris.  He  went  afterwards  to  Co- 
logne, where  he  died  suddenly  in  1308. 
Three  nations  claim  the  honor  of  having 
given  birth  to  this  great  man  ;  English 
authors  maintain  that  he  was  born  at  Dun- 
ston,  a  village  in  the  parish  of  Emildune, 
in  the  county  of  Northumberland  ;  for  which 
purpose  they  advance,  as  a  proof,  the  con- 
clusion of  the  manuscript  works  of  this  great 
man,  (which  are  at  Oxford,)  in  the  following 
terms  :  "  Here  ends  the  readingof  the  works 
of  John  Duns,  a  subtle  doctor  of  the  univer- 
sity of  Paris,  born  in  a  certain  village  called 
Dunston,  in  the  parish  of  Emildune,  in  Nor- 
thumberland, belonging  to  the  college  of 
Merton,  in  the  university  of  Oxford  ;"  but 
as  it  is  doubtful  whether  this  conclusion  is 
by  Scot  himself,  or  added  by  another,  the 
proof  drawn  from  it  in  favor  of  his  being  a 
native  of  England,  seems  insufiicient.  The 
Scotch  say  he  was  a  native  of  Duns,  in 
Scotland,  a  village  about  eight  miles  from 
the  English  frontiers.  Finally,  the  Irish, 
seconded  by  Arthur  a  Monasterio,  and  the 
martyrology  of  Cavellus,  affirm  that  he  was 
born  at  Down,  (in  Latin  Duinun,)  in  Ulster. 
The  Irish  had  not  yet  given  up  the  name  of 
Scoti,  or  Scots  ;  and  it  is  therefore  probable, 
that  on  this  account  Doctor  John  Duns  has 
been  surnamed  Scotus. 


CHAPTER  XXIL 

Edward  II.,  son  of  the   late  king,  and 
Eleanor  of  Spain,  succeeded  his  father,  a.  d 
1307.    Some  time  after  he  married  Isabella, 
11 


322 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


daughter  of  Philip  the  Fair,  king  of  France.* 
lie  recaUed  his  favorite,  Piers  Gaveston, 
who  had  been  cxpeUed  the  kingdom  by  his 
father.  This  nobleman's  influence  over  the 
king  was  so  great,  that  every  favor  which 
was  conferred  was  given  through  him.  This 
drew  upon  him  the  hatred  and  envy  of  the 
English  lords,  who  threatened  to  oppose  the 
king's  coronation,  if  he  did  not  dismiss  his 
favorite,  to  which  the  Aveak  monarch  con- 
sented ;  but  in  order  to  mitigate  this  sup- 
posed disgrace,  he  sent  him,  invested  with 
some  authority,  to  Ireland,  where  he  par- 
tially quelled  the  commotions,  and  labored 
with  effect  to  secure  the  possessions  of  the 
Anglo-Irish  in  that  country.  The  king,  un- 
able to  bear  the  absence  of  his  favorite,  and 
supposing  that  the  resentment  of  the  nobles 
had  subsided  in  the  interim,  made  him  re- 
turn from  Ireland,  and  sent  Sir  John  Wo- 
gan  as  lord-justice  in  his  stead ;  and  in  order 
to  procure  him  some  influence  among  the 
nobles,  he  made  him  marry  the  daughter  of 
the  earl  of  Gloucester.  This  alliance  of 
Gaveston  with  one  of  the  first  families  in  the 
kingdom,  served  only  to  exasperate  the 
iuinds  of  the  people  against  him.  Another 
occurrence  completed  his  downfall ;  not  con- 
tent with  gaining  the  prize  in  a  tournament 
at  Wallingford,  in  which,  by  his  skill  and 
courage,  he  defeated  the  English  nobles  who 
measured  their  arms  with  him,  he  rallied 
them  in  the  most  sarcastic  manner,  which 
hurt  thSra  more  severely  than  the  victory  he 
had  just  gained,  so  that  they  conspired 
imanimously  against  him,  and  represented 
in  the  strongest  terms  to  the  king,  that  no- 
thing less  than  the  sacrifice  of  his  favorite 
could  appease  them.  Gaveston  found  him 
self  forced  to  yield  to  the  tempest,  and  pro 
ceeded  to  France,  where  he  continued  for 
some  time  ;  but  the  desire  of  seeing  his  dear 
master  again,  induced  him,  at  the  peril  of 
his  life,  to  return  secretly  to  England.  In 
order  to  secure  him  against  the  rage  of  his 
enemies,  the  king  gave  him  the  castle  of 
Scarborough,  as  a  safe  asylum ;  where, 
however,  he  was  besieged  in  it  by  the  dis 
contented  barons,  and  forced  to  surrender 
himself  prisoner,  on  condition  of  having  his 
life  spared.  But  these  terms  did  not  prevent 
his  being  taken  by  the  earl  of  Warwick  out 
of  the  hands  of  those  who  were  guardinf 
him.  This  nobleman  had  him  beheaded 
without  trial  or  any  formality  of  justice 
in  spite  of  the  repeated  entreaties  which  the 
king  made  to  him,  to  spare  the  life  of  the 
unhappy  man.      Such  was  the  tragical  end 

*  Baker,  Chron.  of  England,  on  the  reign  of  Ed- 
ward II. 


of  Gaveston,  one  of  the  handsomest  men  of 
his  time,  and  one  of  the  most  accomplished 
in  Europe.  He  was  a  native  of  Gascony, 
and  possessed  all  that  delicacy  of  wit  which 
is  so  peculiar  to  his  countrymen,  and  his 
only  crime  seems  to  have  been  that  of  being 
too  well  beloved  by  his  king. 

The  conduct  of  the  English  on  this  occa- 
sion, clearly  demonstrates  the  changeable 
and  inconstant  character  of  that  people.  We 
see  a  rude  and  brutal  nobility  treat  their 
king  with  contempt  and  insolence,  and  de- 
ficient in  the  most  indispensable  duties  to- 
wards a  monarch  whose  only  defect  was  a 
weak  and  effeminate  disposition  ;  yet  we 
also  discover  the  same  people  to  have  bent 
frequently  to  tyrants.  Though  Edward  was 
indignant  at  the  conduct  of  his  subjects,  and 
their  violation  of  his  authority,  he  was  too 
much  intent  upon  the  war  in  Scotland  to 
chastise  them.  Robert  Bruce,  who  was  al- 
ready possessed  of  that  throne,  determined 
to  take  advantage  of  the  disturbances  in 
England  ;  he  reduced  under  his  dominion 
that  part  of  Scotland  Avhich  still  adhered  to 
the  opposite  party  ;  after  which  he  invaded 
the  northern  parts  of  England.  Edward 
saw  the  danger  which  threatened  his  king- 
dom, and  marched  at  the  head  of  one  hun- 
dred thousand  men  to  meet  the  king  of -Scot- 
land, who  had  but  thirty  thousand,  a.  d. 
1313.  Both  armies  met  at  Bannockburn, 
where  the  English  were  completely  defeated. 
This  victory  has  been  ascribed  to  stratagem  ; 
the  king  of  Scotland  had  no  cavalry ;  his 
army  was  very  inferior  in  numbers  to  those 
of  the  enemy,  and  he  was  obliged  to  have 
recourse  to  it.  He  therefore  caused  trenches 
of  three  feet  in  depth  to  be  dug  in  the  road 
through  which  the  enemy  had  to  pass,  and 
covered  them  with  the  branches  of  trees  and 
other  matters,  to  conceal  them  from  their 
view.  The  English  cavalry  fell  into  the 
snare  ;  having  advanced  Avith  impetuosity 
against  the  Scotch,  the  horsemen  and  their 
horses  fell,  which  put  the  whole  army  in 
disorder.  Scotch  writers  affirm  that  the  loss 
of  the  English  in  this  battle  amounted  to 
fifty  thousand  men  ;  the  English  allow  their 
loss  to  have  been  but  ten  thousand.  How- 
ever, it  was  the  most  fatal  battle  to  them 
since  the  conquest.  The  defeat  was  so  gen- 
eral, that  King  Edward  had  some  difficulty 
to  save  himself  by  flight,  Avith  the  nobles 
who  accompanied  him  ;  and  the  Scotch  re- 
mained masters  of  the  whole  of  the  north  of 
England,  from  Carlisle  to  York.  The  cour- 
age of  the  English,  says  Baker,  was  so  bro- 
ken down  by  this  defeat,  that  a  hundred  of 
jthem  would  fly  before  three  Scotchmen. 


CriRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


323 


John  Lech,  or  De  Leeke,  archbishop  of 
Dublin,  died  about  this  time.  The  claims 
of  the  two  cathedrals  in  this  city  were  always 
productive  of  some  controversy  respecting 
the  choice  of  a  prelate.  The  prior  and  con- 
vent of  Christ's  Church  nominated  Nicholas 
Butler,  brother  to  Edmond  Butler,  after- 
wards earl  of  Carrick,  to  fill  the  vacant  see  ; 
and  the  dean  and  chapter  of  St.  Patrick's 
elected  Richard  Havering,  the  grand  chor- 
ister of  their  church.  However,  the  king's 
influence  prevailed  over  these  elections,  and 
John  Lech,  his  almoner,  was  appointed. 
This  prelate  had  a  serious  misunderstanding 
with  Roland  Jorse,  archbishop  of  Armagh, 
respecting  the  right  which  the  latter  claimed 
of  having  the  cross  carried  erect  before  him 
in  the  province  of  Dublin.  At  the  solicita- 
tion of  John  Lech,  Pope  Clement  V.  granted 
a  bull  for  the  foundation  of  a  university  in 
Dublin.  Some  time  previous  to  this  pre- 
late's death,  he  was  nominated  high-treas- 
urer of  Ireland.  His  successor  in  the  see 
of  Dublin  Avas  Alexander  de  Bicknor. 

An  Irish  Franciscan  friar,  named  Malachi, 
after  having  lived  for  some  time  at  Oxford, 
went  to  Naples,  where  he  gained  a  high  re- 
putation for  piety  and  learning.*  He  wrote 
a  treatise  upon  the  poison  of  mortal  sin,  and 
the  remedies  to  be  used  ;  it  was  published 
in  Paris,  by  Henry  Stephens.  Bale  says  he 
was  the  author  of  a  book  of  sermons  and 
other  tracts. 

At  Tully-Felim,  or  Tullagh-Felaghe,  a 
small  town  on  the  river  Slaney,  in  the  dio- 
cese of  Leghlin,  county  of  Carlow,  there 
was  a  convent  founded  in  1314,  for  Augus- 
tin  hermits,  by  Simon  Lombard  and  Hugh 
Talon. 

The  Irish,  discontented  with  their  lot,  see- 
ing the  success  of  the  king  of  Scotland,  sent 
deputies  to  him,  soliciting  his  alliance  and 
assistance  to  deliver  them  from  the  insup- 
portable bondage  into  which  they  had  fallen, 
by  the  haughty  and  cruel  dominion  of  the 
English.!  The  king  of  Scotland  considered 
this  embassy  a  favorable  opportunity,  both 
to  cause  a  diversion  in  England,  and  to  make 
his  brother,  Edward  Bruce,  king  of  Ireland. 
Sir  Edmond  Butler,  who  had  already  re- 
turned to  England,  succeeded  Sir  Theobald 
de  Verdon,  who  had  filled  the  office  of  lord- 
justice  during  his  absence,  a.  d.  1315.  On 
the  25th  of  May  following,  Edward  Bruce, 
brother  to  the  king  of  Scotland,  landed  near 
Carrickfergus,  in  Ulster,  with  six  thousand 
Scotchmen,  where  he  was  joined  by  a  body 

*  Anton.  Possevin,  Appar.  Sacr. 
t  Baker,  Chron.  Reign  of  Edward  II.     War.  de 
Annal.  Hib.     Cox  on  the  reign  of  Edward  II. 


of  Irish,  and  proclaimed  king  of  Ireland  by 
part  of  the  nation.*  In  the  month  of  June 
he  took  Dundalk,  which  he  burned  ;  he  then 
laid  waste  the  district  of  Uriel,  expelled  the 
English  from  Ulster,  and  made  himself  mas- 
ter of  that  province.  He  bore  the  title  of 
king  of  Ireland  till  his  death,  which  took 
place  three  years  afterwards. 

The  Anglo-Irish  collected  theirforces  to 
check  the  progress  of  the  new  king.  They 
met  at  Dundalk,  but  the  lord-justice,  on 
finding  the  generals  disunited,  left  the  care 
of  carrying  on  the  war  against  the  Scotch 
to  the  earl  of  Ulster,  and  returned  to  Dub- 
lin. This  nobleman  acquitted  himself  very 
badly  of  his  commission  ;  he  was  defeated 
by  the  Scotch,  near  Coleraine,  on  the  tenth 
of  September,  with  the  loss  of  many  lives, 
besides  a  great  number  of  prisoners,  among 
whom  were  Sir  William  Burke,  Sir  John 
Mandevill,  Sir  Alan  Fitzwarren,  and  John 
Staunton.  In  order  to  follow  up  his  victo- 
ries, Bruce  laid  siege  to  Carrickfergus,  and 
dispatched  his  brother  William  to  Scotland 
to  seek  further  aid  from  the  king,  his  bro- 
ther. He  then  led  his  victorious  army  out 
of  the  province  of  Ulster,  and  advanced  to- 
wards Kells,  in  Meath,  where  he  met  the 
English  under  Roger  Mortimer,  and  gave 
them  battle,  in  which  they  were  defeated. 
It  is  said  that  the  Lacys  deserted  the  Eng- 
lish on  this  occasion  ;  however  this  be,  the 
victory  was  against  them,  and  many  of  them 
fell  in  their  retreat.  After  this  Bruce  burn- 
ed Kells,  Granard,  Finagh,  and  Newcastle, 
and  spent  the  Christmas  at  Loghseudy,  from 
whence  he  marched  through  the  county  of 
Kildare,  to  Rathangan,  Kildare,  Castleder- 
mot,  Athy,  Raban,  and  Sketheris,  where 
Sir  Edmond  Butler,  the  lord-justice  of  Ire- 
land, accompanied  by  John  Fitzthomas  and 
other  noblemen,  were  waiting  to  give  him 
battle.  The  action  took  place  on  the  2Gth 
of  January,  but  Bruce  was  again  victorious 
and  the  English  entirely  routed. 

The  king  of  England  seeing  the  unhappy 
state  of  his  affairs  in  Ireland,  and  fearing 
the  defection  of  his  subjects,  sent  Sir  John 


*  "  He  sent  ambassadors  from  Ireland,  saying 
that  he  would  surrender  into  his  protectioti  both 
himself  and  his  possessions  ;  but  if  it  was  neces- 
sary for  him  to  continue  at  home,  they  besouglit 
him  to  give  them  for  a  king  his  brother  Edward, 
and  not  to  suffer  a  kindred  nation  to  be  oppressed 
under  the  intolerable  bondage  of  English  rule.  Ed- 
ward Bruce  at  length  proceeded  with  an  army,  by 
the  general  consent  of  all,  and  was  proclaimed  king. 
In  the  first  year  of  his  arrival,  after  expelling  the 
English,  he  brought  the  whole  of  Ulster  under  his 
authority,  and  traversed  the  entire  kingdom  with 
his  victorious  anny." — Buchanan,  b.  8,  p.  277. 


324 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Hotham  thither,  to  make  them  renew  their 
oath  of  allegiance,  and  receive  hostages  from 
them.  These  were  given  by  John  Fitzthomas, 
afterwards  earl  of  Kildarc,  Richard  de  Clare, 
Maurice,  afterwards  called  earl  of  Desmond, 
Thomas  Fitzjohn  le  P'oer,  Arnold  le  Poer, 
Maurice  Rochfort,  David  and  Miler  de  la 
Roche,  and  many  others. 

In  the  month  of  February  both  armies 
took  the  field.  The  place  of  meeting  for  the 
Scotch  was  at  Geashil,  in  Offaly,  and  the 
English  assembled  at  Kildare;  but  the  country 
having  been  destroyed,  and  the  Scotch  army 
in  want  of  provisions,  Bruce  determined  to 
return  to  Ulster,  where  he  gave  himself  up 
to  his  pleasures,  having  nothing  to  dread 
from  his  enemies.  On  the  retreat  of  the 
Scotch,  the  lord-justice  proceeded  to  Dublin, 
where  he  summoned  a  parliament,  in  which 
he  endeavored  to  reconcile  some  noble- 
men whose  disunion  was  prejudicial  to  the 
general  cause ;  and  Walter  de  Lacy  was 
acquitted  of  the  crime  of  treason  of  which  he 
had  been  suspected.  They  likewise  dis- 
cussed the  plan  of  prosecuting  the  war. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Irish  who  had 
espoused  the  interests  of  Edward  Bruce 
were  given  up  to  the  fury  of  his  enemies. 
Several  among  the  inhabitants  of  Leinster 
were  put  to  the  sword  at  Castledermot,  by 
the  English  under  Edmond  Butler.  The 
O'Mordhas,  O'Byrnes,  O'Tools,  and  M'Mor- 
roughs,  soon  afterwards  shared  the  same 
fate  :  and  the  O'Connors  Faly  were  mas- 
sacred at  Ballibogan,  on  the  river  Boyne, 
by  the  English  of  Leinster  and  Meath.  The 
Irish,  on  the  other  hand,  used  the  right  of 
retaliation,  by  making  some  efforts  to  be  re- 
venged for  their  lives  and  liberty,  and  the 
O'Nowlans  of  Leinster  put  Andrew  Ber- 
mingham,  Sir  Richard  de  la  Londe,  and  their 
adherents  to  the  sword,  who  had  insulted 
them  in  their  territories. 

In  order  to  induce  his  Irish  subjects  to 
support  his  cause  against  the  Scotch,  the 
king  of  England  began  to  distribute  favors 
and  confer  titles  of  honor  upon  them,  which 
were  hitherto  unknown  in  Ireland,  a.  d.  1316. 
He  accordingly  created  John  Fitzgerald, 
son  of  Thomas,  baron  of  Offaly,  earl  of  Kil- 
dare. This  lord  was  chief  of  the  noble 
family  of  the  Fitzgeralds,  descended  from 
Maurice,  who  derived  his  origin  from  the 
dukes  of  Tuscany,  and  was  the  first  of  the 
name  that  settled  in  Ireland  under  Henry  II. 
To  enable  him  to  support  this  dignity,  the 
king  gave  him  the  town  and  castle  of  Kildare, 
with  their  dependencies,  and  all  the  lands 
and  lordships  of  William  de  Vescy,  which 
had   been    confiscated  in   1291,  when  the 


latter  was  lord-justice  of  Ireland.  This  il- 
lustrious house,  which  has  been  always  re- 
markable for  its  virtue  and  noble  alliances, 
still  exists,  with  the  title  of  premier  earl  of 
Ireland. 

Edward  Bruce  having  returned  from  Scot- 
land, where  he  spent  some  time  in  recruiting 
his  troops,  summoned  the  town  of  Carrick- 
fergus  to  surrender.  The  inhabitants  being- 
destitute  of  every  thing,  eight  vessels,  laden 
with  provisions,  were  sent  from  Drogheda 
to  their  relief;  but  these  were  not  sufficient 
to  enable  them  to  hold  out.  The  garrison 
had  been  reduced  to  live  for  some  days  on 
leather,  and  the  flesh  of  eight  Scotchmen, 
who  were  prisoners.  They  therefore  surren- 
dered about  the  end  of  August.  At  the  same 
time,  O'Connor  and  his  followers  defeated 
a  body  of  English  in  Connaught ;  Lord  Ste- 
phen Exter,  Milo  Cogan,  and  eight  of  the 
Barrys  and  Lawlesses,  having  lost  their  lives 
in  the  engagement.  O'Connor  and  his  army 
were,  however,  defeated  on  the  4th  of  Au- 
gust, at  Athenry,  by  a  body  of  English, 
headed  by  William  Burke  and  Richard  de 
Bermingham.  In  Ulster,  Richard  O'Hanlon, 
followed  by  his  vassals,  in  endeavoring  to 
draw  contributions  from  Dundalk  and  its 
vicinity,  was  repulsed  with  great  loss  by  the 
inhabitants,  under  the  command  of  Robert 
Verdon,  who  lost  his  life  in  the  action.  On 
the  14th  of  September,  Burke  and  Berming- 
ham gained  a  complete  victory  over  the 
people  of  Connaught,  who  lost  five  hundred 
men,  with  their  chiefs, O'Connor  and  O'Kelly . 
About  the  end  of  October,  in  the  same  year, 
John  Loggan  and  Hugh  Bisset  defeated  a 
body  of  Scotch  troops  in  Ulster  ;  about  three 
hundred  fell  on  the  field  of  battle,  and  many 
prisoners  were  taken  and  sent  to  Dublin, 
among  whom  were  Sir  Allen  Stewart  and 
Sir  John  Sandal.  The  Lacys,  who  were 
suspected  of  having  betrayed  the  state,  by 
introducing  the  Scotch  into  the  kingdom, 
presented  a  petition  on  the  subject,  and  be- 
ing cleared  of  the  charge,  they  renewed  their 
oath  of  allegiance,  and  obtained  a  general 
amnesty  from  the  king  by  charter. 

Maurice  Mac-Carwil,  or  O'Carroll,  arch- 
bishop of  Cashel,  died  at  this  time.  After 
his  elevation  to  that  see  by  the  dean  and 
chapter,  with  the  consent  of  the  king  of  Eng- 
land, he  set  out  for  Rome,  where  he  received 
the  pope's  sanction,  and  was  consecrated  and 
honored  with  the  pallium  by  the  holy  father. 
On  his  return  to  Ireland,  he  allowed  Walter 
Multoc  the  privilege  of  founding  a  house 
at  Fethard,  in  the  county  of  Tipperary,  for 
hermits  of  St.  Augustin.  He  attended  the 
parliament  which  was  convened  at  Kilkenny, 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


325 


in  1309.  It  was  composed  of  all  the  nobles 
of  the  country,  whom  he  compelled  to  sub- 
mit to  its  decrees  under  pain  of  excommu- 
nication. Maurice  was  succeeded  in  the  see 
of  Cashel  by  William  Fitzjohn,  bishop  of 
Ossory. 

Edward  Bruce,  at  the  head  of  twenty 
thousand  men,  composed  of  Scotch  and  Irish, 
marched  during  the  Lent  towards  Slane,  in 
Meath,  pillaging  the  country  as  he  passed. 
The  earl  of  Ulster,  who  was  at  the  time  in 
the  abbey  of  Our  Lady,  near  Dublin,  having 
had  some  dispute  with  the  citizens,  was  ar- 
rested by  order  of  Robert  Nottingham,  mayor 
of  the  city,  and  confined  in  the  castle,  which 
caused  so  great  a  tumult  that  the  abbey  was 
pillaged,  and  some  domestics  belonging  to 
the  earl  were  killed.  In  the  mean  time, 
Edward  Bruce  marched  towards  Dublin,  and 
on  his  way  took  the  castle  of  Knock,  in 
which  he  found  Hugh  Tyrrel,  the  lord  of 
the  place,  with  his  wife,  who  ransomed  her- 
self for  a  sum  of  money.  The  inhabitants, 
terrified  at  the  approach  of  so  formidable  an 
enemy,  in  order  to  defend  the  city,  burned 
the  suburbs,  together  with  the  churches,  and 
among  the  number  the  cathedral  of  St.  Pat- 
rick. Bruce,  who  knew  that  the  walls  of 
the  city  were  in  good  order,  and  that  the  in- 
habitants would  defend  it  to  the  last,  thought 
fit  (with  the  advice,  it  is  said,  of  De  Lacy, 
contrary  to  the  oath  of  allegiance  he  had  just 
taken)  to  proceed  on  his  march  towards 
Naas,  where  he  spent  two  days,  and  con- 
tinued his  route  towards  Limerick.  He 
passed  through  Kenlis,  in  Ossory,  to  Cashel, 
and  went  from  thence  to  Nenagh  :  having  in 
his  march  laid  waste  the  lands  of  Edmond 
Butler,  in  the  counties  of  Kilkenny  and  Tip- 
perarj-.  All  the  English  lords  who  were  in 
the  country,  assembled  at  Cashel  to  deliberate 
on  the  means  of  checking  his  progress.  They 
determined  on  sending  the  army,  which 
amounted  to  30,000  men,  under  the  command 
of  the  lord-justice  and  the  earl  of  Kildare, 
in  pursuit  of  him ;  but  Roger  Mortimer 
having  landed  at  Youghal,  as  lord-justice,  on 
Easter  Thursday,  a.  d.  1317,  attended  by 
thirty  knights,  and  other  troops,  he  sent 
word  to  the  English  generals  to  wait  for  him 
to  give  battle  to  the  Scotch.  Edward  Bruce, 
hearing  of  the  arrival  of  Mortimej-,  and  not 
thinking  it  prudent  to  wait  for  him,  continued 
his  route  towards  Ulster,  where  he  arrived 
towards  the  begiiming  of  the  month  of  May. 

Mortimer,  having  no  longer  an  enemy  to 
contend  with  in  Munster  or  Leinster,  sent 
his  troops  inlo  quarters  until  further  orders. 
He  then  went  to  Dublin,  and  convened  a 
parliament  at  Kilmainham,  composed  of  more 


than  thirty  knights,  among  whom  were  Wo- 
gan  and  Warren.  The  principal  subject  of 
debate  in  this  assembly  was  the  liberation 
of  the  earl  of  Ulster,  (who  had  been  kept  in 
prison  by  the  mayor  and  citizens  of  Dublin,) 
which  was  effected  in  a  second  session  at 
Whitsuntide.  After  this  assembly,  Mortimer 
repaired  to  Trim,  in  Meath,  through  Drogh- 
eda,  from  whence  he  sent  orders  to  the  Lacys 
to  appear  before  him  and  give  an  account  of 
their  conduct.  They  were  descended  from 
Robert  de  Lacy,  of  Rathwer,  which  estate 
had  been  given  him  by  Sir  Hugh  de  Lacy. 
These  noblemen,  far  from  obeying  his  orders, 
killed  Sir  Hugh  Crofts,  who  was  the  bearer 
of  them.  Mortimer,  exasperated  to  find  his 
authority  compromised  by  so  flagrant  a  con- 
tempt of  his  orders,  caused  their  properties 
to  be  seized,  confiscated  their  lands  for  the 
benefit  of  the  English  soldiery,  and  put  all 
who  declared  in  their  favor  to  the  sword. 
He  then  compelled  them  to  withdraw  into 
Connaught,  having  first  declared  them  trai- 
tors to  their  country.  It  appears  that  they 
were  the  only  English  who  sided  with  Bruce, 
whom  they  accompanied  on  his  return  to 
Scotland. 

A  convent  for  Carmelites  was  founded  this 
year  at  Athboy,  in  the  county  of  Meath,  by 
William  Loundres,  lord  of  that  place. 

After  the  expedition  into  Meath,  against  the 
Lacys,  Mortimer  turned  his  attention  to  ap- 
pease some  troubles  caused  by  the  O'Byrnes 
and  other  inhabitants  of  Omayle,  in  the  coun- 
ty of  Wicklow.  It  was  at  this  time  that  Sir 
Hugh  Canon,  judge  in  the  court  of  Common 
Pleas,  was  assassinated  by  Andrew  Ber- 
mingham,  between  Naas  and  Castlemartin. 

Mortimer,  as  lord-justice,  gave  a  magnifi- 
cent banquet  on  Quinquagesima  Sunday,  in 
the  castle  of  Dublin,  at  which  he  conferred 
the  honor  of  knighthood  on  John  Mortimer, 
and  four  others.  After  Easter  he  was  re- 
called to  England ;  having  before  his  de- 
parture received  intelligence  of  the  death 
of  Richard  de  Clare,  Sir  Henry  Capel,  Sir 
Thomas  de  Naas,  the  two  Cantons,  and 
eighty  others,  who  were  killed  on  the  5th  of 
May,  by  the  O'Briens  and  M'Cartys.  On 
John  Lacy's  refusal  to  vindicate  himself  of 
the  crime  of  which  he  was  accused,  he  was 
smothered  at  Trim,  by  orders  of  Mortimer, 
who  afterwards  sailed  for  England,  leaving 
the  administration  of  affairs,  during  his  ab- 
sence, to  William  Fitzjohn,  archbishop  of 
Cashel.  According  to  the  histories,  however, 
Alexander  Bicknor,  archbishop  of  Dublin, 
was  intrusted  with  the  government  in  the 
month  of  October  following,  a.  d.  1318. 

Edward  Bruce  now  made  preparations  in 


326 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Ulster  for  a  new  enterprise.  He  marched 
with  his  army,  amouiitinjif  to  about  three 
thousand  men,  as  far  as  Fagher,  two  miles 
froui  Duudalk ;  but  the  English  being 
alarmed  at  his  movements,  collect(Ml  their 
troops,  to  the  number  of  thirteen  hundred 
and  eighty  men,  and  Sir  John  Beriningham 
was  appointed  by  the  lord-justice  to  com- 
mand them. 

This  general,  attended  by  several  able 
captains,  among  whom  were  Richard  Tuite 
and  Miles  Verdon,  set  out  from  Dublin  at 
the  head  of  his  army.  On  approaching  the 
enemy,  the  necessary  preparations  being 
made  on  both  sides,  the  engagement  began  ; 
but  victory,  which  had  hitherto  always  fol- 
lowed the  steps  of  Prince  Edward,  forsook 
him  on  this  occasion  ;  he  lost  two  thirds  of 
his  army,  and  was  himself  found  among  the 
slain.  Bermingham  caused  the  head  of  the 
unfortunate  prince  to  be  cut  off,  and  pre- 
sented it  to  the  king  of  England,  who,  to 
reward  him  for  so  signal  a  service,  created 
him  earl  of  Louth.*  This  title  became  ex- 
tinct with  himself,  as  he  died  without  issue  ; 
but  that  of  baron  of  Athenry  has  been  pre- 
served in  this  noble  family,  who  are  de- 
scended from  Robert  de  Bermingham. f  The 
latter  accompanied  Earl  Strongbow  to  Ire- 
land, and  was  one  of  the  house  of  Berming- 
ham, in  the  county  of  Warwick,  England. 
The  barons  of  Athenry  are  considered  to 
have  been  the  first  in  Ireland.:}:  According 
to  Cox,  the  first  baron  of  Athenry  was  Rich- 
ard de  Bermingham,  who  had  distinguished 
himself  in  battle  against  the  inhabitants  of 
Connaught. 

Bruce's  overthrow  is  a  proof  of  the  un- 
certain fate  of  arms,  and  shows  how  trivial  a 
thing  may  win  or  lose  a  battle.  About  five 
years  previously,  thirty  thousand  Scotchmen 
gained  a  complete  victory  over  a  hundred 
thousand  English  at  Bannockburn  ;  at  Dun- 
dalk,  the  Scotch,  who  were  superior  in  num- 
bers, and  headed  by  a  prince  accustomed  to 
conquer,  were  vanquished  by  the  English. 
Prince  Edward  may  be  ranked  among  the 
first  captains  of  his  age  ;  he  would  probably, 
says  Abercromby,  have  remained  master  of 
Ireland,  had  his  military  ardor  been  modera- 
ted by  the  superior  prudence  of  his  brother 

Historians  mention  a  circumstance  Avhich 
seems  to  prove  that  the  sudden  death  of  the 
prince  was  the  cause  of  losing  the  battle. 
John  Maupas,  captain  in  the  English  army, 
and  a  man  of  very  determined  character, 
threw  himself  between  the  ranks,  resolved 

*  He  was  brother  to  Richard,  baron  of  Athenry 
t  Nichol's  Rudiments  of  Honor. 
t  Lodge's  Peerage,  vol.  iv. 


to  kill  him ;  and  it  is  affirmed  that  after  the 
action  both  bodies  were  found  dead,  one  ly- 
ing upon  the  other.  However,  according  to 
VValsingham*  and  Baker,  the  prince  was 
taken  prisoner  and  then  beheaded,  which 
displays  the  treachery  of  Bermingham,  who 

ted  thereby  contrary  to  the  rights  of  war  ; 
unless  we  can  suppose  that  he  merited  his 
fate,  by  usurping  a  crown  to  which  he  had 
no  right.  Such  a  supposition  concerning  a 
prince  called  upon  by  a  part  of  the  nation 
that  had  a  perfect  right  to  choose  their  own 
king,  is  of  no  weight.  This  right  is  inherent 
in  all  people,  even  according  to  the  spirit  of 
the  English  laws,  and  his  title  was  more 
lawful  than  that  of  Henry  II.,  who  added 
tyranny  to  usurpation. 

Roger  Mortimer  returned  again  from 
England  in  the  beginning  of  November,  a.  d. 
1319,  hivested  with  the  same  power  as  be- 
fore. About  this  time  the  bridge  of  Kilcul- 
len,  on  the  river  Liffey,  in  the  county  of 
Kildare,  and  Leighlin  bridge,  on  the  Bar- 
row, county  of  Carlow,  were  built,  through 
the  influence  of  Maurice  Jake,  a  canon  of 
Kildare.  Ireland  being  then  tranquil,  Mor- 
timer returned  to  England,  and  Thomas 
Fitzgerald,  son  of  John,  earl  of  Kildare,  was 
invested  with  the  government,  a.  d.  1320. 
In  his  time  Pope  John  XXII.  granted  a  bull 
to  Bicknor,  archbishop  of  Dublin,  confirm- 
ing that  previously  granted  by  Clement  V., 
for  the  foundation  of  a  university  in  Dublin  ; 
St.  Patrick's  Church  w^as  the  place  intended 
for  the  schools.  The  same  pope  gave  also 
to  the  king  of  England  another  bull,  exon- 
erating him  from  the  payment  of  Peter's 
pence,  which  the  court  of  Rome  exacted 
from  the  kingdoms  of  England  and  Ireland. 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  king  of  England 
granted  to  the  earl  of  Kildare  the  power  of 
receiving  under  the  protection  of  the  English 
laws,  all  his  Irish  tenants  who  would  submit 
to  them  :  Quod  possit  recipere  ad  legem  An- 
glice  omnes  homines  Hibernos  tenentcs  suos, 
qui  ad  eandem  venire  voluerunt ;  a  proof  that 
the  Irish  had  not  yet  enjoyed  that  advantage  ; 
the  withholding  which  was  the  inexhausti- 
ble source  of  those  usurpations,  murders, 
and  civil  wars  to  which  Ireland  was  a  prey 
for  some  centuries.  The  English  of  Lein- 
ster  and  Meath  made  a  general  massacre 
of  the  O'Connors  Faly,  at  Ballibogan,  on 
the  river  Boyne  ;  but  soon  afterwards  a  re- 
taliation was  inflicted  by  the  O'Nowlans, 
who  put  Andrew  Bermingham,  Sir  Richard 
de  la  Londe,  and  their  followers  to  the 
sword,  for  having  attacked  them  in  their 
territories. 

*  Walslng.  Ypodig.  NeustriaB,  page  593. 


CllRlStlAN    IRELAND. 


327 


According  to  Ware,  a  convent  was  estab- 
lished in  the  reign  of  Edward  III.,  for 
Augustin  hermits,  at  Ross,  or  Rosspont,  on 
the  river  Barrow,  in  the  county  of  Wexford, 
which  agrees  with  the  registries  of  the  Vati- 
can, according  to  which  it  was  founded  in 
1320,  as  Herrera  observes.  The  same  au- 
thor mentions  a  convent  for  this  order, 
founded  at  Skrine,  in  the  county  of  Meath, 
by  Feipo,  who  was  then  lord  of  that  place. 
John  Bermingham,  earl  of  Louth,  was 
nominated  lord"justice  of  Ireland,  a.  D.  1321 . 
The  king  sent  him  orders  to  join  him  at 
Carlisle  with  seven  or  eight  thousand  men, 
to  assist  him  in  the  war  against  the  Scotch  ; 
A,  D.  1323  ;  in  obedience  to  which  mandate, 
he  set  out  with  the  earl  of  Ulster,  who  fur- 
nished three  hundred  men  at  his  own  ex- 
pense, and  left  the  government  of  Ireland  to 
Ralph  de  Gorges,  to  whom  it  was  intrusted 
till  the  month  of  February  following,  when 
he  was  succeeded  by  Sir  John  Darcy.  The 
hostilities  against  the  Irish  recommenced 
under  his  administration,  Sir  Henry  Tra- 
herne  having  put  M'Morrough  into  confine- 
ment, massacred  O'Nowlan  and  twenty-four 
of  his  followers,  a.  d.  1323.  Among  the 
registries  in  the  tower  of  London,  a  docu- 
ment was  discovered,  proving  the  aversion 
which  prevailed  in  the  fourteenth  century 
between  the  Irish  and  English.*  It  was  ex- 
pressly prohibited  by  it  to  admit  any  subject 
of  English  extraction  into  the  abbey  of  Mel 
lifont  in  Ireland  :  In  abbatia  MeUifontis  talis 
inoJevit  cri'or,  quod  nullus  admittatur  in 
domum  prcBdictam,  nisi  primitus  facta  jide 
quod  non  sit  de  gcnere  Anglorum.  It  appears 
that  Edward  II.  had  great  influence  with 
Pope  John  XXII.,  who  imposed  a  tithe  of 
two  years  in  his  favor,  upon  the  clergy  of 
Ireland,  to  be  levied  by  the  dean  and  chapter 
of  Dublin.  The  prelates  and  clergy,  how- 
ever, remonstrated  against  it,  till  they  had 
seen  the  pope's  bull.  With  the  consent  of 
his  council,  Edward  enacted  some  laws  on 
the  24th  of  November,  at  Nottingham,  for 
the  purpose  of  reforming  the  government  of 
Ireland,  which  are  given  at  full  in  the  com- 
mentaries of  Pryn,  on  the  fourth  institute. 

Monaster-Eoris,  or  Totnioy,  situated  in 
that  part  of  Olfaly  which  lies  in  the  King's 
county,  was  a  celebrated  convent  for  Fran- 
ciscans, founded  at  this  time'  by  John  Ber- 
mingham, lord  ot  that  country,  which  is  still 
called  Clan-Eoris.f 

A  parliament  was  held  at  Kilkenny  during 
the  feast  of  Pentecost,  which  was  attended 

*  Cox's  Hist,  of  Ireland,  on  the  yeetr  X323. 
t  War.  de   Antiq.   Hib.  c.^6,     ^IJem^ndj  Hist 
Monast.  d'Irlande, 


by  the  carl  of  Ulster,  and  most  of  the  nobil- 
ity in  the  country,  a.  d.  1326  ;  but  there  is 
no  mention  of  the  laws  passed  in  it,  except 
that  it  decreed  a  large  quantity  of  corn  to 
be  sent  to  Aquitaine  for  the  king  a  use.  The 
earl  of  Ulster  gave  a  magnificent  banquet  to 
this  assembly,  shortly  after  which  he  died. 

Maurice  M'Carwill,  archbishop  of  Cashel, 
having  died  in  1316,  the  chapter  assembled 
to  appoint  a  successor.*  The  dean  and 
majority  of  the  canons  elected  John  M'Car- 
will, bishop  of  Cork :  the  others  gave  their 
votes  to  Thomas  O'Lonchi,  archdeacon  of 
the  same  church ;  but  the  pope,  either  on 
account  of  their  being  divided  m  their  votes, 
or  to  gratify  the  king  of  England,  Avho  was* 
desirous  that  all  the  sees  should  be  filled  by 
Englishmen,  excluded  both  candidates,  and 
nominated  to  it  William  Fitzjohn,  bishop  of 
Ossory,  a  man  of  great  merit,  who  the  fol- 
iowingyear  was  appointed  warden  and  chan^ 
cellor  of  the  kingdom.  The  city  of  Cashel 
was  surrounded  with  walls  during  his  epis- 
copacy. The  prelate  died  about  this  time, 
and  was  succeeded  by  John  O'Carrol.  Ire- 
land claims  as  her  own  (as  before  stated) 
the  celebrated  John  Duns  Scot,  of  the  order 
of  St.  Francis,  known  by  the  name  of  the 
subtle  doctor,  who  flourished  about  this  date. 

"Lord  Mortimer,"  says  Cox,  "being  obli- 
ged, either  through  necessity  or  inclination, 
to  return  to  England,  gave  the  superintend- 
ence of  some  lands  of  which  he  was  the 
owner,  in  Leix,  to  an  Irishman  named 
O'Morra.  In  course  of  time  this  Irishman 
appropriated  them  to  himself,  and  was  in 
possession  of  them  for  a  long  time ;  asserting 
even  that  he  had  a  right  to  them,  though  his 
claim  was  founded  only  on  perfidy  and  in- 
gratitude."! This  observation  of  Cox  is 
crafty  and  plausible,  and  might  have  influ- 
ence w^ith  those  who  are  not  aware  of  the 
venom  which- prevails  throughout  his  whole 
history.  The  man  is  considered  treacherous 
and  ungrateful  who  appropriates  to  himself 
a  property  with  which  he  was  intrusted, 
through  the  good  faith  of  the  lawful  owner  ; 
but  did  not  our  historian  know  that  the  dis- 
trict of  Loix  was  the  patrimony  of  the 
O'Morras,  from  the  first  ages  of  Christianity 
to  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century,  and  the 
usurpation  of  the  English  ?  and  that  the 
O'Morra  in  question  only  availed  him§C4f  of 
a 'favorable  opportunity  to  fpooyer  ^  prop- 
erty of  which  hi^  Mjeestors  ^ad  been  un- 
justly deprived  SQuie  years  before  ?  Res 
ohimi  Domino  S:UO.  If  he  vy«as  not  ignorant 
qf  jt,  he  aftbrd^  to  the  public  a  proof  of  that 

*  War.  de  Archippiac.  Oassej. 
+  Cox,  ifctid.  on  tlie  year  1326. 


328 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


punic  faith  discoverable  among  the  historians 
of  his  country.  Our  author  forms  the  same 
opinion  respecting  the  measures  which  Ca- 
vanagh  adopted  to  recover  the  barony  of 
Idroiie,  in  the  county  of  Carlow,  from  an 
Enghshman  named  Carcw. 

The  war  still  continued  between  the  Scotch 
and  English  ;  the  unfortunate  catastrophe  of 
Edward  Bruce  having  tended  only  to  pro- 
mote it.  The  Scotch  invaded  England,  and 
extended  their  conquests  as  far  as  York;  they 
then  laid  siege  to  Berwick,  which  was  surren- 
dered to  them  through  the  treachery  of  Spald- 
ing, the  governor,  and  the  other  English  who 
composed  the  garrison.  The  kingof  Scotland, 
however,  had  them  hanged  for  betraying  their 
country :  thus  giving  a  lesson  to  posterity, 
that  though  treason  be  tolerated,  the  traitor 
should  be  detested.  The  Scotch  having 
gained  many  advantages  over  the  English, 
and  Edward  being  unable  to  prosecute  the 
war,  a  truce  of  two  years,  others  say  thirteen, 
was  concluded  between  him  and  the  king  of 
Scotland. 

-  Of  all  thckings  who  reignedover  England, 
from  the  conquest  of  that  kingdom  by  Wil- 
liam the  Conqueror,  Edward  II.  was  the  most 
unfortunate  and  least  guilty  ;  but  he  was  not 
the  last  of  that  character.  He  never  offended 
his  subjects,  nor  encroached  upon  their  privi- 
leges ;  his  ruling  passion  was  an  inordinate 
attachment  to  his  favorites ;  and  he  was 
tender-hearted  and  generous,  a  rare  quality 
among  the  people  whom  he  had  the  misfor- 
tune to  rule  over.  Young  Spencer,  who  had 
succeeded  Gaveston  in  the  prince's  affection, 
was  quartered,  after  his  father,  who  at  the  age 
of  ninety  years  shared  the  same  fate ;  his  only 
crime  that  of  having  been  beloved  by  a  mas- 
ter who  was  unable  to  protect  him.  The 
prince  himself  sunk  under  the  weight  of  his 
misfortunes.  Those  who,  by  the  ties  of  nature, 
blood,  and  honor,  should  have  sacrificed  their 
lives  in  his  defence,  were  his  most  inveterate 
persecutors.  The  queen  herself,  seconded  by 
a  cruel  and  savage  nobility,  attacked  hiin 
openly,  and  had  him  seized  and  thrown  into 
a  dungeon,  where  he  was  left  destitute  of  com- 
mon necessaries.  The  parliament  was  then 
assembled  in  order  to  depose  him,  and  he  was 
forced  to  make  a  solemn  abdication  in  favor 
of  his  son,  a  formality  which  was  at  that  time 
deemed  requisite  in  disposing  of  the  crown, 
but  which  has  been  since  then  omitted  on  a 
similar  occasion.  When  this  ceremony  was 
over,  his  first  guards,  who  were  considered 
to  be  partial  to  him,  were  removed ;  he 
was  placed  under  the  care  of  two  noted  mis 
creants,  Sir  Thomas  de  Gournay,  and  Sir 
John  Mattrevers,  who  had  sold  their  service 


to  his  enemies  ;  and  who  put  him  to  death 
with  the  most  excruciating  torture,  by  forc- 
ing a  red-hot  iron  into  his  body,  and  burning 
his  intestines.  Such  was  the  character  of  the 
English  at  that  period,  and  more  than  once 
has  this  disposition  to  cruelty  manifested  it- 
self among  them.  It  is  said,  that  in  order  to 
instigate  those  monsters  to  commit  this  regi- 
cide, Mortimer  had  a  letter  sent  to  them,  in 
which  was  contained  the  following  passage, 
composed  by  Adam  Toleton,  bishop  of  Here- 
ford :  "  Edwardum  occidere  nolite  timere 
bonum  est."  Mortimer,  after  being  created 
earl  of  March  by  Edward  III.,  was  con- 
demned to  be  hanged  for  having  concluded 
a  disgraceful  peace  with  the  Scotch,  from 
whom  he  had  received  presents  ;  likewise 
for  having  caused  the  king's  death ;  for 
having  lived  in  a  shameful  manner  with  the 
queen  mother,  Isabella  ;  and  lastly,  for 
having  robbed  the  king  and  the  people.  He 
was  executed  at  Tyburn  in  1330,  and  was 
left  hanging  on  a  gibbet  for  two  days  and 
nights.  Some  of  those  who  had  been  his 
accomplices  in  the  king's  death,  were  ex- 
ecuted along  with  him.  The  queen  Isabella 
was  deprived  of  her  dowry,  and  confined  in 
a  castle,  with  a  yearly  pension  of  a  thousand 
pounds  sterling,  where  she  spent  the  remain- 
der of  her  life,  and  died  at  the  age  of  thirty 
years. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 


Edward  of  Windsor,  so  called  from  the 
place  of  his  birth,  was  eldest  son  of  Edward 
II.  He  was  proclaimed  king  of  England  on 
the  24th  of  January,  1317,  eight  days  after 
his  father  had  resigned  the  crown  ;  received 
the  honor  of  knighthood  from  Henry,  earl 
of  Lancaster,  who  presented  him  with  the 
sword,  and  was  crowned  at  Westminster  on 
the  1st  of  Februaiy,  by  AValter  Reginald, 
archbishop  of  Canterbury.  He  shortly  after- 
wards married  Philippa,  daughter  of  the  earl 
of  Hainault.* 

This  reign  was  more  brilliant  than  the 
preceding  one.  The  wars  which  Edward 
carried  on  against  France,  the  battles  of 
Cressyand  Poitiers,  the  taking  of  Calais,  ai^d 
his  expeditions  against  the  Scotch,  are  well 
known  to  those  who  are  acquainted  with  the 
history  of  the  period  ;  but  as  they  are  sub- 


*  Annales  Christophori  Walsingham,  Ypodigm. 
NeustriiE.  Baker's  Chronicle  on  the  reign  of  Edward 
JUL,  and  Higgins'  Abridgment  of  the  History  of 
England. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


329 


jects  unconnected  with  Ireland,  we  shall 
pass  them  over  in  silence,  inasmuch  as  this 
prince  should  here  be  considered  rather  in 
his  character  of  lord  of  Ireland,  than  as 
king  of  England. 

Thomas  Fitzgerald,  son  of  John,  carl  of 
Kildare,  having  been  appointed  lord-justice 
in  place  of  Sir  John  Darcy,  the  court  sent 
orders  to  the  heads  of  the  English  colony  in 
Ireland  to  take  the  usual  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  new  king,  as  they  had  done  to  his 
predecessors. 

After  the  arrival  of  the  English,  and  fall 
of  the  monarchy  in  Ireland,  there  was  no  na- 
tional army  of  regular  troops  united  under 
one  commander.  The  chief  of  each  tribe, 
attended  by  the  different  branches  of  his 
family,  commanded  his  vassals  and  made 
them  march  at  his  will,  (like  the  clans  of 
Scotland,  who  are  under  the  control  of  their 
respective  chieftains,)  which  gave  rise  to  the 
opinion  of  English  writers  respecting  the 
great  number  of  petty  kings  they  supposed 
to  have  existed  in  the  country.  Sometimes 
these  chieftains  joined  against  the  common 
enemy,  while  they  frequently  went  to  war 
with  one  another.  The  same  want  of  union 
prevailed  among  the  Anglo-Irish,  the  chiefs 
of  whom  kept  bodies  of  armed  men  under 
their  immediate  command,  which  they  fre- 
quently employed  against  each  other  on  the 
smallest  provocation.  We  have  already  dis- 
covered instances  of  this  under  the  preceding 
reigns  ;  and  in  the  present  we  find  several 
which  proved  almost  fatal  to  the  English 
interest  in  Ireland. 

Maurice,  son  of  Thomas  Fitzgerald,  after- 
wards earl  of  Desmond,  considering  himself 
to  have  been  insulted  by  Arnold  Poer,  who 
called  him  a  rhymer,  (he  having  a  fondness 
for  poetry,)  resolved  to  take  revenge  by  arms. 
He  accordingly  drew  the  Butlers  and  Ber- 
minghams  into  his  quarrel,  and  declared  war 
against  the  Peers  and  their  allies,  the  Burkes; 
several  were  killed,  and  the  rest  of  them  dis- 
persed and  forced  to  fly  into  Connaught, 
while  their  lands  were  laid  waste  and  their 
habitations  burned.  In  vain  did  the  earl  of 
Kildare,  as  lord-justice,  interpose  his  author- 
ity to  allay  those  quarrels.  He  appointed 
a  day  to  hear  the  cause  of  the  parties  ;  but 
Arnold  Poer,  knowing  himself  to  have  been 
the  aggressor,  and  averse  to  submit  to  such 
investigation,  proceeded  to  Waterford,  from 
which  place  he  set  sail  for  England.  His 
flight  did  not  put  a  stop  to  the  troubles  ;  the 
confederate  army  continued  their  hostilities, 
spreading  terror  everywhere  they  went :  the 
towns  that  had  remained  neuter  during  the 
disturbances,  dreading  the  storm,  were  for- 


tified and  put  into  a  state  of  defence.  While 
these  preparations  were  going  forward,  the 
confederates  dreaded  lest  they  should  be 
looked  upon  as  rebels  who  desired  to  disturb 
the  public  peace,  and  accordingly  sent  word 
to  the  earl  of  Kildare  that  they  had  no  hostile 
views  against  the  king  or  his  cities  ;  that  they 
had  collected  their  troops  to  take  revenge  on 
their  enemies,  and  were  ready  to  appear  be- 
fore him  at  Kilkenny  to  vindicate  their  pro- 
ceedings. They  accordingly  did  appear  in 
the  Lent,beforethe  lord-justice  and  the  king's 
council  at  Kilkenny,  where,  with  great  hu- 
mility, they  solicited  an  amnesty  and  pardon. 
The  lord-justice,  however,  put  off  the  matter 
to  another  time,  in  order  to  deliberate  upon  it. 

The  Irish  in  Leinster  viewed  with  delight 
the  dissensions  that  prevailed  among  their 
English  rulers  ;  and  seizing  the  opportunity, 
which  they  thought  a  favorable  one,  pro- 
claimed Donald,  son  of  Art  Mac-Morrough, 
king  of  Leinster.  He  was  of  the  family  of 
the  Mac-Morroughs,  the  ancient  kings  of  the 
province.*  His  reign,  however,  was  of  short 
duration,  as  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  the 
English,  near  Dublin,  in  a  battle  in  which  he 
foughtbravely  at  the  head  of  his  new  subjects. 
Sir  Henry  Traherne,  and  Walter  de  Valle, 
who  commanded  the  English  army,  received  | 
one  hundred  and  ten  pounds  sterling  as  a 
reward  for  his  capture,  a  considerable  sum 
at  that  time.  Mac-Morrough  was  confined 
in  the  castle  of  Dublin,  from  which  he  made 
his  escape  in  the  month  of  January,  by  means 
of  a  rope  that  he  had  been  provided  with  by 
Adam  de  Nangle,  whose  life  paid  the  forfeit 
of  this  generous  act,  for  which  he  was  hanged. 
Thomas  Fitzgerald,  earl  of  Kildare,  and  lord- 
justice  of  Ireland,  died  at  this  time  in  his 
castle  of  Maynooth,  and  was  succeeded  in 
his  ofiice  by  Roger  Outlaw,  prior  of  Kil- 
mainham,  and  chancellor  of  Ireland.  During 
his  administration,  David  0'Toole,t  who 
had  been  made  prisoner  in  Lent,  by  John 
Wellesly,  was  condemned  to  death,  and 
executed  in  Dublin. 

In  the  second  year  of  the  reign  of  Edward 
HI.,  James  Butler,|  son  of  Edmond  Butler, 
earl  of  Carrick,  married  a  daughter  of  the 
earl  of  Hereford  and  of  Elizabeth,  who  was 
seventh  daughter  of  Edward  I.§     He  was 

*  Cox,  ibid,  on  the  year  1327. 

t  In  English  books  he  is  styled  a  robber :  all  these 
who  took  up  arms  against  them,  even  in  the  fairest  1 
cause,  being  denominated  either  rebels  or  robbers. 

t  He  was  descended,  in  the  tentli  degree,  from 
Gilbert,  count  of  Brionne  in  Normandy,  and  in  the 
eighth  from  Gilbert  de  Tonbridge,  earl  of  Clare,  in 
England,  by  Walter  Fitz-Gilbert,  his  second  son. 

§  Introduction  to  the  Life  of  the  Duke  of  Or- 
mond. 

42 


330 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


afterwards  created  carl  of  Orniond  by  the 
king,  in  a  parliament  held  at  Northampton. 
The  king  also  erected  the  couuty  of  Tippe- 
rary  into  a  palatinate  in  his  favor,  granting 
him  the  royal  rights,  franchises,  military  fiefs, 
and  other  privileges  in  that  county.   William 

j  Burke  and  Arnold  Peer,  who  had  left  Ire- 
land to  escape  the  fury  of  their  enemies, 
the  Butlers,  Fitzgcralds,  and  Berminghams, 

I  were  reconciled  to  them  in  a  parliament 
held  in  Dublin  for  that  purpose. 

Sir  John  Darcy  was  again  nominated  lord' 
justice  of  Ireland,  a.  d.  1329.  Lord  Thomas 
Butler  led  a  powerful  army  into  AVestmeath 
this  year,  with  the  design  of  subduing  that 
country.     The  day  before  the  feast  of  St. 

!  Laurence,  he  was  met  by  M'Geoghegan  at 

I  the  head  of  his  forces,  near  MuUingar.*  They 
came  to  a  bloody  engagement,  which  proved 

j  fatal  to  Butler  and  his  followers,  he  having 

I  lost  his  life  in  it,  together  Avith  several  of  his 
principal  officers.     The  names  of  some  of 

I  those  who  fell  we  discover  in  Pembrige,  viz.: 
John  de  Ledewiche,  Roger  Ledewiche,  Tho- 
mas Ledewichc,  John  Nangle,  Meiler  Petit, 
Simon  Petit,  David  Nangle,  John  Waringer, 
James  Tirrel,  Nicholas  White,  Wm.  Freyne, 
Peter  Kent,  John  Wliite,  with  a  himdred 
and  forty  others  whose  names  are  not  known. 
It  seems,  from  the  honors  which  were  paid 
to  his  remains,  that  lord  Butler  was  much 
regretted  by  his  partisans.  His  body  was 
removed  to  Dublin,  to  the  convent  of  the 
Dominicans,  where  it  remained  till  the  Sun- 
day after  the  feast  of  the  beheading  of  St. 
John  the  Baptist,  when  it  was  carried  with 
great  solemnity  through  the  city,  and  back  to 
the  Dominicans,  where  it  was  interred.! 
O'Brien,  of  Thuomond,  devastated  the  lands 
of  the  Anglo-Irish  about  this  time,  and 
burned  the  towns  of  Athessel  and  Tipperary. 
These  advantages,  gained  by  the  Irish  over 
the  English,  did  not  prevent  the  latter  from 
destroying  each  other.  John  Bermingham, 
earl  of  Louth,  his  brother  Peter,  and  Talbot 
de  Malahide,  Avith  their  retinue,  to  the  num- 
ber of  one  hundred  and  sixty  Englishmen, 
were  massacred  at  Ballibraggan,  in  the  ter- 
ritory of  Uriel,  by  the  treachery  of  the  Sava- 
ges, Gernons,  and  others  of  their  countrymen. 
James,  son  of  Robert  Keating,  lord  Philip 
Hodnet,  Hugh  Condon,  and  their  followers, 
to  the  number  of  a  hundred  and  forty,  Avere 


*  War.  de  Annal.  Hib.  ad  an.  1329. 

t  "  The  same  year,  on  the  eve  of  St.  Laurence, 
lord  Thomas  Butler  marched  with  a  great  army 
towards  Ardnorwith,  and  met  there  lord  Tliomas 
M'Geoghegan.  The  lord  Thomas  Butler,  and  many 
besides,  were  killed,  to  the  great  loss  of  Ireland." — 
Pembrige,  Annal.  for  the  year  1329. 


killed  in  Munster  by  the  Barrys  and  Roches. 
Lastly,  the  English  of  Meath,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Sir  Simon  Genevil,  having  made 
some  incursions  into  the  barony  of  Carbry,  in 
the  count}'^  of  Kildare,  were  defeated  with  the 
loss  of  seventy-six  men,  by  the  Berminghams. 
The  Irish  were  continually  at  war  with  the 
common  enemy.  Philip  Staunton  was  killed, 
and  Henry  Traherne  made  prisoner  in  his 
house  at  Kilbeg,  by  Richard,  son  of  Philip 
O'Nowlan  ;  but  this  action  was  revenged 
some  time  afterwards,  on  the  lands  of  Fog- 
hird,  in  the  county  of  Wexford,  which  AVere 
laid  waste  by  orders  of  the  earl  of  Ormond. 

In  order  to  quell  these  disturbances,  Sir 
John  Darc)*^,  lord-justice  of  Ireland,  marched 
the  same  year  at  the  head  of  some  troops, 
towards  Newcastle  and  WickloAV,  against  the 
O'Byrnes,  who  were  ravaging  the  English 
settlements.  This  expedition  was  productive 
of  little  good,  although  several  were  killed 
and  wounded  on  both  sides.  The  governor 
therefore  finding  it  impossible  to  oppose  so 
many  enemies  on  every  side,ordered  Maurice 
Fitzgerald,  son  of  Thomas  of  Desmond,  Avith 
the  advice  of  his  council,  to  take  the  com- 
mand of  the  troops,  and  march  against  the 
king's  enemies  ;  a  promise  being  made  him 
that  he  should  be  indemnified  for  the  expenses 
of  the  war.  Maurice  marched  at  the  head 
of  the  English  army,  which  amounted  to  ten 
thousand  men,  against  the  Irish,  whom  he 
subdued  separately,  Avith  ease.  He  began 
by  the  O'Nowlans,  whose  country  he  burn- 
ed. He  treated  the  O'Morroughs,  (Mur- 
phys,)  in  the  same  manner,  took  hostages 
from  them,  and  recovered  the  castle  of  Ley 
from  the  O'Dempseys.  The  king's  resources 
being  inadequate  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the 
war,  or  maintain  a  standing  army,  Desmond 
renewed  an  old  custom,  by  levying  a  tax, 
which  Avas  called  by  the  Irish  Donaght,  and 
Coyn  and  Livery  by  the  English.  It  consist- 
ed in  supplying  food  to  men  and  horses,  and 
also  a  money  tax,  Avhich  was  arbitrarily  laid 
on  the  people,  in  the  same  manner  as  contri- 
butions exacted  in  time  of  war  from  an  ene- 
my's country.  Necessity  constrained  the 
lord-justice  to  tolerate,  on  that  occasion,  an 
abuse  which  afterAvards  proved  fatal  to  some 
of  the  members  of  the  house  of  Desmond. 

The  Irish  seeing  themselves  without  re- 
source, and  a  prey  to  their  enemies,  sent  a 
petition  to  the  king  of  England,  begging  that 
he  would  receive  them  under  the  protection 
of  the  laws,  and  grant  them  the  privileges  and 
liberty  of  loyal  subjects.  The  king  referred 
the  decision  of  their  prayer  to  his  English 
parliament  in  Ireland,  being  desirous  to  try 
if  that  favor  could  be  granted  Avithout  aft'ect- 


CHBISTIAN    IRELAND. 


331 


ing  the  interests  of  his  Anglo-Irish  subjects.* 
Nos  igitur  certiorari  si  sine  alieno  prcejudicio 
preemissis  annuere  valeamus,vohis  mandamus 
quod  voluntatem  magnatum  terrcB  illius  in 
proximo  parliamento  nostro  ibidem  tenendo 
super  hoc  cum  diligentia  perscrutari  facias. 
But  these  politic  senators  gave  the  king  to 
understand  that  such  favor  would  be  incom- 
patible with  their  interests,  and  those  of  his 
majesty.  In  the  parliament  of  that  year,  the 
heads  of  the  English  colony  were  enjoined 
to  preserve  union  with  their  king,  and  peace 
among  themselves. 

The  petition  of  the  Irish  having  been  re- 
jected by  the  court  of  London,  they  carried 
their  complaints  to  the  sovereign  pontiff, 
John  XXII.  O'Neill,  king  of  Ulster,  wrote 
upon  the  subject  to  his  holiness,  in  the  name 
of  the  Irish  nation,  representing  the  tyranny 
which  the  English  government  exercised 
over  them.  The  following  copy  of  his 
letter  is  taken  from  the  Scotic  chronicle  of 
John  of  Fordun,  vol.  3,  page  908,  et  seq. : 

'•  To  our  Most  Holy  Father,  John,  by 
the  grace  of  God,  sovereign  pontiff,  Ave,  his 
faithful  children  in  Christ  Jesus,  Donald 
O'Neill,  king  of  Ulster,  and  lavi^ful  heir  to 
the  throne  of  Ireland  ;  the  nobles  and  great 
men,  with  all  the  people  of  this  kingdom, 
recommend  and  humbly  cast  ourselves  at 
his  feet,  &c. 

"  The  calumnies  and  false  representations 
which  have  been  heaped  upon  us  by  the 
English,  are  too  well  known  throughout  the 
world,  not  to  have  reached  the  ears  of  your 
Holiness.  We  are  persuaded,  most  Holy 
Father,  that  your  intentions  are  most  pure 
and  upright;  but  from  not  knowing  the  Irish 
except  through  the  misrepresentation  of  their 
enemies,  your  Holiness  might  be  induced  to 
look  upon  as  truths  those  falsehoods  which 
have  been  circulated,  and  to  form  an  opinion 
contrary  to  what  we  merit,  which  would  be 
to  us  a  great  misfortune.  It  is,  therefore,  to 
save  our  country  against  such  imputations, 
that  we  have  come  to  the  resolution  of  giv- 
ing to  your  Holiness,  in  this  letter,  a  faith- 
ful description,  and  a  true  and  precise  idea 
of  the  real  state  at  present  of  our  monarchy, 
if  this  term  can  be  still  applied  to  the  sad 
remains  of  a  kingdom  which  has  groaned 
so  long  beneath  the  tyranny  of  the  kings  of 
England,  and  that  of  their  ministers  and 
barons,  some  of  whom,  though  born  in  our 
island,  continue  to  exercise  over  us  the 
same  extortions,  rapine,  and  cruelties,  as 
their  ancestors  before  them  have  committed. 
We  shall  advance  nothing  but  the  truth,  and 

*  Davis,  Relat.  Histor. 


we  humbly  hope,  that,  attentive  to  its  voice, 
your  Holiness  will  not  delay  to  express  your 
disapprobation  against  the  authors  of  those 
crimes  and  outrages  which  shall  be  reveal- 
ed. The  country  in  which  we  live  was  im- 
inhabited  until  the  three  sons  of  a  Spanish 
prince,  named  Milesius,  according  to  others 
Micelius,  landed  in  it  with  a  fleet  of  thirty 
ships.  They  came  here  from  Cantabria,  i 
a  city  on  the  Ebro,  from  which  river  they 
called  the  country  to  which  Providence 
guided  them,  Ibernia,  where  they  founded 
a  monarchy  that  embraced  the  entire  of  the 
i.sland.  Their  descendants,  who  never  sul- 
lied the  purity  of  their  blood  by  a  foreign 
alliance,  have  furnished  one  hundred  and 
thirty  kings,  who,  during  the  space  of  three 
thousand  five  hundred  years  and  upwards, 
have  successively  filled  the  throne  of  Ireland 
till  the  time  of  king  Legarius,  from  whom 
he  who  has  the  honor  of  affirming  these 
facts,  is  descended  in  a  direct  line.  It  was 
under  the  reign  of  this  prince,  in  the  year 
435,  that  our  patron  and  chief  apostle,  St. 
Patrick,  was  sent  to  us  by  Pope  Celestinus, 
one  of  your  predecessors  ;  and  since  the  con- 
version of  the  kingdom  through  the  preach- 
ing of  that  great  saint,  we  have  had,  till 
1170,  an  uninterrupted  succession  of  sixty, 
one  kings,  descended  from  the  purest  blood 
of  Milesius,  who,  well  instructed  in  the  du- 
ties of  their  religion,  and  faithful  to  their 
God,  have  proved  themselves  fathers  of  their 
people,  and  have  shown  by  their  conduct, 
that  although  they  depended  in  a  spiritual 
light  upon  the  holy  apostolical  see  of  Rome, 
they  never  acknowledged  any  temporal 
master  upon  earth.  It  is  to  those  Milesian 
princes,  and  not  to  the  English,  or  any  other 
foreigners,  that  the  church  of  Ireland  is  in- 
debted for  those  lands,  possessions,  and  high 
privileges  with  which  the  pious  liberality  of 
our  monarchs  enriched  it,  and  of  which  it 
has  been  almost  stripped  through  the  sacri- 
legious cupidity  of  the  English.  During  the 
course  of  so  many  centuries,  our  sovereigns, 
jealous  of  their  independence,  preserved  it 
unimpaired.  Attacked  more  than  once  by 
foreign  powers,  they  were  never  wanting  in 
either  courage  or  strength  to  repel  the  in- 
vaders, and  secure  their  inheritance  from  in- 
sult. But  that  which  they  effected  against 
force,  they  failed  to  accomplish  in  opposition 
to  the  will  of  the  sovereign  pontiff".  His 
holiness  Pope  Adrian,  to  whose  other  great 
qualities  we  bear  testimony,  was  by  birth  an 
Englishman,  but  still  more  in  heart  and  dis- 
position. The  national  prejudices  he  had 
early  imbibed,  blinded  him  to  such  a  degree, 
that  on  a  most  false  and  unjust  statement. 


332 


mSTOBY    OF    IRELAND. 


he  deterininecl  to  transfer  the  sovereignty 
of  our  country  to  Henry,  king  of  England, 
under  wlioin,  and  perhaps  by  whom,  St. 
Thomas  of  Canterbury  had  been  murdered 
for  his  zeal  in  defending  the  interests  of  the 
church.  Instead  of  punishing  this  prince  as 
his  crimes  merited,  and  depriving  him  of  his 
own  territories,  the  complaisant  pontifl'  has 
j  torn  ours  from  us  to  gratify  his  countryman, 
I  Henry  II.,  and  without  pretext  or  offence 
j  on  our  part,  or  any  apparent  motive  on  his 
own,  has  stripped  us,  by  the  most  flagrant 
I  injustice,  of  the  rights  of  our  crown,  and 
left  us  a  prey  to  men,  or  rather  to  monsters, 
who  are  unparalleled  in  cruelty.  More 
cunning  than  foxes,  and  more  ravenous  than 
wolves,  they  surprise  and  devour  us  ;  and 
if  sometimes  we  escape  their  fury,  it  is  only 
to  drag  on,  in  the  most  disgraceful  slavery, 
the  wretched  remains  of  a  life  more  intol- 
erable to  us  than  death  itself.  When,  in 
virtue  of  the  donation  which  has  been  men- 
tioned, the  English  appeared  for  the  first 
time  in  this  country,  they  exhibited  every 
mark  of  zeal  and  piety  ;  and  excelling  as 
j  they  did  in  every  species  of  hypocrisy,  they 
I  neglected  nothing  to  supplant  and  under- 
mine us  imperceptibly.  Emboldened  from 
j  their  first  successes,  they  soon  removed  the 
I  mask  ;  and  without  any  right  but  that  of 
power,  they  obliged  us  by  open  force  to  give 
j  up  to  them  our  houses  and  our  lands,  and  to 
seek  shelter  like  wild  beasts,  upon  the  moun- 
I  tains,  in  woods,  marshes,  and  caves.  Even 
there  we  have  not  been  secure  against  their 
j  fury ;  they  even  envy  us  those  dreary  and 
terrible  abodes  ;  they  are  incessant  and  un- 
remitting in  their  pursuits  after  us,  endea- 
voring to  chase  us  from  among  them  ;  they 
lay  claim  to  every  place  in  which  they  can 
discover  us,  with  unwarranted  audacity  and 
injustice  ;  they  allege  that  the  whole  king- 
dom belongs  to  them  of  right,  and  that  an 
Irishman  has  no  longer  a  right  to  remain  in 
his  own  country.  From  these  causes  arise 
the  implacable  hatred  and  dreadful  ani- 
mosity of  the  English  and  the  Irish  towards 
each  other  ;  that  continued  hostility,  those 
bloody  retaliations  and  innumerable  massa- 
cres, in  which,  from  the  invasion  of  the 
English  to  the  present  time,  more  than  fifty 
thousand  lives  have  been  lost  on  both  sides, 
besides  those  who  have  fallen  victims  to 
hunger,  to  despair,  and  the  rigors  of  captiv- 
ity. Hence  also  spring  all  the  pillaging, 
robbery,  treachery,  treason,  and  other  disor- 
ders which  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  allay  in 
the  state  of  anarchy  under  which  at  present 
we  live  ;  an  anarchy  fatal  not  only  to  the 
state,  but  likewise  to  the  church  of  Ireland, 


whose  members  are  now,  more  than  ever, 
exposed  to  the  danger  of  losing  the  blessings 
of  eternity,  after  being  first  deprived  of  those 
of  this  world.  Behold,  most  holy  father,  a 
brief  description  of  all  that  has  reference 
to  our  origin,  and  the  miserable  condition 
to  which  your  predecessor  has  brought  us. 
We  shall  now  inform  your  holiness  of  the 
manner  in  which  we  have  been  treated  by 
the  kings  of  England.  The  permission  of 
entering  this  kingdom  was  granted  by  the 
holy  see  to  Henry  II.  and  his  successors, 
only  on  certain  conditions,  which  were 
clearly  expressed  in  the  bull  which  was 
given  them.  According  to  the  tenor  of  it, 
Henry  engaged  to  increase  the  church  reve- 
nues in  Ireland ;  to  maintain  it  in  all  its  rights 
and  privileges  ;  to  labor,  by  enacting  good 
laws,  in  reforming  the  morals  of  the  people, 
eradicating  vice,  and  encouraging  virtue ;  and 
finally,  to  pay  to  the  successors  of  St.  Peter 
an  annual  tributeof  one  penny  foreach  house. 
Such  were  the  conditions  of  the  bull.  But 
the  kings  of  England,  and  their  perfidious 
ministers,  so  far  from  observing  them,  have 
uniformly  contrived  to  violate  them  in  every 
way,  and  to  act  in  direct  opposition  to  them. 
First,  as  to  the  church  lands,  instead  of  ex- 
tending their  boundaries,  they  have  con- 
tracted, curtailed,  and  invaded  them  so  gen- 
erally, and  to  such  a  degree,  that  some  of  our 
cathedrals  have  been  deprived,  by  open  force, 
of  more  than  one  half  of  their  revenues. 
The  persons  of  the  clergy  have  been  as  little 
respected  as  their  property.  On  every  side 
we  behold  bishops  and  prelates  summoned, 
arrested,  and  imprisoned  by  the  commission- 
ers of  the  king  of  England  ;  and  so  great 
is  the  oppression  exercised  over  them,  that 
they  dare  not  give  information  of  it  to  your 
holiness.  However,  as  they  are  so  das- 
tardly as  to  conceal  their  misfortunes  and 
those  of  the  church,  they  do  not  merit  that 
we  should  speak  in  their  behalf.  We  once 
had  our  laws  and  institutions  ;  the  Irish 
were  remarkable  for  their  candor  and  sim- 
plicity ;  but  the  English  have  undertaken  to 
reform  us,  and  have  been  unfortunately  but 
too  successful.  Instead  of  being,  like  our 
ancestors,  simple  and  candid,  we  have  be- 
come, through  our  intercourse  with  the 
English,  and  the  contagion  of  their  exam- 
ple, artful  and  designing  as  themselves. 
Our  laws  were  written,  and  formed  a  body 
of  right  according  to  which  our  country  was 
governed.  However,  with  the  exception  of 
one  alone,  which  they  could  not  wrest  from 
us,  they  have  deprived  us  of  those  salutary 
laws,  and  have  given  us  instead,  a  code  of 
their  own  making.    Great  God!  such  laws! 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


333 


If  inhumanity  and  injustice  were  leagued 
together,  none  could  have  been  devised  more 
deadly  and  fatal  to  the  Irish.  The  follow- 
ing will  give  your  holiness  some  idea  of 
their  new  code.  They  are  the  fundamental 
rules  of  English  jurisdiction  established  in 
this  kingdom  : 

1st — "  Everyman  who  is  not  Irish,  may, 
for  any  kind  of  crime,  go  to  law  with  any 
Irishman,  Avhile  neither  layman  nor  eccle- 
siastic, who  is  Irish,  (prelates  excepted,)  can, 
under  any  cause  or  provocation,  resort  to 
any  legal  measures  against  his  English  op- 
ponent. 

2d — "  If  an  Englishman  kill  an  Irishman 
perfidiously  and  falsely,  as  frequently  occurs, 
of  whatsoever  rank  or  condition  the  Irish- 
man may  be,  noble  or  plebeian,  innocent  or 
guilty,  clergyman  or  layman,  secular  or  reg- 
j  ular,  were  he  even  a  bishop,  the  crime  is 
not  punishable  before  our  English  tribunal ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  the  more  the  sufferer 
has  been  distinguished  among  his  country- 
men, either  for  his  virtue  or  his  rank,  the 
more  the  assassin  is  extolled  and  rewarded 
by  the  English,  and  that  not  only  by  the 
vulgar,  but  by  the  monks,  bishops,  and  what 
is  more  incredible,  by  the  very  magistrates, 
whose  duty  it  is  to  punish  and  repress  crime. 

3d — "  If  any  Irishwoman  whosoever,  whe- 
ther noble  or  plebeian,  marry  an  English- 
man, on  the  death  of  her  husband  she  be- 
comes deprived,  from  her  being  Irish,  of  a 
third  of  the  property  and  possessions  which 
he  owned. 

4th — "  If  an  Irishman  fall  beneath  the 
blows  of  an  Englishman,  the  latter  can  pre- 
vent the  vanquished  from  making  any  testa- 
mentary deposition,  and  may  likewise  take 
possession  of  all  his  wealth.  What  can  be 
more  unjustifiable  than  a  law  which  deprives 
the  church  of  its  rights,  and  reduces  men, 
who  had  been  free  from  time  immemorial,  to 
the  rank  of  slaves  ? 

5th — "The  same  tribunal,  with  the  co- 
operation and  connivance  of  some  English 
bishops,  at  which  the  archbishop  of  Armagh 
presided,  a  man  Avho  was  but  little  esteemed 
for  his  conduct,  and  still  less  for  his  learning, 
made  the  following  regulations  at  Kilkenny, 
which  are  not  less  absurd  in  their  import 
than  in  their  form.  The  court,  say  they, 
after  deliberating  together,  prohibits  all  re- 
ligious communities,  in  that  part  of  Ireland 
of  which  the  English  are  in  peaceful  pos- 
i  session,  to  admit  any  into  them  but  a  native 
of  England,  under  the  penalty  of  being  treated 
by  the  king  of  England  as  having  contemned 
his  orders,  and  by  the  founders  and  admin- 
istrators of  the  said  communhies,  as  disobe- 


dient and  refractory  to  the  present  regula- 
tion. This  regulation  was  little  needed  ; 
before,  as  well  as  since  its  enactment,  the 
English  Dominicans,  Franciscans,  Bene- 
dictines, regular  canons,  and  all  the  other 
communities  of  their  countrymen,  observed 
the  spirit  of  it  but  too  faithfully.  In  the 
choice  of  their  inmates  they  have  evinced  a 
partiality,  the  more  shameful,  as  the  houses 
for  Benedictines  and  canons,  where  the  Irish 
are  now  denied  admittance,  were  intended 
by  their  founders  to  be  asylums  open  to  peo- 
ple of  every  nation  indiscriminately.  Vice 
was  to  be  eradicated  from  among  us,  and 
the  seeds  of  virtue  sown.  Our  reformers 
have  acted  diametrically  the  opposite  char- 
acter ;  they  have  deprived  us  of  our  vir- 
tues, and  have  implanted  their  vices  among 
us,"  &c.  &c.  &c. 

The  sovereign  pontiff,  moved  by  the  re- 
monstrances of  O'Neill  and  of  the  Irish 
people,  respecting  the  tyranny  and  cruelties 
committed  by  the  English  government,  ad- 
dressed the  following  letter,  quoted  by  Pe- 
trus  Lombardus,  page  260,  to  Edward  III., 
king  of  England,  exhorting  that  prince  to 
check  the  disorders  and  cruelty  that  were 
practised  upon  the  Irish. 

"  We,  Pope  John,  servant  of  the  servants 
of  God,  to  our  dear  son  in  Christ,  the  illus- 
trious Edward,  king  of  England,  greeting, 
health  and  salvation. 

"Our  unceasing  entreaties  to  you,  dear  son, 
to  maintain  peace  in  your  kingdom,  justice 
in  your  decisions,  the  blessings  of  tranquil- 
lity among  your  subjects,  and  lastly,  to  omit 
nothing  which  can  contribute  to  your  hap- 
piness and  glory,  proceed  from  the  paternal 
solicitude  which  we  bear  towards  your  ma- 
jesty :  you  ought,  therefore,  to  devote  yourself 
altogether  to  these  objects,  and  prove  yourself 
eager  and  willing  to  promote  them.  We 
have  a  long  time  since  received  from  the 
princes  and  people  of  Ireland,  letters  ad- 
dressed to  our  well  beloved  Anselmus,  priest 
of  the  chapel  of  SS.  Marcellus  and  Peter  ; 
to  Lucas,  dean  of  St.  Mary  ;  to  the  cardinals 
and  nuncios  of  the  holy  see  ;  and  through 
them,  letters  enveloped  with  their  own,  ad- 
dressed to  us.  These  we  have  read,  and 
among  other  things  which  they  contain,  have 
particularly  noted,  that  our  predecessor, 
Pope  Adrian,  of  happy  memory,  hath  given 
to  your  illustrious  progenitor,  Henry  II., 
king  of  England,  the  kingdom  of  Ireland,  as 
specified  in  his  apostolical  letters  to  him. 
To  the  object  of  these  letters  neither  Henry 
nor  his  successors  have  paid  regard,  but 
passing  the  bounds  that  were  prescribed  to 
them,  have,  without  cause  or  provocation, 


334 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


heaped  upon  the  Irish  the  most  unheard  of 
miseries  and  persecution,  and  have,  during  a 
long  period,  imposed  upon  them  a  yoke  of 
slavery  which  cannot  be  borne.  None  have 
dared  to  stem  the  persecutions  which  have 
been  practised  against  the  Irish,  nor  has  any 
person  been  found  willing  to  remedy  the 
cause  of  them  :  not  one,  I  say,  has  been 
moved,  through  a  holy  compassion  for  their 
sufferings,  although  frequent  appeals  have 
been  made  to  your  goodness  in  their  behalf, 
and  the  strong  cries  of  the  oppressed  have 
reached  the  ears  of  your  majesty.  Thus  no 
longer  able  to  endure  such  tyranny,  the  un- 
happy Irish  have  been  constrained  to  with- 
draw themselves  from  your  dominion,  and  to 
seek  another  to  rule  over  them  in  your  stead. 
If  these  things  be  founded  in  truth,  they  are 
in  direct  opposition  to  our  regards  and  con- 
sideration for  your  felicity.  Our  advice 
is,  therefore,  that  your  majesty  will  not  lose 
sight  of  this  important  matter,  and  that  you 
Avill  carry  into  speedy  effect  the  commands 
of  your  Creator,  in  order  to  avoid  that 
which  must  draw  down  the  vengeance  of 
God  upon  you.  The  groans  and  sorrows  of 
the  afflicted  have  been  heard  by  the  Omni- 
potent, who  can,  as  the  holy  Scriptures  attest, 
change  and  transfer  kingdoms  to  others,  as 
he  has  abandoned  his  chosen  people  in  pun- 
ishment for  the  crimes  they  had  committed. 
Our  most  ardent  wish  is,  that  your  majesty 
omit  nothing,  particularly  during  these  revo- 
lutions, to  conciliate  by  your  goodness  the 
hearts  of  the  faithful  Irish,  and  avoid  every 
thing  that  can  tend  to  estrange  them  from 
you.  As  it  is,  therefore,  important  to  your 
interest  to  obviate  the  misfortunes  which 
these  troubles  are  capable  of  producing, 
they  should  not  be  neglected  in  the  begin- 
ning, lest  the  evil  increase  by  degrees,  and 
the  necessary  remedies  be  applied  too  late  : 
and  having  considered  the  matter  maturely, 
we  herein  exhort  your  majesty,  that  you 
remove  the  cause  of  these  misfortunes,  and 
arrest,  by  honorable  measures,  their  cause 
and  consequences,  that  you  may  render  him 
from  whom  you  hold  your  crown,  propi- 
tious to  your  views  and  government ;  and 
that  by  fulfilling  the  duties  of  lord  and  mas- 
ter, you  may  afford  no  subject  for  complaint ; 
by  which  means  the  Irish,  guided  by  a  wise 
administration,  may  obey  you  as  lord  of  Ire- 
land ;  or  if  they  (which  heaven  forbid)  con- 
tinue in  rebellion,  which  they  describe  before 
God  and  man  to  be  innocent,  that  rebellion 
may  be  deemed  unjust.  In  order,  therefore, 
that  your  majesty  may  become  acquainted 
with  the  grievances  of  the  Irish  people,  we 
send  to  you,  enclosed,  the  letters  they  have 


sent  to  the  above-named  cardinals,  with  a 
copy  of  the  bull  which  our  predecessor 
Adrian,  of  happy  memory,  hath  sent  to  the 
illustrious  Henry,  king  of  England,  con- 
cerning the  act  of  conferring  on  him  the 
kingdom  of  Ireland.     Given,"  &c. 

Ireland  at  this  time  produced  several 
learned  men.  Maurice  Gibellan,  a  canon  of 
the  church  of  Tuam,  who  died  in  1327,  was 
celebrated  as  a  philosopher,  and  a  good  poet. 

Adam  Godham,  a  monk  of  the  order  of  St. 
Francis,  having  taken  the  degree  of  doctor  in 
theology,  at  Oxford,  wrote  commentaries  on 
the  f(nir  books  of  Sentences,  which  were 
printed  in  Paris  in  1512  ;  he  wrote  likewise 
a  book  of  philosophical  directions.*  Bale 
makes  mention  of  this  author,  but  calls  him 
Adam  Wodeham,  for  which  he  cites  the  au- 
thority of  John  Major,  who,  notwithstanding, 
calls  him  Adam  Godhamen.  The  following 
are  his  words  :  "  At  the  same  time  flourished 
Adam  Godhamen,  who  had  heard  Ockam  at 
Oxford ;  he  was  a  man  of  modesty,  and  not 
inferior  to  Ockam  in  learning."!  Bale  is  also 
in  error,  according  to  Ware,  in  saying  he  was 
an  Englishman  ;  John  Major,  he  says,  calls 
him,  in  another  place,  Adam  of  Ireland.  Ox- 
ford, says  Major,  formerly  produced  some 
celebrated  philosophers  and  theologians  ; 
namely,  Alexander  Hales,  Richard  Middle- 
ton,  John  Duns,  the  subtle  doctor,  Ockam, 
Adamof  Ireland,  Robert  Holkot,  &c.  Lastly, 
Ware  supposes  that  Godham  is  the  same  as 
Gregory  de  Rimini,  so  often  quoted  under 
the  name  of  Adam  the  Doctor,  or  the  doc- 
tor of  Ireland,  in  his  treatise  written  on  the 
"  Sentences,"  1344. 

William  Ockam,  a  Franciscan  friar,  and 
disciple  of  John  Scot,  is  ranked  among  the 
celebrated  men  of  this  time  ;  he  was  gen- 
erally called  the  invincible,  apostolic,  and 
prince  of  Nominalists  :  he  died  at  Munich,  in 
Bavaria,  and  was  interred  among  the  Fran- 
ciscans. Volateran  thinks  that  he  was  an 
Irishman.]:  "  Ireland,"  says  he,  "  had  also 
her  saints,  particularly  the  prelates  Malachi, 
Cataldus,  and  Patrick,  who  converted  her 
people  to  the  Christian  religion :  and  also  a 
prelate  called  William  Ockams,  the  celebra- 
ted logician,  a  Minorite  and  cardinal  of  Ar- 
magh, under  the  pontificate  of  John  XXII., 
who  lived  in  1353,  and  was  highly  esteemed 
for  his  learning  and  writings."'^  Philip  O'- 
SuUivan,  who  calls  him  O'Cahan,  and  a  k\v 

*  War.  de  Script.  Hib. 

t  Cent.  5,  cap.  98.  De  gestis  Sector,  lib.  4, 
cap.  11. 

t  Commcntar.  Urban,  lib.  3. 

§  Hist.  Cathol.  Hib.  Conipend.  torn.  1,  lib.  4, 
cap.  8. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


335 


others,  agree  with  Volateran  respecting  the 
country  of  Ockam  ;  but  Ware,  convinced  by 
the  reasons  assigned  by  Wadding,  thinks 
otherwise.* 

David  Obugey,  a  monk  of  the  Carmelite 
order,  of  the  convent  of  Kildare,  was  re- 
markable for  his  learning,  first  at  Oxford  and 
afterwards  at  Treves.  Having  been  nomi- 
nated provincial  of  his  order,  he  returned  to 
Ireland,  where,  according  to  Bale,  he  held 
chapters  at  Atherdee  and  Dublin. f  He  was 
considered  a  great  philosopher,  an  elegant 
orator,  a  profound  theologian,  and  one  of  the 
most  learned  in  the  law  of  his  time.  He 
wrote  discourses  for  the  clergy,  epistles  to 
various  persons,  propositions  discussed,  lec- 
tures, and  rules  of  law  ;  also  a  treatise  against 
Gerard  de  Bononia,  and  Commentaries  on 
the  Bible.  This  learned  man  died  at  Kil- 
dare, advanced  in  years,  where  he  was 
buried  in  the  convent  of  his  own  order. 

Gilbert  Urgale,  so  called  from  the  place  of 
his  birth,  lived  in  1330.|  He  belonged  to 
the  order  of  Carmelites,  and  was  author  of 
two  large  volumes,  one  of  which  was  a  Sum- 
mary of  Law,  and  the  other  on  Theology. 
The  compiler  of  the  Annals  of  Ross  lived  in 
1 346, at  which  time  he  concludes  with  observ- 
ing, that  O'Carrouil  was  killed  this  year,  in 
the  district  of  Eile,  by  the  people  of  Ossory. 

Roger  Outlaw,  prior  of  Kilmainhara,  was 
appointed  deputy  of  Ireland,  a.  d.  1330.  All 
was  tranquil  during  the  summer,  and  the 
severity  of  winter  prevented  the  renewal  of 
hostilities,  which,  however,  began  in  Lent,  in 
Meath,  between  the  Mac-Geoghegans  and 
the  English. §  The  latter,  supported  by  the 
united  forces  of  the  earls  of  Ulster  and  Or- 
mond,  defeated  the  former  at  Loghynerthy, 
and  killed  one  hundred  and  ten  of  their 
men,  with  three  young  noblemen,  sons  of 
their  leading  chiefs. 

A  parliament  was  held  this  year  at  Kil- 
kenny, at  which  Alexander,  archbishop  of 
DubUn,  the  earls  of  Ulster  and  Ormond, 
were  present,  besides  other  noblemen,  the 
chief  of  whom  were  William  Bermingham 
and  Walter  Burke,  of  Connaught.  Each  of 
these  came  attended  by  his  troops,  in  order 
to  attack  O'Brien,  and  expel  him  from  Ur- 
kifte,  near  Cashel,  where  he  was  posted. 
With  their  combined  army  they  marched  to- 
wards Limerick,  and  on  their  route,  the 
Burkes  pillaged  the  lands  of  the  FitzgeraldS; 

*  Aunal.  Minor,  ad  an.  1323,  n.  15,  ad  an.  1347, 
n.  22. 
I       t  Cent.  14,  tit.  92. 

t   Bale,  Cent.  14,  n.  92. 
§  Pembrig.  ad  an.  1330. 


which  produced  a  quarrel  between  these 
two  families,  and  obliged  the  lord-justice  to 
have  the  earl  of  Ulster,  and  Maurice,  lord 
of  Desmond,  arrested,  and  committed  into 
the  hands  of  the  marshal,  at  Limerick. 
Maurice,  however,  found  means  to  escape, 
and  the  earl  of  Ulster  was  liberated,  after 
which  they  both  went  to  England,  and  their 
troops  were  disbanded  without  having  per- 
formed any  thing,  according  to  an  anony- 
mous writer,  quod  nihil  perfecerunt. 

The  following  year,  1331,  the  English  de- 
feated the  Irish  of  Leinster,  on  the  21st  of 
April,  in  the  district  of  Kinseallagh  ;  and  in 
the  month  of  May,  O'Brien  was  routed  at 
Thurles  with  considerable  loss.  About  the 
same  time  David  O'Toole  advanced  with  his 
forces  towards  Tulagh,  which  belonged  to  the 
archbishop  of  Dublin,  and  thence  carried  off 
several  herds  of  cattle,  and  killed  Richard 
White,  and  many  others  by  whom  he  Avas 
opposed.  The  intelligence  of  these  depre- 
dations having  reached  Dublin,  O'Toole  was 
pursued  by  Sir  Philip  Britt,  Maurice  Fitz- 
gerald, a  knight  of  the  hospital  of  St.  John 
of  Jerusalem,  Hamon  Archdekin,  John  Ca- 
merar,  Robert  Tyrrell,  the  two  sons  of  Regi- 
nald Barnewall,  and  several  others,  all  of 
whom  lost  their  lives  in  an  ambuscade  which  j 
was  laid  for  them  by  O'Toole,  at  Culiagh. 
Encouraged  by  this  success,  the  O'Tooies  , 
besieged  and  took  the  castle  of  Arklow  ;  but  | 
these  disturbances  were  partly  quelled  by 
William  Bermingham,  at  the  head  of  a 
large  body  of  forces. 

In  the  month  of  June,  Sir  Anthony  Lucy, 
a  man  highly  esteemed  in  England,  was  sent 
to  Ireland  as  lord-justice  ;  he  was  the  bearer 
of  letters  from  the  king  to  the  earl  of  Ulster 
and  other  noblemen,  in  which  he  ordered 
them  to  give  him  assistance  whenever  he 
would  require  it.  He  was  attended  by  Hugh 
de  Lacy,  who  had  just  received  a  general 
pardon.  The  new  lord-justice  intended  to 
put  down  the  disturbances  in  Ireland  by  a 
severe  mode  of  government ;  but  the  under- 
taking was  too  difficult  for  one  man,  and  re- 
quired more  time  than  he  could  give  to  it. 
His  administration,  however,  was  favored 
by  a  victory  gained  over  the  Irish  at  Finagh, 
in  Meath.  He  summoned  a  parliament  for 
the  month  of  June,  in  Dublin  ;  but  the  meet- 
ing being  thinly  attended,  it  was  adjourned  to 
Kilkenny,  where  it  was  to  be  held  on  the  7th 
of  July.  The  earl  of  Kildare,  and  the  no- 
blemen who  had  been  absent  from  the  parlia- 
ment in  Dublin,  attended  that  of  Kilkenny, 
in  which  they  apologized  for  their  former 
absence,  and  were  pardoned  their  past  of- 


336 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


noblemen  then  received  orders  to  go  to  Eng- 
land, and  prepare   for  the   king's    voyage, 
which  was  deferred  on  account  of  the  ad- 
vanced period  of  the  season.     The  lord-jus- 
tice was  recalled  in  November,  and  in  Feb- 
ruary Sir  John  Darcy  was  sent  in  his  place. 
The  king  being  desirous  that  the  new 
in  Kilkenny,  and  befieving  them  to  act  in  governor  should  support  the  dignity  of  his 
conjunction  with  the  Irish,  had  some  of  them  office,   conferred   on   him  the  lordships  of 


fences,  on  taking  an  oath  not  to  violate  the 
peace  for  the  futnre. 

The  viceroy  being  informed  in  the  month 
of  August,  that  the  Irish  had  pillaged  and 
burned  the  castle  of  Ferns,  conceived  strong 
suspicions  of  the  (idelityof  some  of  the  noble- 
men who  had  not  appeared  at  the  meeting 


arrested.  Henry  Mandevil  was  taken  in  the 
month  of  September;  Maurice  Fitzgerald,  of 
Desmond,  was  arrested  in  Limerick,  in  the 
beginning  of  October,  and  brought  to  Dublin ; 
Walter  Burke  and  his  brother  were  taken  in 
November  ;  and,  lastly,  William  and  Walter 
Bermingham  were  removed  from  Clonmel 
to  Dublin  in  the  month  of  February  follow- 
ing, where  William  was  tried  ;  and  notwith- 
standing the  important  services  he  had  ren- 
dered to  his  king  and  country,  was  condemned 
to  death,  and  executed  on  the  11th  of  July. 
Walter,  his  son,  was  pardoned,  having  taken 
holy  orders.  Maurice,  of  Desmond,  remained 
for  eighteen  months  in  prison,  when,  on 
giving  security,  he  was  permitted  to  go  and 
plead  his  cause  before  the  king  of  England. 

In  the  month  of  July,  1332,  the  Irish  de- 
stroyed the  castle  of  Bunratty.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  English  retook  the  castle  of  Arklow, 
and  had  it  rebuilt.  In  Munster  they  defeated 
the  O'Briens,  Mac-Cartys,  and  their  allies, 
and  took  from  them  the  castle  of  Coolmore. 
The  hostages  which  the  English  had  received 
from  the  Irish  some  time  before,  having  been 
kept  in  Limerick  and  Nenagh,  undertook  to 
surprise  these  places,  and  succeeded  in  ma- 
king themselves  masters  of  them  ;  but  the 
English  having  assembled  their  forces,  they 
were  retaken.  The  hostages  of  Limerick 
were  put  to  death,  but  those  of  Nenagh  were 
spared.  In  the  mean  time  the  O'Tooles,  of 
Leinster,  took  Newcastle,  in  the  county  of 
Wicklow,  and  reduced  it  to  ashes. 

The  affairs  of  Ireland  were  the  chief  object 
of  the  parliament  which  was  at  this  time  as- 
sembled in  England  ;  they  determined  that 
the  king  should  visit  that  country  in  person, 
and  that,  in  the  mean  time,  reinforcements 
should  be  sent  thither.  The  several  English 
noblemen  who  possessed  estates  there,  re- 
ceived orders  to  reside  on  them,  in  order  to 
assist  in  defending  it  :*  and  those  who  were 
appointed  to  serve  as  lords-justices  in  Ire- 
land, were  forbidden  to  frame  any  pretext 
for  avoiding  it.     William  Burke  and  other 

*  We  discover  in  this  place,  that  the  conquest  of 
Ireland  was  not  completed  in  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury, since  the  English  who  had  been  enriclied  with 
the  spoils  of  its  inhabitants  were  obliged  to  reside 
in  it,  to  defend  their  unjustly  acqui-cd  properties. 


Louth  and  Ballyoganny,  which  had  been 
confiscated  when  Simon,  Count  d'Eu,  to 
whom  they  belonged,  withdrew  from  the 
service  of  the  king  of  England,  and  attached 
himself  to  the  French  monarch. 

In  the  beginning  of  Darcy's  administration, 
the  Berminghams  carried  oft^  large  booty  from 
the  O'Connors  of  Sligo,  a.  d.  1333.  William 
Burke,  earl  of  Ulster,  was  assassinated  on  the 
6th  of  June  in  this  year  by  his  servants,  on 
the  road  to  Carrickfergus.  His  countess, 
alarmed  by  this  outrage,  set  sail  for  England 
with  her  only  daughter,  who  was  afterwards 
married  to  Lionel,  duke  of  Clarence,  the 
king's  son,  by  whom  she  had  an  only  daughter, 
who  married  Roger  Mortimer,  earl  of  March 
and  lord  of  Trim,  in  Meath.  This  was  the 
reason  why  the  titles  of  earl  of  Ulster  and 
lord  of  Connaught  were  annexed  to  the  crown. 
There  were,  however,  two  noblemen  of  the 
name  of  Burke,  apparently  of  the  family  of 
the  earls  of  Ulster,  who  took  possession  of 
some  of  the  estates,  which  they  kept  fof  a 
length  of  time,  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  the 
law,  and  gave  origin  to  different  branches  of 
this  noble  family,  which  is  still  in  being,  in 
Connaught.  To  supply  the  want  of  a  legal 
title,  they  sought  support  from  the  friend- 
ship of  the  ancient  Irish  ;  joined  in  their 
leagues  ;  adopted  their  language,  manners, 
and  customs ;  and  even  went  so  far  as  to 
change  their  name,  by  placing  the  article 
Mac  before  it,  like  the  Irish.  From  them 
is  derived  the  name  of  Mac- William,  &c. 

The  assassination  of  the  earl  of  Ulster 
caused  a  great  sensation  in  Ireland,  A.  d.1334. 
The  viceroy  being  determined  to  take  revenge 
on  the  murderers,  and  having  consulted  with 
his  parliament,  set  sail  on  the  1st  of  July  for 
Carrickfergus,  where  he  put  them  to  the 
sword.  This  done,  he  committed  the  govern- 
ment to  the  care  of  Thomas  Burke,  treasurer 
of  Ireland,  during  his  absence,  and  crossed 
over  with  his  army  to  Scotland,  to  the  as- 
sistance of  the  king  his  master. 

Stephen  Segrave,  archbishop  of  Armagh, 
died  this  year,  (1335.)  He  was  succeeded  by 
David  O'Hiraghty,  otherwise  Mac-Oreghty, 
who  was  consecrated  at  Avignon,  and  put  in 
possession  of  his  see  in  the  montlx  of  March 
following. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


337 


In  the  parliament  of  England,  held  on  the 
fifteenth  of  March,  it  was  determined  that  the 
king's  presence  being  necessary  in  France, 
his  voyage  to  Ireland  should  be  delayed  for 
another  year,  and  in  the  mean  time  that  suc- 
cor should  be  sent  thither.  But  it  appears 
that  the  war  with  Scotland  prevented  either 
voyage  being  undertaken  at  the  time  ;  and 
though  the  king  was  advised  by  both  cham- 
bers to  send  assistance  in  men  and  money 
to  Ireland,  and  they  voted  a  sixth  and  fif- 
teenth as  aids  for  the  purpose,  it  appears 
that  instead  of  this  assistance,  inconsiderable 
in  amount,  a  commission  was  sent  to  treat 
with  the  rebels,  in  other  words,  the  Irish. 

John  Darcy,  having  signalized  himself 
against  the  Scotch,  returned  to  Ireland  and 
resumed  the  government,  which  he  had  con- 
fided to  the  treasurer  in  his  absence.  The 
first  use  he  made  of  his  authority  was  to 
release  Walter  Bermingham  from  prison. 
About  this  time  Simon  Archdekin  and  several 
of  his  retinue  were  killed  in  Leinster  by  the 
Irish.  Roche,  lord  of  Fermoy,  was  fined  two 
hundred  marks  of  silver  for  having  neglected 
to  attend  two  parliaments  to  which  he  had 
been  summoned ;  but  his  son  prevailed  on  the 
king  to  reduce  the  fine  to  ten  pounds  sterling. 

Maurice  Fitzgerald  was  prevented  at  this 
time,  by  an  accident,  from  going  to  England ; 
his  leg  being  broken  by  a  fall  from  his  horse, 
which  obliged  him  to  defer  his  voyage,  a.  d. 
1335.  As  soon  as  he  recovered  he  set  sail 
for  that  country,  where  he  was  well  received 
by  the  king,  who  created  him  earl  of  Des- 
mond, A.  D.  1336.  Sir  John  Darcy  was  suc- 
ceeded the  year  following,  in  his  office  of 
lord-justice,  by  Sir  John  Charleton. 

On  the  right  bankof  the  river  Suire,  county 
Waterford,  opposite  the  town  of  Carrick,  in 
the  county  of  Tipperary,  a  convent  called 
Carrick  Bee  was  founded  at  this  time,  for 
Franciscan  friars,  by  James  Butler,  first  earl 
of  Ormond,  who  gave  the  ground  and  a  house 
for  the  purpose.*  Both  Ware  and  Wadding 
agree  that  Clinnus  was  the  first  warden  of  it. 
There  was  a  large  enclosure,  besides  beauti- 
ful meadows,  belonging  to  this  convent,  but 
on  the  suppression  of  the  monasteries,  the 
earls  of  Ormond  took  back  their  house,  and 
all  that  depended  on  it. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


Sir  John  Charleton,  who  was  nomina- 
ted lord-justice  of  Ireland,  a.  d.  1337,  was  at- 

*  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c  26,  et  Allemand,  Hist. 
Monast.  d'Irlande. 


ed  in  his  voyage  thither  by  his  brother  Thom- 
as, bishop  of  Hereford,  as  chancellor,  and 
John  Rice  (Ap  Rees)^s  treasurer,  and  was 
followed  by  two  hundred  soldiers.  On  his 
arrival  he  summoned  a  parliament  to  meet 
in  Dublin.  The  archbishop  of  Armagh  was 
preparing  to  attend  this  meeting,  but  he  I 
found  some  opposition  from  the  archbishop 
of  Dublin,  who  would  not  permit  him  to 
enter  his  diocese  with  the  cross  raised. 
The  king  having  been  informed  of  the  dif- 
ference between  the  prelates,  prohibited  the 
archbishop  and  citizens  of  Dublin  from  in- 
terfering with  the  primate. 

Charleton  was  deprived  by  the  king,  in 

1338,  of  the  office  of  lord-justice,  at  the  in- 
stigation of  his  brother,  the  bishop  of  Here- 
ford, who  succeeded  him.  This  new  gov- 
ernor sent  to  Munster  for  Sir  Eustace  Poer, 
and  John  his  imcle,  and  on  some  suspicion, 
had  them  confined  in  the  castle  of  Dublin. 
The  winter  was  very  severe  this  year  in 
Ireland  ;  snow  fell  frequently  ;  the  frost 
lasted  from  the  2d  of  December  till  the  10th 
of  February,  and  so  frozen  was  the  river 
LifTey,  that  the  people  played,  danced,  and 
dressed  their  food  upon  the  ice. 

The  disturbances  continued  in  Ireland, 
particularly  in  Munster,  where  the  Irish  often 
took  up  arms  ;  but  they  were  defeated  in  the 
county  of  Kerry,  with  the  loss  of  twelve 
hundred  men,  by  the  earl  of  Desmond,  a.  d. 

1339.  He  caused  Nicholas  Fitzmaurice, 
lord  of  Kerry,  who  was  of  English  origin,  to 
be  arrested,  and  imprisoned  till  his  death,  for 
having  taken  part  with  the  Irish  against  him 
and  the  king.  The  earl  of  Kildare  was  not  I 
more  lenient  to  the  inhabitants  of  Leinster ; 
he  pursued  the  O'Dempseys  of  Clanmalire 
so  closely  that  several  of  them  were  drowned 
in  the  river  Barrow.  The  lord-justice,  about 
the  same  time,  at  the  head  of  some  English 
troops,  carried  away  an  immense  booty  from 
the  territory  of  Idrone,  in  the  county  of  Car- 
low.  This  prelate  was  recalled  to  England 
in  the  month  of  April  following,  and  gave  up 
his  dignity  to  Roger  Outlaw,  prior  of  Kil- 
mainham,  who  did  not  enjoy  it  long,  having 
died  in  the  month  of  February,  a.  d.  1340. 

The  king  of  England  now  appointed  Sir 
John  Darcy  lord-justice  of  Ireland,  during 
his  life,  of  which  office  he  granted  him  let- 
ters patent.  This  nobleman  being  unable 
to  go  in  person,  sent  Sir  John  Morris  as 
deputy  in  his  place  ;  but  the  Anglo-Irish, 
who  had  become  wealthy,  and  invested  with 
titles  of  honor,  would  not  submit  to  an  au- 
thority delegated  to  a  simple  knight,  and  re- 
fused to  pay  him  the  respect  which  was 
due  to  his  station.     In  order  to  punish  their 

43 


338 


IIISTORV    OF    IRELAND. 


tend  pride,  the  court  decreed  by  a  public  act, 
addressed  to  the  lord-justice,  that  all  the 
gifts  of  hinds,  liberties,  lordships,  or  juris- 
dictions, which  had  been  bestowed  in  Ire- 
land, cither  by  the  reigning  king  or  his  pre- 
decessor, should  be  revoked,  1341,  and  that 
the  said  lands  and  lordships  should  be  seized 
in  the  king's  name,  in  order  that  investiga- 
tion might  be  made  into  the  causes  and  con- 
ditions of  those  donations,  and  the  merit  of 
the  persons  on  whom  they  had  been  con- 
ferred. 

This  decree  against  the  new  proprietors 
of  land  in  Ireland,  gave  rise  to  that  distinc- 
tion between  an  Englishman  by  birth  and 
an  Englishman  by  descent,  which  became 
so  injurious  to  the  interests  of  the  English  in 
Ireland.  By  it  we  discover  the  facility  with 
which  the  kings  of  England  bestowed  the 
lands  of  the  ancient  Irish  on  their  English 
subjects  ;  and  the  artful  misrepresentations 
and  treachery  resorted  to  by  the  latter  to  ob- 
tain the  property  of  their  neighbors.  The 
meanest  English  subject,  who  was  employed 
either  in  the  militia  or  the  magistracy,  by 
representing  an  Irishman  possessed  of  land 
to  be  a  rebel,  or  suspected  of  being  such, 
was  certain  of  being  rewarded  by  the  Eng- 
lish tribunal  at  the  expense  of  a  man  who 
was  denied  the  means  of  justice  to  vindicate 
himself  ;  conduct  which  naturally  kept  up 
hatred  and  animosity  between  the  two  peo- 
ple, and  gave  rise  to  the  murders  and  san- 
guinary conflicts  which  were  so  frequent. 

The  decree  alluded  to  having  caused 
considerable  disturbances  among  the  Anglo- 
Irish,  a  parliament  was  summoned  to  meet 
in  Dublin,  in  the  month  of  October,  to  allay 
them  ;  but  the  earl  of  Desmond,  and  other 
lords  of  his  faction,  instead  of  attending  it, 
formed  a  league  with  the  corporations  of 
towns,  and  others  who  were  dissatisfied  ; 
and  without  consulting  the  government, 
convened  a  general  assembly  at  Kilkenny, 
for  the  month  of  November,  where  they 
met  in  spite  of  the  lord-justice,  who  did 
not  dare  to  appear  among  tliem.  This  was 
an  obvious  contempt  of  the  royal  authority. 
The  result  of  the  assembly  was  to  send  de- 
puties to  the  king,  with  complaints  couched 
in  form  of  the  three  following  questions  : 
1st.  How  could  a  state  torn  by  wars  be  gov- 
erned by  a  man  who  had  no  experience  in 
military  affairs  ?*  2d.  How  could  an  officer 
without  a  fortune,  and  the  king's  represen- 
tative, amass  more  wealth  in  one  year,  than 
those  with  extensive  possessions  could  do 
in  many  ?  3d.  As  they  were  all  called 
lords  of  their  estates,  how  was  it  that  their 
sovereign  was  not  the  richest  among  them  ? 


The  king  immediately  understood  the  pur- 
port of  these  interrogatories  ;  but  as  he  was 
resolved  not  to  restore  the  lands  which  had 
been  seized,  he  tried  other  means  to  reform 
the  abuses  which  prevailed,  and  to  satisfy 
the  people.  He  recalled  several  judges 
and  other  officers  whose  administration  was 
disliked,  particularly  Elias  de  Ashbourne, 
whose  property  had  been  seized  ;  Thomas 
Montpellier,  and  Henry  Baggot,  judges  in 
the  court  of  common  pleas.  He  sent  orders 
to  the  deputy  to  ascertain  the  rank,  services, 
pay,  number,  and  conduct  of  his  officers  in 
Ireland.  He  abolished  all  respite  and  for- 
giveness of  debts  due  to  the  crown,  which 
were  granted  by  his  officers,  and  ordered 
that  they  should  be  recovered.  John  Dar- 
cy,  the  king's  chief-justice,  and  the  deputy, 
were  commanded  to  admit  no  Englishman, 
who  was  not  possessed  of  landed  property 
in  England,  to  any  of  the  high  offices  of 
the  state  ;  and  all  who  were  already  in  office, 
not  possessing  such  qualifications,  were  or- 
dered to  be  dismissed.  They  were  prohib- 
ited to  sell  or  confiscate  the  crown-lands 
without  royal  permission,  and  a  perfect 
knowledge  of  the  circumstances  under  which 
such  confiscations  or  sales  took  place.  The  j 
king  abolished  likewise  some  privileges  to 
which  the  treasurer  of  the  exchequer  laid  j 
claim  ;  as,  for  instance,  a  right  to  use  and 
pay  any  sum  under  five  pounds  that  he 
thought  proper,  without  being  responsible 
for  it.  He  also  ordered  him  to  give  an  ac- 
count of  the  past  expenditure,  and  never  to 
make  any  payment  for  the  future  without 
the  sanction  of  the  lord-justice,  the  chancel- 
lor, and  the  council.  He  likewise  took  from 
that  officer  the  nomination  of  county  sheriffs, 
and  conferred  it  on  the  head  magistrates, 
who  were  enjoined  to  choose  fit  persons  for 
that  office.  The  king's  money  being  often 
lost  through  the  avarice  of  the  treasurer, 
who  was  Ijribed  to  allow  delay  to  parties  in 
the  payment  of  it,  he  was  not  sufTered  to 
j  receive  the  revenue,  except  in  the  public 
office.  Lastly,  the  king  sent  for  a  list  of  the 
individuals  whose  estates  had  been  seized, 
and  in  order  to  reward  John  Darcy  the  elder 
for  his  services,  he  received  liberty  to  claim 
his  property,  which  had  been  confiscated. 
The  lord-justice,  deputy,  and  chancellor, 
were  all  commissioned  to  examine  into,  and 
regulate  the  exchequer.  All  this,  however, 
did  not  put  a  stop  to  the  disturbances,  and 
the  king  was  at  length  obliged  to  restore 
the  lands  \vhich  had  been  seized. 

At  this  time,  John  Larche,  prior  of  the 
hospital  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem,  in  Ire- 
land, and  Thomas  Wogan,  were  sent  to  the 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


339 


king,  by  the  prelates,  earls,  barons,  and 
other  lords,  with  a  list  of  the  grievances 
under  which  they  labored.  In  Pryn's  ani- 
madversions we  discover  what  these  griev- 
ances were,  and  the  king's  answer.  It  is 
not  known  whether  these  deputies  were  sent 
by  the  parliament  in  Dublin,  or  the  meeting 
of  the  malecontents  in  Kilkenny  ;  but  it  is 
certain  that  the  lord-justice  was  recalled 
soon  after  their  embassy. 

Sir  Ralph  Ufford  was  sent  to  Ireland  in 
quality  of  lord-justice,  in  1343.  He  mar- 
ried the  countess-dowager  of  Ulster.  It  is 
affirmed,  that  on  his  arrival  in  the  country, 
the  most  severe  and  inclement  season  suc- 
ceeded very  fine  weather,  and  that  rain  and 
storms  were  frequent  din'ing  his  administra- 
tion. He  was  considered  more  severe  and 
cruel  than  any  one  who  had  preceded  him 
in  the  government  of  Ireland.  He  appro- 
priated the  goods  of  others  to  his  own  use, 
and  plundered  without  distinction  the  cler- 
gy, the  laity,  the  rich,  and  the  poor,  assign- 
ing the  public  welfare  as  a  pretext.  He 
tyrannized  over  the  inhabitants  of  the  coun- 
try, and  no  one  found  justice  at  his  hands. 
Such  is  the  character  which  Ufford  bore, 
both  among  the  new  and  the  old  Irish  ;  he 
was  so  universally  abhorred,  that  on  his  en- 
tering Ulster,  he  was  robbed  in  the  open  day, 
at  Emerdullan,  by  Maccartan  and  his  fol- 
lowers, who  seized  upon  his  equipages  in 
presence  of  the  people,  none  of  whom  in- 
terfered to  defend  him. 

In  the  parliament  which  had  met  at  Not- 
tingham, in  November,  laws  were  enacted 
for  the  reformation  of  the  Irish  government, 
which  are  the  same,  says  Cox,  as  are  men- 
tioned in  the  seventeenth  year  of  the  reign 
of  Edward  II.  They  are  to  be  met  with  in 
full  in  Pryn's  remarks  on  the  fourth  insti- 
tute. 

The  following  year,  1345,  the  lord-justice 
convened  a  parliament  in  Dublin  in  the 
month  of  June.  The  earl  of  Desmond,  who 
refused  to  appear  at  it,  called  a  meeting 
himself  at  Callan  ;  but  many  of  the  noble- 


exercuissent  ;*  because  they  introduced  many 
strange  and  intolerable  laws. 

The  earl  of  Desmond,  humbled  by  the 
manner  in  which  he  had  been  treated  by  the 
lord-justice,  was  forced  to  submit,  by  pro- 
curing the  earls  of  Ulster  and  Ormond,  with 
twenty-four  knights,  to  become  his  security  ;t 
but  dreading  the  governor's  severity,  he  did 
not  think  prudent  himself  to  appear.  This 
cost  those  who  had  become  his  bail  dearly ; 
the  lord-justice  confiscated  the  estates  of 
eighteen  knights,  and  reduced  them  to  beg- 
gary ;  but  the  other  six,  with  the  earls  of 
Ulster  and  Ormond,  found  means  to  get 
clear  of  this  embarrassment. 

John  O'Grada,  archbishop  of  Cashel,  died 
at  this  time ;  he  was  first  the  rector  of  Ogus- 
sin,  in  the  diocese  of  Killaloe,  then  treasurer 
of  Cashel,  when  he  was  appointed  by  the 
dean  and  chapter  to  this  see,  whose  choice 
was  confirmed  by  the  pope.  He  was  a  dis- 
creet and  clever  man,  according  to  the  an- 
nals of  Nenagh  :  Vir  magn<B  discrctionis 
et  industricB.  Having  enriched  his  church 
considerably,  he  died  at  Limerick,  after 
taking  the  Dominican  habit,  and  was  inter- 
red in  the  church  of  that  order.  He  was 
succeeded  in  the  see  of  Cashel  by  Radulphus 
O'Kelly. 

Ufford,  having  settled  his  affairs  in  Mun- 
ster,  returned  to  Dublin,  where  he  had  left 
his  wife.  Not  satisfied  with  making  war 
against  the  nobles,  he  persecuted  the  clergy 
also,  and  took  large  sums  of  money  from 
them  ;  some  he  imprisoned,  and  confiscated 
the  property  of  others.  He  also  had  the 
earl  of  Kildare  arrested  for  treason,  who 
was  detained  in  the  castle  of  Dublin  till  the 
month  of  May  following,  when  he  was  lib- 
erated by  the  successor  of  this  magistrate. 

Sir  John  Ufford  having  tyrannically  ruled 
over  his  countrymen  in  Ireland  during  two 
years,  died  unregretted  in  Dublin,  on  Palm 
Sunday,  the  9th  of  April,  1346.  The  coun- 
tess, his  wife,  who  had  been  received  in  Ire- 
land like  an  empress,  and  lived  in  it  as  a 
queen,  was  obliged  to  leave  the  castle  through 


men  who  had  promised  to  attend,  absented  { a  back  gate,  to  avoid  the  insults  of  her  ene- 
themselves  by  orders  of  the  king.  The  lord-  mies,  and  the  demands  of  her  creditors, 
justice,  exasperated  at  the  earl's  conduct,  j  Sir  Roger  Darcy  was  appointed,  with  the 
sent,  of  his  own  accord,  the  king's  standard ,  good  will  of  all,  to  fill  the  vacant  office  of 
to  Munster,  where  he  seized  on  his  estates,; lord-justice.  He  took  the  oath  on  the  10th 
and  gave  them  «n  cuslodiam  to  whoever! of  April,  but  on  the  25th  of  the  following 
would  take  them.  He  seized  upon  the  cas-  month  he  resigned  it  in  favor  of  Sir  John 
ties  of  Iniskilly  and  He  by  a  stratagem,  in  i  Morris,  who  had  been  appointed  by  the 
the  month  of  October,  and  three  knights  |  court ;  the  disastrous  news  of  the  O'Morras 
who  were  in  command  of  them  were  order-  having  burned  the  castles  of  Ley  and  Kil- 
eJ  to  be  hanged  ;  namely,  Eustace  Poer, 

William  Grant,   and   John    Cotterell ;   quia\  »  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  J3. 

multas graves, exirancas,et  intolerabiles, leges]  t  Cox,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  p.  121. 


340 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


mehide   having  arrived   some  time  before. 

The  first  act  of  the  administration  of  Morris 

was  to  set  the  earl  of  Kildare  at  liberty, 

who  had  been  state  prisoner.     During  his 

!  government,  which  was  of  a  short  duration, 

I  a  Woody  battle  took  place  between  the  Irish 

I  of  Ulster  and  the  English  of  Uriel,  in  which 

the   latter  were  defeated,  with  the  loss  of 

three  hundred  men. 

David  O'Hiraghty,  or  according  to  others, 
I  Mac-Oreghty,  was  consecrated  archbishop 
I  of  Armagh,  at  Avignon,  in  1334.*  He  was 
summoned  to  attend  the  parliament  held  in 
Dublin,  in  1337,  by  Sir  .John  Charleton,  who 
was  then  lord-justice  ;  but  the  old  difference 
which  still  continued  between  the  sees  of 
Armagh  and  Dublin,  respecting  the  primacy, 
prevented  his  appearing.  According  to  the 
annals  of  Nenagh,  he  died  on  the  16th  of 
May,  1346.  Pembridge  is  incorrect  in  pla- 
cing his  death  in  the  year  1337,  since  he 
was  succeeded  in  the  see  of  Armagh,  in 
1347,  by  Richard,  son  of  Ralph. 

Sir  Walter  Bermingham  succeeded  John 
Morris  in  the  government  of  Ireland,  and 
took  the  usual  oath  in  the  month  of  .June. 
He  then  obtained  leave  for  the  earl  of  Des- 
mond to  go  to  England  to  defend  his  cause, 
where  the  king  received  him  kindly,  allowing 
him  twenty  shillings  a  day  to  defray  his 
expenses  while  he  remained  at  court.  He 
pleaded  his  cause  with  warmth,  and  de- 
manded reparation  for  the  injustice  which 
Ufford  had  done  to  him. 

The  lord-justice  and  the  earl  of  Kildare 
having  united  their  forces,  pursued  the 
O'Morras  closely,  and  forced  them  to  sur- 
render, and  give  hostages,  a.  d.  1347-. 
Through  gratitude  for  the  kindness  his 
relative,  the  earl  of  Desmond,  had  met  with 
in  England,  the  earl  of  Kildare  set  out  for 
Calais,  which  Edward  was  then  besieging, 
where  the  king,  as  a  reward  for  his  services, 
conferred  on  him  the  honor  of  knighthood. 
The  lord-justice  having  been  obliged  to  go  to 
England  on  some  business  about  this  time, 
appointed  John  Archer,  prior  of  Kilmain- 
ham,  deputy  during  his  absence.  The  same 
year,  Donald  Oge  Mac-Morrough,  the  heir 
of  the  ancient  royal  house  of  Leinster,  was 
assassinated  by  his  vassals,  and  the  town 
of  Nenagh  was  burned  by  the  Irish. 

Christopher  Pembridge,  a  native  of  Dub- 
lin, flourished  at  this  period.  He  was  au- 
thor of  the  greater  part  of  the  Irish  annals, 
published  by  Camden  in  1607,  at  the  end  of 
his  Britannia,  and  which  ended  with  1347. 
On  Sir  Walter  Bermingham's  return  to 

*  War.  de  Archiep.  Armach. 


Ireland,  where  he  resumed  the  reins  of 
government,  a.  d.  1348,  the  king  rewarded 
him  with  the  estate  of  Kenlis,  in  Ossory, 
which  had  belonged  to  Sir  Eustace  Poer, 
one  of  those  whom  Uflx)rd  had  put  to  death 
for  his  attachment  to  the  interests  of  the 
earl  of  Desmond.  Usurpation,  tyranny,  and 
civil  wars  were  not  the  only  afflictions  with 
which  Ireland  was  visited.  The  climate, 
which,  according  to  Cambrensis,  was  so 
temperate  and  healthy  in  the  twelfth  centu- 
ry that  physicians  were  hardly  needed,*  be- 
came totally  changed,  and  the  provinces 
were  desolated  by  a  general  plague. 

The  house  of  commons  of  England  pre- 
sented a  petition  to  the  king,  praying  him 
to  appoint  commissioners  to  examine  into 
the  causes  why  his  majesty  derived  so  small 
a  revenue  from  Ireland,  while  his  power  in 
that  country  was  more  extended  than  that 
of  any  of  his  predecessors  had  been  ;  and 
to  inquire  into  the  conduct  of  the  officers 
employed  there,  in  order  to  punish  or  change 
them,  in  case  of  misdemeanor  or  bad  gov- 
ernment on  their  part.  It  was  also  requested 
in  the  prayer  of  the  petition,  to  establish  a 
rule  respecting  the  succession  of  the  earl  of 
Ulster,  in  order  to  prevent  the  collateral 
heirs  of  that  nobleman,  some  of  whom  were 
but  little  attached  to  his  majesty's  interests, 
from  aspiring  to  it,  in  case  the  duchess  of 
Clarence,  his  daughter-in-law,  should  die 
without  issue. 

The  troubles  in  Ireland  began  now  to 
subside.  The  favorable  reception  which 
the  earls  of  Desmond  and  Kildare  had  met 
with  in  England  and  France,  and  the  hopes 
of  seeing  the  lands  restored  which  had  been 
seized  upon  for  the  king's  use,  were  happy 
omens  of  peace  and  general  tranquillity  be- 
tween the  king  and  his  Irish  subjects,  so  that 
this  period  presents  nothing  interesting,  ex- 
cept the  change  of  governors. 

Malachi  Mac-Aed,  archbishop  of  Tuam, 
died  about  this  time.  He  was  canon  when 
raised  to  the  see  of  Elphin,  in  1309,  by  a 
bull  from  the  pope.  Being  elected  shortly 
afterwards  by  the  canons  of  Tuam  to  be 
archbishop  of  their  see,  his  appointment  was 
confirmed,  in  the  beginning  of  1313,  by  the 
sovereign  pontiff.  Malachi  was  a  man  of 
deep  erudition  ;  he  is  thought  to  have  been 
the  author  of  a  large  volume,  written  in  the 
Irish  language,  which  was  still  extant  in 
Ware's  time,  under  the  title  of  Leavas  Mac- 
Aed,  and  which,  among  other  things,  con- 
tained a  list  of  the  kings  of  Ireland  from 
Niall  NoygioUach  to  Roderick  O'Connor. 

*  Topograph.  Hib.  distinct,  cap.  25. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


341 


He  also  wrote  the  prophecy  of  St.  Jarlath 
respecting  his  successors  in  the  see  of  Tuam. 
This  prelate  renewed  his  claim  to  the  see  of 
Enaghdune,  which  had  heen  separated  from 
Tuam  twenty  years  before,  though  it  had 
been  previously  united  to  that  arch-diocese. 
Malachi  died  at  an  advanced  age,  on  St. 
Laurence's  day.  He  was  interred  in  the 
cathedral  church  of  Our  Lady  of  Tuam,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Thomas  O 'Carrol. 

On  the  death  of  John  Lech,  archbishop 
of  Dublin,  the  old  disputes  were  renewed 
about  the  election  of  a  prelate.  The  suf- 
frages were  divided  between  Walter  Thorn- 
bury,  chorister  of  the  church  of  St.  Patrick, 
and  chancellor  of  Ireland,  and  Alexander 
Bicknor,  prebendary  of  iMaynooth,  and  trea- 
surer of  Ireland.  Walter,  in  order  to  secure 
the  pope's  approbation,  who  was  then  in 
France,  set  sail  for  that  country,  and  perished 
the  night  following  in  the  waves,  with  a  hun- 
dred and  fiftj'-six  others,  who  were  in  the 
same  vessel.  Bitknor  having  no  longer  a 
rival,  and  all  the  votes  being  united  in  his 
favor,  set  out  for  Lyons,  where  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  Pope  Clement  V.,  of  his  own 
authority,  without  any  reference  to  the  elec- 
tion. He  was  afterwards  consecrated  at 
Avignon,  by  cardinal  Ostium.  The  bulls 
confirming  his  election  were  read  and  pub- 
lished on  the  feast  of  the  purification,  in 
Christ's  cathedral.  This  prelate,  who  was 
afterwards  nominated  lord-justice  of  Ireland, 
repaired  to  Dublin  in  the  month  of  October, 
1318,  where  he  was  received  with  loud  ac- 
clamations by  the  clergy  and  people,  and 
installed  in  the  archiepiscopal  see.  He 
founded  a  college  two  years  afterwards,  near 
St.  Patrick's  church,  with  the  sanction  of 
Pope  John  XXII.  The  undertaking  was 
worthy  of  a  great  prelate,  but  the  funds 
being  insufficient,  the  establishment  could 
not  be  supported.  The  statutes  of  this  col- 
lege are  quoted  by  Ware,  in  his  15th  chap- 
ter on  the  Antiquities  of  Ireland.  This 
prelate  was  sent  by  tlie  English  parliament, 
with  Edmond  de  Woodstock,  earl  of  Kent, 
brother  to  King  Edward,  as  ambassador  to 
the  court  of  France,  where  his  success  was 
but  moderate.  He  had  warm  debates  with 
Richard,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  respecting 
the  pre-eminence  of  the  two  sees.  He  held 
a  synod,  the  rules  of  which  are  in  the  white 
book  of  the  church  of  Ossory.  A  country- 
house  was  built  by  him  at  Taulaght,  for  him- 
self and  his  successors  in  the  see  of  Dublin. 
This  prelate,  who  equalled  any  of  his  pre- 
decessors in  prudence  and  learning,  having 
filled  the  see  for  nearly  thirty-two  years,  died 
in  the  month  of  July,  1 349.    He  was  interred 


in  St.  Patrick's  church,  and  was  succeeded 
in  the  archbishopric  by  John  de  St.  Paul. 

Some  religious  houses  were  founded  in 
this  century,  but  the  years  of  their  founda- 
tion is  not  known.*  At  Balli-ne-Gall,  in  the 
county  of  Limerick,  there  was  a  convent 
established  for  Dominicans,  according  to 
Ware,  by  the  Roches,  but  attributed  by 
Allemand  to  the  Clan-Gibbons. f  There  was 
another  of  the  same  order  founded  in  the 
town  of  Galway,  and  one  at  Clonshanvil,  in 
the  county  of  Roscommon,  by  M'Dermot, 
lord  of  the  country. 

The  Franciscans  of  the  third  order  had 
two  houses  in  the  county  of  Sligo,|  one  at 
Ballimot,  the  other  at  Court,  both  founded 
about  the  same  time,  by  the  M'Donoghs 
and  the  O'Haras,  Irish  lords  of  that  coun- 
try. 

In  this  century  also  two  convents  were  es- 
tablished for  Carmelites  ;  one  at  little  Hore- 
ton,  in  the  county  of  Wexford,  by  the  Fur- 
longs ;  the  other  at  Crevabane,  in  the  county 
Galway,  by  the  Burkes  of  Clanriccard. 
There  was  also  a  house  of  this  order  at 
Cluncurry,  in  the  county  of  Kildare,  founded 
in  1347,  by  the  Roches.  Tv/o  houses  were 
also  founded  for  Augustin  nuns ;  one  at 
Killeigh,  in  the  district  of  Geashill,  by  the 
Warrens ;  the  other  at  Moylag,  in  the  county 
of  Tipperary,  by  the  Butlers  of  the  house  of 
Ormond. 

At  Quinchi,  in  the  county  of  Clare,  there 
was  a  convent  for  Franciscan  friars,  founded 
by  the  M'Nemaras,  lords  of  Clancully,  or 
Clancullane.  Speed  calls  this  place  Quint, 
or  Kint :  according  to  Wadding,  it  is  called 
Coinhe  ;  and  Coinche  by  father  Castet.  It 
might,  perhaps,  with  more  propriety,  be 
called  Inchequin  :^  there  are  various  opinions 
respecting  the  time  of  its  foundation  ;  Wad- 
ding places  it  in  1350.  The  tombs  of  the 
founders  are  to  be  seen  in  the  church  of  this 
convent.  Pope  Eugene  IV.  allowed  Mac- 
Con-More  M'Nemara,  who  Avas  chief  of  that 
noble  family  in  1433,  to  establish  Observan- 
tine  Franciscans  in  this  convent.  Wadding 
observes  that  it  was  the  first  of  the  Fran- 
ciscan order  in  Ireland,  which  received  that 
particular  rule.  Allemand  wrongs  the  pope, 
in  saying  that  he  gave  the  title  of  duke  of 
Clancully  to  M'Nemara  in  his  bull.  He  had, 
in  fact,  no  thought  of  creating  titles  of  dig- 
nity in  Ireland  ;  the   word   dux,  or  duke, 


*  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  26. 
+  Hist.  Monast.  d'lrlande,  p.  220. 
t  War.  de  Antiq.  ibid. 

§  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  15.     Allem.  Hist.  Mo- 
nasi.  d'Irlande. 


342 


II18TORY    OF    IBELAND. 


which  he  makes  use  of,  signifying  nothing 
more  than  chief  or  lord  of  Clancnlly.* 

Baron  Carcw  succeeded  Sir  Walter  Ber- 
mingham  in  the  office  of  lord-justice  of  Ire- 
land. He  was  succeeded,  after  some  time, 
by  Sir  Thomas  Rokesby,  who  was  invested 
with  that  authority  in  the  month  of  Decem- 
ber, 1349;  but  being  obliged  to  return  to 
England  after  a  year,  he  appointed  Maurice 
de  Rochford,  bishop  of  Limerick,  his  deputy 
during  his  absence.  Rokesby  returned  in  a 
short  time  to  Ireland,  having  obtained  the 
king's  permission  to  add  to  his  usual  guard 
of  twenty  horsemen,  ten  men-at-arms,  and 
twenty  archers,  a.  d.  1353. 

John  Clynn,  a  Franciscan  friar  of  the  house 
belonging  to  their  order  at  Kilkenny,  and 
first  warden  of  the  Franciscans,  at  Carrick, 
wrote  annals  from  the  Christian  era  to  1 3 1 3  .f 
He  continued  them  afterwards  with  consid- 
erable additions,  to  the  year  1349,  which 
was  probably  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
also  wrote  annals  of  the  kings  of  England, 
from  Hengist  to  Edward  III.  ;  likewise  of 
the  wardens  of  his  order  in  Ireland  and  Eng- 
land, and  a  list  of  the  bishoprics  of  the  three 
kingdoms.  His  works  were  still  extant  in 
Ware's  time,  in  the  Franciscan  convent  at 
Kilkenny.  Sir  James  Lee,  chief-justice  of 
the  king's  bench,  afterwards  treasurer  of 
England,  and  earl  of  Marlborough,  had  the 
annals  of  Clynn,  and  other  writings  on  the 
affairs  of  Ireland,  transcribed,  and  given  to 
Henry,  earl  of  Bath,  who  undertook  to  have 
them  printed. 

At  this  time,  Robert  Savage,  a  rich  and 
powerful  man  in  Ulster,  declared  war  against 
the  ancient  proprietors  of  the  lands  he  had 
usurped,  and  put  many  of  them  to  the  sword 
in  the  county  of  Antrim. 

Rokesby  resigned  his  office  of  lord-justice 
in  the  month  of  Jidy,  1355,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Maurice  Fitzgerald,  earl  of  D 
mond.  This  nobleman  was  now  in  so  great 
favor  at  court,  that  the  office  was  conferred 
on  him  for  life.  He  was  respected  for  his 
equity  and  love  of  justice,  for  which  he  was 


*  The  noble  tribe  of  the  M'Nemaras,  of  Thuo- 
moiid,  are  descended  from  Oilioll  Olum,  king  of 
Munster  in  the  second  century,  by  his  son  Corinac 
Cas;  they  owned  a  considerable  territory  in  the 
baronies  of  Tulla  and  Bunratty,  in  the  county  of 
Clare  for  many  ages.  Gratianus  Lucius,  after  the 
ancient  poem  of  O'Douvegan,  calls  them  Maighag- 
hair.  This  tribe  lias  been  distinguished  for  their 
virtue  and  beneficence.  In  our  time  it  has  given 
birth  to  a  man  of  great  celebrity,  viz.,  John  M'Ne- 
mara,  who  died  in  1747,  vice-admiral  in  the  service 
of  France,  of  the  grand  military  order  of  St.  Louis, 
and  governor  of  the  port  of  Rochefort. 

t  War  de  Script.  Hib. 


so  .remarkable,  that  he  did  not  spare  even 
his  own  relatives,  when  guilty  of  any  offence. 
The  barons  of  the  exchequer  were  reduced 
in  his  time  to  three.  John  de  Pembrook, 
chancellor,  was  appointed  third  baron.  The 
earl  of  Desmond  having  died  on  the  25th  of 
January  following.  Sir  Thomas  Rokesby 
returned  to  Ireland  as  lord-justice.  This 
magistrate  convened  a  parliament  at  Kil- 
kenny, in  which  laws  were  enacted  relative 
to  the  government  of  the  state.  The  court 
sent  orders  to  him,  and  to  the  chancellor  of 
Ireland,  to  have  the  difficulties  removed 
which  some  of  the  king's  subjects  met  with 
in  the  recovery  of  their  lands,  which  had 
been  seized  in  his  majesty's  name.  Rokesby 
died  shortly  afterwards  at  Kilkea,  and  was 
succeeded  in  the  government  of  Ireland  by 
Almaric  de  Saint  Amand. 

About  this  time  a  house  was  founded  for 
Carmelites  at  Ballinahinch,  in  the  coimty  of 
Galway,  by  the  O'Flahertys,  Irish  lords  of 
that  country ;  and  another  of  the  same  order 
at  Ballinsmale,  in  the  county  of  Mayo,  by 
the  family  of  the  Prendergasts.*  There  was 
also  a  house  founded  the  same  year  for 
Dominicans  in  the  town  of  Naas,  county 
Kildare,  by  the  Fitz-Eustaces. 

A  warm  debate  arose  between  Richard, 
archbishop  of  Armagh,  and  the  mendicant 
friars,  a.  d.  1357,  concerning  some  animad- 
versions which  that  prelate  made  upon  them 
in  the  sermons  which  he  preached  in  Lon- 
don.f  The  superior  of  the  minor  brothers 
of  Armagh,  seconded  by  many  of  his  own, 
and  the  Dominican  order,  had  him  summoned 
to  Avignon,  whither  he  repaired  without 
delay  ;  but  after  spending  three  years  at  the 
court  of  the  sovereign  pontiff,  he  died  with- 
out bringing  his  affairs  to  a  conclusion. 

The  king  of  England  gave  the  lord-justice 
of  Ireland  a  new  proof  of  the  confidence  he 
reposed  in  him  ;  namely,  the  privilege,  with 
the  approval  of  the  chancellor  and  treasurer, 
to  pardon  all  the  English  and  Irish  whom  he 
might  consider  worthy  of  it,  for  every  crime 
except  that  of  high  treason.  He,  however, 
soon  afterwards  resigned  his  office,  and  was 
succeeded  by  the  earl  of  Ormond. 

James  Butler,  commonly  called  the  noble 
earl,  from  his  being  descended,  by  the  female 
line,  from  Edward  I.,  was  intrusted  with  the 
government  of  Ireland,  a.  d.  1359.  In  his 
time  the  king  of  England  published  an  act 
prohibiting  any  of  the  old  Irish  from  being 
admitted  to  hold  the  offices  of  mayor,  bailift", 
or  any  situation  in  a  city  within  the  English 

*  War.  de  Anliq.  Hib.  cap.  26.  AUemand,  Hist. 
Monast.  d'Irl.  page  337. 

+  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Ardmachan. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


343 


province  ;  and  also  from  being  appointed 
to  any  ecclesiastical  dignity.  The  year  fol- 
lowing, however,  he  mitigated  this  act  in 
favor  of  some  Irish  prelates  who  had  been 
attached  to  him. 

The  earl  of  Ormond  having  been  recall- 
ed, under  some  pretext,  to  England,  Maurice 
Fitzgerald,  earl  of  Kildare,  was  appointed 
lord-justice  during  his  absence,  a.  d.  1360, 
by  a  patent  under  the  great  seal  of  Ireland, 
with  the  usual  salary  of  five  hundred  pounds 
sterling  a  year,  on  condition  of  supporting 
nineteen  men-at-arms  for  his  guard,  and  pro- 
tecting the  English  colony,  with  the  castles 
and  lands  belonging  to  it.  His  government 
Avas  of  short  duration,  as  he  resigned  it  to 
the  earl  of  Ormond  on  his  return  to  Ireland. 

Richard,  son  of  Ralph,  a  native  of  Dun- 
dalk,  and  archbishop  of  Armagh,  died  at 
this  time  at  Avignon.  Having  taken  the  de- 
gree of  doctor  of  theology  in  the  university 
of  Oxford,  of  which  he  was  chancellor  in 
1333,  he  was  appointed  dean  of  Lichfield, 
and  in  1347,  consecrated  archbishop  of  Ar- 
magh, at  Oxford,  having  been  named  to  that 
see  by  Clement  VI.  Raphael  Volateran,  in 
his  commentaries,  calls  him  cardinal  of  Ar- 
magh ;  but  Alphonso  Ciaconius  and  Onu- 
phrius  Panvinius  make  no  mention  of  him 
in  their  list  of  cardinals.  This  prelate  was 
a  learned  theologian,  and  an  able  preacher. 
Ware  mentions  his  having  a  collection,  in 
manuscript,  of  sermons  preached  by  him  at 
Lichfield,  London,  and  other  places  in  Eng- 
land ;  at  Drogheda,  Dundalk,  Trim,  and  else- 
where in  the  county  of  Armagh  ;  and  also 
at  Avignon,  where  he  delivered  a  discourse 
in  favor  of  bishops  and  parish  priests,  in 
presence  of  the  pope,  at  a  consistory  held 
on  the  5th  of  July,  1350.  In  the  sermons 
which  he  preached  in  London,  he  drew  the 
following  inferences,  for  which  he  was  sum- 
moned to  Avignon  :  1st,  that  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  as  a  man,  was  very  poor,  not  that 
he  loved  poverty  for  itself;  2d,  that  our 
Lord  had  never  begged  ;  3d,  that  he  never 
taught  men  to  beg  ;  4th,  that,  on  the  contra- 
ry, he  taught  men  not  to  beg  ;  5th,  that  man 
cannot,  with  prudence  and  holiness,  confine 
himself  by  vow  to  a  life  of  constant  mendi- 
city ;  6th,  that  minor  brothers  are  not  obliged 
by  their  rule  to  beg  ;  7th,  that  the  bull  of 
Alexander  IV.,  which  condemns  the  Book 
of  Masters,  does  not  invalidate  any  of  the 
aforesaid  conclusions  ;  8th,  that  by  those 
who,  wishing  to  confess,  exclude  certain 
churches,  their  parish  one  should  be  prefer- 
red to  the  oratories  of  monks  ;  and  9th,  that, 
for  auricular  confession,  the  diocesan  bishop 
should  be  chosen  in  preference  to  friars. 


Other  works  are  ascribed  also  to  this  pre- 
late ;  namely,  a  treatise  on  the  questions  of 
the  Armenians  respecting  the  four  books  of 
"  Sentences,"  and  the  Gospels  ;  one  on  the 
poverty  of  Jesus  Christ  ;  one  on  the  motives 
of  the  Jews  ;  a  defence  of  parish  priests  ; 
answers  to  the  objections  made  against  the 
privileges  given  to  mendicant  brothers  ;  in- 
structions for  judges,  on  the  declaration  to 
be  made  concerning  the  Extravagantes  of 
Pope  John  XXII.,  beginning  with  the  words : 
Vas  electioiiis  :  a  dissertation  on  mendicants 
in  good  health,  in  which  it  is  questioned  if 
they  be  entitled  to  relief ;  a  dialogue  on  sub- 
jects connected  with  the  holy  Scriptures,  and 
a  manuscript  which  is  in  Lincoln  college,  at 
Oxford.  He  is  said  to  have  written  likewise 
the  life  of  the  abbot  of  St.  Munchin,  who  liv- 
ed in  640  ;  praises  of  the  blessed  Virgin ;  the 
spiritual  virtue  of  the  passion  of  our  Lord, 
&c.  The  body  of  this  prelate  was  removed 
from  Avignon  to  Dundalk  in  1370,  by  Ste- 
phen de  Valle,  bishop  of  Meath  ;  and  the 
great  number  of  miracles  attributed  to  him, 
induced  Pope  Boniface  IX.  to  commit  the 
examination  of  the  body  to  John  Colton,  one 
of  his  successors  in  the  see  of  Armagh,  and 
Richard  Young,  the  intended  bishop  of  Ban- 
gor ;  but  this  inquiry  was  brought  to  no  con- 
clusion. The  see  of  Armagh  was  filled,  after 
the  death  of  Richard,  by  Milo  Sweetman. 

Some  other  writers  flourished  about  the 
same  time.  Hugh  of  Ireland,  belonging  to 
the  order  of  minor  brothers,  wrote  his  travels 
in  different  countries.  Wadding  believes  that 
he  was  the  same  person  as  Hugh  Bernard, 
a  provincial  of  the  minorites  in  Ireland. 

William,  of  Drogheda,  so  called  from  the 
place  of  his  birth,  lived  at  this  period.  He 
was  educated  at  Oxford,  where  he  became 
eminent  for  his  knowledge  of  law,  as  well 
as  of  arithmetic  and  geometry,  and  was  pub- 
lic professor  of  law  in  that  university.  He 
is-  said  to  have  been  author  of  a  book  called 
the  Golden  Summary,  which  is  in  the  college 
of  Caius  and  Gonville,  at  Cambridge  ;  and 
of  a  treatise  on  secrecy.  Doctor  Thomas 
James,  in  his  catalogue  of  manuscripts  at 
Oxford  and  Cambridge,  places  him  among 
the  number  of  writers  on  civil  law. 

Geoffry  O'Hogan,  of  the  order  of  the 
minor  brothers  at  Nenagh,  in  the  county  of 
Tipperary,  wrote  the  annals  of  his  time, 
from  1336  to  1370,  which  are  to  be  met 
with  in  manuscript. 

The  king  of  England  wishing  to  send  his 
son  Lionel  to  Ireland,  as  his  lieutenant,  with 
forces  sufficient  to  subdue  that  country,  in 
order  to  render  the  expedition  more  brilliant, 
and  the  undertaking  more  successful,  sum- 


344 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


moned  the  duchess  of  Norfolk,  and  all  the 
English  nobles  who  possessed  estates  in  Ire- 
land, to  appear  before  him  and  his  council, 
in  order  to  make  arrangements  for  its  defence. 
At  this  assembly  they  were  enjoined  to  repair 
to  Ireland  without  delay,  with  all  the  men 
they  could  collect  capable  of  bearing  arms, 
and  assist  his  son.  The  king  at  the  same 
time  published  a  proclamation  against  the 
exportation  of  corn  and  other  provisions  from 
Ireland,  under  pain  of  confiscation.  Lastly, 
he  gave  orders  to  confiscate  all  the  lands 
which  his  officers  had  purchased  there  with- 
out his  permission,  and  contrary  to  the  de- 
cree of  Edward  II. 

Every  thing  being  prepared  for  the  expe- 
dition of  Lionel,  who  was  earl  of  Ulster  and 
lord  of  Connaught,  in  virtue  of  his  marriage 
with  Elizabeth,  daughter  and  heiress  of 
William  de  Burgo,  this  prince  set  sail  for 
Ireland,  a.  d.  1361  ;  and  accompanied  by 
his  countess,  landed  in  Dublin  on  the  15th 
of  September,  attended  by  fifteen  hundred 
men,  intending  to  complete  the  conquest  of 
the  kingdom.  The  arrangement  made  in  this 
expedition  respecting  the  command,  and  the 
levying  and  payment  of  the  troops,  will  ap- 
pear curious  and  interesting  ;  as  by  it  is 
shown  the  difference  that  prevailed  between 
the  mode  of  keeping  up  troops  at  that  period 
and  the  present.  The  chiefs  who  command- 
ed under  Prince  Lionel,  were  Ralph,  earl  of 
Stafford,  James,  earl  of  Ormond,  John  Ca- 
rew,  a  knight  Banneret,  Sir  William  Win- 
sore,  and  a  few  others.*  The  pay  of  the 
prince  was  at  first  but  six  shillings  and  eight 
pence  a  day  ;  that  of  the  five  knights  by 
whom  he  was  attended,  two  shillings  each ; 
of  sixty-four  squires,  twelve  pence  a  day 
each  ;  and  of  seventy  archers,  six  pence  a 
day  each.  Prince  Lionel  Avas  created  duke 
of  Clarence  soon  afterwards,  and  the  number 
of  his  attendants  was  increased  ;  his  salary 
was  then  raised  to  thirteen  shillings  a  day'; 
he  had  eighteen  knights  at  two  shillings,  and 
three  hundred  and  eighty  archers,  viz. ;  three 
hundred  and  sixty  horsemen  at  sixpence,  and 
twenty-three  infantry  at  two  pence  a  day  each. 

The  pay  of  the  earl  of  Stafford  was  six 
shillings  and  eight  pence  a  day  ;  one  Ban- 
neret, four  shillings  ;  of  seventeen  knights, 
two  shillings  each  ;  of  seventy-eight  squires, 
twelve  pence  ;  a  hundred  horse-archers,  six 
pence  each.  Stafford  had  also  the  command 
of  seventy  archers  from  different  provinces 
in  England  at  four  pence  a  day. 

The  earl  of  Ormond  had  four  shillings  a 
day  ;   two  knights  who  commanded  under 

*  Davis,  Hist.  Relat. 


him,  two  shillings  each  ;  twenty-seven 
squires,  twelve  pence  each  ;  twenty  knights, 
called  holders,  from  the  hobbies  or  light 
horses  which  they  rode,  six  pence  ;  and 
twenty  unarmed  hoblers,  four  pence  a  day. 

The  pay  of  Sir  John  Carew  was  four 
shillings  a  day  ;  that  of  a  knight  who  at- 
tended him,  two  shillings  ;  eight  squires 
had  twelve  pence  ;  and  ten  horse-archers, 
six  pence  a  day  each. 

Sir  William  Winsore  had  two  shillings  a 
day,  two  other  knights,  two  shillings  each  ; 
forty-nine  squires,  twelve  pence  ;  and  six 
horse-archers,  six  pence  a  day. 

The  other  knights  and  lords  in  this  expe- 
dition, were  paid  in  proportion  to  their  rank 
and  the  number  of  men  they  furnished.  The 
kings,  at  that  period,  levied  no  troops  by 
commission  as  they  at  present  do  ;  but  the 
lords  severally  undertook  to  raise  a  stipulated 
number  for  the  service  of  the  prince,  accord- 
ing to  their  authority  among  the  people,  for 
a  stated  sum  of  money.  Good  policy  after- 
wards removed  this  abuse,  which,  by  making 
the  nobles  too  popular,  enabled  them  to  levy 
forces  against  their  sovereigns. 

The  preparations  made  by  Prince  Lionel 
were  not  attended  with  much  success  ;  he 
revived  the  distinctions  between  Englishmen 
by  descent  and  Englishmen  by  birth  ;  repo- 
sed all  his  confidence  in  the  latter,  with  whom 
he  thought  himself  equal  to  any  enterprise, 
and  refused  the  services  of  the  former;  even 
forbidding  them  to  approach  his  camp.  He 
marched  against  the  O'Briens,  but  was  de- 
feated, with  the  loss  of  a  hundred  men.  This 
check  made  him  feel  the  want  of  the  Anglo- 
Irish,  who  were  better  acquainted  with  the 
country,  and  the  dispositions  of  the  inhabit- 
ants, than  the  new  recruits  he  had  brought 
fi'om  England ;  and  he  accordingly  published 
an  edict,  in  which  the  Englishmen  by  descent 
were  enjoined  to  enlist  under  his  banners,  by 
which  means  he  was  enabled  to  continue  the 
campaign.  He  confirmed  the  union  of  par- 
ties by  conferring  the  honor  of  knighthood  on 
several  of  the  old  and  new  English,  the  prin- 
cipal of  whom  were  Robert  Preston,  Robert 
Holywood,  Thomas  Talbot,  Walter  Cusack, 
James  de  la  Hyde,  John  Frene,  Patrick  and 
Robert  Fresne,  and  several  others. 

Lionel  removed  the  exchequer  from  Dub- 
lin to  Carlow,  and  gave  five  hundred  pounds 
to  have  that  town  surrounded  with  walls. 
He  made  himself  master  of  the  maritime 
coasts  of  his  country  in  Ulster,  and  kept  so 
strict  a  discipline  among  his  troops  that  they 
were  no  longer  a  burden  to  the  people  as 
before.  All  those  distinguished  acts  influ- 
enced the  clergy  and  Anglo-Irish  lords  to 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


345 


grant  him  two  years  value  of  their  revenues 
to  support  the  war  ;  but  after  his  ostentatious 
campaigns,  he  returned  to  England  in  the 
month  of  April,  without  effecting  the  con- 
quest of  Ireland,  or  extending  the  limits  of 
the  English  province. 

At  this  period,  a  second  plague  visited 
Ireland,  and  the  mortality  was  great,  partic- 
ularly among  the  men.  About  this  time,  too, 
Radulphus,  or  Ralph  O'Kelly,  archbishop  of 
Cashel,  died.  This  prelate,  who  was  a  native 
of  Drogheda,  was  educated  by  the  Carmelites 
in  Kildare,  where  he  took  the  habit  of  their 
order.  In  1 336  he  distinguished  himself  as 
an  orator,  was  appointed  attorney-general 
under  Peter  de  Casa;  in  1345  he  was  raised 
to  the  archbishopric  of  Cashel  by  Pope  Cle- 
ment VI.  After  laboring  to  secure  peace 
to  his  church,  he  died  at  Cashel  in  1361,  in 
the  month  of  November,  and  was  interred  io 
the  church  of  St.  Patrick.  He  wrote  a  book 
of  canon  law,  some  epistles  on  friendship, 
and  other  works  which  have  been  lost.  An- 
thony Possevinus  makes  mention,  in  his  Sa- 
cred Compendium,  of  this  learned  prelate, 
but  calls  him  KuUei,  and  adds  that  he  was 
an  Englishman  ;  but  he  is  mistaken  with 
regard  to  both  his  name  and  country.  He 
was  succeeded  by  George  Roche,  who  lived 
only  a  short  time,  having  been  drowned  on 
his  return  from  Rome.  His  successor  was 
Thomas  O'Carrol. 

At  this  time  died  also  John  de  St.  Paul 
archbishop  of  Dublin.  He  had  been  a  canon 
of  that  city,  and  was  promoted  to  the  arch- 
bishopric in  the  month  of  September,  1349 
by  the  pope.  This  prelate  added  greatly  to 
the  size  of  the  church  of  the  Holy  Trinity 
and  built,  at  his  own  expense,  the  episcopal 
palace.  Some  serious  disputes  occurred  be- 
tween him  and  Richard,  the  learned  prelate 
of  Armagh,  about  the  primacy.  These  differ- 
ences continued  for  a  long  time  between  the 
two  sees,  but  were  at  length  terminated  by 
the  college  of  cardinals,  under  Innocent  VI. 
It  was  decided  by  this  august  tribunal,  that 
each  should  take  the  title  of  primate  ;  that 
the  archbishop  of  Armagh  should  be  styled 
primate  of  all  Ireland,  and  the  archbishop  of 
Dublin  primate  of  Ireland,  like  the  archbish- 
ops of  Canterbury  and  York,  the  former  of 
whom  signs  himself  primate  of  all  England, 
and  the  latter  primate  of  England.  The 
archbishop  of  Dublin  was  nominated  chan- 
cellor of  Ireland,  by  king  Edward  III.  ;  and 
having  governed  the  church  of  Dublin  for 
thirteen  years,  he  died  the  ninth  of  September, 
and  was  interred  in  the  church  of  the  Holy 
Trinity.  He  was  succeeded  by  Thomas 
Minot. 


The  vengeance  of  heaven  seems  to  have 
visited  Ireland  at  this  period,  from  the  plagues, 
hurricanes,  and  fires  which  took  place.  A 
third  mortality  was  severely  felt,  and  car- 
ried away  numbers  ;  the  storms  too  were  so 
frequent  and  violent,  that  the  strongest  trees 
were  torn  up  by  the  roots  ;  steeples,  chim- 
neys, and  houses  were  thrown  down  ;  fires 
occurred  frequently,  by  which  many  houses 
were  reduced  to  ashes,  and  the  beautiful 
church  of  St.  Patrick,  in  Dublin,  was  totally 
consumed. 

The  earl  of  Ormond  was  appointed  deputy, 
in  the  absence  of  the  duke  of  Clarence,  a.  d. 
1364.  This  nobleman  obtained  permission 
from  the  court  to  purchase  lands  to  the  value 
of  sixty  pounds  sterling  a  year,  notwith- 
standing the  law  or  statute  which  prohibited 
the  king's  officers  from  purchasing  land 
within  the  extent  of  their  jurisdiction. 

The  archiepiscopal  see  of  Tuam  having 
become  vacant  in  1348,  by  the  death  of  Ma- 
lachy  Mac-Aodh,  the  canons  nominated  Ro- 
bert Bermingham  as  archbishop ;  but  his 
election  was  rejected  by  the  pope,  who  ap- 
pointed Thomas  O'Carrol,  archdeacon  of 
Cashel,  (of  the  noble  family  of  the  O'Carrols 
of  Eile,)  who  was  consecrated  at  Avignon. 
The  town  of  Tuam  was  plundered  and  burned 
during  his  administration,  by  one  Charles  or 
Cahal  Oge,  in  concert  with  the  son  of  Wil- 
liam de  Burgo.  This  prelate  was  removed 
b'ythe  pope  in  1364,  to  the  see  of  Cashel,  and 
was  succeeded  at  Tuam  by  John  O'Grada. 

The  duke  of  Clarence  returned  to  Ireland 
in  1365,  where  he  continued  but  for  a  short 
time  ;  remaining  only  to  appoint  Sir  Thomas 
Dale  his  deputy,  which  done  he  went  back  to 
England.  Serious  disturbances  broke  out 
under  the  new  governor,  between  the  Ber- 
minghams  of  Carbry,  county  Kildare,  and 
the  English  of  Meath,  who  laid  waste,  in 
turn,  each  other's  lands.  Sir  Robert  Preston, 
first  baron  of  the  exchequer,  who  had  married 
the  heiress  of  Sir  William  Bermingham,  was 
obliged  to  place  a  strong  garrison  in  the 
castle  of  Carbry,  to  protect  his  estates. 

Lionel,  duke  of  Clarence,  returned  a  third 
time  to  Ireland.  He  convened  a  parliament 
at  Kilkenny,  in  which  a  celebrated  law,  fre- 
quently quoted  under  the  name  of  the  Sta- 
tute of  Kilkenny,  was  enacted.  This  law  had 
no  reference  to  the  ancient  Irish,  who  were 
not  admitted  as  yet  under  the  protection  of 
the  English  laws,  though  they  had  frequently 
sought  to  obtain  it :  but  were  obliged  to 
follow  their  own  ancient  laws  till  the  reign 
of  James  I.  The  object  of  the  act  was  a 
reformation  in  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  descendants  of  the  first  English,  who  had 


346 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


settled  in  Ireland  since  the  twelfth  century, 
and  were  called  by  their  countrymen,  the 
degenerate  English.  In  fact  they  considered 
themselves,  with  justice,  as  true  Irish  :  they 
possessed  property  in  the  country  ;  and  their 
interests  had  become  difTerent  from  those  of 
the  English  by  birth.  They  began  to  hold 
intercourse  with  the  ancient  inhabitants, 
whose  manners,  customs,  and  style  of  dress, 
they  adopted  ;  and  many  of  them  placed  the 
article  Mac  before  their  names,  in  conformity 
with  the  custom  of  the  Irish.  Some  branches 
of  the  Burkes,  of  Connaught,  suppressedtheir 
real  names,  and  called  themselves  Mac-Wil- 
liam, Mac-Hubbard,  Mac-David.  The  Bcr- 
minghams  took  the  name  of  Mac-Yoris  ; 
Dexecester,  that  of  Mac-Jordan  ;  Nangle,  or 
de  Angulo,  that  of  Mac-Costelloe.  Like 
changes  took  place  among  some  branches  of 
the  Fitzgeralds  in  Munster.  The  chief  of  the 
house  of  Lixnaw  was  called  Mac-Maurice  ; 
another  was  known  by  the  name  of  Mac- 
Gibbon.  These  are  at  present  called  Fitzmau- 
rice  and  Fitzgibbon,  the  articles  Mac  and 
FiY^  being  of  the  same  signification,  namely, 
son  of  such  a  one.  The  Butlers,  of  Dunboyne, 
took  the  name  of  Mac-Pheris  ;  the  Condons, 
of  Waterford,  were  called  Mac-Maioge  ;  and 
in  the  same  way,  many  others.  It  appears 
that  the  new  colonies,  which  were  sent  under 
different  reigns  from  England  to  Ireland, 
were  always  careful  to  sow  discord  between 
the  new  and  old  Irish,  who  lived  in  perfect 
harmony  with  each  other.  This  became  a 
source  of  uneasiness  to  the  English,  and  gave 
rise  to  the  celebrated  statute  of  Kilkenny, 
above  alluded  to,  which  is  still  preserved  in 
French  in  the  library  of  Lambeth,  in  Eng- 
land. By  this  law,  the  English  by  descent, 
who  had  settled  in  Ireland,' were  prohibited, 
under  the  penalties  of  high  treason,  to  have 
any  intercourse  with  the  ancient  Irish,  to 
form  alliances  with  them  by  marriage,  to 
speak  their  language,  to  imitate  their  mode 
of  dress,  to  adopt  their  names,  to  confer 
livings  on  them,  or  admit  them  into  monas- 
teries or  religious  houses, &c.*  This  law  was 
revived  afterwards, and  confirmed  in  a  parlia- 
ment held  at  Drogheda,  under  Henry  VII. 
The  duke  of  Clarence  having  terminated 
to  his  satisfaction  the  parliament  of  Kilkenny, 
returned  to  England,  a.  d.  1317,  and  Gerard 
Fitzmaurice,  earl  of  Desmond,  was  appointed 
lord-justice    of   Ireland.      This    nobleman. 


*  This  act  is  in  direct  opposition  to  their  pre- 
tended reformation  of  morals,  of  which  the  English 
boasted,  and  which  had  been  made  a  pretext  for 
their  usurpation.  It  was  by  frequent  intercourse  only 
that  such  reformation  could  have  been  effected. 


whose  office  obliged  him  to  watch  over  the 
public  peace, and  maintain  tranquillity  among 
the  king's  subjects,  commissioned  Thomas 
Burley,  prior  of  Kilmainham  and  chancellor 
of  Ireland,  John  Reicher,  sherifl"  of  Meath, 
Robert  Tyrrel,  baron  of  Castleknock,  and  a 
few  others,  to  make  peace  between  the  Ber- 
mingharas  of  Carbry,  and  the  English  of 
Meath,  who  had  been  at  war  for  some  time. 
This  negotiation  did  not,  however,  take 
place  ;  the  commissioners  being  arrested, 
contrary  to  the  rights  of  war,  by  the  Ber- 
minghams,  who  found  means  thereby  to  pro- 
cure the  liberty  of  James  Bermingham,then  a 
prisoner  at  Trim,  by  exchanging  him  for  the 
chancellor.  The  others  were  obliged  to  pur- 
chase their  liberty.  About  this  time  the  duke 
of  Clarence  died  at  Pavia,  in  Piedmont,  from 
whence  his  body  was  brought  to  England,  and 
interred  in  the  Augustin  convent  at  Clare. 

Sir  William  de  Windsor  arrived  in  Ireland 
in  the  month  of  July,  1369,  as  lord-justice. 
He  convened  a  parliament  at  Kilkenny, 
which  granted  him  a  subsidy  of  three  thou- 
sand pounds  sterling,  for  the  necessities  of 
the  state.  He  held  a  second  shortly  after- 
wards at  Ballydoil,  by  which  two  thousand 
pounds  were  ordered  to  be  raised  in  order  to 
carry  on  the  war.  The  payment  of  these 
sums  was  suspended  for  a  while,  by  com- 
mand of  the  king.  They  were  subsequently 
raised,  however,  and  placed  at  the  disposal 
of  the  lord-justice.  Ireland  was  visited  at 
this  time  by  a  fourth  plague,  which  carried 
off  several  persons  of  all  ranks. 

The  lord-justice  carried  on  the  war  vigor- 
ously against  the  O'Tools  and  other  inhab- 
itants of  Leinster.  The  English  in  Munster 
were,however,defeated  at  the  same  time,  near 
the  monastery  of  Nenay,  in  the  county  of 
Limerick,  by  theO'Briens  and  Mac-Nemaras 
of  Thuomond.  The  earl  of  Desmond,  John 
Fitznicolas,  lord  of  Kerry,  Thomas  Fitzjohn, 
and  several  other  noblemen  were  made  pris- 
oners in  this  engagement,  and  a  considerable 
number  slain.  This  reverse  of  fortune  among 
the  English  created  a  change  in  the  opera- 
tions of  the  lord-justice  ;  he  collected  his 
scattered  forces,  gave  up  his  enterprises  in 
Leinster,  flew  to  the  aid  of  his  countrymen  in 
Munster,  and  obliged  M'Nemara,  a  powerful 
lord  in  Thuomond,  to  submit  to  him  and  give 
hostages.  This  viceroy  was  afterwards  re- 
called to  England  ;  he  left  Maurice  Fitz- 
gerald in  his  stead  as  governor  of  Ireland, 
who,  on  his  appointment,  took  the  usual 
oath,  A.  D.  1371. 

After  the  translation  of  Thomas  O'Carrol, 
!john  O'Grada,  archdeacon  of  Cashel,  was 
1  appointed  to  the  archbishopric  of  Tuam  in 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


347 


his  place,  and  consecrated  the  same  year  at 
Avignon.*  This  prelate,  v/ho  was  respected 
for  his  liberality  and  other  good  qualities, 
died  at  Limerick  on  the  19th  of  September, 
1371,  and  was  succeeded  by  Gregory,  bish- 
op of  Elphin. 

Sir  Robert  de  Ashton  was  nominated 
lord-justice  of  Ireland,  a.  d.  1372.  A  de- 
structive war  broke  out  about  this  time,  be- 
tween the  O'Ferralls  of  Longford,  and  the 
English  of  Meath,  in  which  many  lives 
were  lost  on  both  sides. f  John  Hussy, 
baron  of  Galtrim,  John  Fitzrichard,  sheriff' 
of  Meath,  and  William  Dalton,  were  killed, 
together  with  their  retinues,  in  the  month 
of  May,  by  the  M'Geoghegans  of  Kinalyach, 
who  had  taken  part  in  the  quarrel. 

Thomas  O'Carrol,  archbishop  of  Tuam, 
who  was  translated  to  the  see  of  Cashel  in 
1365,  by  a  bull  from  the  pope,  governed  this 
latter  church  for  the  space  of  eight  years. 
He  was  greatly  esteemed  for  his  prudence 
and  learning.  He  died  at  Cashel  on  the  8th 
of  February,  1373,  and  was  interred  in  the 
cathedral. I  His  successor  was  Philip  de 
Torrington. 

Sir  William  Windsor  was  at  length  ap- 
pointed the  king  of  England's  lieutenant  in 
Ireland,  a.  d.  1374.  He  landed  at  Waterford 
on  the  18th  of  April,  and  took  the  oath  of 
office  at  Kilkenny  on  the  4th  of  May. ^  He 
engaged  to  protect  and  govern  the  English 
province,  on  condition  of  receiving  eleven 
thousand  two  hundred  and  thirteen  pounds 
sterling  a  year,  to  defray  his  expenses.  An 
order  was  obtained  by  him  from  the  king 
and  his  council,  to  oblige  all  who  possessed 
estates  in  Ireland  to  reside  in  the  country, 
under  pain  of  having  their  properties  con- 
fiscated, or  else  to  send  others  in  their  place, 
capable  of  defending  them  ;  but,  notwith- 
standing all  these  precautions,  he  was  so 
unsuccessful  in  subduing  the  Irish,  that,  as 
he  has  himself  acknov/ledged,  he  never  was 
able  to  get  access  to  them,  and  therefore 
gave  up  the  enterprise.- 

Thomas  Minot,  prebendary  of  Malaghi- 
dert,  andtreasurer  of  Ireland,  was  appointed 
archbishop  of  Dublin  by  the  pope,  and  con- 
secrated on  Palm  Sunday,  1363.  The  dis- 
pute relative  to  the  carrying  of  the  cross, 
was  renewed  once  more  between  him  and 
Milo,  archbishop  of  Armagh.  This  prelate 
had  the  church  of  St.  Patrick  repaired,  which 

*  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Tuamens. 

t  Chron.  manuscr.  Hcnric.  de  Marleburg.  apud 
Camd.  ad  calcem  Brit. 

1   War.  de  Archiepisc.  Cassel. 

§  War.  de  Annal.  Ilib.  Cox,  Hib.  Engl,  under 
Edward  III. 


had  been  greatly  injured  by  fire  ;  and  also 
caused  a  handsome  .steeple  to  be  added  to 
it,  built  of  cut  stone.  He  died  in  London, 
in  the  month  of  July,  1375,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Robert  de  Wikeford. 

James  Butler,  earl  of  Ormond,  was  ap- 
pointed lord-justice  of  Ireland,  a.  d.  1376. 
By  this  office  the  .defence  of  the  English 
province,  its  castles  and  dependencies,  was 
confided  to  him  during  the  king's  pleasure. 
His  guard  consisted  of  twenty  horsemen, 
well  paid  and  mounted,  he  himself  being 
the  twentieth.  The  subjoined  is  a  form  of 
the  commission  he  received,  which  is  given 
for  the  gratification  of  our  readers.* 

In  the  time  of  this  lord-justice,  the  coun- 
ties, towns,  and  boroughs  of  the  English  pro- 
vince in  Ireland  sent  commissioners  to  Eng- 
land to  deliberate  with  the  king  on  the  state 
of  affairs  in  that  island,  without  making  any 
mention  of  consulting  the  parliament. 

The  king,  by  his  letter  patent,  dated  in 
August,  empowered  the  earl  of  Ormond  as 
lord-justice,  with  the  concurrence  of  the 
council,  to  grant  a  general  pardon  to  all 
accused  persons  ;  the  prelates,  however,  and 
earls,  who  were  guilty  of  crimes  which 
merited  death,  or  the  loss  of  a  limb,  or  of 
their  estates,  were  excluded  from  this  am- 
nesty. At  the  same  time,  Alexander,  bishop 
of  Ossory,  was  appointed  treasurer  of  Ire- 
land ;  six  men-at-arms,  and  twelve  archers, 
who  were  maintained  at  the  king's  expense, 
being  given  to  him  as  a  guard. 

The  reign  of  Edward  HI.  was  long  and 
brilliant,  but  oppressive  to  his  subjects,  on 
account  of  the  frequent  taxes  he  was  obliged 
to  raise,  to  enable  him  to  carry  on  the  wars 
in  which  he  was  continually  engaged  with 
France  and  Scotland.  As  to  his  personal 
character,  he  was  brave  and  successful,  and 
appeared  the  more  illustrious  from  his  hav- 
ing been  the  successor  and  predecessor  of 
two  unhappy  princes. 

The  good  qualhies  of  Edward  were  tar- 
nished by  the  cruelty  of  which  he  had  been 
guilty  on  three  remarkable  occasions.  Be- 
sides the  horrible  catastrophe  which  befell 
his  father,  the  enormity  of  which  nothing 
can  palliate,  (he  having  been  then  of  an  age 

*  "  Rex  omnibus  ad  quos,  &c.  Salutem.  Sciatis 
quod  commisimus  dilecto  consanguineo  nostro  Ja- 
cobo  Le  Bottiler  Comiti  de  Ormond  officium  Justic. 
nostr.  Hibern.  et  terram  nostrain  Hibern.  cum 
castris  et  aliis  pertineiitiis  suis  custodiend.  quamdiu 
nol)is  placuerit,  percipiend.  per  an.  ad  scac.  nos- 
trum Hibern.  (quamdiu  in  officio  illo  sic  steterit) 
quingent.  libras,  pro  quibus  officium  illud  et  terram 
custodiet,  et  erit  se  vlcessimus  de  hominibus  ad 
arma,  cum  tot  equis  coopei-tis,  continuo  durante 
commissione  supra  dicta,"  &c. 


348 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


susceptible  of  feeling  its  atrocity,)  ho  suf- 
fered Ediuond,  carl  of  Kent,  his  paternal 
uncle,  to  be  condemned  by  a  parliament 
held  at  Winchester,  and  to  be  beheaded  for 
having  shown  some  marks  of  tenderness 
and  humanity  for  his  brother  Edward  II., 
who  was  put  to  death  in  the  deplorable 
manner  already  described. 

In  the  betiinning  of  his  war  with  Scotland, 
Edward  bl'^sie^(■d  the  town  of  Berwick,  of 
which  Sir  Alexander  Scaton  was  commander, 
who,  finding  the  place  reduced  to  the  last 
extremity,  offered  to  capitulate.  It  was 
agreed  between  both  parties,  that  if  the 
town  received  no  succor  before  the  expira- 
tion of  a  fortnight,  it  would  then  surrender 
to  the  English.  As  a  pledge  for  the  fulfil- 
ment of  this  treaty,  the  governor  gave  his 
son  as  a  hostage  ;  but  the  treacherous  king 
seeing  the  Scotch  army  marching  to  the 
assistance  of  the  place,  a  few  days  after- 
wards, sent  word  to  the  governor  that  if  he 
did  not  immediately  surrender  he  would 
not  only  hang  the  hostage,  but  likewise 
another  of  his  sons  who  was  prisoner  of  war 
in  his  camp.  The  governor,  surprised  at  so 
barbarous  a  determination,  sent  a  person  to 
represent  to  him  that  the  time  agreed  upon 
for  the  surrender  of  the  place  had  not  yet 
expired  ;  but  finding  Edward  inflexible,  and 
ready  to  sacrifice  every  honorable  feeling 
to  revenge,  he  suffered  dreadfully  from  the 
struggle  between  his  natural  affection  as  a 
father  for  his  children,  and  the  fidelity  which 
he  owed  his  prince  and  country :  whereupon 
his  wife,  a  woman  worthy  the  admiration  of 
all  future  ages,  told  him  she  was  yet  young, 
and  might  possibly  have  more  children,  but 
that  the  loss  of  Berwick  would  be  irrepara- 
ble, and  that  the  public  welfare  should  be 
preferred  to  every  other  consideration.  The 
governor,  encouraged  by  so  noble  a  resolu- 
tion on  the  part  of  his  wife,  sacrificed  his 
tenderness  as  a  father  to  his  duty  as  a  faith- 
ful citizen,  and  had  the  misery  of  beholding 
his  children  executed  before  him.  All  the 
virtues  of  Edward  cannot  efface  the  stain 
of  this  barbarous  deed. 

At  another  period  the  town  of  Calais, 
which  Edward  was  besieging,  being  reduced 
to  the  necessity  of  surrendering,  proposals 
to  that  effect  were  sent  to  him  :  but  the  inex- 
orable conqueror  answered  haughtily,  that 
six  of  the  principal  citizens  should  appear 
before  him.  bareheaded  and  barefooted,  with 
ropes  around  their  necks,  with  the  keys  of 
the  town  and  castle  in  their  hands,  and  sub- 
mit to  his  will.  These  severe  conditions 
were  not  immediately  accepted,  but  neces- 
sity at  length  forced  the  citizens  to  accede  to 


them,  and  the  six  innocent  victims  appearing 
before  him,  he  gave  orders  to  have  them 
strangled.  Ho  refused  all  the  entreaties  of 
his  nobles  to  change  this  hard  sentence  ;  but 
the  queen,  who  was  then  pregnant,  moved 
with  pity,  threw  herself  at  his  feet,  and  with 
great  difficulty  obtained  pardon  for  the  un- 
happy men.  She  even  took  the  ropes  from 
about  their  necks  herself,  and  had  them 
dressed,  and  sent  them  home,  giving  to  each 
of  them  twenty  shillings.  Thus  did  her 
charity  and  goodness  atone  for  the  inhu- 
manity of  the  king  her  husband. 

Edward  III.  is  said  to  have  instituted  the 
order  of  the  garter  on  an  occasion  when  the 
queen  (others  say  the  countess  of  Salisbury) 
dropped  her  garter  while  dancing,  and  the 
king  taking  it  up,  exclaimed,  "  Honi  soit 
qui  mal  y  pense  ;"  "  Evil  to  him  who  evil 
thinks."*  Perhaps,  however,  it  was  derived 
from  garter,  a  watchword  which  this  king 
made  use  of  in  a  battle  wherein  he  was  vic- 
torious. Some  affirm  that  the  institution  of 
this  order  was  more  ancient,  and  that  it  was 
re-established  ordy  by  Edward,  having  been 
instituted  by  Richard  I.  Edward  was  the 
first  monarch  who  introduced  the  title  of 
duke  into  England,  beginning  with  his 
eldest  son  Edward,  whom  he  created  duke 
of  Cornwall.  He  afterwards  conferred  the 
title  on  two  others,  in  parliament ;  namely, 
his  son  Lionel,  whom  he  made  duke  of 
Clarence,  and  John  of  Lancaster,  whose 
earldom  he  converted  into  a  dukedom.  Si- 
mon Fleming,  lord  of  Slane,  in  the  county 
of  Meath,  Ireland,  was  created  baron  of 
Slane  by  this  monarch.! 

Edward  being  now  advanced  in  years,  fell 
into  all  the  infirmities  which  are  incidental 
to  old  age  ;  he  abandoned  himself  to  the 
caresses  of  an  infamous  woman  called  Alicia 
Pierce,  who  possessed  so  great  an  influence 
over  him  that  she  became  not  only  the  mis- 
tress of  his  person,  but  also  of  the  govern- 
ment of  the  kingdom.  Her  effrontery  was 
such  that  she  took  a  seat  even  in  the  courts 
of  justice,  and  the  great  men  of  the  kingdom 
were  base  enough  to  submit  to  her  dominion.^ 
The  subsidies,  however,  which  the  king  ap- 
plied for  in  the  parliament  which  was  held  at 
Windsor,  were  granted  on  condition  only, 
that  four  persons,  one  of  whom  was  Alicia 
Pierce,  should  be  given  up  ;  and  he  very 

*  Selden,  Tit.  of  Honor,  part  2,  chap.  5,  sec.  40, 
page  550. 

t  Nichol's  Rudiments  of  Honor. 

t  Baker,  Chron.  of  Engl,  on  the  reign  of  Edward  \ 
III.    Higgin's  Short  View  of  the  Hist,  of  England 
Camd.   Brit,  de    Ordin.  Anghc.     Selden,  ibid,  sec 
22,  page  50G,  et.  seq. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


349 


reluctantly  banished  her  from  court,  to  satisfy 
the  people.*  The  exiled  persons  were  after- 
wards recalled,  notwithstanding,  and  restor- 
ed to  their  places.! 

In  a  subsequent  parliament  dame  Pierce 
had  revenge  on  Sir  Peter  de  la  Moore,  who 
had  been  principally  instrumental  to  her  dis- 
grace, by  having  him  condemned  to  perpetual 
imprisonment.  He  was  liberated,  however, 
after  two  years,  through  the  intercession  of 
his  friends  4 

Edward  was  at  length  overwhelmed  with 
grief  and  sorrow,  both  by  the  death  of  his 
son  the  prince  of  Wales,  and  the  loss  of 
most  of  his  conquests  in  France,  of  which 
Calais  alone  remained  to  him.  Having  sur- 
vived the  best  of  wives,  and  the  best  son 
who  was  ever  born  to  a  king  ;  haying,  in  a 
manner,  outlived  himself,  as  his  latter  years 
did  not  accord  with  the  early  part  of  his  life ; 
when  about  to  breathe  his  last,  he  found  him- 
self forsaken  by  all,  even  by  Alicia  Pierce. 
She  allowed  none  to  speak  to  him  on  reli- 
gion, and  stripped  him  of  every  thing,  even 
of  the  rings  on  his  fingers,  his  jewels,  and 
all  the  valuables  he  possessed.  Her  exam- 
ple was  imitated  by  his  other  attendants, 
who  made  the  pillage  complete  ;  so  that  the 
unhappy  prince  was  left  alone  in  a  room, 
without  any  other  assistance  but  that  of  a 
poor  priest,  who  happened  to  be  in  the 
house  preparing  him  for  death. § 

The  king  had,  by  his  marriage  with  Phi- 
lippa,  daughter  of  the  earl  of  Hainault,  many 
children.     His  sons  were,  Edward,  prince 

*  "  A  general  petition  was  presented  that  Alicia 
Pierce,  who  was  a  most  petulant  woman,  confiding 
in  the  royal  favor,  and  the  cause  of  many  evils  to 
the  country,  should  he  removed  from  the  king's 
dwelling  and  familiarity.  She  strangely  transgressed 
the  bounds  of  female  propriety,  and  had  the  effron- 
tery to  sit,  at  one  time,  with  the  king's  justices,  and 
again,  with  the  doctors  of  the  consistorial  court, 
and  in  defence  of  her  cause  to  persuade  and  dis- 
suade, and  to  demand,  without  a  blush,  her  cause 
in  opposition  to  justice,  much  to  the  king's  scandal 
in  foreign  courts." — Walsingham  on  the  year  1376. 

t  "  On  which  occasion  all  who  had  been  banished, 
together  with  Lord  Latimer,  by  the  aforesaid  concu- 
bine,  Alicia  Pierce,  (who  shamefully  cohabited  with 
him  to  the  end  of  his  life,)  were  restored." 

X  Walsingham,  Ibidem,  p.  581. 

§  "  During  his  entire  illness,  by  his  sick  bed  sat 
the  wicked  Alicia  Pierce,  who  would  suffer  nothing 
to  be  done  for  his  salvation.  When  she  saw  that 
his  voice  had  failed  him,  this  unblushing  harlot  took 
the  rings  from  his  fingers  and  deserted  him.  The 
only  one  who  remained  with  the  dying  king  was  a 
priest,  (all  the  others  being  intent  on  plunder,)  who 
besought  of  him,  he  not  being  able  to  speak,  to  con- 
fess his  sins  in  thought,  to  repe.nt  and  implore  par- 
don for  them,  giving  him  at  the  same  time  a  cru- 
cifix to  hold  in  his  hand." — Wahinghain's  Brief 
History,  page  192. 


of  Wales  ;  William,  who  died  without  chil- 
dren ;  Lionel,  born  at  Antwerp  ;  John,  born 
at  Ghent ;  Edmond  de  Langly,  and  William 
de  Windsor,  his  sixth,  who  died  young  ; 
his  last  was  Thomas,  surnamed  Woodstock, 
from  the  place  of  his  birth. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Richard  H.,  surnamed  Bourdeaux,  from 
the  place  where  he  was  born,  was  only  son 
of  Edward,  prince  of  Wales,  known  by  the 
name  of  the  Black  Prince,  and  grandson  of 
Edward  HI.,  who  nominated  him  his  heir 
and  successor  to  the  throne.  He  was  crown- 
ed at  the  age  of  eleven  years,  at  Westmin- 
ster, on  the  16th  of  July,  1377,  by  Simon 
Sudbury,  archbishop  of  Canterbury.* 

The  merit  of  the  father,  whose  memory 
was  still  dear  to  the  English,  and  the  prom- 
ising disposition  of  the  son,  should,  one 
would  suppose,  make  this  prince  a  favorite 
with  the  people,  and  gain  for  him  the  afTec- 
tions  and  confidence  of  his  subjects.  Still, 
notwithstanding  these  happy  omens,  his  reign 
was  unfortunate,  and  attended  by  all  the 
troubles  which  seemed  inseparable  from  the 
race  of  the  Plantagenets.  If  we  reflect  that 
the  most  virtuous  princes  of  another  family, 
who  have  since  reigned  over  that  nation, 
have  been  equally  ill-treated  by  their  rebel- 
lious subjects,  the  misfortunes  of  the  kings 
of  England  cannot  be  ascribed  to  any  fatality, 
or  the  inauspicious  influence  of  an  unlucky 
star  ;  but  to  the  turbulent  disposition  of  a 
people  who  have  been  always  too  powerful 
and  too  unprincipled  to  be  good  subjects. 
The  conduct  of  this  prince  cannot,  it  is  true, 
be  approved  of ;  his  measures  were  too  arbi- 
trary to  render  him  agreeable  to  his  subjects, 
but  not  to  that  extent  which  could  justify 
their  proceedings  towards  him.  In  fact,  the 
result  of  the  violent  and  unruly  conduct  of 
the  people,  when  they  endeavor  to  make 
their  kings  do  them  justice,  is  generally 
more  fatal  than  the  grievances  which  they 
pretend  to  redress.f 

Richard  being  incapable,  on  account  of 
his  youth,  to  govern  alone,  his  uncles,  the 
dukes  of  Lancaster  and  Cambridge,  were 

*  Walsing.  Hist.  Brevis.     Baker's  Chronicle. 

t  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  by  the  reader,  that 
the  learned  abbe  composed  his  history  under  one  of 
the  most  despotic  monarchies  in  Euroiic,  and  that 
his  political  notions  are  not  always  unexceptionable. 
—Note  by  Ed. 


350 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


appointed  his  guardians.  In  order  to  curb 
their  ambition,  a  share  in  tlie  government 
was  given  to  other  noblemen  ;  but  this  mul- 
tiplicity of  governors  having  given  birth  to 
dissensions  concerning  their  pre-eminence 
and  power,  (which  each  was  desirous  of  as- 
suming,) the  parliament  thought  prudent  to 
appoint  Thomas  Beauchamp,  earl  of  War- 
wick, to  govern  the  king  and  the  kingdom. 
The  king's  ministers  having  appointed 
the  earl  of  Ormond  lord-justice  of  Ireland, 
this  nobleman  governed  the  English  prov- 
ince with  moderation,  and  used  every  pre- 
caution to  maintain  peace  and  good  order  in 
those  disturbed  times,  when  the  French  and 
Scotch,  taking  advantage  of  the  king's  mi- 
nority, attacked  England  on  every  side.  He 
held  the  court  of  common  pleas  as  usual, 
and  established  the  seat  of  justice  in  the  town 
of  Naas,  county  of  Kildare.  He  then  gave 
up  his  office  to  Alexander  Balscot,  bishop  of 
Ossory,  first  treasurer  and  afterwards  chan- 
cellor of  Ireland,  by  whom  it  was  filled  till 
the  month  of  November.  This  prelate  was 
succeeded,  as  lord-justice,  by  John  de  Brom- 
wick,  A.  D.  1379,  in  whose  time  a  law,  found- 
ed on  a  petition  sent  from  Ireland,  was 
enacted  by  the  lords  and  knights,  assembled 
in  parliament  in  England,  against  absentees. 
By  this  law,  all  who  possessed  estates  or 
offices  in  Ireland,  were  obliged  to  return  to 
that  country  ;  all  who  were  absent  under 
legal  causes,  were  compelled  to  send  depu- 
ties to  defend  their  castles  and  estates,  or 
surrender  two  thirds  of  their  revenues  for 
that  purpose ;  all  students  and  other  absen- 
tees, should  have  an  act  of  leave,  signed 
with  the  great  seal  of  England,  whereupon 
they  were  exonerated  by  their  giving  up  a 
third  of  their  income  :  because,  as  the  law 
expresses  it,  the  loss  of  Ireland  would  be 
of  vital  importance  to  the  king  and  crown  of 
England.  In  virtue  of  this  decree,  which 
was  afterwards  confirmed  under  Edward  IV., 
the  estate  of  Ballymaclo,  in  the  county  of 
Meath,  was  seized  for  the  king's  use,  in  the 
absence  of  William  Carew  ;  but  that  noble- 
man having  presented  a  petition  to  the  throne, 
his  property  was  restored  to  him  the  year 
following.  A  memorial  was  sent  to  the  same 
parliament  respecting  the  mines  and  mint 
of  Ireland.  The  king,  thereupon,  granted 
permission,  for  six  years,  to  each  proprietor^ 
to  work  the  mines  on  his  own  estates,  and 
to  draw  all  kinds  of  metals  from  them,  in- 
cluding both  gold  and  silver,  on  the  condi- 
tion of  giving  a  ninth  part  to  the  crown, 
and  sending  the  rest  to  the  mint  in  Dtiblin, 
•paying  there  the  usual  tax.  It  was  prohib- 
I  ited,   under  pain   of  confiscation,   to   send 


any  out  of  the  kingdom,  except  to  England, 
without  special  leave,  under  the  king's  great 
seal.  A  petition  was  also  presented,  pray- 
ing for  leave  to  carry  on  a  free  trade  with 
Portugal,  which  was  agreed  to  by  the  king 
of  England. 

The  English  government  were  continually 
devising  means  of  extending  their  dominion 
in  Ireland.  Sir  Nicholas  Dagworth  was 
commissioned  to  visit  the  lands  which  be- 
longed to  the  crown,  and  to  get  the  accounts 
of  those  who  had  been  intrusted  to  receive 
its  revenues,  A.  D.  1380.  At  the  same  time, 
Edmond  Mortimer,  carl  of  March  and  Ul- 
ster, was  sent  as  lieutenant  or  viceroy  to  that 
country.*  Some  time  before  his  arrival,  the 
French  and  Spanish  galleys,  having  laid 
waste  the  coasts  of  the  English  province  in 
Ireland,  were  attacked  by  the  English  fleet, 
which  blockaded  them  in  the  bay  of  Kinsale, 
where  they  killed  four  hundred  of  their  crews 
and  made  the  rest  prisoners.  Mortimer's 
administration  was  tolerably  tranquil  till  his 
death,  which  took  place  the  following  year 
at  Cork. 

About  this  time  the  archbishops  of  Ar- 
magh and  Cashel  died.f  Milo  Sweetman, 
treasurer  of  the  church  of  Kilkenny,  a  learn- 
ed and  prudent  man,  having  been  elected 
bishop  of  Ossory,  set  out  for  Avignon  to  ob- 
tain the  pope's  sanction,  but  Innocent  VI., 
who  was  then  pope,  having  disposed  of  this 
see  in  favor  of  another  before  his  arrival,  in 
order  to  compensate  Sweetman,  nominated 
him  to  the  archbishopric  of  Armagh,  which 
was  vacant  at  the  time.  Milo  governed 
this  church  for  about  nineteen  years,  and 
died  at  his  estate  of  Dromyskin,  on  the 
11th  of  August.  He  was  succeeded  by 
John  Col  ton. 

Philip  Torrington,  an  Englishman,  and 
monk  of  the  order  of  St.  Francis,  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  archbishopric  of  Cashel  by 
Pope  Gregory  XI.  WalsinghamJ  and  Ware 
mention  an  embassy  of  his  under  Richard  II. 
to  Urban  VI. ;  and  a  sermon  he  preached  in 
London,  on  his  return  from  Rome,  in  which 
he  announced  that  the  king  of  France,  and 
all  those  who  had  adhered  to  the  anti-pope, 
had  been  excommunicated,  and  concluded 
by  observing  that  it  was  a  favorable  time  and 
opportunity  to  declare  war  against  that  coun- 
try. William,  bishop  of  Emly,  filled  the  of- 
fice of  vicar-general  of  Cashel  till  the  death 
of  Torrington,  which  took  place  abroad. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Peter  Hacket. 

*  Walsing.  Hist.  Brcvis.  ad  an.  1379. 

t  War.  de  Arcliicpisc.  Ardmach.  et  Cassclicns. 

I  Hist.  Brcvis.  ad  an.  1379. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


351 


Edmond  Mortimer,the  viceroy  ,having  died 
in  the  month  of  December,  1381,  John  Col- 
ton,  then  dean  of  St.  Patrick's,  and  chancellor 
of  Ireland,  and  afterwards  archbishop  of  Ar- 
magh, was  appointed  to  succeed  him.  He 
immediately  took  the  usual  oath,  in  the  con- 
vent of  the  preaching  brothers.  It  appears 
that  he  filled  the  office  but  for  a  short  time, 
inasmuch  as  we  discover,  in  Pryn's  remarks 
on  the  fourth  institute,  a  mandate  of  the  29th 
March,  addressed  to  Roger  Mortimer,  the 
king's  lieutenant  in  Ireland,  whereby  he  was 
commanded  to  convene  a  parliament  to  main- 
tain good  order  in  the  government,  and  pro- 
vide for  the  expenses  of  the  war,  a.  d.  1382. 

In  the  course  of  this  year,  Richard,  king 
of  England,  married  the  princess  Ann,  sister 
to  the  emperor  Wenceslaus.*  This  princess 
having  arrived  at  Calais,  was  conducted  to 
London,  and  after  her  marriage,  was  solemn- 
ly crowned  at  Westminster,  by  the  arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury. 

Henry  Crump,  a  Cistertian  monk  of  Bal- 
tinglass,  in  Ireland,  having  taken  the  degree 
of  doctor  of  theology  at  Oxford,  in  1382, 
publicly  maintained  in  that  university  that 
the  institution  of  the  four  mendicant  orders 
was  not  only  not  divine,  but  that  it  was  also 
in  opposition  to  the  spirit  of  the  general 
council  of  Lateran,held  under  Innocent  1 1 1 .  ;t 
and  that  those  monks  had  made  use  of  pre- 
tended dreams  to  obtain  the  sanction  of  Pope 
Honorius.  He  was  obliged,  however,  to  re- 
tract what  he  had  said  respecting  them,  in 
the  Carmelite  convent  at  Staniford,  in  pre- 
sence of  William  Courtney,  archbishop  of 
Canterbury.  Crump  was  afterwards  accused 
of  heresy  on  the  real  presence,  by  William 
Andrew,  a  Dominican,  who  was  first  bishop 
of  Achonry,  and  afterwards  of  Meath.  Ac- 
cording to  Bale,  this  doctor  wrote  several 
tracts,  namely,  the  Determination  of  Schools, 
a  discourse  against  mendicants,  and  "  An- 
swers to  Objections."  He  gave  also  a  cata- 
logue of  all  the  foundations  of  monasteries  in 
England,  from  the  time  of  Birin,  first  bishop 
of  Dorchester,  to  that  of  Robert  Grosted, 
bishop  of  Lincoln,  v/ho  died  in  1253.  This 
latter  work  assisted  the  author  of  Rhymes  on 
the  Life  of  St.  Edith,  and  is  still  preserved 
in  the  Cottonian  library. 

About  the  end  of  this  century,  we  dis- 
cover an  author  in  Ireland,  named  Magraith 
M'Gawan,  a  regular  canon  of  the  abbey  of  St. 
Ruadan,  of  Lurchoe,  in  the  county  of  Tippe- 
rary,  who  wrote,  in  the  Irish  language,  the 
genealogies  of  the  saints  of  Ireland,  and  the 

*  Walsing-.  Ypodig'.  Neustricp,  ad  an.  138?. 
t  War.  de  Scrip.  Hib. 


succession  of  the  kings  and  nobles  of  the 
country,  with  a  iew  cursory  pieces.  Ware 
mentions  that  he  had  this  manuscript  in  his 
possession. 

Philip  Courtney,  a  relative  of  the  king,was 
appointed  lord-lieutenant  of  Ireland  in  place 
of  Mortimer,  a,  d.  1383.  He  was  considered 
particularly  fitted  for  the  government  of  the 
country,  possessing  as  he  did  several  estates 
in  it ;  but  though  he  had  letters  patent  au- 
thorizing him  to  retain  that  office  for  ten 
years,  his  unjust  administration  proved  him 
most  unfit  for  it.  He  was  arrested  while  in 
office,  and  severely  punished  for  peculation 
and  many  flagrant  acts  of  injustice,  which  he 
had  been  guilty  of.  During  his  administra- 
tion the  country  was  visited  a  fifth  time  by 
a  plague. 

Robert  de  Vere,  earl  of  Oxford,  the  great 
favorite  of  the  day,  was  appointed  lord-lieu- 
tenant of  Ireland  in  place  of  De  Courtney, 
A.  D.  1384.*  In  order  to  rid  themselves  of 
this  nobleman,  the  English  parliament  made 
over  to  him  a  debt  of  thirty  thousand  marks, 
due  by  the  king  of  France,  on  condition  that 
he  would  go  to  Ireland,  after  Easter,  to  re- 
cover lands  which  hadbeen  conferred  on  him 
by  the  king.f  For  this  purpose  the  state  un- 
dertook to  furnish  him,  for  two  years,  with 
five  hundred  soldiers,  at  twelve  pence  a  day 
each ;  and  a  thousand  archers,  at  six  pence 
a  day,  for  the  conquest  of  those  lands  :  "  Su- 
per conquestum  illius  terrae  per  duos  annos."  | 
The  king  moreover  bestowed  upon  him,  for 
his  life,  absolute  authority  in  Ireland,  without  | ! 
any  obligation  to  account  for  his  administra- 
tion, or  the  revenues  of  the  country;  besides 
authority  to  pass  all  public  acts  in  his  own 
name,  and  to  appoint  and  change  all  officers, 
at  his  pleasure, even  the  chancellor,  treasurer, 
and  admiral,  and  to  appoint  his  deputy,  and 
other  ministers.  The  extent  of  his  power  will 
appear  by  the  letters  patent  annexed.  But 
what  is  most  surprising,  these  letters  patent, 
whereby  this  governor  was  invested  with  pri- 
vileges greater  than  any  subject  could  aspire  | 
to,  were  sanctioned  by  the  parliament  of 
England  :  "  Assensu  praelatorum.  ducum,  et 
aliorum  procerum  et  communitatis  nostri  An- 
glise  in  parliamento."  The  man,  however,  on 
whom  these  favors  were  conferred,  never 
set  foot  in  Ireland. 

*  "  To  govern  the  whole  of  Ireland,  with  the  ad- 
jacent  islands  ;  and  all  camps,  counties,  boroughs, 
towns,  and  -seaports  ;  together  with  all  places  which  jj 
pay  homage,  &c.,  as  we  have  held  and  possess  them,  jj 
and  which  some  of  our  predecessors  have  lield  and  !| 
possessed,  and  we  now  continue  possessed  of,  &c."  i 
—  Walsingham  on  the  years  1385, 1386.  1 1 

t  Walsingham,   Ypodigmat.    Neustrice,    ad    an. 
1385  et  1386. 


352 


HISTORY    OF    IKELAND. 


Gregory,  bishop  of  Elphin,  was  removed 
in  1372,  to  the  archbishopric  of  Tuam.* 
Having  failed  to  attend  the  parliament  that 
was  lield  at  Tristlederniot,  in  1377,  he  was 
fined  one  hundred  pounds.  He  died  soon 
afterwards,  and  was  succeeded  by  Gregory 
O'Moghan. 

The  earl  of  Oxford  being  appointed  vice- 
roy of  Ireland,  if  not  willing  to  undertake  the 
functions  of  viceroy  of  that  country,  desirous 
to  evince  at  least  a  semblance  of  respect  for 
that  high  office,  to  which  the  parliament  had 
appointed  him,  proceeded  on  his  journey  as 
far  as  Wales,  in  company  with  the  king. 
But  the  friends  finding  it  impossible  to  sepa- 
rate, the  earl  sent  Sir  John  Stanley  to  Ireland 
as  his  deputy,  and  set  out  with  the  king,  on 
his  return  to  England.!  While  Stanley  was 
lord-deputy  in  Ireland,  the  bridge  of  Dublin 
gave  way,  a.  d.  1385. 

A  convent  was  founded  at  this  time,  at 
Clomin,  in  the  county  of  Wexford,  for  Au- 
gustin  hermits,  by  the  Cavanaghs,  who  were 
descended  from  Dermod,  the  last  king  of 
Leinster,  in  the  twelfth  century.  Some  peo- 
ple affirm,  according  to  Ware,  that  this  house 
was  given  to  the  Dominicans. 

The  king  having  no  children  to  succeed 
him,  Roger  Mortimer,  earl  of  March,  was 
declared  heir  to  the  throne  of  England,  by  an 
act  of  the  parUament  held  at  Westmin- 
ster in  1386  ;  as  being  the  son  of  Edmond 
Mortimer  and  Philippa,  daughter  and  heiress 
of  Lionel,  duke  of  Clarence,  third  son  of 
Edward  Ill.t 

Stanley  was  recalled  on  business  to  Eng- 
land, and  Alexander  Petit,  bishop  of  Meath, 
was  intrusted  with  the  government  of  Ire- 
land during  his  absence. 

Gregory  O'Moghan,  who  was  appointed 
to  the  archbishopric  of  Tuam  by  Clement 
VII.,  in  1387,  during  the  anti-papal  schism, 
was  afterwards  superseded  by  Urban  VI., 
who  nominated  William  O'Cormacain  to 
succeed  him.  According  to  the  annals  of 
Loghkee,  Gregory  was  a  truly  religious  and 
devout  man.  He  is  said  to  have  died  in 
consequence  of  his  disgrace,  in  1392. 

Robert  Vere,  earl  of  Oxford  and  marquis 
of  Dublin,  was  created  at  this  time  duke  of 
Ireland,  by  the  parliament,  which  excited 
much  jealousy  among  the  English  nobles. 
The  elevation  of  Delapool,  son  of  a  mer- 
chant, to  the  rank  of  duke  of  Sufljolk,  and 
chancellor  of  England,  gave  them  additional 
displeasure. 

The  duke  of  Ireland  was  an  accomplished 

*  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Tuam. 
t  Walsingliam,  ibid. 
t  Walsinghani,  ibid. 


man.  His  haughtiness,  however,  and  his  con- 
tempt for  the  nobles,  raised  for  him  many 
enemies.  In  1388,  he  was  accused  of  having 
exercised  his  influence  with  the  king,  to 
oppress  the  nobility  and  people.  Remon- 
strances on  this  head  being  made  to  his 
majesty,  and  not  meeting  with  attention,  the 
nobles  flew  to  arms  and  met  the  duke  of 
Ireland  at  Radcott  bridge.  To  avoid  falling 
into  their  hands,  he  swam  across  the  river  : 
and  afterwards  effected  his  escape  to  Hol- 
land, and  thence  to  Brabant,  where  he 
wandered  as  a  fugitive  for  a  few  years,  and. 
subsequently  ended  his  days  in  abject  misety 
at  Louvain.*  Thus  frequently  end  the  gran- 
deur and  elevation  of  the  favorites  of 
princes,  of  which  no  nation  affiards  more 
examples  than  England.  Stanley  ssill  re- 
mained as  deputy  in  Ireland,  while  the  king, 
who  was  continually  in  want  of  money,  made 
new  demands  on  every  succeeding  parlia- 
ment under  pretext  of  carrying  on  the  war 
in  that  country,  a.  d.  1389. 

At  Ardart,  or  Ardfert,  the  chief  town  of 
the  county  Kerry,  a  convent  was  established, 
A.  D.  1389,  for  Franciscans,  by  the  M'Mau- 
rices,  otherwise  Fitzmaurices,  who  were 
lords  of  Kerry,  or  Lixnaw.f 

According  to  Ware,  three  convents  be- 
longing to  the  same  order,  were  founded  in 
the  county  Tipperary  ;  but  the  precise 
period  of  their  foundation  is  not  mentioned 
by  either  him  or  Wadding.  The  first  was 
at  Galbally,  by  an  O'Brien ;  the  second  at 
Roscrea,  by  the  widow  of  an  O'Carrol  ;  and 
the  third  at  Ardfinnan,  the  founder  of  which 
is  not  known.:}: 

Robert  Wikeford,  archdeacon  of  Winton, 
in  England,  was  appointed,  in  1375,  arch- 
bishop of  Dublin,  and  consecrated  the  same 
year  at  Avignon,  by  Gregory  IX.  This 
prelate  was  twice  chancellor  of  Ireland. 
Having  governed  the  above  see  for  fifteen 
years,  he  died  in  1390,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Robert  Waldby. 

The  earl  of  Oxford,  who  was  duke  and 
viceroy  of  Ireland,  having  died  at  Louvain, 
in  1392,  as  we  have  already  observed, 
James,  earl  of  Ormond,  was  appointed  lord- 
justice  in  his  stead  :  Waldby,  archbishop  of 
Dublin,  being  at  the  same  time  made  chancel- 
lor, and  the  bishop  of  Chichester,  treasurer. 
The  first  expedition  undertaken  by  the  earl 
of  Ormond  was  against  the  M'Moyns,  so 
called  by  Cox,  who  says  that  they  were 
defeated  at  Tascoffin,  in  the  county  of 
Kildare,  with  a  loss  of  six  hundred  men. 


Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'lrlande. 
t  Ibid.  t  Ibid. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


353 


The  government  of  England  began  now 
to  turn  their  thoughts  seriously  to  the  con- 
quest of  Ireland  ;  but  finding  that  the  Eng- 
lish province  was  poor,  and  thinned  of  its 
inhabitants  by  the  continual  wars  with  the 
natives,  and  the  great  numbers  of  Anglo- 
Irish  that  had  returned  to  England,  where- 
by the  king's  revenues  were  diminished,  and 
the  power  of  the  Irish  rebels  (such  is  the 
name  given  them  by  English  writers)  was 
increased ;  it  was  thought  prudent  to  put 
the  law  which  was  made  against  absentees 
in  full  force,  and  to  publish  a  decree  that 
all  who  possessed  property  in  Ireland  should 
live  thei;e.  The  parliament  then  began  by 
sending  assistance  in  men  and  money.  The 
duke  of  Gloucester  received  the  king's  com- 
mands to  go  thither  in  person,  in  capacity  of 
lord-lieutenant,  at  the  head  of  an  army  which 
he  had  assembled,  and  was,  in  presence  of 
the  expedition,  created  duke  of  Ireland.  His 
majesty,  however,  having  changed  his  mind, 
wrote  to  the  duke  to  dissuade  him  from  this 
voyage,  saying  that  he  himself  would  take 
the  command  of  the  expedition.  This  deter- 
mination of  the  king  is  ascribed  by  some  to 
a  reply  which  the  princes  of  Germany  made 
to  his  ambassadors,  when  the  imperial  crown 
was  sought  by  them  for  their  master.  The 
German  princes  answered  them  that  they  did 
not  think  him  fit  to  be  emperor,  since  he  was 
not  able  to  preserve  the  conquests  of  his 
predecessors  in  France  ;  to  curb  the  inso- 
lence of  his  English  subjects  ;  or  to  conquer 
his  rebellious  people  in  Ireland.  So  sensibly 
did  he  feel  the  rebuke,  that  he  undertook  the 
expedition  himself  to  Ireland,  at  the  head  of 
four  thousand  regular  troops,  besides  thirty 
thousand  archers,  under  the  banner  of  St 
Edward.  He  thus  hoped  to  re-establish  his 
reputation,  and  to  banish  his  affliction  for 
the  death  of  his  queen,  Anne. 

Sir  Thomas  Scroop  was  sent  to  Ireland 
in  1394,  in  the  capacity  of  lord-justice,  to 
prepare  the  Avay  for  the  expedition.  He  was 
followed  by  Richard,  who  landed  at  Water- 
ford  with  a  powerful  army,  which,  however, 
performed  no  great  exploit  under  him.*  He 
was  satisfied  with  the  feigned  submissions  of  a 
few  Irish  lords  of  the  English  province  ;  and 
commissioned  Thomas  Ma  wbray,earl  of  Not- 
tingham and  marshal  of  England,  to  receive 
the  homage  and  oath  of  allegiance  of  the  Irish 
in  Leinster ;  namely,  O'Byrne,  O'Nowlan, 
O'Morrough,  O'Morra,  iNI'Morrough,  O'Con- 
nor, and  others.  This  homage  was  proposed 
and  accepted  on  hard  terms  ;  these  noblemen 
being  obliged,  under  pain  of  heavy  fines, 

*  Co.x,  Hib.  Angl. 


payable  to  the  apostolical  chamber,  (namely, 
O'Byrne  twenty  thousand  marks,  O'Nowlan 
ten  thousand  pounds,  and  the  others  in  pro- 
portion,) not  only  to  persevere  in  their  sub- 
mission, but  also,  on  an  appointed  day,  to 
give  up  their  lands  and  possessions  in  Lein- 
ster to  the  king,  to  belong  thereafter  to  him 
and  his  successors  ;  and  to  enter  his  majes- 
ty's service,  and  assist  him  in  the  war  against 
their  countrymen.  As  a  remuneration  for 
the  loss  of  their  lands,  and  a  reward  for  their 
services,  the  king's  pay,  and  pensions  to  some 
of  their  chiefs,  were  proposed  to  be  given 
them,  and  they  were  to  be  permitted  to  make 
incursions  on  the  lands  of  their  countrymen 
in  the  other  provinces,  and  to  apply  to  their 
own  use  all  that  they  could  obtain  by  force 
of  arms.  Here  we  behold  estates,  which 
for  many  ages  belonged  to  their  ancestors, 
converted  into  inconsiderable  pensions  du- 
ring life  for  the  owners  ;  and  robbery  and 
usurpation  of  the  lands  of  others  sanctioned. 
Such  was  the  reformation  of  morals  which 
their  new  masters  introduced  among  the 
Irish.  We  find  that  of  the  pensions,  that  of 
eighty  marks,  which  had  been  granted  to 
Arthur  M'Morrough,  chief  of  the  Cava- 
naghs,  was  the  most  enduring,  no  doubt 
through  gratitude  for  the  services  which  the 
English  had  received  from  his  ancestor 
Dermod,  who  had  introduced  them  into  the 
country.  It  was  continued  to  his  posterity 
till  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.,  "  although," 
says  Cox,  "  they  had  done  nothing  to  de- 
serve it ;"  an  observation  equally  untrue  and 
malicious.  The  king,  after  this,  received 
some  complimentary  letters  from  Neal  O'- 
Neill, prince  of  Ulster ;  and  others  on  his 
arrival  at  Drogheda,  from  the  O'Donnels, 
O'Hanlons,  M'Mahons,  and  a  few  more  Irish 
chiefs. 

The  king  of  England  was  now  able  to 
enforce  obedience  ;  having  with  him,  inde- 
pendently of  the  English  colony,  by  whom  a 
third  of  the  island  was  occupied,  thirty-four 
thousand  regidar  troops.  The  Irish  had  not 
raised  their  standards,  or  kept  any  body  of 
organized  troops  under  regular  leaders,  con- 
sequently they  were  without  discipline :  each 
chief  easily  collected  those  who  were  imme- 
diately dependent  on  himself,  but  they  were 
inexperienced  and  badlyprovided  with  arms, 
and  it  was  not  easy  to  unite  different  bodies 
under  one  head,  or  to  assemble  an  army 
sufficient  to  check  the  progress  of  a  force  so 
numerous  and  well  provided.  The  danger, 
therefore,  was  considerable,  and  they  were 
obliged  to  submit  to  superior  numbers, 
which,  was  the  only  alternative  left  them  to 
avert  the  storm. 


354 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


Richard  being  satisfied  with  the  apparent 
submission  of  tlie  Irish,  entertained  them 
by  bamiurts  and  feasting  ;  conferred  the  title 
of  knighlliood  upon  those  who  wished  to 
accept  of  it,  and  disbanded  liis  troops.  In 
the  month  of  February,  he  wrote  a  letter  to 
his  uncle,  the  duke  of  York,  who  was  de- 
puty in  England  during  his  absence,  in 
which  he  observed,  that  there  were  three 
kinds  of  people  in  Ireland  ;  namely,  the 
wild  or  hostile  Irish,*  the  rebel  Irish,  and 
his  English  subjects  ;  that  the  rebels  had, 
perhaps,  cause  to  revolt,  and  that  he  there- 
fore had  pardoned  them  until  Easter,  and 
intended  to  grant  them  a  general  amnesty 
afterwards.  He  concluded  by  asking  his 
advice  on  the  subject.  The  duke,  at  the 
head  of  the  council,  answered  the  king,  that 
their  opinion  had  formerly  been  to  pursue 
the  rebels  ;  that,  however,  his  majesty  be- 
ing on  the  spot,  he  could  observe  matters 
more  closely,  and  was  therefore  better  able 
to  judge  of  the  measures  which  should  be 
adopted ;  and  that  his  inclinations  for  cle- 
mency were  laudable,  provided  the  rebels 
were  made  to  contribute  towards  defraying 
the  expenses  of  the  expedition,  by  obliging 
them  to  purchase  his  pardon  within  a  given 
time. 

Satisfied  with  this  brilliant  campaign,  and 
having  regulated  the  afiairs  of  his  Irish  pro- 
vince, and  appointed  men  of  experience  to 
fill  the  places  of  trust,  Richard  returned  to 
England,  according  to  Davis  and  Froissart, 
with  much  honor  and  little  advantage,  a.  d. 
1395.  Although  he  had  expended  enormous 
sums  in  conveying  his  army  to  Ireland,  he 
did  not  add  a  pound  to  his  revenue,  nor  ex- 
tend the  frontiers  of  his  English  province 
one  acre.  The  courts  of  law  even,  were 
still  confined  within  the  boundaries  of  the 
colony,  where  they  had  been  acknowledged 
before  his  arrival  in  Ireland. f 

Robert  Waldby,  a  native  of  England, 
having  been  appointed  by  a  bull  from  the 
pope  to  the  see  of  'Dublin,  a  predilection 
for  his  own  country  induced  him  to  solicit 

,  his  removal  in  1395,  to  the  bishopric  of  Chi- 
chester in  England.  He  was  succeeded  in 
the   see   of   Dublin   by  Richard   Northall, 

j  bishop  of  Ossory.  This  prelate,  who  was  a 
native  of  England,  and  of  the  Carmelite  or- 
der, was  famed  for  his  erudition,  preaching, 
and  virtues,  by  which  he  attracted  the  ob- 
servation of  Richard  II.,  who  first  appointed 


*  Such  were  tlie  appellations  which  the  English 
made  use  of  towards  the  Irisli  who  would  not  sub- 
mit to  nor  acknowledge  their  dominion,  but  kept 
themselves  under  arms  and  ready  to  oppose  Ihcni. 

t  Histor.  Relat. 


hini  to  the  bishopric  of  Ossory,  and  after- 
wards to  the  archbishopric  of  Dublin.  He 
enjoyed  tbis  dignity  but  a  short  time,  having 
died  in  1397.  He  was  succeeded  by  Tho- 
mas Crawley. 

Roger  Mortimer,  earl  of  March,  and  heir- 
apparent  to  the  crown  of  England,  was  sent 
to  Ireland  as  lord-lieutenant  after  the  king's 
return.  The  Irish,  actuated  by  a  principle 
that  forced  obedience  is  revocable,  and  that 
submission  obtained  by  violence  could  not 
bind  them  under  any  law,  human  or  divine, 
recommenced  their  laostilities.*  War  having 
broken  out,  the  Anglo-Irish  took  up  arms. 
Sir  Thomas  Burke  and  Sir  Walter  Ber- 
mingham,  with  their  followers,  surprised  the 
Irish,  and  killed  six  hundred  of  them,  with 
their  chief  M'Con.  Mortimer,  assisted  by 
the  earl  of  Ormond,  laid  waste  the  terri-  j 
tory  of  Wicklow,  and  made  himself  master 
of  O'Byrne's  castle.  Seven  knights  were 
created  on  this  occasion,  namely,  Christo- 
pher Preston,  John  Bedlow,  Edmond  Loun- 
dres,  John  Loundres,  William  Nugent,  Wal- 
ter de  la  Hide,  and  Robert  Caddel.  These 
victories  were,  however,  amply  revenged  by 
the  death  of  forty  English  chiefs,  who  were 
slain,  together  with  their  attendants,  on 
Ascension  day,  by  the  O'Tools.  The  prin- 
cipal characters  that  suffered  were,  John 
Fitzwilliam,  Thomas  Talbot,  and  Thomas 
Comyn.  Mortimer  met,  soon  afterwards, 
with  the  same  fate  at  Kenlis,  in  the  county 
of  Kildare,  where  himself  and  the  whole  of 
his  army  were  put  to  the  sword  by  the 
O'Byrnes  and  other  Irish.  On  the  death  of 
Mortimer,  the  administration  of  affairs  de- 
volved upon  Roger  Gray,  while  waiting  the 
arrival  of  Thomas  Holland,  duke  of  Surrey, 
who  was  named  to  succeed  Mortimer.  This 
viceroy  landed  in  Dublin  in  the  month  of 
October,  accompanied  by  Thomas  Crawley, 
who  was  appointed  archbishop  of  that  city, 
A.  D.  1398. 

As  soon  as  the  news  of  the  death  of  Mor- 
timer reached  England,  every  one  was  filled 
with  consternation.  Richard  II.,  determined 
to  revenge  the  death  of  his  relative  and  heir, 
undertook  a  second  voyage  to  Ireland  with 
an  army  equally  formidable  as  before,  being 
resolved  to  make  the  conquest  of  it  complete. 
He  landed  at  Waterford,  and  in  his  march  to 
Dublin  his  troops  suffered  greatly  for  want  of 
provisions  and  carriages,  in  a  country  that 
had  suffered  so  long  by  continual  warfare. 
I'he  only  thing  memorable  upon  their  march 
was,  that  they  made  the  roads  level  in  the 
territory  of  Idrone,  county  Carlow,  which 
belonged  to  the  Cavanaghs.     The  king  cre- 

*  Chron.  Manusc.  Henric  de  Marlcburgh. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


355 


ated  also  some  knights,  among  whom  was 
Henry,  son  of  the  duke  of  Lancaster,  after- 
wards king  of  England,  under  the  name  of 
Henry  V.  Being  arrived  in  Dublin,  while 
conferring  with  the  council  upon  the  mea- 
sures which  should  be  taken  to  reduce  the 
country  to  subjection,  he  received  an  express 
from  England,  with  the  afflicting  news  that 
his  kingdom  was  invaded  by  the  duke  of  Lan- 
caster, whom  he  had  sent  into  exile  some  time 
before.  By  advice  of  the  council,  the  two 
sons  of  the  dukes  of  Lancaster  and  Glouces- 
ter, who  accompanied  him  to  Ireland,  were 
confined  in  the  castle  of  Trim,  county  Meath, 
and  he  then  dispatched  the  earl  of  Salisbury 
to  Wales,  in  order  to  have  an  army  raised 
against  his  arrival.  But  the  unfortunate 
prince  having  delayed  too  long  in  Ireland, 
the  army  was  scattered,  by  which  his  courage 
was'quelled  to  such  a  degree  that  he  suffered 
himself  to  be  made  prisoner,  carried  to  Lon- 
don, and  confined  in  the  tower,  and  then  sur- 
rendered the  crown  to  his  rival.  His  conduct 
gave  rise  to  the  remark,  that  no  prince  ever 
gave  up  a  kingdom  with  so  much  weakness, 
which  had  been  governed  with  so  much  se- 
verity. A  parliament  was  summoned  in  his 
name,  by  which  several  indictments  were 
found  against  the  unhappy  prince,  where- 
upon he  was  dethroned ;  the  sentence  being 
publicly  pronounced  by  the  bishop  of  Asaph, 
who  had  been  commissioned  for  the  purpose. 
Thus  ended  the  reign  of  Richard  1 1.,  through 
the  ambition  of  his  own  family.  He  was  re- 
moved from  the  tower  of  London  to  the  cas- 
tle of  Leeds,  in  Kent,  and  thence  to  Pomfret. 
In  him  we  find  verified  an  observation  made 
by  one  of  his  wisest,  but  most  unfortunate 
successors,  viz.,  that  the  distance  from  the 
prison  of  a  king  to  his  tomb  is  but  short. 
He  died  by  a  violent  death,  but  as  to  its  na- 
ture the  opinions  are  many  and  various. 
Some  say  he  was  starved  to  death,  others 
that  he  died  of  grief,  and  some  again  affirm 
that  he  fell  by  the  sword  of  Sir  Pierce  Ex- 
ton,  who  entered  his  chamber,  accompanied 
by  eight  other  armed  ruffians,  and  gave  him 
the  fatal  blow. 

In  the  tragical  end  of  Richard  II.,  we  see 
a  peculiar  example  of  the  divine  vengeance 
on  the  race  of  the  Plantagenets  ;  this  unhappy 
prince,  although  innocent,  being  destined  to 
expiate  the  guilt  of  his  fathers.  The  injus- 
tice and  tyranny  which  were  inflicted  upon 
the  Irish,  by  the  English,  under  the  orders 
of  Richard  and  his  progenitors,  were  not  the 
only  crimes  that  called  for  divine  vengeance 
against  them.  The  slaughter  of  Edward  II., 
and  usurpation  of  the  crown  by  his  son,  Ed- 
ward III.,  were  evidently  punished  in  the' 


person  of  Richard,  grandson  to  the  latter. 
After  his  death,  the  divisions  of  the  two 
houses  of  York  and  Lancaster,  embittered 
for  near  a  century  against  each  other,  and 
exercising  mutual  cruelties,  produced  such 
desolation  that  the  repose  of  the  kingdom 
and  many  thousand  lives  were  sacrificed  to 
their  implacable  fury. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


Henry,  duke  of  Lancaster,  eldest  son  of 
John  of  Ghent,  who  was  fourth  son  of  Ed- 
ward III.,  was  proclaimed  king  of  England, 
under  the  title  of  Henry  IV.,  by  the  parlia- 
ment, which  adjudged  the  crown  to  him  and 
his  descendants,  a.  d.  1399.  This  prince  had 
some  difficulty  in  giving  color  to  his  usurpa- 
tion. He  was,  it  is  true,  descended  from  Ed- 
ward by  John,  fourth  son  of  that  monarch  ; 
but  the  descendants  of  Lionel,  his  third  son, 
took  precedence  of  him,  so  that  he  had  not  a 
strict  claim  by  birth.  Neither  could  he  avail 
himself  of  the  right  of  conquest,  as  there  had 
been  no  war.  He  was  therefore  obliged  to 
found  his  pretensions  on  the  concurrence  and 
choice  of  the  people,  which  was  the  plea  made 
use  of  by  his  ambassadors  at  foreign  courts. 
This  want  of  strict  title  was  the  cause  of  the 
fatal  wars  between  the  houses  of  York  and 
Lancaster,  called  the  white  and  red  roses. 

Henry  having  been  crowned  at  Westmin- 
ster in  the  month  of  October,  with  the  usual 
ceremonies,  by  the  archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
turned  his  thoughts  to  the  affairs  of  Ireland, 
and  appointed  Sir  John  Stanley  lord-lieuten- 
ant of  the  country,  whither  he  repaired  in  the 
month  of  December  following  ;  he  at  the 
same  time  obtained  supplies  in  England  for 
three  years,  to  support  his  interests  in  Ireland. 

The  early  part  of  Henry's  reign  was  filled 
with  troubles.  The  vacillating  barons  who 
had  forsaken  Richard,  soon  began  to  mani- 
fest dislike  to  him,  though  placed  upon  the 
throne  by  them,  and  to  form  conspiracies, 
which  he  suppressed  by  putting  many  of 
their  number  to  death.  He  marched  at  the 
head  of  an  army  against  the  Scotch,  who 
were  making  some  hostile  movements  in 
the  north.  The  Anglo-Irish,  too,  desirous 
of  displaying  their  zeal,  under  the  command 
of  the  constable  of  the  castle  of  Dublin,  at- 
tacked a  Scotch  fleet  near  Strangford  in  Ul- 
ster, A.  D.  1400  ;  but  were  unsuccessful, 
having  been  all  either  killed  or  drowned. 

About  this  time  a  handsome  convent  was 
established  for  the  Dominicans,  by  Cornelius 
O'Ferral,  bishop  of  Ardagh  ;  and  descended 


356 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


from  the  noble  tribe  of  the  O'Ferrals  of 
Annaly.  This  prelate  was  renowned  for  the 
extensive  charities  he  bestowed,  which  pro- 
cured for  him  the  name  of  the  Almoner. 

Another  convent  for  the  same  order  was 
founded  at  Portumna,  a  small  town  on  the 
river  Shannon,  in  the  county  of  Galway,  near 
Lough  Derg,  through  which  that  river  flows. 
It  was  built  by  an  O'Maddin,  a  descendant 
of  the  ancient  family  of  the  O'Maddins  of 
Siolanamchad  ;  who  also  established  one 
for  Franciscans  at  Milick,  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  Shannon. 

The  lord-lieutenant  having  gone  to  Eng- 
land in  the  month  of  May,  his  brother, 
Thomas  Stanley,  was  appointed  deputy  in 
the  government  of  Ireland  till  the  month  of 
August,  and  the  arrival  of  Stephen  Scroop, 
deputy  for  Thomas,  duke  of  Clarence,  the 
king's  son,  who  was  appointed  lord-lieutenant 
of  Ireland,  whither  he  repaired  soon  after- 
wards. In  the  month  of  July,  John  Drake, 
mayor  of  Dublin,  and  the  citizens,  made  an 
excursion  as  far  as  Bray,  on  the  borders  of 
Wicklow,  against  the  Irish  rebels,  and  kill- 
ed about  400  of  them. 

While  the  lord-lieutenant  was  holding  his 
parliament  in  Dublin,  in  the  month  of  Sep- 
tember, A.  D.  1402,  the  Anglo-Irish  were 
slaughtering  one  another.  John  Dowdal, 
sheriff  of  the  county  Louth,  was  murdered  by 
Bartholomew  Verdon,  James  White,  Chris- 
topher White,  and  Stephen  Gernon,  who  had 
committed  robberies  and  other  crimes,  for 
which  they  were  found  guilty,  and  their  lands 
confiscated.  The  king  pardoned  them  after- 
i  wards,  but  restored  their  estates  to  them 
during  their  lives  only.*  In  the  month  of 
October,  Daniel  O'Birne  made  peace  with 
the  lord-lieutenant,  for  himself  and  his  tribe, 
and  as  a  guarantee  for  the  treaty,  he  surren- 
dered to  the  king  the  castle  of  Mackenigan, 
at  present  Newcastle,  with  all  that  belonged 
to  it.  M'Mahon,  of  Monaghan,  and  O'Reilly, 
of  Cavan,  did  the  same.  The  lord-lieutenant 
gave  to  M'Mahon,  during  his  life,  the  lands 
of  Ferny,  for  an  annual  rent  of  ten  pounds. 
O'Reilly  engaged  to  continue  loyal,  accord- 
ing to  his  promise  to  Roger  Mortimer,  earl 
of  March,  and  Ulster,  which  is  mentioned  in 
an  act  passed  in  the  18th  year  of  Richard's 
reign,  a.  d.  1403.  In  the  month  of  May,  Sir 
Walter  Bettcrly,  the  governor  of  that  part 
of  Ulster  which  obeyed  the  English,  was 
killed,  with  thirty  English  lords,  by  the  Irish. 
In  the  month  of  November,  of  this  year, 
Thomas,  duke  of  Clarence,  returned  to  Eng- 
land, leaving  the  government  of  Ireland  to 

*  Davis,  Hist  Relut. 


Stephen  Scroop,  whom  he  appointed  his  de- 
puty till  the  following  October,  a.  d.  1404. 

The  Irish  were  not  the  only  people  to 
whom  the  dominion  of  England  was  oppres- 
sive. The  inhabitants  of  Wales  bore  with 
impatience  the  chains  which  that  cruel  na- 
tion had  imposed  upon  them.*  Owen  Glen- 
dower,  a  Welsh  nobleman,  who  was  both 
active  and  enterprising,  represented  to  his 
countrymen  that  the  division  and  civil  war 
that  then  raged  in  England,  afforded  a  favor- 
able opportunity,  which  they  ought  not  to 
lose,  of  shaking  off  her  yoke  and  recovering 
their  freedom.  The  project  of  Glendower 
met  the  warm  approbation  of  his  countrymen, 
who,  influenced  with  a  hope  of  succeeding, 
chose  him  for  their  king,  and  confided  to 
him  the  entire  management  of  this  enterprise. 
He  lost  not  a  moment  in  assembling  his 
troops,  and  began  his  operations  against  lord 
Gray,  for  whom  he  entertained  a  personal  en- 
mity ;  laying  waste  with  fire  and  sword  the 
country  where  that  nobleman  resided.  Lord 
Gray,  for  the  purpose  of  arresting  this  hos- 
tile movement  of  the  Welsh,  assembled  his 
people  and  marched  to  meet  them  ;  but  his 
hopes  of  success  were  frustrated,  he  him- 
self taken  prisoner,  and  a  great  number  of 
his  troops  slain.  These  advantages  were 
auspicious  to  the  Welsh,  and  encouraged 
them  to  make  bolder  attempts  :  and  accord- 
ingly they  entered  the  county  of  Hereford 
with  an  army,  where,  being  met  by  the  inhab- 
itants, under  Edmund  Mortimer,  they  were 
again  victorious.  Mortimer  was  made  pris- 
oner, and  his  troops  entirely  defeated,  with  a 
loss  of  one  thousand  slain,  amongwhom  were 
most  of  their  chiefs.  Walsinghamf  narrates 
the  conduct  of  the  Welsh  women,  and  their 
inhuman  treatment  of  the  English  who  had 
fallen.  The  gross  and  indecorous  manner 
in  which  they  acted  will,  however,  hardly 
admit  of  being  described ;  sufiice  it  to  say 
that  it  was  such  as  fully  proves  how  deep  a 
hatred  of  the  English  was  engraven  upon 
the  hearts  of  the  Welsh  people. | 

John  Colton,  dean  of  the  chapter  of  St. 
Patrick's,  Dublin, §  who  was  chancellor  and 
chief-justice  of  Ireland,  was  appointed  by  the 
pope  to  the  archbishopric  of  Armagh.  He 
was  sent  afterwards  to  the  court  of  Rome, 
with  John  Whitehead  and  Richard  Moore, 
vicar  of  Thermon  Feichan,  on  the  affairs  of 
Richard  II.  He  died  in  the  month  of  May, 
on  his  return,  and  was  buried  in  the  church 


*  Walsingh.  Hist.  Brevis,  page  364,  et  seq. 

t  In  Ypodig.  Ncustrice,  ad  an.  1402. 

t  Walsinghum,  page  557. 

§  In  Ypodig.  Neuetrisp,  ad  an.  1402. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


357 


of  St.  Peter  at  Droglieda.  Nicholas  Flem- 
ing succeeded  him  in  the  archbishopric. 

In  the  beginning  of  this  centmy,  Ireland 
produced  several  learned  men.*  Augustin 
Magraidan,  a  regular  canon  of  the  isle  of  All 
Saints,  in  the  river  Shannon,  west  of  the 
county  of  Longford,  was  a  prudent  and 
learned  man,  and  wrote  the  lives  of  all  the 
saints  of  Ireland.  He  also  continued  a  chro- 
nicle down  to  his  own  time,  which  had  been 
already  commenced  by  some  brother  of  his 
house.  Ware  mentions  his  having  had  this 
work  in  his  possession  in  manuscript,  and  that 
some  additions  were  made  to  it  after  the  death 
of  Magraidan.  Coll  Deoran,  a  native  of 
Leinster,  Avho  lived  at  this  period,  also  wrote 
some  annals  that  are  still  in  manuscript. 
Patrick  Barret,  bishop  of  Ferns,  has  left  us 
a  catalogue  of  his  predecessors  in  that  see. 
James  Yoimg,  notary  of  the  city  of  Dublin, 
wrote  some  political  maxims  on  government, 
which  he  dedicated  to  the  earl  of  Ormond, 
then  lord-lieutenant.  He  also  gave  in  writing 
the  voyage  of  Laurence  Rathold,  a  lord  of 
Hungary,  to  the  purgatory  of  St.  Patrick. 
Patrick  Ragged,  bishop  of  Cork,  after  as- 
sisting at  the  general  council  of  Constance, 
wrote  the  acts  passed  therein.  An  Irish 
monk  of  the  convent  of  St.  James  at  Ratis- 
bon,  wrote  various  tracts  on  Irish  saints, 
and  on  the  affairs  of  Charlemagne. 

James,  earl  of  Ormond,  having  been  ap- 
pointed lord-lieutenant  of  Ireland,  convened 
a  parliament  in  Dublin  in  the  month  of 
April,  A.  D.  1405.  The  statutes  of  Dublin 
and  Kilkenny  were  confirmed  in  it,  together 
with  the  charter  of  Ireland.  Some  prizes 
were  taken  in  May,  from  the  Scotch  ;  two  of 
their  ships  being  captured,  laden  with  mer- 
chandise, near  Greencastle,t  and  a  third 
near  Dalky,  together  with  Macgolagh,  the 
commander.  The  merchants  of  Drogheda 
made  incursions  into  Scotland  also,  and  car- 
ried off  some  plunder  with  them. 

The  inhabitants  of  Dublin,  roused  by  the 
example  of  their  fellow-countrymen  of  Drog- 
heda, fitted  out  some  ships  and  committed 
several  piracies  against  the  Scotch.  After 
this  they  plundered  Wales,  and  carried  away 
the  shrine  of  St.  Cubin,  which  they  deposit- 
ed in  Christ's  cathedral,  Dublin,  proving  by 
such  conduct  their  zeal  in  the  service  of  the 
king,  who  was  then  at  war  with  both  Scot- 
land and  Wales.  While  the  Anglo-Irish 
were  thus  engaged  in  plundering  their  neigh- 
bors, Oghgard  was  burned  by  the  Irish. 

In  the  month  of  May,  the  deputy,  accom- 

*  War.  de  Script.  Hib.  lib.  1,  cap.  11. 
t  Chron.  Manusc.  de  Marleburgh. 


panied  by  the  carls  of  Ormond,  Desmond, 
and  the  prior  of  Kilmainham,  together  with 
the  English  nobility  of  Meath,  set  out  from 
Dublin,  and  invaded  the  estates  of  M'Mor- 
rough.*  Both  sides  came  to  a  bloody  engage- 
ment, in  which  the  Irish  had,  in  the  beginning, 
the  advantage ;  but  the  English  forces  and 
discipline  at  length  prevailed,  and  the  Irish 
were  obliged  to  surrender.  O'Nowlan,  with 
his  sons,  and  many  others,  were  taken  pris- 
oners. The  deputy  after  this  led  his  army 
towards  Callan,  county  Kilkenny,  routed  a 
number  of  Irish  who  had  collected  in  that 
district,  and  killed  a  great  number  of  them. 
O'Carrol,  their  leader,  was  found  among  the 
slain.  After  this  expedition,  the  deputy  re- 
turned to  England  in  the  month  of  June,  and 
James,  earl  of  Ormond,  was  appointed  lord- 
justice  by  the  nobility  and  council.  In  his 
time,  Patrick  Savage,  an  Anglo-Irishman, 
who  had  great  influence  in  Ulster,  was  made 
prisoner  by  M'Gilmory,  a  celebrated  com- 
mander, who,  after  receiving  two  thousand 
marks  for  his  ransom,  put  him  and  his  brother 
Richard  to  death.  This  barbarous  murderer 
was  some  time  afterwards  taken  in  a  church 
belonging  to  the  minor  brothers  at  Carrick- 
fergus,  by  some  of  the  family  of  Savages, 
who  made  him  expiate  his  cruelty  with  the 
loss  of  his  life.  The  earl  of  Ormond,  lord- 
justice  of  Ireland,  died  at  Gowran,  in  the 
county  of  Kilkenny. 

Girald,  earl  of  Kildare,  was  chosen  by  the 
council  to  fill  the  office  of  lord-justice,  a.  d. 
1406.  About  this  time  the  inhabitants  of 
Dublin  and  their  allies  attacked,  on  the  feast 
of  Corpus  Christi,  some  Irish  troops  who 
were  ravaging  the  neighborhood  and  sub- 
urbs of  the  city,  and  put  them  to  flight,  ta- 
king from  them  three  standards .  They  then 
carried  in  triumph  through  the  city  the  heads 
of  those  whom  they  had  killed.  The  prior 
of  the  regular  canons  of  Conal,  in  the  county 
of  Kildare,  signalized  his  zeal  in  his  country's 
cause,  having,  at  the  head  of  twenty  Eng- 
lishmen, surprised  two  hundred  Irish,  several 
of  whom  were  killed.  Stephen  Scroop  was 
made  deputy,  and  held  a  parliament  in  Dub- 
lin, in  the  month  of  January,  which  was 
afterwards  adjourned  to  Trim,  in  the  county 
of  Meath.  About  the  end  of  February, 
Cahal  O'Connor  Faly  was  killed  by  Meiler 
Bermingham.  After  the  death  of  Torring- 
ton,  archbishop  of  Cashel,  the  see  remained 
vacant  for  four  years,  and  the  revenues  were 
applied  to  the  king's  use.  Leave  was  after- 
wards given  to  elect  a  prelate,  and  the  choice 
fell  on  Peter  Hacket,  archdeacon  of  that 

*  Chron.  Henr,  de  Marleburgh 


358 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


church,  over  which  he  presided  as  archbish- 
op for  twenty-two  years.  He  died  in  1406, 
and  was  succeeded  by  Richard  O'Hedian. 

Thomas,  duke  of  Clarence,  the  king's  lord- 
lieutenant  in  Ireland,  landed  at  Carlingford 
in  the  month  of  August,  1108.  This  prince 
accepted  the  government  on  certain  condi- 
tions, the  j)rincipal  of  which  were,  that  he 
should  continue  in  office  for  seven  years  ; 
that  he  should  be  provided  with  five  hundred 
soldiers  and  a  thousand  archers  for  three 
years  ;  that  he  should  be  paid  one  year  in 
advance,  and  afterwards  every  six  months  ; 
that  he  should  have  the  nomination  of  his 
deputy,  and  the  conferring  of  benefices  ; 
that  the  crown  lands  should  be  taken  pos- 
session of  again,  and  the  law  against  ab- 
sentees put  in  force.* 

Lancaster  repaired  to  Dublin  after  a  few 
days,  where  he  had  the  earl  of  Kildare  and 
j  three  of  his  family  arrested  for  state  reasons, 
and  ordered  that  he  should  be  confined  in 
the  castle  of  Dublin  till  he  paid  three  hun- 
dred marks  for  his  ransom  ;  while  in  the 
mean  time  the  furniture  and  other  efiects 
belonging  to  the  earl  were  plundered  by  the 
creatures  of  the  viceroy. 

History  mentions  that  the  duke  of  Lan- 
caster was  dangerously  wounded  in  a  con- 
flict at  Kilmainham,  but  without  saying  how 
or  by  whom.  It  appears,  however,  that  he 
was  resolved  on  being  revenged,  as  he  is- 
sued an  order  obliging  all  who  held  lands 
on  condition  of  military  service  to  assemble 
at  Ross  ;  and  also  convened  a  parliament  at 
Kilkenny  ;  but  the  result  of  these  meetings 
is  unknown.  The  lord-lieutenant  appointed 
Thomas  Butler,  prior  of  Kilmainham,  his 
deputy,  and  returned  to  England  in  the 
month  of  March,  1409. 

In  the  time  of  this  new  deputy,  the  king 
granted  the  sword  and  certain  privileges  to 
the  citizens  of  Dublin,  and  changed  the  title 
of  provost  for  that  of  mayor.  About  the 
same  time  Jenico  de  Artois,  a  native  of 
Gascony,  at  the  head  of  some  English 
troops,  assumed  the  part  of  a  ringleader  in 
Ulster,  and  slew  eighty  of  the  inhabitants 
in  one  engagement.  The  parliament  met 
in  the  month  of  May,  1410,  in  Dublin,  and 
in  it  the  exaction  of  Coyn  and  Livery  was 
declared  to  be  felonious. 

The  deputy's  first  exploit  was  the  taking 
of  the  castle  of  Mibraclide  of  Ofterol ;  in 
place  of  which  he  built  that  of  Mare.  He 
then  attacked  the  lands  of  the  O'Byrnes, 
but  without  success.  Out  of  fifteen  hundred 
Irish  who  were  in  his  army,  eight  hundred 

*  Chron.  Henric.  de  Marlebumh. 


went  over  on  the  field  of  battle  to  the  ene- 
my, so  that,  only  for  his  Dublin  troops  he 
would  have  found  it  very  difficult  to  escape 
from  his  eml)arrassment.  John  Derpatrick, 
a  man  of  rank,  was  found  among  the  slain. 

The  see  of  Tuam  was  filled  at  this  time 
by  William  O'Cormocain,  who  was  suc- 
ceeded in  1411  by  one  Corneile.  Nothing 
is  known  of  these  two  prelates,  but  that  the 
latter  was  succeeded  by  John  Baterly,  who 
governed  the  church  in  question  till  1436. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1412,  O'Connor 
Faly  made  incursions  on  the  lands  of  the 
English  in  the  county  Meath,  and  carried 
off"  one  hundred  and  sixty  prisoners.  At  this 
period  a  single  combat  took  place  between 
O'Tool  and  Thomas  Fitzmaurice,  sheriff" 
of  Limerick  ;  and  of  so  deadly  a  character 
was  the  animosity  between  the  combatants, 
that  both  fell  a  sacrifice  to  its  fury. 

Henry  IV.,  king  of  England,  after  a  reign 
of  troubles,  v/as  beginning  to  enjoy  the 
sweets  of  peace,  when  he  was  attacked  by  a 
fit  of  apoplexy,  which  terminated  his  life .  It 
is  said  that  during  this  attack  he  caused  the 
crown  to  be  placed  on  his  pillow,  and  that 
the  fits  of  apoplexy  becoming  so  violent 
that  every  one  present  thought  him  dead, 
Prince  Henry,  his  eldest  son,  entering  the 
room,  seized  on  the  crown.  His  father, 
however,  recovering  from  a  swoon,  and  find- 
ing that  it  was  taken,  asked  Avho  did  it ; 
being  told  that  it  was  his  son,  he  had  him 
sent  for,  and  asking  why  he  acted  so  prema- 
ture a  part,  by  taking  what  did  not  yet  be- 
long to  him,  the  prince  replied,  without  the 
least  emotion  :  "  May  you  live,  my  lord  and 
father,  and  wear  it  yourself  for  many  years  ; 
but  having  been  told  by  all  present,  that  you 
had  gone  to  take  possession  of  another 
crown,  I  took  this,  supposing  that  it  belonged 
to  me  by  right  ;  I  now  confess  that  it  still 
belongs  to  you,  and  not  to  me  :"  at  the  same 
moment  placing  it  where  he  had  taken  it 
from.  "  Oh,  my  son,"  said  the  father, 
"  may  God,  who  knows  how  I  obtained  it, 
forgive  me  my  sins."  "  I  do  not  question  by 
what  right  it  belongs  to  you,"  answered  the 
son,  "  I  will  think  only  of  holding  and  de- 
fending it  by  the  sword,  when  it  will  be 
mine,  that  is,  by  the  same  means  whereby 
you  acquired  it."  This  king  had,  in  truth, 
discovered  the  secret  of  maintaining  his  un- 
just possession  of  the  crown,  by  following 
the  same  course  which  guided  him  in  the 
pursuit  of  it,  namely,  the  effusion  of  blood. 
He  had  six  children  by  Mary,  daughter  of 
Humfrey  de  Bohun,  earl  of  Hereford,  Essex, 
and  Northampton,  four  of  whom  were  sons  ; 
namely,  Henry,  the  eldest,  prince  of  Wales 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


359 


and  duke  of  Lancaster,  who  left  children 
after  him  ;  Thomas,  duke  of  Clarence  ;  John, 
duke  of  Bedford,  and  Humfrey,  duke  of 
Gloucester,  who  died  without  issue.  Henry 
IV.  died  in  London  in  the  fourteenth  year 
of  his  reign,  and  was  interred  at  Canter- 
bury. 


CHAPTER  XXVn. 

Henry  V.,  eldest  son  of  Henry  IV.,  and 
surnamed  Monmouth,  from  the  place  of  his 
birth  in  Wales,  succeeded  to  his  father's 
throne,  and  received  homage  and  oaths  of 
allegiance  from  the  lords  before  his  coro- 
nation ;  no  example  of  which  occurred  be- 
fore this  time  in  England.  In  the  month  of 
April  he  was  crowned  at  Westminster  with 
the  usual  ceremonies,  by  Thomas  Arundel, 
archbishop  of  Canterbury. 

Although  this  prince  had  been  wild  and 
extravagant  in  his  youth,  he  became  a  great 
king.  He  began  his  reign  by  checking  the 
conduct  of  those  who  were  the  companions 
of  his  dissipation,  and  commanded  that  they 
should  never  approach  him  till  they  became 
reformed  in  their  modes  of  living  ;  while,  in 
order  that  they  might  not  descend  to  acts 
of  baseness  from  necessity,  he  allowed  to 
each  sufficient  means  of  support.  His  coun- 
cil was  composed  of  men  of  merit,  and  he  pro- 
tected the  clergy  against  the  parliament, 
which  contemplated  depriving  them  of  their 
possessions.*  Henry  was  ambitious  of 
glory,  and  his  ruling  passion  was  the  desire 
of  walking  in  the  footsteps  of  his  great 
grandfather,  Edward  III.  ;  with  the  view  of 
doing  which  he  declared  war  against  France, 
and  laid  claim  to  the  crown  of  that  country. 
'So  intent  was  he  on  this  important  object, 
that  the  affairs  of  Ireland  were  much  neg- 
lected during  his  reign.  Thomas,  prior  of 
Kilmainham,  was  intrusted  with  the  govern- 
ment of  the  country,  till  John  Stanley  was 
appointed  lord-lieutenant.  He  landed  at 
Clontarf,  near  Dublin,  in  October,  1413, 
and  died  at  Ardee  in  the  month  of  January 
following. t  The  nobles  then  appointed 
Thomas  Crawley,  archbishop  of  Dublin,  a 
pious  and  learned  man,  lord-justice.  He 
had  twice  before  this  filled  the  office  of 
chancellor. 

The  new  lord-justice  held  a  parliament  in 
Dublin  in  the  month  of  Februg.ry  ;  in  which 

I       *  Baker's  Chron.  of  Engl,  on  the  reign  of  Henry 

t  Chron.  Manuscr.  Henr.  de  Marleburg.  War. 
de  Annal.  Hib. 


a  tax  for  the  public  welfare  was  proposed, 
but  rejected.  The  Irish,  in  the  mean  time, 
laid  waste  the  English  province.  Jenico  de 
Artoig,  who  commanded  in  Ulster,  deter- 
mined to  revenge  the  attacks  which  were 
made  against  the  lands  of  Magennis  ;  but 
he  was  completely  defeated  at  Inor,  where 
several  of  his  men  were  killed,  a.  d.  1414. 
The  Irish  being  encouraged  by  these  suc- 
cesses, the  lord-lieutenant  was  obliged  to 
take  the  field  in  person,  and  advanced 
towards  Castledermod,  where  he  held  a 
religious  procession,  and  offered  prayers 
with  his  clergy  for  the  success  of  his  army, 
which  was  engaged  with  the  O'Morras  and 
O'Dempsys,  near  Kilkea,  where  the  latter 
lost  about  a  hundred  men.  This  loss,  how- 
ever, was  made  up  by  a  victory  which 
O'Connor  gained  over  the  English  in  Meath, 
on  the  10th  of  May,  when  Thomas  Maur- 
everar,  baron  of  Skrine,  with  several  others, 
were  killed  ;  and  Christopher  Fleming  and 
John  Dardis  made  prisoners. 

The  English  now  saw  the  necessity  of 
giving  the  government  of  Ireland  to  a  man 
experienced  in  the  art  of  war  ;  and  John 
Talbot,  lord  Furnival,  was  accordingly  made 
lord-lieutenant  in  the  month  of  September.* 
On  landing  at  Dalkey,  he  collected  the  troops, 
and  placing  himself  at  their  head,  visited  the 
English  province.  He  directed  his  march 
through  the  country  of  the  0'Byrnes,0'Tools, 
and  Cavanaghs  ;  then  passed  through  the 
possessions  of  the  Morras,  O'Connors  Faly, 
O'Dempsys,  O'Molloys,  M'Geoghegans, 
O'Ferrals,  and  O'Reillys,  and  ended  his 
route  by  going  through  those  of  the  M'Ma- 
hons,  O'Neills,  and  O'Hanlons  in  the  north. 
This  march  produced  but  little  good  ;  the 
viceroy  had  sufficient  force  to  intimidate  the 
Irish  nobles,  and  oblige  them  to  seek  for 
peace  with  England,  but  not  to  reduce  them 
to  the  condition  of  subjects,  or  extend  the 
limits  of  the  English  dominion  in  the  country. 
NotAvithstanding  this,  the  expedition  was 
looked  upon  as  having  produced  great  benefit 
to  the  state,  as  was  attested  by  the  lords  of 
the  English  province,  in  an  address  which 
they  presented  to  the  king  on  the  subject. 
However  true  this  may  be,  Talbot's  army 
was  badly  paid  and  still  worse  governed,  so 
that  the  English  subjects  suffered  much 
from  the  licentiousness  of  the  soldiery. 
The  exaction  of  Coyn  and  Livery,  which 
had  been  so  frequently  prohibited,  began 
now  to  be  imperceptibly  renewed. 

A  parliament  was  assembled  in  Dublin, 
in  the  month  of  August,  a.  d.  1415,  and  con- 

*  Davis,  Hist.  Relat. 


360 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


tinned  to  sit  for  six  weeks.  The  Irish  still 
carried  on  their  incursions  on  the  posses- 
sions of  the  English ;  and  shot  Thomas 
Ballyinore,  Ballitiuelan,  and  many  others. 
The  parliauicnt  stated  to  have  been  con- 
vened in  Dublin  was  adjourned  in  the  month 
of  May,  lllG,  to  Trim,  where  it  sat  for 
seven  days,  and  granted  to  the  king  a  sub- 
sidy of  ibur  hundred  marks  of  silver. 

Nicholas  Fleming  was  appointed  to  the 
archbishopric  of  Armagh  by  Pope  Boniface 
IX.,  and  consecrated  on  the  1st  of  May, 
1404.*  He  drew  up  some  provincial  sta- 
tutes, which  are  still  extant.  His  death  is 
said  to  have  occurred  about  this  time.  He 
was  interred  in  the  church  of  St.  Peter  at 
Drogheda ;  and  was  succeeded  by  John 
Swayn. 

Thomas  Crawley  died  in  1417,  at  Farin- 
don,  in  England,  aged  eighty  years  ;  and 
was  buried  at  Oxford,  in  the  new  college, 
of  which  he  had  been  the  first  warden. f 
According  to  Leland  and  Marleburgh,  he 
was  a  man  of  singular  merit.  He  was  chan- 
cellor of  Ireland  under  Henry  IV.,  and  lord- 
justice  under  Henry  V.  Flis  successor  in 
the  see  of  Dublin  was  Richard  Talbot. 

The  king  of  England,  who  was  still  carry- 
ing on  war  with  France,  applied  to  his  sub- 
jects in  Ireland  for  assistance,  and  the  prior 
of  Kilmainham  was  dispatched  with  an 
army  of  1600  men,  who  landed  at  Harfleur, 
in  Normandy,  where  they  rendered  him 
important  services. 

In  the  council  of  England  it  was  decreed 
that  the  possessions  of  every  archbishop, 
bishop,  abbot,  or  prior  in  Ireland,  should 
be  seized,  who  would  present  to,  or  confer  on 
the  Irish  rebels,  any  benefice,  or  would  in- 
troduce them  among  the  English  at  any 
parliament,  council,  or  other  assembly  of  the 
kingdom.  All  governors,  too,  were  forbid- 
den*'to  confirm  such  benefices,  or  to  grant 
any  dispensation  for  possessing  them,  under 
pain  of  having  them  annulled. 

Some  complaints  having  been  made  to  the 
lord-lieutenant  against  Henry  Cruce  and 
Henry  Betagh,  two  noblemen  of  Meath,  he 
caused  their  lands  to  be  laid  waste,  and  their 
tenantry  plundered.  The  earl  of  Kildare, 
Sir  Christopher  Preston,  and  Sir  John  Bed- 
lew,  were  arrested  at  this  time  at  Slane  :  they 
were  removed  to  Trim,  and  confined  in  the 
castle  of  that  town,  on  account  of  a  misun- 
derstanding which  had  arisen  between  them 
and  the  prior  of  Kilmainham,  a.  d.  1418. 
The  treaties  which  were  so  frequently  made 

*  War.  de  Prsesul.  Ardmach. 
+  War.  de  Arch.  Dub. 


between  the  Irish  and  English,  were  as  often 
violated  ;  the  desire  of  increasing  their  pos- 
sessions causing  the  latter  constantly  to  en- 
croach upon  the  properties  of  their  neigh- 
bors. The  Irish,  indeed,  enjoyed  no  pro- 
tection from  the  laws,  but  were  looked  upon, 
not  as  subjects,  but  as  strangers  and  enemies, 
in  the  land  which  had  given  them  birth.  They 
were  continually  exposed  to  the  unjust  ag- 
gression of  their  adversaries,  and  therefore 
forced  to  violate  their  engagements,  and 
break  out  into  rebellion  ;  their  last  and  only 
resources  being  pillage  and  rapine.  Under 
such  circumstances  it  was  that  O'Tool  en- 
tered the  lands  of  Ballimore  in  1419,  where 
he  obtained  considerable  booty,  and  carried 
off"  four  hundred  head  of  cattle.  This  enter- 
prise, v>fhich  was  looked  upon  by  the  Eng- 
lish as  a  breach  of  public  faith,  alarmed  them 
greatly.  Troops  were  marched ;  M'Mor- 
rough,  chief  of  the  people  of  Leinster,  was 
arrested ;  and  towards  the  end  of  May,  the 
lord-lieutenant,  accompanied  by  the  arch- 
bishop and  mayor  of  Dublin,  had  the  castle 
of  Kenini  razed  to  the  ground.  William 
Burke,  too,  at  the  head  of  an  English  cohort 
in  Connaught,  put  five  hundred  Irishmen  to 
the  sword,  and  made  O'Kelly  prisoner.  After 
these  expeditions,  John  Talbot,  lord-lieu- 
tenant of  Ireland,  returned  to  England,  load- 
ed with  the  curses  of  his  creditors,  to  whom 
he  was  indebted  for  the  common  necessaries 
of  life.  His  brother,  Richard  Talbot,  arch- 
bishop of  Dublin,  was  appointed  deputy  in 
his  place.* 

The  deputy  convened  a  parliament  at  Naas, 
in  the  county  of  Kildare,  which  granted  to 
the  king  a  subsidy  of  three  hundred  marks. 
Thomas  Butler,  prior  of  Kilmainham,  died  in 
Normandy,  whither  he  had  been  sent  at  the 
head  of  sixteen  hundred  men  to  the  assistance 
of  Henry.  John  Fitzhenry  was  nominated 
prior  in  his  stead,  who  enjoyed  the  dignity 
for  only  a  short  time.  He  was  succeeded  by 
William  Fitzthomas.  The  archbishop  of  Dub- 
lin made  a  sally  on  the  Irish,  thirty  of  whom 
he  killed  in  an  engagement  at  Rodision. 

In  the  month  of  April,  a.  d.  1420,  James 
Butler,  earl  of  Ormond,  landed  at  Waterford 
as  lord-lieutenant  of  Ireland.  He  vi^as  the 
cause  of  a  duel  between  two  of  his  relatives, 
one  of  whom  was  killed  upon  the  spot,  and 
the  other  being  dangerously  wounded,  was 
removed  to  Kilkenny.  This  earl  held  a  coun- 
cil in  Dublin,  in  the  month  of  x\pril,  in  which 
it  was  ordained  that  a  parliament  should  be 
convened  for  the  month  of  June.  In  the 
mean  time,  he  exacted  contributions  from 
O'Reilly,  M'Mahon,  and  Maguire.  The  par- 

*  Davis,  Hist.  Relat. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


361 


liament  met  on  the  7th  of  June,  and  sat  for 
sixteen  days ;  when,  having  granted  the  king 
a  subsidy  of  seven  hundred  marks,  it  was 
adjourned  to  the  month  of  December.  In 
this  second  session,  which  continued  but  for 
thirteen  days,  the  king  was  allowed  three 
hundred  marks,  and  an  arrangement  was  also 
made  to  pay  the  debts  of  John  Talbot,  late 
lord-lieutenant.  The  parliament  was  again 
prorogued  to  the  month  of  April. 

James,  earl  of  Desmond,  had  a  convent 
built  for  Franciscan  friars  at  Asketin,  a  small 
village  on  the  river  Delle,  in  the  county  of 
Limerick,  where  this  earl  had  his  castle. 
Wadding  and  Ware  differ  about  the  founda- 
tion of  this  convent ;  the  former  says  it  was 
in  1589,  and  the  latter  affirms  that  it  was 
in  1420. 

The  castle  of  Colinolin  surrendered  to 
Thomas  Fitzgerald  on  the  28th  of  October, 
1421.  The  parliament  having  met  in  the 
month  of  April,  it  was  decreed  that  the  arch- 
bishop of  Armagh,  Sir  Christopher  Preston, 
and  others,  should  be  deputed  as  an  embassy 
to  the  king  to  solicit  a  reformation  in  the 
government  of  Ireland.  John  Gese,  bishop 
of  Lismore  and  Waterford,  presented  to  this 
parliament  several  accusations  against  Rich- 
ard O'Hedian,  archbishop  of  Cashel.  They 
were  reduced  to  thirty  articles,  the  principal 
of  which  were,  that  this  prelate  directed  all 
his  attention  to  the  Irish,  that  he  disliked  the 
English,  that  he  conferred  no  livings  on  them, 
that  he  inspired  the  other  bishops  with  the 
same  sentiments,  that  he  forged  the  seal  and 
letters  patent  of  the  king  of  England,  that  he 
assumed  the  dignity  of  king  of  Munster,  &c. 
It  is,  however,  likely  that  the  well-established 
reputation  of  the  prelate  of  Cashel,  who  was 
considered  an  exemplary  man,  caused  these 
accusations  to  be  looked  on  as  calumnies,  as 
no  further  mention  has  been  made  of  them. 
Another  petition  was  sent  before  the  parlia- 
ment, respecting  Adam  Payn,  bishop  of 
Cloyne,  who  wished  to  unite  another  see  v/ith 
his  own  :  but  that  tribunal  was  too  prudent 
to  interfere  with  matters  belonging  to  the 
church.  It  was  forwarded  therefore  to  the 
court  of  Rome,  and  the  parliament  continued 
their  sitting  for  eighteen  days  more.  The 
O'Morras  attacked  the  people  of  the  earl  of 
Ormond,  lord-lieutenant  of  Ireland,  near  the 
monastery  of  Leix  ;  and  twenty-seven  Eng- 
lishmen of  distinction  lost  their  lives  in  the  en- 
counter, the  chiefs  of  whom  were  Purcell  and 
Grant ;  eighteen  others  were  made  prisoners. 
The  remainder  of  this  little  army,  amounting 
to  two  hundred,  fled  into  the  abbey  of  Leix. 
M'Mahon,  of  Ulster,  at  the  same  time  burn- 
ed and  plundered  the  country  of  Orgiel. 


The  earl  of  Ormond,  in  order  to  be  re- 
venged for  the  murder  of  his  people,  entered 
the  estates  of  Morra  with  a  powerful  army,  in 
the  month  of  June,  and  put  all  he  met  to  the 
sword,  without  regard  to  either  age  or  sex, 
and  compelled  the  remainder  to  beg  for  peace. 
He  retook  also  the  castle  of  Ley,  which 
O'Dempsy  had  taken  from  the  earl  of  Kil- 
dare,  and  restored  it  to  the  latter.* 

Mention  is  made  at  this  time  of  Henry  of 
Marleburgh,  an  English  priest  arid  rector  of 
the  church  of  Ballyscaddan,  in  the  diocese  of 
Dublin.  Posterity  is  indebted  to  this  ecclesi- 
astic for  the  benefit  he  has  conferred  on  them 
in  leaving  behind  him  a  part  of  the  annals  of 
Ireland,  brought  down  by  him  to  1421 .  Cam- 
den has  subjoined  to  his  Britannia  an  extract 
from  them,  at  foot  of  the  annals  of  Pembrige. 
The  style  of  the  extracts  is  not  elegant ;  but  as 
history  is  available  for  authors  of  every  age, 
and  is  important  to  their  undertakings,  those 
annals  have  largely  benefited  Hammer,Ware, 
Cox,  and  others  who  have  written  upon  the  af- 
fairs of  Ireland  from  the  middle  of  the  twelfth 
to  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century. f 

During  all  this  period,  Henry  V.  was  vic- 
torious in  France.  Upon  his  marriage  with 
Catherine  of  Valois,  he  was  declared  heir  to 
its  crown,  and  successor  to  Charles  VI.,  to 
the  prejudice  of  the  dauphin,  who,  however, 
had  afterward^  the  glory  of  retaking  almost 
the  whole  of  his  kingdom  from  the  English. 
Henry  did  not  live  long  afterwards.  He  died 
at  Vincennes,  near  Paris,  a.  d.  1422,  and  left 
the  regency  of  France  to  his  brother,  the  duke 
of  Bedford,  and  the  government  of  England 
to  his  second  brother,  Humphrey,  duke  of 
Gloucester.  Among  the  good  qualities  as- 
cribed to  this  prince,  it  is  said  that  he  loved 
ecclesiastics  as  much  as  he  did  his  soldiers, 
from  which  circumstance  the  name  of  prince 
of  priests  was  given  him,j:  a  name  which 
strengthens  the  opinion  that  historians  give 
of  his  piety  ;  for  the  enemies  of  religion 
always  strive  to  make  the  ministers  of  it  ob- 
jects of  contempt.  It  must  be  admitted,  not- 
withstanding the  good  qualities  which  many 
of  the  kings  of  England  possessed,  that  they 
ended  generally  with  some  act  of  barbarous 
inhumanity.  An  example  of  this  kind  is  dis- 
covered in  the  conduct  of  Henry  while  he  was 
besieging  Montereau,  that  still  held  out  for 
the  dauphin.  In  order  to  inspire  terror  into 
the  commander  of  the  place,  he  caused  to  be 
hanged,  in  view  of  it,  twelve  French  gentle- 
men of  the  first  rank,  who  happened  to  be 


*  Bakers  Chronicles  of  England, 
t  Ware's  Annals  of  Ireland. 
t  Baker's  Chronicles  of  England. 
46 


362 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


prisoners  in  his  camp,  an  action  by  which 
public  faith  was  viohited,  and  which  would  be 
unpardonable  in  the  n)osl  barbarous  princes. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 


IIknry  YI.,  surnamed  of  Windsor,  the 
place  of  his  birth,  was  only  son  of  Henry 
V.  and  of  Catherine  of  Valois.  He  was  but 
eight  months  old  when  he  succeeded  to  the 
crown  of  his  father,  and  was  afterwards 
proclaimed  at  Paris  as  king  of  France  ;  but 
he  lost  both  crowns  in  the  end. 

The  earl  of  Orniond  was  continued  in 
quality  of  lord-lieutenant  of  Ireland.  The 
House  of  Commons  had  a  petition  presented 
to  the  king,  informing  him  of  the  tumults 
which  the  Irish  were  guilty  of  in  England.* 
These  were  men  of  English  origin  who  had 
been  established  in  Ireland,  and  who,  in  or- 
der to  get  clear  of  the  tyranny  and  oppression 
of  their  leaders,  abandoned  their  possessions 
and  returned  to  the  land  of  their  fathers, 
where  necessity  forced  them  to  commit  mur- 
ders, robbery,  and  other  crimes.  In  conse- 
quence of  the  above  petition,  it  was  decreed 
that  all  those  who  were  born  in  Ireland 
should  be  obliged  to  quit  En"gland  within  a 
limited  time,  except  the  graduates  of  univer- 
sities, ecclesiastics  who  were  provided  with 
benefices,  or  such  as  possessed  lands  where 
they  were  established,  and  whose  fathers  and 
mothers  were  born  in  England. 

Edmund  Mortimer,  earl  of  March  and 
Ulster,  who  succeeded  the  earl  of  Ormond 
in  quality  of  lord-lieutenant,  died  soon  after 
in  his  castle  of  Trim.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Lord  John  Talbot,  a.  d.  1425.  In  his  time 
the  Barretts,  a  considerable  tribe  near  Cork, 
boynd  themselves  by  a  legal  covenant  to 
yield  obedience  to  the  earl  of  Ormond,  who 
was  at  the  time  a  powerful  lord  in  Munster. 

At  Dunmore,  in  the  county  Galway,  a 
monastery  was  founded  by  the  Berming- 
hams,  barons  of  Athenry,  for  hermits  of  St. 
Augustin.  The  registries  of  their  order 
mention  it  to  have  been  built  in  1425. 

Talbot's  time  of  acting  as  lord-lieutenant 
having  terminated,  the  government  devolved 
on  the  earl  of  Ormond,  1426.  At  this  period, 
the  duke  of  Bedford  appropriated  to  himself, 
by  letters  patent,  all  the  gold  and  silver 
mines  of  Ireland,  and  the  other  domains 
belonging  to  the  king,  undertaking  to  pay  a 
tenth  part  to  the  church,  a  fifteenth  to  the 

*  Rot.  Pari,  in  Castro  Diibliniens. 


king,  and  a  fifteenth  to  the  owners  of  the 
estates  where  they  might  be  discovered. 

Sir  John  Gray  was  appointed  lord-lieu- 
tenant of  Ireland,  a.  d.  1427.  He  landed  at 
Howth  in  the  month  of  July,  and  took  the 
oath  of  office  the  next  day,  but  the  particulars 
of  his  administration  are  not  known.  He  re- 
turned to  England  in  1428,  having  appoint- 
ed Edward  Dantzy,  bishop  of  Meath,  his 
deputy.  This  prelate,  who  was  treasurer 
of  Ireland  at  one  time,  died  in  the  month  of 
January.  John  Sutton,  Lord  Dudley,  his 
successor  as  deputy,  had  a  parliament  called 
together,  by  which  regulations  for  juries  to 
investigate  criminal  prosecutions  were  es- 
tablished, A.  D.  1429.  After  this  he  returned 
to  England,  having  named  Thomas  Strange 
as  his  deputy,  1432.  Sir  Thomas  Stanley 
was  appointed  lord-lieutenant  after  Sutton  : 
and  Sir  Christopher  Plunket,  and  Richard 
Talbot  the  archbishop  of  Dublin,  were  suc- 
cessively his  deputies.  The  troops  of  Meath 
and  Uriel  were  collected  by  Stanley,  to  im- 
pede the  further  incursions  of  the  Irish  upon 
the  English  province  :  and  both  armies  met 
on  Michaelmas  day,  1435,  when  the  Irish 
were  defeated,  with  a  loss  of  many  lives, 
and  Niall  O'Donnell  was  made  prisoner. 
John  Batterley,  an  English  theologian  and 
Dominican,  was  bishop  of  Tuam  till  1436  ; 
he  was  a  learned  man,  and  eminent  for  his 
preaching.*  He  is  said  to  have  been  the 
writer  of  many  works,  which  are  now  lost. 
Thomas  O'Kelly  succeeded  him  in  the  see 
of  Tuam.  This  bishop,  who  had  been  in 
the  see  of  Clonfert,  gave  the  parish  church 
of  Clonkeen-Kerrill,  county  Galway,  to  the 
monks  of  the  third  order  of  Franciscans, 
where  they  became  established. 

After  Stanley,  the  government  was  given 
to  Lion,  lord  Wells.  The  law  which  com- 
pelled the  Irish  to  return  to  their  own  coun- 
try, was  renewed  in  England  ;  and  it  was 
prohibited  to  all  of  the  king's  subjects  in 
Ireland  to  emigrate  to  England,  a.  d.  1438. 

Robert  Fitz-Geoffry  Cogan  having  no 
heir  to  succeed  him  in  his  estates,  which 
comprised  half  the  kingdom  of  Cork,  made 
them  over  to  James,  earl  of  Desmond,  and 
gave  him  a  letter  of  attorney  to  put  him  in 
,  possession,  notwithstanding  the  pretensions 
'of  De  Carew  and  De  Courcy,  who  were 
unable  to  oppose  that  nobleman,  he  being 
too  powerful  for  them  at  that  time. 

John  Swayn,  rector  of  the  church  of  Gal- 
trira,  county  Meath,  was  consecrated  at  Rome 
as  archbishop  of  Armagh,  in  the  month  of 
February,  1417.    He  was  sent,  in  1421,  by 

*  War.  de  PrsBsul.  Tuamens. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


363 


the  parliament,  with  the  Chevalier  Preston 
to  England,  to  inform  Henry  V.  of  the  state 
of  Ireland,  and  to  seek  a  reform  of  the  abuses 
that  prevailed  there.  This  prelate,  broken 
down  by  age,  resigned  the  see  of  Armagh 
in  1439,  after  governing  it  for  twenty  years, 
and  retired  to  Drogheda,  where  he  died  soon 
afterwards.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  see  of 
Armagh  by  John  Prene.  Richard  Talbot, 
archbishop  of  Dublin,  was  appointed  a  second 
time  lord-chief-justice  of  Ireland,  a.  d.  1 440. 
He  had  a  parliament  convened,  by  which  a 
law  was  made  that  neither  purveyors  nor 
victuallers  should  take  provisions  without 
paying  for  them,  the  proprietors,  in  such 
cases,  being  permitted  to  resist  them.  By 
the  same  parliament  it  was  made  high  trea- 
son to  harbor  robbers,  or  impose  the  main- 
tenance of  the  troops  upon  any  of  the  king's 
subjects  without  their  consent ;  and  to  ob- 
viate abuses  that  might  arise  from  this  enact- 
ment, the  parliament  made  a  law  that  pro- 
visions should  be  provided  for  the  troops, 
and  that  every  proprietor  of  land,  who  paid 
an  annual  rent  of  twenty  pounds  sterling, 
should  furnish  and  maintain  for  the  king's 
use  an  archer  and  his  horse. 

Richard  O'Hedian,  archdeacon  of  Cashel, 
was  consecrated  archbishop  of  that  see  in 
1406,  and  was  put  in  possession  of  its  reve- 
nues two  years  afterwards.  This  prelate, 
finding  no  place  where  to  lay  his  head,  (as 
he  expresses  himself  in  the  roll  of  the  reve- 
nues of  that  church,*)  demanded  back  the 
lands  belonging  to  the  archbishopric,  which 
were  neglected  by  his  predecessor,  and 
usurped  by  strangers.  He  had  a  house  built 
for  the  vicars  of  the  choir,  and  gave  them 
the  two  small  farms  of  Grange-Connel,  and 
Baon-Thurlis-Beg,  to  increase  their  income. 
He  also  rebuilt  some  archiepiscopal  houses, 
and  re-established  the  cathedral  church  of 
St.  Patrick.  This  prelate  died  at  an  ad- 
vanced age,  in  the  month  of  July,  1440, 
and  was  succeeded,  after  a  vacancy  of  ten 
years,  by  John  Cantwell.  A  convent  for 
Franciscan  friars  was  founded  at  this  time, 
at  Irrialagh,  on  the  borders  of  lake  Lane,  in 
the  county  of  Kerry,  by  Domnal  M'Carty, 
lord  of  that  district. 

The  see  of  Tuam  was  held  in  1438,  by 
Thomas  O'Kelly,  bishop  of  Clonfert,  who 
was  placed  there  by  the  authority  of  the 
pope.  The  annals  of  the  monastery  of  the 
isle  of  All  Saints,  say  he  was  as  celebrated 
for  his  piety  as  his  liberality.  Having 
governed  his  see  for  three  years,  he  died  in 
1441.     His  successor's  name  was  John. 


James,  earl  of  Ormond,  governed  Ireland 
for  some  time  as  lord-lieutenant ;  and  was 
afterwards  deputy  in  place  of  Lion,  Lord 
Wells,  who  was  appointed  by  the  court  of 
England  to  the  office  of  lord-lieutenant. 
While  this  earl  was  in  o.ffice,  he  obtained  the 
revenues  of  the  see  of  Cashel  for  ten  years, 
after  the  death  of  the  archbishop,  Richard 
O'Hedian.  Ware  assigns  no  reason  for  the 
long  vacancy  of  that  see.  It  must  have 
arisen  from  some  division  concerning  the 
choice  of  a  prelate,  or  from  a  desire  to 
reward  the  earl  with  its  revenues.  However 
this  be,  the  lord-lieutenant  nominated  his 
brother,  AVilliam  Wells,  deputy,  in  room  of 
Ormond,  A.  d.  1442.  The  new  deputy  held 
a  parliament  in  Dublin,  in  which  Richard 
Talbot,  archbishop  of  that  city,  and  John 
White,  abbot  of  the  abbey  of  St.  Mary, 
were  appointed  commissioners  to  go  and 
represent  to  the  king  the  wretched  state  of 
aflairs  in  Ireland :  and  that  by  an  unwise 
administration,  the  expenses  of  preserving 
that  country  to  the  crown  of  England  ex- 
ceeded its  revenues  by  fourteen  hundred 
and  fifty-six  pounds  a  year. 

James,  earl  of  Ormond,  was  once  more 
appointed  lord-lieutenant,  a.  d.  1443.  He 
obtained  leave  of  absence  from  the  court, 
without  being  subject  to  pay  the  fine  decreed 
against  absentees  by  a  statute  of  Richard 
II.  By  the  orders  of  the  king  he  dismissed 
John  Cornwalsh,  who  filled  the  office  of 
chief-baron,  and  conferred  it  on  Michael 
Griffin. 

John  Prene,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  hav- 
ing governed  that  see  for  about  four  years, 
died  in  his  house  at  Termon-Fechin,  where 
he  was  interred  in  the  church  of  St.  Fechin, 
and  succeeded  in  the  diocese  of  Armagh  by 
John  Mey. 

At  Kilcarbain,  in  the  county  of  Galway, 
a  convent  for  monks  of  the  third  order  of 
St.  Francis,  was  built  by  Thomas  Burke, 
bishop  of  Clonfert,  who  granted  to  that 
order  the  chapel  of  Kilcarbain,  which  do- 
nation was  confirmed  by  Pope  Eugene  IV. 
in  1444.* 

Opposite  interests  gave  rise  at  this  time 
to  jealousy  and  mutual  hatred  between  the 
Butlers  and  Talbots.  They  became  incensed 
against  each  other  to  the  highest  pitch,  and 
both  public  justice,  and  the  public  themselves, 
were  affected  by  their  discords.  In  the  mean 
'  time,  James,  earl  of  Desmond,  who  had  taken 
part  with  the  Butlers,  obtained  the  govern- 
ment of  Waterford,  Cork,  Limerick,  and 
Kerry,  by  letters  patent.    In  order  to  reward 


*  "  On   his  arrival  he  had  not   a  single  place       *  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.     Allemand,  Hist.  Monast. 
where  he  could  rest  himself."  i  d'Irlande. 


364 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


his  services  for  preserving  peace  in  these 
districts,  he  got  permission  to  absent  himself 
from  every  subsequent  parliament,  by  send- 
ing a  proxy  to  represent  him,  and  was  per- 
mitted to  purchase  all  the  lands  he  should 
think  proper,  and  of  what  quality  soever  they 
might  be.  The  faction  of  the  Talbots,  how- 
ever, gained  ground  among  the  people,  not- 
withstanding the  influence  of  the  Butlers  ; 
and  a  petition,  signed  by  several  lords,  was 
sent  to  the  king,  praying  that  the  lord-lieu- 
tenant might  be  recalled.  He  was  repre- 
sented as  a  man  overcome  with  age  and  in- 
firmity, and  incapable  of  preserving  the  royal 
possessions  in  Ireland,  much  more  of  increas- 
ing them.  He  was  also  accused  of  having  con- 
ferred the  title  of  knighthood  on  some  Irish- 
men who  had  been  attached  to  him,  and  who 
seconded  his  views  ;  of  having  exonerated 
certain  noblemen,  on  paying  sums  of  money, 
from  attending  their  place  in  parliament ; 
and  of  having  confined  the  king's  subjects  in 
the  castle  of  O'Dempsy,  in  order  to  extort 
money  from  them  for  their  ranson. 

It  is  probable  that  these  complaints  were 
attended  to  by  the  court,  as  the  oflice  of  lord- 
lieutenant  of  Ireland  was  conferred  on  John 
Talbot,  earl  of  Shrewsbury,  A.  d.  1446.  The 
king  granted  to  this  nobleman  the  town  and 
county  of  Waterford,  with  the  title  of  earl 
of  Waterford,  the  royal  franchises,  and  the 
droit  d'aubaine,  (or  right  of  inheriting  the 
personal  property  of  aliens  at  their  death,) 
in  the  districts  along  the  coast,  as  far  as 
Youghal. 

The  lord-lieutenant  held  a  parliament  at 
Trim,  on  the  Friday  after  Epiphany,  in 
1447,  in  Avhich  several  laws  were  enacted, 
among  others,  that  all  officers  might  travel 
in  Ireland,  without  meeting  with  any  inter- 
ruption ;  that  no  tax  should  be  levied  on 
merchandise  or  provisions,  except  in  towns, 
under  pain  of  paying  twenty  shillings  for 
every  penny  ;  that  the  men  should  shave  the 
upper  lip,  under  pain  of  being  considered 
among  the  Irish  enemy  ;  that  an  Irish  homi- 
cide, or  robber,  though  naturalized,  might 
be  looked  upon  as  an  enemy,  and  conse- 
quently, be  put  to  death ;  and  that  the  sons 
of  laborers  should  be  forced  to  follow  the 
profession  of  their  fathers.  A  law  was  also 
made  against  false  coin,  and  the  coin  of 
O'Reilly,  (by  which  it  would  appear  that 
this  nobleman  had  money  coined.)  This 
law  also  referred  to  the  gilding  of  harness 
and  armor,  the  use  of  which  was  pro- 
hibited. 

The  lord-lieutenant  having  settled  his 
affairs  in  Ireland,  appointed  his  brother, 
Richard  Talbot,  archbishop  of  Dublin,  his 


deputy,  and  returned  to  England,  where  he 
accused  the  carl  of  Ormond  of  high  treason, 
in  presence  of  the  duke  of  Bedford,  constable 
of  England  ;  but  the  king  caused  the  accu- 
sation to  be  suppressed.  At  this  time,  the 
deputy  published  a  tract  in  Latin,  in  Dublin, 
on  the  abuses  of  the  government  during  the 
earl  of  Ormond's  administration  :  "  De  abiisu 
rcgiminis  Jacobi  Comitis  Ormondim,  dum 
HibernicB  esset  locum  tencns."  It  appears 
that  Thomas  Fitzthomas,  prior  of  Kilmain- 
ham,  was  among  the  number  of  the  earl  of 
Ormond's  enemies,  being  one  of  those  who 
accused  him  of  treason  :  and  that,  in  conse- 
quence, a  duel,  which  was  the  established 
mode  of  deciding  quarrels  at  that  time,  was 
to  have  been  fought  between  them  at  Smith- 
field,  in  London,  but  the  king  having  inter- 
posed his  authority,  it  did  not  take  place. 

Hitherto  the  English  had  been  acting  on 
the  defensive  in  Ireland,  and  only  carried  on 
war  along  their  frontiers  ;  their  army  was 
poorly  provided,  and  more  a  burden  to  their 
countrymen  there,  who  were  oppressed  by 
maintaining  them,  than  formidable  to  the 
enemy  by  their  military  achievements.  It 
was  therefore  thought  necessary  to  send 
over  as  a  commander,  a  man  of  some  ce- 
lebrity, and  Richard,  duke  of  York,  earl  of 
March  and  Rutland,  and  heir  to  the  crown 
of  England,  whose  son  reigned  afterwards 
under  the  name  of  Edward  IV.,  was  con- 
sidered the  fittest  person  for  this  office.  In- 
dependently of  his  great  talents,  he  owned 
large  estates  in  the  country ;  he  was  earl  of 
Ulster  and  Cork,  lord  of  Connaught,  Clare, 
Trim,  and  a  considerable  part  of  the  county 
Meath.  It  was  an  act  of  policy  too  in  the 
cardinal  of  Winchester,  who  was  then  at  the 
head  of  affairs  in  England,  to  give  the  gov- 
ernment of  Ireland  to  the  duke  of  York, 
and  thus  to  deprive  him  of  the  regency  of 
France,  as  he  had  thereby  an  opportunity  of 
gratifying  his  friend,  the  duke  of  Somerset. 
The  duke  being  appointed  lord-lieutenant, 
landed  at  Howth,  near  Dublin,  in  the  month 
of  July,  1449  ;  but  as  he  saw  clearly  into 
the  views  of  those  who  had  sent  him  to  Ire- 
land, he  accepted  of  it  on  ff  altering  conditions 
only,  viz.,  that  he  should  continue  in  oflice 
for  ten  years  ;  that  in  order  to  support  his 
dignity,  he  should  have  the  receipt  of  all  the 
revenues  of  his  province,  both  regular  and 
casual,  without  being  obliged  to  render  an 
account  of  them  ;  that  he  should  be  supplied 
with  money  from  England,  as  follows  :  four 
thousand  marks  for  the  first  year,  two  thou- 
sand pounds  of  which  should  be  paid  in  ad- 
vance, and  for  the  remainder  of  the  time  two 
thousand  pounds  a  year  ;  that  he  should  be 


CHRISTIAX    IRELAND. 


365 


permitted  to  let  the  king's  lands  as  farms  ; 
to  appoint  and  dismiss  all  officers  at  his  will ; 
to  raise  what  nmiiber  of  troops  he  should 
think  proper,  and  to  appoint  a  deputy  when 
he  pleased,  and  return  to  England. 

It  does  not  appear  that  the  duke  of  York 
brought  many  troops  with  him  from  England, 
or  that  he  supported  any  in  Ireland,  as  the 
money  which  had  been  promised  him  was 
too  trifling,  and  too  irregularly  paid,  as  may 
be  inferred  from  his  letters  to  the  earl  of 
Salisbury  on  this  subject,  and  particularly 
from  that  which  he  wrote  to  the  earl  of 
Shrewsbury,  quoted  by  Campion,*  according 
to  the  original,  which  he  obtained  through 
Sir  Henry  Sidney,  lord-deputy  of  Ireland 
under  Queen  Elizabeth.  The  style  of  this 
letter  is  very  different  from  that  of  the  pre- 
sent day,  and  merits  well  the  attention  of 
every  reader,  from  its  peculiar  and  very 
singular  construction.  The  following  copy 
is  taken  from  Campion's  history,  in  the 
Mazarine  library  in  Paris,  where  it  can  be 
verified  : 

"  Right  worshipful,  and  with  all  my  heart, 
entirely  beloved  brother,  I  commend  mee 
unto  you  as  heartily  as  I  can. 

"  Ande  like  it  you  to  wit,  that  sith  I  wrote 
last  unto  the  king  our  soveraigne  lord  his 
highnes,  the  Irish  enemy,  that  is  to  say, 
Macgeoghegan,  and  with  him  three  or  foure 
Irish  captaines,  associate  with  a  great  fel- 
lowship of  English  rebells,  notwithstanding 
that  they  were  within  the  king  our  Sove- 
raigne lord  his  power,  of  great  malice,  and 
against  all  truth,  have  maligned  against  their 
legiance,  and  vengeably  have  brent  a  great 
town  of  my  inheritance,  in  Meth,  called  Ra- 
more,  and  other  villages  thereabouts,  and 
murdered  and  burnt  both  men,  women,  and 
children  without  mercy,  the  which  enemies 
be  yet  assembled  in  woods  and  forts,  wayting 
to  doe  the  hurt  and  grievance  to  the  king's 
subjects,  that  they  can  thinke  or  imagine,  for 
which  cause  I  write  at  this  time  to  the  king's 
highnes,  and  beseech  his  good  grace  for  to 
hasten  my  payment  for  this  land,  according 
to  his  letters  of  warrant,  now  late  directed 
unto  the  treasurer  of  England  to  the  intent 
I  may  wage  men  in  sufficient  number,  for 
to  resist  the  malice  of  the  same  enemys,  and 
punish  them  in  such  wyse,  that  other  which 
would  doe  the  same,  for  lack  of  resistance 
in  time,  may  take  example,  for  doubtlesse 
i  but  if  my  payment  be  had,  in  all  haste,  for 
to  have  men  of  war  in  defence  and  safeguard 
of  this  lande,  my  power  cannot  stretch  to 
keepe  it  in  the  king's  obeysance,  and  very 
necessity  will  compell  me  to  come  into  Eng- 

*  History  of  Ireland,  page  99. 


land  to  live  there,  upon  my  poore  livelode, 
for  I  had  lever  be  dead,  than  any  inconve- 
nience should  fall  thereunto  in  my  default, 
for  it  shall  never  be  chronicled,  nor  remain 
in  scripture,  by  the  grace  of  God,  that  Ire- 
land was  lost  by  my  negligence  ;  and  there- 
fore I  beseech  you,  right  worshipful  brother, 
that  you  will  hold  to  your  hands  instantly, 
that  my  payment  may  be  had  at  this  time, 
in  eschuing  all  inconveniences,  for  I  have 
example  in  other  places,  more  pity  it  is  to 
dread  shame,  and  for  to  acquite  my  truth 
unto  the  king's  highnes,  as  my  dutie  is,  and 
this  I  pray  and  exhort  you,  good  brother, 
to  shew  unto  his  good  grace,  and  that  you 
will  be  so  good,  that  this  language  may  be 
enacted  at  this  present  parliament  for  my 
excuse  in  time  to  come,  and  that  you  will  be 
good  to  my  servant  Roger  Roe,  the  bearer 
hereof,  &c. 

Written  at  Divelin,  the  15th  Juin. 
Your  faithful  true  brother, 

Richard  York." 

Richard  Talbot,  archbishop  of  Dublin, 
brother  of  John  Talbot,  earl  of  Shrewsbury, 
so  well  known  in  history  for  his  military 
exploits,  died  this  year,  having  held  that  see 
for  thirty -two  years,  and  was  interred  in  the 
cathedral  of  St.  Patrick.  This  prelate  es- 
tablished six  half  prebendaries,  and  six  cho- 
risters in  that  church,*  and  also  a  chantry 
in  St.  Michael's  chapel,  which  he  made  a 
parish  church.  He  was  appointed  to  the 
archbishopric  of  Armagh  by  the  dean  and 
chapter,  which  he  refused  ;  he  belonged  to 
the  privy  council  of  both  Henry  V.  and  VI.  ; 
had  been  twice  lord-justice  of  Ireland,  and 
once  chancellor.  His  successor  in  the  see 
of  Dublin  was  Michael  Tregury. 

Although  the  duke  of  York,  on  coming 
to  Ireland,  found  affairs  there  in  a  very  bad 
condition,  both  from  the  wicked  administra- 
tion of  those  in  office,  and  the  frequent  at- 
tacks which  the  king's  subjects  met  with 
from  the  Irish,  as  we  have  already  seen  by 
this  prince's  letter  to  the  earl  of  Shrewsbury ; 
and  though  he  was  never  able  to  force  Mac- 
geoghegan and  his  followers  into  their  en- 
trenchments ;  still,  by  his  skill,  rather  than 
by  force  of  arms,  this  prince  quelled,  in  a 
great  measure,  the  disorders  which  existed 
in  the  country.  He  convened  two  parlia- 
ments ;  one  in  Dublin  in  October,  the  other 
at  Drogheda  in  April ;  in  which  several  laws 
were  enacted  relative  to  good  order  and  the 
government  of  the  state,  and  a  fine  was  de- 
creed against  the  bishops  of  Leighlin,Ossory, 
Down,  and  Limerick,  for  not  having  attend- 
ed the  parliament  held  in  Dublin. 

*  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Dubliniens. 


366 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Campion,  page  94,  gives  the  copy  of  a 
letter  of  complaint  from  the  inhabitants  of 
the  county  of  Cork  to  the  earl  of  Rutland 
and  York,  in  which  they  represent  their  mis- 
fortunes as  the  necessary  consequence  of  the 
civil  wars  which  were  continually  breaking 
out  between  the  noblemen  of  the  kingdom, 
whereby  the  king's  subjects  were  in  danger 
of  losing  their  possessions,  as  the  weaker 
party  were  obliged  to  call  in  to  their  assist- 
ance the  Irish,  who  had  been  driven  out, 
and  the  latter  were  becoming  powerful  in 
the  country,  of  which  they  already  owned 
the  greater  part.  In  this  letter  we  find  a 
list  of  the  principal  noblemen  in  the  district, 
and  their  incomes  ;  they  were  as  follows  : 
Carew  of  Dorzy-Haven,  Barnewall  of  Beer- 
Haven,  Uggan,  Balram  of  Emforte,  Courcy 
of  Kilbrehon,  Mandevil  of  Barnhely,  Sley- 
nie  of  Baltimore,  Roche  of  Pool  Castle, 
Barry,  and  others  ;  it  also  adds,  that  Cour- 
cy, Roche,  and  Barry  alone  still  enjoyed 
some  portion  of  the  possessions  of  their  an- 
cestors.* This  letter  ends  by  entreating 
the  viceroy  to  visit  the  country  himself,  or 
to  send  thither  persons  capable  of  checking 
these  disorders  ;  as,  if  a  remedy  were  not 
applied,  the  petitioners  would  be  constrain- 
ed to  lay  their  complaints  at  the  foot  of  the 
throne. 

At  this  time  the  duke  of  York  had  a  son 
born  in  Dublin,  to  whom  the  earls  of  Or- 
mond  and  Desmond  stood  sponsors  ;  he  was 
afterwards  known  by  the  name  of  George 
duke  of  Clarence. 

Many  religious  houses  were  founded  in 
this  century  in  Ireland,  though  the  dates  of 
their  foundation  are  unknown.  The  con- 
vents built  for  the  Franciscans  were,  Kil- 
michael,  in  Westmeath,  by  the  Petits  ;  Bali- 
nesagard,  in  the  district  of  Annaly,  now 
Longford,  by  the  O'Ferralls  ;  and  Holy- 
Wood,  or  Sacro-Bosco,  by  the  Audsleys. 
These  three  were  of  the  third  order.  The 
O'Donnels,  princes  of  Tirconnel,  founded 
two  houses  for  the  same  order  :  one  at  Kil- 
macrenan,  near  Donegal,  for  Franciscan 
friars  ;  the  other  at  Magheri-Beg,  in  the 
same  country,  for  the  third  order.  Conn 
O'Neill,  prince  of  Tyrone,  built  a  house  at 
Dungannon,  for  this  order  also.  Ware  men- 
tions a  convent  of  Franciscans,  founded 
at  Ballimacsweeny,  in  Tirconnel,  by  one 
M'S  weeny,  lord  of  the  district.  The  Dowels 
founded  a  convent  for  Dominicans  at  Tuilsk, 
in  Roscommon.  A  convent  was  founded  at 
Morisk,  at  the  foot  of  Mount  St.  Patrick,  for 


*  They  might  with   more   truth   be   called   the 
usurpations  of  their  ancestors. 


Augustin  hermits,  by  the  O'Maileys,  lords 
of  Umaille,  in  the  county  of  Mayo.  A  con- 
vent for  Carmelites  was  built  at  Rathmullian, 
in  the  district  of  Donegal,  by  M'Sweeny, 
lord  of  Fanid  ;  and  another  at  Kaltragh,  in 
the  county  of  Galway,  by  the  Berminghams, 
barons  of  Athenry. 

During  the  duke  of  York's  administra- 
tion in  Ireland,  he  was  always  mindful  of 
the  interests  of  the  English  in  that  country  ; 
he  quelled  the  disturbances  that  prevailed, 
and  had  castles  built  on  the  frontiers  of 
Meath,  Louth,  and  Kildare,  to  check  the 
incursions  of  the  Irish.  So  great  was  the 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  coun- 
trymen in  Ireland,  that  several  followed  him 
to  England,  to  support  his  claims  to  the 
crown. 

The  duke  of  York  having  returned  to 
England  in  1451,  appointed  the  earl  of  Or- 
mond  his  deputy  in  Ireland,  Sir  John  Talbot 
being  made  chancellor  at  the  same  time. 
Ormond  was  afterwards  appointed  lord-lieu- 
tenant, and  went  immediately  to  England, 
leaving  the  government  of  Ireland  to  John 
Mey,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  as  deputy,  a.  d. 
1453,  which  displeased  the  court,  and  the 
earl  was  ordered  to  return,  as  the  presence 
of  a  military  governor  was  requisite  in  the 
country,  to  impede  the  progress  of  the  rebel 
Irish,  who  were  continually  making  inroads 
on  the  English  province.  Ormond's  affairs, 
however,  not  allowing  him  to  leave  England, 
the  earl  of  Kildare  was  intrusted  with  the 
government,  a.  d.  1454,  till  the  arrival  of 
Sir  Edward  Fitzeustace,  who  was  made 
deputy  to  the  duke  of  York.  He  held  a 
parliament  in  Dublin,  in  which  several  laws 
were  enacted  respecting  the  abuses  that 
were  creeping  into  the  government. 

The  duke  of  York  beheld  with  mortifica- 
tion his  enemy,  the  duke  of  Somerset,  in  the 
highest  favor  at  the  court  of  England.  He 
presented  several  petitions  to  the  king, 
against  him  and  Suffolk  ;  but  his  remon- 
strances made  no  impression  on  this  weak 
prince,  who  was  more  fitted  for  the  cloister 
than  the  throne,  and  who  had  given  himself 
up  to  the  control  of  his  queen,  Margaret, 
daughter  of  the  titular  king  of  Naples  and  Sici- 
ly. Margaret  was  a  woman  possessed  of  more 
resolution  and  of  superior  mind  to  her  sex  in 
general ;  and  findhig  the  king  imbecile  and 
unfit  to  govern,  aided  by  Somerset,  and  others 
of  her  party,  she  underbook  the  administra-  I 
tion  of  the  kingdom.  It  was  not  the  greatness 
of  Somerset  that  gave  umbrage  to  the  duke 
of  York.  This  prince,  who  was  well  aware 
of  his  own  right  to  the  throne,  had  already 
formed  the  design  of  restoring  his  family  on 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


367 


the  ruins  of  the  house  of  Lancaster,  to  which 
Somerset  was  bound  by  the  ties  of  blood  and 
interest.  In  order  to  remove  this  obstacle, 
the  duke  consulted  his  friends,  among  whom 
were  the  earl  of  Warwick,  and  his  son,  the 
earl  of  Salisbury.  These  noblemen  having 
formed  their  plans,  thought  proper  to  supply 
the  deficiency  of  remonstrance  by  force  of 
arms,  in  order  to  effect  the  removal  of  So- 
merset. The  duke  of  York  accordingly 
caused  troops  to  be  levied  in  Wales,  and  the 
north  of  England,  with  whom  he  marched 
towards  London  ;  and  was  met  by  the  king, 
queen,  and  Somerset,  at  the  head  of  an  army 
at  St.  Alban's,  where  the  first  blood  was  shed 
in  the  quarrel  of  the  two  Roses,  a.  d.  1455. 
Henry's  army  was  defeated,  and  Somerset, 
who  was  the  nominal  cause  of  the  war,  with 
the  earls  of  Northumberland  and  Stafford, 
found  among  the  slain  ;  the  number  of  whom 
amounted  to  five  thousand  men.  Henry  was 
made  prisoner,  but  treated  with  every  re- 
spect, and  led  in  triumph  to  London,  by 
York  and  Warwick.  They  there  obliged 
him  to  convene  a  parliament,  in  which  the 
duke  of  York  was  declared  guardian  and 
protector  of  the  kingdom. 

Thomas,  earl  of  Kildare,  was  at  that  time 
deputy  for  the  duke  of  York  in  Ireland.  This 
nobleman,  zealous  for  the  public  welfare,  con- 
vened the  parliament  twice  in  the  city  of  Dub- 
lin, and  once  at  Naas,  in  which  regulations 
appertaining  to  the  government  were  enacted. 

John  Mey,  judge  of  the  episcopal  court  of 
Meath,  was  nominated  in  1444,  by  Pope 
Eugene  IV.,  to  the  archbishopric  of  Armagh. 
Having  held  that  see  for  about  twelve  years, 
he  died  in  1456,  and  was  succeeded  by  John 
Bole.  About  this  time,  John,  surnamed  by 
some  de  Burgo,  archbishop  of  Tuam,  died. 
The  year  of  his  death  is  not  exactly  known  ; 
but  we  find  that  Donat  O'Murry  succeeded 
him,  A.  D.  1458. 

The  army  of  the  duke  of  York  was  consid- 
erably weakened  by  the  retreat  of  Andrew 
Trollop,  who  commanded  the  Calesians,  on 
the  eve  of  a  battle  with  the  king,  for  which 
the  prince  had  collected  all  his  forces.  He 
was  therefore  obliged  to  seek  an  asylum  in 
Ireland  :  where  he  continued  for  some  time, 
and  through  his  deputy,  the  earl  of  Kildare, 
had  a  parliament  assembled  in  Dublin,  and 
subsequently  at  Drogheda.  In  the  interval 
a  parliament  was  convened  at  Coventry  in 
England,  where  the  duke  was  declared  a 
trahor,  together  with  his  son,  Edward  earl  of 
March,  Richard  earl  of  Salisbury,  Richard 
earl  of  Warwick,  the  lord  Clifford,  and  the 
other  confederates  ;  and  their  estates  and 
goods  were  all  confiscated  for  the  king's  use. 


The  earl  of  March  sailed  soon  after  from 
Calais,  to  invade  England.  He  landed  at 
Sandwich,and  on  his  march  to  Northampton, 
his  forces  were  increased  every  step  they 
advanced,  by  additional  friends.  An  engage- 
ment took  place  between  them  and  the  king's 
army,  which  lasted  for  two  hours,  and  in 
which  ten  thousand  troops  were  slain  on 
both  sides.  King  Henry  was  taken  prisoner 
a  second  time  ;  and  the  queen  and  her  son, 
the  prince  of  Wales,  saved  themselves  with 
difficulty.  This  new  success  raised  the  cou- 
rage of  the  duke  of  York,  who  was  still  in 
Ireland :  and  he  set  out  immediately  for 
London,  where  he  caused  a  parliament  to  be 
convened  in  the  king's  name.  He  then  ad- 
vanced his  claim  to  the  crown,  and  expatiated 
upon  all  that  his  family  had  undergone  for 
the  house  of  Lancaster.  It  was  then  agreed 
that  Henry  should  wear  the  crown  during  his 
life,  and  that  the  duke  should  be  his  successor. 
The  prince,  though  he  now  believed  that  his 
right  was  well  established,  thought  that  other 
battles  were  necessary  to  render  it  the  more 
secure.  Parliamentary  decrees  seemed  to  him 
of  little  avail,  when  unsupported  by  an  army. 
The  queen  and  the  new  duke  of  Somerset, 
who  had  withdrawn  to  Scotland  after  the 
battle  of  Northampton,  were  already  on  their 
march  with  a  formidable  army,  composed  of 
Scotch  and  northern  English,  amounting  to 
about  eighteen  thousand  men,  to  renew  the 
war.  The  duke  of  York  therefore,  having 
committed  the  king  to  the  care  of  the  duke 
of  Norfolk  and  the  earl  of  Warwick,  ad- 
vanced to  meet  the  queen  with  an  army  much 
inferior  in  numbers,  consisting  only  of  five 
thousand  men  ;  but  placing  too  much  reli- 
ance on  the  valor  of  his  troops,  and  his  good 
fortune,  which  had  never  yet  forsaken  him, 
he  fell  into  an  ambuscade  in  the  plain  of 
Wakefield,  where  he  lost  the  victory  and  his 
life.  The  young  earl  of  Rutland,  his  son, 
who  was  only  twelve  years  old,  strove  to 
excite  the  pity  of  lord  Clifford,  by  imploring 
him  on  his  knees  to  spare  his  life  :  but  was 
stabbed  in  the  most  inhuman  manner  by  this 
barbarian,  without  any  regard  for  either  his 
birth,  age,  or  tears.  The  earl  of  Salisbury 
was  made  prisoner,  and  afterwards  beheaded: 
the  duke  of  York  was  insulted  even  in  his 
grave.  By  orders  of  the  queen  a  paper 
diadem  was  placed  upon  his  head,  and  it  was 
thus  exposed  on  a  pole  upon  the  walls  of  the 
city  from  which  he  had  taken  his  title. 

Four  religious  houses  of  the  order  of  St. 
Francis,  were  founded  at  this  time  in  Ire- 
land ;  namely,  three  for  Franciscan  friars, 
'and  one  for  Observantines.  At  Enniscorthy, 
I  on  the  river  Slaney,  in  the  county  of  Wex- 


36S 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


ford,  a  convent  for  conventual  Franciscans 
was  founded  bv  Domnal  Cavanagh,  lord  of 
the  country.  At  Inishircnn,  that  is,  the  isle 
of  Hircan,  in  the  hay  of  Baltimore,  there  was 
a  convent  for  Franciscans  built  by  Florence 
O'Driscol,  lord  of  the  town  of  Ross,  the 
island  of  Baltimore  and  Inishircan.*  At 
Bantry,  in  the  county  of  Cork,  a  convent  for 
Franciscans  was  founded  b}^  O'SuUivan 
Beare,  lord  of  that  place.  Nehimie  O'Dono- 
choe  built  a  convent  at  Moyen,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river  Moy,  in  the  county  of  Mayo,  for 
Observantine  friars,  in  which  he  took  the 
habit,  and  became  vicar-general  of  the  order. 
There  'was  also  a  house  founded  for  Do- 
minicans at  Glanore,  in  the  county  of  Cork, 
by  the  Roches. 

The  public  revenue  was  very  moderate  at 
this  time  in  Ireland,  the  whole  kingdom 
being  still  in  possession  of  the  Irish,  except 
the  English  province,  and  some  towns  on  the 
coast  of  Ulster  ;  and  the  English  were  even 
obliged  to  pay  tributes  to  the  Irish,  to  pre- 
serve peace  with  them.  Cox  gives  a  list  of 
these  payments,  which  he  calls  scandalous, 
and  of  the  districts  which  contributed  their 
portions.  The  barony  of  Lecale  paid 
O'Neill,  of  Clanneboy,  twenty  pounds  a 
year  ;  the  county  of  Uriel  forty  pounds  to 
O'Neill ;  the  county  of  Meath  sixty  pounds  to 
O'Connor ;  the  county  of  Kildare  twenty 
pounds  to  O'Connor ;  the  exchequer  paid 
eighty  marks  a  year  to  M'Morrough ;  the 
counties  of  Kilkenny  and  Tipperary  forty 
pounds  to  O'Carroll ;  the  county  of  Limerick 
forty  pounds  to  O'Brien ;  and  lastly,  the 
county  of  Cork  paid  forty  pounds  to  M'Carty 
of  Muskerry.  Cox  complains  bitterly  of 
the  Irish  for  taking  advantage  of  the  dis- 
turbances in  England,  and  usurping  exten- 
sive estates,  as  they  had  previously  done 
under  Richard  II.,  and  also,  as  he  further 
observes,  for  holding,  without  any  right,  the 
greater  part  of  Ulster,  and  many  districts  in 
Munster  and  Connaught.f 


*  The  very  ancient  and  noble  family  of  the 
O'Driscols  derives  its  origin  from  Ith,  paternal  un- 
cle of  Milesius.  In  the  division  of  lands  by  the 
children  of  Milesius  in  Ireland,  after  the  conquest 
of  this  island,  a  territory  then  called  Corkaluigh, 
forming  part  of  the  country  since  called  Carbry, 
near  Ross  and  Baltimore,  was  assigned  to  Lughaid, 
son  of  Ith.  His  descendants  afterwards  took  the 
name  of  O'Driscol.  They  supported  themselves 
honorably  in  Carbry  til]  the  revolutions  which 
took  place  under  Elizabeth,  and  the  war  which  the 
Irish  carried  on  against  that  princess,  in  which  the 
O'Driscols  distinguished  themselves  in  their  coun- 
try's  cause. 

t  If  we  adopted  the  notions  of  English  authors, 
we  should  be  led  to  believe  that  the  Anglo-Irish  were 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

After  the  battle  of  Wakefield,  in  which 
Richard  Plantagenet,  duke  of  York,  lost  his 
life,  the  house  of  York  seemed  to  have  fallen 
for  ever ;  but  Edward  earl  of  March,  who 
inherited  his  father's  great  qualities,  as  well 
as  his  claims  to  the  throne,  having  assembled 
an  army  of  twenty-three  thousand  men  on 
the  frontiers  of  Wales,  came  to  an  engage- 
ment with  the  king's  forces,  commanded  by 
the  earls  of  Pembroke  and  Ormond,  at  a 
place  called  Mortimer's  Cross,  near  Ludlow.* 
The  battle  was  bloody,  and  the  victory  for 
some  time  doubtful ;  but  at  length  the  roy- 
alists took  to  flight,  leaving  three  thousand 
eight  hundred  men  dead  upon  the  field  of  bat- 
tle, besides  several  prisoners,  among  whom 
was  Owen  Tudor,  a  Welsh  nobleman,  who 
had  married  queen  Catherine,  widow  of 
Henry  V.,  and  mother  of  Henry  VI.,  and 
who,  by  orders  of  the  earl  of  March,  was 
sacrificed  to  the  manes  of  his  father,  the  duke 
of  York.  After  this  action,  the  earl  marched 
directly  to  London, where  he  was  proclaimed 
king,  under  the  name  of  Edward  IV.,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  act  of  parliament  by  which 
his  father  Richard  had  been  declared  suc- 
cessor to  the  throne.  He  was,  however,  forced 
to  make  good  his  title  by  the  sword.  Henry 
and  Margaret  had  still  a  considerable  army 
in  the  north  of  England,  which  Edward 
thought  necessary  to  conquer  before  he  as- 
sumed the  crown.  He  marched  therefore 
against  them,  and  defeated  his  rival  in  the 
famous  battle  of  Towton.  This  battle,  which 
lasted  two  days,was  remarkable  for  the  num- 
ber of  men  of  rank  Avho  fell  on  both  sides. 
The  loss  sustained  by  the  two  armies  is  said 
to  have  amoimted  to  thirty-six  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  seventy-six  men  killed  upon  the 
spot ;  the  cause  of  this  fearful  carnage  being 
a  prohibition  which  Edward  had  issued 
throughout  his  camp  the  day  before  the  action, 
neither  to  give  nor  ask  for  quarter,  a.d.  1461. 
After  this  victory,  Edward  was  crowned  with 
great  solemnity,  on  the  28th  of  June,  at 
Westminster,  under  the  name  of  Edward  IV., 
and  in  November  following.  King  Henry  and 
his  son,  Edward,  were  declared  to  have  lost 
all  right  or'claim  to  the  crown. 

the  aborigines  of  Ireland.  It  would  seem  that  the 
usurpation  of  the  lands  of  others,  was  looked  on  as 
a  virtue  among  these  strangers,  and  that  it  was  held 
a  flagrant  act  of  injustice  for  the  ancient  Irish  to 
recover  by  arms  part  of  what  they  had  been  so  un- 
justly deprived  of  two  or  three  centuries  before. 

*  Baker,  Chron.  War.  de  Annal.  Hib.  Higgin's 
Short  View. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


Thomas,  ear)  of  Kildare,  was  appointed 
by  the  council  in  Ireland  to  fill  the  office  of 
lord-justice  till  the  court  should  nominate  a 
lord-lieutenant. 

The  king  make  several  promotions  this 
year ;  in  England  he  created  his  brothers 
George  and  Richard  dukes,  the  former  of 
Clarence,  the  latter  of  Gloucester;*  in  Ire- 
land he  raised  two  persons  to  the  rank  of 
barons :  namely,  William  St.  Lawrence, 
lord-baron  of  Howth,  in  the  coimty  of  Dub- 
lin, and  Robert  Barnwall,  lord-baron  of 
Trimlestown,  in  the  county  of  Meath.f  St. 
Lawrence  was  descended  from  Alnieric 
Tristram,  who,  in  1177,  had  changed  his 
name  from  Tristram  to  St.  Lawrence,  on 
account  of  a  battle  he  gained  against  the 
Danes  on  St.  Lawrence's  day,  having  made 
a  vow  to  transmit  that  name  to  his  descend- 
ants, should  he  be  victorious. 

George,  duke  of  Clarence,  the  king's 
brother,  was  appointed  lord-lieutenant  of 
Ireland  for  life,  a.  d.  1462.  Sir  Rowland 
Fitzeustace.  was  his  first  deputy,  but  was 
replaced  by  the  earl  of  Desmond.  The  earl 
of  Orniond  was  beheaded  at  Newcastle,  and 
his  family  fell  into  disgrace  during  this  reign 
for  their  attachment  to  the  house  of  Lancas- 
ter. Mints  were  established  in  Dublin, 
Trim,  Drogheda,  Waterford,  and  Galway, 
for  coining  four-penny  and  two-penny  pieces, 
&c. ;  and  it  was  decreed  that  English  mo- 
ney should  increase  a  quarter  in  value  in 
Ireland,  that  is,  that  nine  pence  should  pass 
for  twelve,  and  so  in  proportion.  This  was 
the  first  time  that  any  difference  was  made 
between  Irish  and  English  money. 

A  convent  for  Franciscan  friars  was 
founded  at  Monaghan,  in  Ulster,  this  year, 
by  Felim  M'Mahon,  a  lord  of  the  country .| 
Edward  White,  an  English  nobleman,  and  a 
Protestant,  having  obtained  this  house  after- 
wards from  Queen  Elizabeth,  had  it  pulled 
down,  and  built  a  fine  castle  for  himself 
from  the  materials. §  We  find  also  another 
convent  dedicated  to  St.  Michael,  at  Athenry, 
in  the  county  of  Galway,  belonging  to  the 
Observantine  monks.  It  was  begun  by  an 
earl  of  Kildare,  but  completed  by  some  other 
benefactors. 

The  lord-lieutenant  held  a  parliament, 
A.  D.  1463  ;  which  was  adjourned  several 
times.  Previously  to  its  dissolution,  the 
privileges  of  the  members  of  parliament, 
for  forty  days  before,  and  forty  days  after 
each  session,  were  established  ;  the  salaries 
of  officers  of  justice  regulated,  and  the  value 

*  Baker,  Chron.  England. 

t  Nichol's  Rudiments  of  Honor. 

t  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  26. 

§  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'lrlande. 


of  coin  that  was  clipped  or  broken.  He 
held  a  parliament  at  Trim,  a.  d.  1465,  in 
which  several  statutes  were  enacted  ;  among 
others,  that  the  Irish  residing  in  the  English 
province  should  dress  in  the  English  man- 
ner ;  that  they  should  take  English  names, 
and  the  oath  of  allegiance,  under  pain  of 
having  their  properties  confiscated ;  that 
they  should  make  use  of  the  bow  and  arrow 
like  the  English ;  that  an  under  officer, 
called  a  constable,  should  be  appointed  in 
every  borough  ;  that  foreign  vessels  should 
be  prevented  from  fishing  on  the  coasts  of 
the  rebels,  under  pain  of  confiscation,  and 
that  those  who  did  so  on  the  coast  of  the 
English  province,  should  pay  a  tax. 

At  Kilcrea,  in  the  county  Cork,  a  convent 
for  Franciscan  friars  was  built  about  this 
time,  by  Cormac,  son  of  Thadeus  M'Carty, 
lord  of  the  country,  who  was  buried  in  it. 
A  convent  for  the  third  order  of  St.  Francis, 
was  also  founded  at  Glancarm,  on  the  sea- 
shore, in  the  county  of  Antrim,  by  Robert 
Bisset,  a  Scotch  nobleman. 

The  earl  of  Desmond  finding  his  influ- 
ence diminished  with  the  king,  was  obliged 
to  resign  his  place  to  John  Tiptoft,  earl  of 
Worcester,  treasurer  and  constable  of  Eng- 
land, a.  D.  1467.  This  new  deputy,  a  learned 
and  eloquent  man,  convened  a  parliament  at 
Drogheda,  in  which  it  was  enacted  that  the 
governor  should  have  the  liberty  of  travelling 
into  the  adjacent  islands ;  that  no  bulls 
should  be  bought  at  the  court  of  Rome  for 
the  possession  of  livings  ;  that  the  pardon 
granted  by  the  king  to  purveyors  should  be 
considered  void;  that  the  courts  of  exchequer 
and  common  pleas  should  be  removable  at 
the  will  of  the  governor,  on  giving  twenty- 
eight  days'  notice  ;  and  that  the  earls  of 
Desmond  and  Kildare,  together  with  Edward 
Plunket,  should  be  attainted  of  high  treason, 
for  having  formed  alliances  with  the  hostile 
Irish,  and  supported  them  against  the  king's 
subjects,  by  providing  them  with  arms  and 
horses,  in  violation  of  the  laws  of  the  prince, 
and  the  statutes  of  the  kingdom.  In  con- 
sequence of  this  act,  Thomas  Fitzjohn  Fitz- 
gerald, earl  of  Desmond,  was  beheaded  at 
Drogheda  on  the  15th  of  February. 

There  is  a  diversity  of  opinions  respecting 
the  nature  of  the  crime  which  led  to  the 
tragical  end  of  the  earl  of  Desmond.*  It 
was  most  generally  ascribed  to  the  hatred 
which  the  queen,  Elizabeth,  had  conceived 
against  this  nobleman,  the  cause  of  which 
must  be  explained.  After  the  victories  gained 
at  Towton  and  other  places,  over  the  house 

*  Relat.  Giraldinorum. 


370 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


of  Lancaster,  Edward  IV.  had  reason  to 
consider  himself  in  peaceful  possession  of 
the  throne.  lie  was  one  of  the  handsomest 
princes  in  Europe,  and  not  insensible  to  the 
charms  of  the  female  sex ;  and  being  at  the 
time  twenty-three  years  of  age,  it  was  pro- 
posed to  him  to  marry,  as  necessary,  both  to 
preserve  the  house  of  York  from  becoming 
extinct,  and  to  secure  the  crown  in  his  own 
family.  Warwick  was  accordingly  sent  to 
France,  to  negotiate  a  marriage  between 
him  and  the  Princess  Bona,  sister  to  the 
queen,  and  daughter  to  the  duke  of  Savoy. 
The  embassy  was  successful,  and  the  pro- 
posal accepted  ;  but  in  the  meanwhile,  Ed- 
ward, forgetful  of  the  engagement  which 
Warwick  had  contracted  in  his  name,  sacri- 
ficed his  honor  to  love,  by  marrying  Eliza- 
beth Grey,  widow  of  Sir  John  Grey,  who 
had  fought  against  him,  and  was  killed  in  the 
battle  of  St.  Alban's.  This  alliance,  which 
drew  upon  Edward  the  contempt  of  foreign 
princes,  and  the  hatred  of  many  of  his  own 
subjects,  was  the  cause  of  his  subsequent 
misfortunes.  The  attachment  of  the  earl  of 
Desmond  to  the  house  of  York  having  in- 
duced him  to  serve  in  all  the  wars  against 
the  house  of  Lancaster,  he  became  a  favorite 
with  Edward,  who  asked  him  one  day,  what 
the  people  thought  of  his  marriage  ?  The 
earl  took  the  liberty  of  telling  him  that  it 
was  universally  disapproved  of,  on  account 
of  the  great  inequality  in  rank  between  him 
and  the  queen  ;  that  a  young  king  who  had 
gained  a  crown  by  his  arms,  should  have 
allied  himself  to  some  sovereign  prince,  who 
might  be  powerful  to  assist  him  in  any  emer- 
gency, and,  in  fine,  that  it  would  be  prudent 
to  repudiate  Elizabeth,  and  marry  one  of  his 
own  station.  This  advice,  which  was  more 
in  accordance  with  human  policy  than 
Christian  principles,  was  soon  communicated 
to  the  queen.  She  resolved  to  take  revenge, 
and  the  anger  of  an  injured  woman  is  impla- 
cable. She  had  at  first  recourse  to  secret 
measures,  to  injure  the  earl  in  the  king's 
esteem ;  and  at  length  found  means  to  affix 
the  king's  private  seal  to  an  order,  which  she 
sent  to  the  earl  of  Worcester,  at  that  time 
deputy  in  Ireland,  to  have  Desmond  be- 
headed ;  an  order  which  was  put  into  exe- 
cution, to  the  great  surprise  of  every  Irish 
nobleman.  The  revolt  of  the  five  sons  of 
Desmond,  who  flew  to  arms  to  revenge  their 
father's  death,  obliged  the  king  to  examine 
into  the  affair :  Worcester  was  recalled  to 
England,  where  he  was  tried,  and  though  he 
produced  iu  his  ov/n  defence,  the  order  he 
had  received,  sealed  with  the  king's  seal,  he 
was  sacrificed  to  the  manes  of  Desmond. 


By  this  act  the  king  put  a  stop  to  the  revolt 
of  Desmond's  sons,  and  in  addition  to  his 
forgiveness,  he  conferred  the  palatinate  of 
Kerry  on  James  Fitzthomas,  the  earl's 
eldest  son.  He  afterwards  gave  him  the 
town  and  castle  of  Dungarvan,  with  special 
privileges,  which  were  enjoyed  by  his  de- 
scendants till  the  reign  of  Elizabeth. 

Cox  endeavors  to  throw  a  doubt  on  this 
history  of  the  earl  of  Desmond,*  by  saying 
that  it  is  founded  on  a  vulgar  tradition.  The 
English  usually  try  to  turn  things  to  their 
own  advantage,  a  disposition  which  is  par- 
ticidarly  manifest  in  the  writings  of  Cox. 
Though  the  earl  of  Desmond  was  of  Eng- 
lish origin,  he  was  not  sufficiently  English 
for  the  notions  of  this  historian  ;  being  one 
of  those  degenerate  Englishmen  who  began 
to  feel  compassion  for  an  unjustly  oppressed 
people,  whose  properties  they  had  usurped 
and  kept  possession  of. 

The  earl  was  more  interested  than  any 
other  person,  says  this  historian,  in  con- 
demning the  king's  marriage  with  Elizabeth ; 
since  if  he  had  approved  of  it,  he  should 
also  have  sanctioned  the  marriage  of  his 
nephew  Thomas,  fifth  earl  of  Desmond,  with 
Catherine  Ni-William  M'Cormock  ;  that  is.  j 
Catherine,  daughter  of  William  M'Cormock,  j 
his  doing  which,  it  appears,  would  militate  \ 
against  the  title  of  earl,  with  which  the  uncle  | 
was  invested,  only  after  the  forced  resigna-  ' 
tion  of  it  by  his  nephew  ;  the  latter  having 
yielded  it  to  his  uncle  to  stop  the  persecu- 
tion of  his  family,  who  were  displeased  with 
his  marriage,  which  they  considered  de- 
grading. In  order,  therefore,  to  secure  the 
earldom,  Desmond,  the  uncle,  according  to 
Cox,  was  induced  to  condemn  the  king's 
marriage,  and  consequently  that  of  his  own 
nephew.  We  easily  perceive  the  forced 
construction  which  Cox  puts  upon  the  earl's 
conduct ;  but  what  analogy  is  there  between 
the  marriage  of  a  king  and  that  of  a  private 
hidividual  ?  The  unequal  alliance  made  by 
the  king  of  England  affected  the  entire 
state,  while  the  public  welfare  was  in  no 
manner  aff'ected  by  the  marriage  of  the  earl 
of  Desmond.  This  earl's  highest  title  was 
that  of  nobleman,  and  he  allied  himself  to 
M'Cormock,  who  was  a  M'Carty,  the  an- 
cient proprietor  of  part  of  the  extensive  es- 
tates, which  were  at  that  time  in  possession 
of  Desmond  ;  and  whose  alliance,  though  he  ! 
had  become  his  vassalf  by  the  dreadful  rev- 

*  Hib.  Anglic,  ad  an.  1467. 

t  Botli  at  that  time  and  subsequently  we  see  an- 
cient proprietors  forced  to  become  the  farmers  of 
their  own  lands,  and  pay  an  annual  rent  for  them 
to  those  who  had  usurped  them. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


371 


olution  which  deprived  him  of  his  property, 
was  not  unworthy  of  him  who  possessed  it 
unjustly.  However  this  be,  Cox  ascribes 
the  earl  of  Desmond's  misfortune  to  the 
exaction  of  Coyii  and  Livery  ;  but  there  is 
no  mention  of  this  in  the  statute  of  the  par- 
liament of  Drogheda,  quoted  by  this  author, 
in  virtue  of  which  he  was  convicted  of  high 
treason,  with  the  earl  of  Kildare  and  Ed- 
ward Plunket.  As  this  nobleman's  fate,  too, 
dilFered  from  that  of  the  others,  it  must  have 
proceeded  from  another  cause. 

In  the  month  of  February,  the  court  grant- 
ed ten  pounds  sterling  a-year  to  Edmund 
Butler,  lord  of  Dunboyne,  out  of  the  confis- 
cated estates  of  the  earl  of  Ormond,  together 
with  certain  privileges,  and  the  estate  of 
Castle  Richard,  in  the  .county  of  Meath, 
during  life,  for  having  made  Conn  O'Connor 
prisoner,  and  given  him  up  to  the  deputy, 
and  other  services  rendered  by  him  to  the 
state. 

A  convent  for  Franciscan  friars  was  built 
in  1414,  at  Kilconnel,  in  the  county  of  Gal- 
way,  by  William  O'Kelly,  lord  of  that  coun- 
try. Wadding  says  that  this  convent  was 
reformed  by  the  Observantines  in  1467. 

Thomas,  earl  of  Kildare,  having  cleared 
himself  of  the  crimes  of  which  he  had  been 
accused  in  the  parliament  of  Drogheda,  was 
first  appointed  lord-justice  of  Ireland,  and 
afterwards  deputy  to  the  duke  of  Clarence, 
A.  D.  1468.  He  convened  two  parliaments, 
[  one  at  Drogheda  and  the  other  at  Naas,  in 
the  county  of  Kildare,  which  was  adjourned 
j  to  Dublin.  Regulations  for  trade  and  vari- 
ous other  purposes  were  made  in  them. 

John  Bole,  abbot  of  our  Lady  of  Navan, 
in  the  county  of  Meath,  was  promoted  to  the 
see  of  Armagh,  which  he  governed  for  about 
thirteen  years.  After  his  death,  which  took 
place  in  1470,  this  see  remained  vacant  for 
four  years,  during  which  the  temporal  affairs 
belonging  to  it  were  attended  to  by  Richard 
Lang,  bishop  of  Kildare.  Charles  O'Mel- 
lan,  dean  of  the  cathedral  of  Armagh,  wrote 
a  letter  to  Pope  Sixtus  IV.,  in  the  name  of 
the  chapter,  in  which  he'  requested  that 
Richard  might  be  appointed  their  arch- 
bishop ;  but  this  was  refused  by  the  pope, 
who  nominated  John  Foxalls  to  the  see. 
He,  however,  died  in  England  the  year 
after  his  consecration,  without  having  seen 
his  diocese,  and  was  succeeded  by  Edmund 
Connesburgh. 

In  1471,  the  death  of  Michael  Trcgury, 
archbishop  of  Dublin,  also  occurred  ;  he 
was  a  man  of  profound  erudition,  and  left 
several  works  quoted  by  Bale  and  Pitseus. 
He  died  at  an  advanced  age,  at  Tawlaght, 


a  country  residence  belonging  to  the  pre- 
lates of  this  see.  His  body  was  removed 
to  Dublin,  and  buried  near  St.  Stephen's 
altar,  in  the  cathedral  of  St.  Patrick,  where 
his  tomb  may  still  be  seen  with  an  inscrip- 
tion upon  it.  He  Avas  succeeded  by  John 
Walton. 

Some  houses  were  founded  at  this  time 
for  Augustin  hermits  :  one  at  Callan,  in  the 
county  of  Kilkenny,  by  the  earls  of  Ormond  ; 
another  at  Athdare,  county  of  Limerick,  by 
an  earl  of  Kildare  ;  and  two  in  the  cities  of 
Cork  and  Limerick,  the  founders  of  which 
are  not  known.  Father  Lubin  places  a 
convent  of  this  order  at  Clonmine,  in  the 
diocese  and  county  of  Cork,  which  was  built 
near  the  river  Avon-More,  on  the  estate  of 
the  O'Kelleghes,  (in  case  he  does  not  con- 
found Clonmine  with  Clomin,  in  the  county 
Wexford,  where,  as  we  have  already  re- 
marked, there  was  a  convent  belonging  to 
this  order.)  W^are  places  in  1473  the  foun- 
dation of  a  house  at  Donegal,  for  the  Ob- 
servantine  monks,  by  Hugh  Roe  O'Donnel, 
prince  of  that  country.  According  to  this 
author,  there  was  formerly  a  very  fine  library 
attached  to  it. 

At  this  time  a  military  society  was  insti- 
tuted in  Ireland,  by  a  decree  of  parliament, 
for  the  defence  of  the  English  province. 
It  was  composed  of  thirteen  members,  of 
acknowledged  honor  and  loyalty,  in  the 
counties  of  Kildare,  Dublin,  Meath,  and 
Louth  ;  namely,  three  for  each  of  the  other 
counties,  and  four  for  Meath.  In  the  ap- 
pointment of  this  society,  Thomas  earl  of 
Kildare,  Rowland  Eustace  lord  of  Pontles- 
ter,  and  Sir  Rowland  Eustace,  were  nomi- 
nated for  the  county  of  Kildare  ;  Robert 
baron  of  Howth,  the  mayor  of  Dublin,  and 
Sir  Robert  Dowdal,  for  the  county  of  Dub- 
lin ;  Preston  lord  of  Gormanstown,  in  the 
county  of  Meath,  Edward  Plunket,  senes- 
chal, Alexander  Plunket,  and  Barnaby 
Barnwell,  for  that  of  Meath  ;  the  mayor  of 
Drogheda,  Sir  Lawrence  Taaf,  and  Richard 
Bellew,  for  the  county  of  Louth.  According 
to  their  regulations,  the  members  were  to  j 
meet  every  year  in  Dublin,  on  St.  George's  | 
day,  to  appoint  one  of  their  number  captain 
for  the  following  year  ;  this  captain  was  to 
have  one  hundred  and  twenty  horse-archersj 
at  six  pence  a  day  each  for  their  maintenance 
and  pay,  besides  forty  horsemen,  and  the 
same  number  of  pages,  at  five  pence  a  day, 
and  four  marks  a  year  ;  whose  duty  was  to 
arrest  rebels,  and  those  against  whom  war- 
rants would  be  issued.  In  order  to  support 
this  corps,  which  consisted  of  two  hundred 
men,  the  parliament  granted  twelve  pence 


372 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


in  the  pound,  as  an  import  and  export  duty 
on  merchandise.  They  enjoyed  likewise 
the  privilege  of  making  rules  for  the  good 
government  of  their  society,  and  the  election 
of  a  new  member  in  cases  of  death.  This 
was  the  origin  of  St.  George's  fraternity, 
which  was  suppressed  in  the  tenth  year  of 
the  reign  of  Henry  VII. 

William  Sherwood,  bishop  of  Meath,  was 
appointed  deputy  to  the  duke  of  Clarence 
in  1475.  He  held  a  parliament  in  Dublin, 
by  Avhich  it  was  prohibited,  under  pain  of 
treason,  to  send  for  bulls  to  Rome. 

The  nobles  Avere  commanded  to  attend 
parliament  in  their  robes,  under  pain  of  be- 
ing fined,  and  the  barons  of  the  exchequer 
to  appear  in  court  in  their  dresses  of  cere- 
mony. It  was  decreed  that  an  Englishman 
should  be  allowed  the  right  of  reprisal  against 
the  family  or  sept  of  an  Irishman  wlio  was 
not  subject  to  the  laws,  from  whom  he  might 
have  sustained  any  injury  ;  but  it  was  pro- 
hibited, vmder  pain  of  felony,  to  take  by 
force  any  pledges  in  opposition  to  the  com- 
mon law.  George  Nevil.  duke  of  Bedford, 
was  deprived  this  year,  in  England,  of  the 
dignity  of  duke,  for  not  possessing  sufficient 
property  to  support  the  title. 

The  title  of  viscount,  till  now  unknown 
in  Ireland,  was  conferred  at  this  time  by  the 
king  of  England  on  Sir  Robert  Preston, 
who  was  first  made  knight  of  the  Garter 
in  1470.*  He  was  baron  of  Naas,  in  the 
county  of  Kildare,  in  virtue  of  the  marriage 
of  one  of  his  ancestors  with  the  heiress  of 
William  Loundres  ;  and  was  created  vis- 
count Gormanstown,  in  the  county  of  Meath, 
in  1477.  Roche,  otherwise  De  la  Roche, 
or  De  Rupe,  lord  of  Fermoy,  in  the  county 
of  Cork,  was  created  Viscount  Fermoy  the 
same  year. 

The  duke  of  Clarence  had  his  deputies 
still  in  Ireland,  a.  o.  1478.  Sherwood  was 
succeeded  in  that  office  by  Henry  Grey, 
lord  of  Ruthen,  who  was  succeeded  by 
Robert  Preston,  the  viscount  of  Gormans- 
town, and  the  latter  by  Gerald,  earl  of  Kil- 
dare, who  held  a  parliament  at  Naas,  4n 
which  some  regulations  were  made  relative 
to  the  government. 

Edmond  Connesburgh,  archbishop  of  Ar- 
magh, resigned  his  see  in  1479,  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  coadjutor  Octavianus  de 
Palatio. 

At  this  time  a  convent  was  founded  at 
Lislaghtin,  in  the  county  Kerry  ;  in  all  like- 
lihood the  same  that  Wadding  places  in  an 
island  of  the   Shannon.      This  house  was 

*  Nichol's  Rudiments  of  Honor. 


founded  by  John  O'Connor,  of  the  noble 
family  of  th(^  O'Connors  Kerry,  for  Obser- 
vantine  monks. 

Richard,  duke  of  York,  the  king's  son, 
being  appointed  lord-lieutenant  of  Ireland, 
after  George  duke  of  Clarence,  the  earl  of 
Kildare  was  continued  in  the  office  of  deputy 
for  four  years,  by  a  patent  from  him,  sealed 
with  the  king's  privy  seal.  This  earl  vmder- 
took  to  maintain  peace  and  loyalty  through- 
out the  English  province,  on  condition  of 
being  provided  with  one  hundred  and  twenty 
horsemen,  and  six  hundred  pounds  sterling  a 
year  for  their  support ;  and  in  case  that  the 
Irish  revenues  were  not  equal  to  this,  the 
English  government  was  bound  to  supply 
the  deficiency.  This  deputy  held  a  parlia- 
ment which  prohibited  the  exportation  of 
birds  of  prey  without  paying  a  duty  ;  a  de- 
cree was  also  published,  prohibiting  the  in- 
habitants of  the  English  province  to  hold  any 
intercourse  with  the  Irish.  It  was  a  singu- 
lar occurrence,  that  Conn  O'Neill,  who  had 
married  the  deputy's  daughter,  was  natural- 
ized by  this  parliament,  in  a  country  which 
had  given  birth  to  him  and  his  ancestors  for 
many  centuries  before. 

About  this  time  John  Cantwell,  archbishop 
of  Cashel,  died.  This  prelate  was  professor 
of  law,  and  a  graduate  of  the  university  of 
Oxford.  He  governed  his  diocese  with  wis- 
dom. He  held  a  synod  at  Limerick  in  1453, 
the  canons  of  which  are  still  extant,  and  con- 
vened a  second  in  1480,  at  Fethard,  com- 
posed of  the  bishops  of  his  province.  He 
had  the  Dominican  convent  repaired,  and 
increased  the  revenues  of  the  vicars  of  the 
choir  of  Cashel,  where  he  ended  his  days  in 
1482,  and  was  succeeded  by  David  Creagh. 

Such  was  the  state  of  Ireland  during  the 
reign  of  Edward  IV.  The  intestine  commo- 
tions by  which  England  was  torn,  not  allow- 
ing him  to  extend  his  views  to  that  country, 
its  affiiirs  were  to  a  great  extent  neglected 
and  abandoned  to  the  feeble  protection  of  the 
society  of  St.  George.  He  had  gained  his 
crown  by  the  sword,  and  maintained  it  by 
the  frequent  battles  which  he  fought  with  the 
partisans  of  Henry  VI.  ;  and  was  sometimes 
compelled  to  yield  to  superior  force,  and  seek 
an  asylum  in  foreign  countries.  Henry  was 
at  one  time  restored,  and  Edward  declared  a 
usurper  by  the  parliament.  The  latter  prince, 
however,  again  returned,  aided  by  the  duke 
of  Burgundy  and  two  thousand  Dutchmen  ; 
and  joined  by  his  faithful  subjects,  marched 
immediately  to  London,  where  he  seized  upon 
the  unfortunate  Henry,  and  sent  him  back  to 
the  tower.  His  right  was  now  once  more  ac- 
knowledged by  that  parliament  which,  but  six 


CiJRISlIAN    IRELAND. 


373 


months  before,  had  declared  him  a  usurper  ; 
facts  which  prove  the  instability  and  incon- 
sistency of  ihat  tribunal.  Even  this  did  not 
terminate  Edward's  difficuhies.  He  was 
again  forced  to  take  the  field  ;  and  defeated 
Warwick  at  the  battle  of  Barnet,  in  which 
that  earl  lost  his  life.  He  was  also  victo- 
rious over  Queen  Margaret  and  her  son  Ed- 
ward, in  the  battle  of  Tewksbury,  which 
was  the  last  effort  of  the  house  of  Lancas- 
ter. Young  Edward,  only  son  of  Henry  VI., 
having  i'allen  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies, 
was  stabbed,  in  the  most  brutal  manner,  by 
the  dukes  of  Gloucester  and  Clarence.  The 
duke  of  Somerset  and  many  other  noblemen 
Avere  also  put  to  death.  He  was  the  third 
duke  of  his  family  who  fell  in  the  cause  of 
the  house  of  Lancaster.  Soon  after  this 
the  duke  of  Gloucester  buried  the  dagger, 
still  reeking  with  the  blood  of  the  son,  in 
the  bosom  of  the  father,  who  was  prisoner 
in  the  tower.  Thus  ended  the  unhappy  life 
of  Henry  VI.,  whose  innocence  and  piety 
could  not  preserve  him  from  the  punishment 
due  to  the  crime  of  his  grandfather,  Henry 
IV.,  who  had  usurped  the  crown. 

Edward  IV.  did  not  long  enjoy  that  tran- 
quillity which  his  last  victories  had  gained 
him.  He  died  in  the  forty-first  year  of  his 
age,  and  was  interred  at  Windsor,  in  the 
new  chapel  which  he  himself  had  caused  to 
be  built.  George,  duke  of  Clarence,  was 
accused,  some  time  before,  of  high  treason, 
and  sent  to  the  tower,  at  the  instigation  of 
his  brother,  the  duke  of  Gloucester,  by  whose 
orders  he  ended  his  days  miserably,  having 
been  drowned  in  a  butt  of  malmsy  wine. 

Edward  IV.  left  two  sons  and  seven 
daughters.  The  elder  of  his  sons,  named 
Edward,  who  was  but  eleven  years  old  at  his 
father's  death,  was  to  have  succeeded  him  on 
the  throne.*  He  was  at  that  time  at  Ludlow, 
in  Wales,  under  the  guardianship  of  his  ma- 
ternal uncle.  Sir  Anthony  Woodville,  and 
other  friends  of  the  queen  ;  whose  wish  it 
was  that  he  should  be  brought  to  London, 
attended  by  a  strong  guard,  in  order  to  be 
crowned.  Richard,  duke  of  Gloucester,  the 
late  king's  brother,  was  then  in  the  north  of 
England,  and  solely  occupied  with  a  design 
upon  the  throne.  He  had  already  effected 
the  death  of  his  brother  George,  duke  of 
Clarence,  in  the  tower  of  London,  and  being 
desirous  of  getting  the  young  prince  Edward, 
who  was  an  obstacle  to  his  ambition,  into  his 
power,  he  succeeded  by  his  intrigues  in  re- 
moving all  suspicion  from  the  prince's  mind, 
who  set  out  for   London,  unguarded,  and 

*  Baker,  Chron.  on  the  year  1483. 


attended  only  by  a  few  noblemen  of  his  re- 
tinue. Gloucester  repaired,  with  his  favorite 
the  duke  of  Buckingham,  to  Northampton 
and  Stony-Stratford,  through  which  places 
the  prince  should  pass,  and  carried  him  away 
by  force  from  those  who  were  in  care  of  him. 
He  then  seized  on  the  persons  of  Lord  Rich- 
ard Gray,  Sir  Thomas  Vaughan,  and  Sir 
Richard  Hall,  in  presence  of  the  prince.  He 
had  Woodville,  lord  Rivers,  arrested  at  Nor- 
thampton, and  sent  a  prisoner  to  the  north, 
with  Lord  Richard  and  Thomas  Vaughan. 
He  then  brought  young  Edward  to  London, 
where,  having  assembled  the  great  council, 
he  had  himself  appointed  protector  of  the 
young  prince  and  of  the  kingdom.  The 
queen  foresaw  the  danger  which  threatened 
her  family  through  the  conduct  and  intrigues 
of  Gloucester  ;  and  fled  precipitately,  with 
her  son  Richard,  and  the  princesses  her 
daughters,  to  Westminster  abbey;  but  as  no 
asylum  can  be  secure  against  tyranny,  Glou- 
cester found  means  to  get  young  Richard 
also  into  his  power,  under  the  pretext  of 
placing  the  two  princes  in  a  place  of  safety 
till  all  disturbances  would  have  subsided. 
They  were  carried,  in  apparent  triumph, 
through  the  city  to  the  tower,  which  unfor- 
tunately was  to  them  a  prison  instead  of  a 
palace,  as  they  never  left  it  more.  Richard 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  government, 
and  was  crowned,  together  with  his  wife,  in 
July,  1483,  under  the  name  of  Richard  HI. 

This  tyrant,  intent  upon  securing  to  him- 
self the  throne  he  had  usurped,  thought  it 
prudent  to  make  no  change  in  the  govern- 
ment of  Ireland  ;  he  left  it,  therefore,  in  pos- 
session of  Gerald,  earl  of  Kildare,  who  con- 
vened some  parliaments,  in  which  nothing 
interesting  occurred.  Gerald  was  afterwards 
appointed  deputy  to  the  earl  of  Lincoln,  who 
was  nominated  lord-lieutenant,  a.  d.  1484  : 
and  held  a  parliament  in  Dublin,  which 
granted  him  a  subsidy  of  thirteen  shillings 
and  four  pence  a  year,  upon  every  plough- 
land,  to  defray  the  expenses  of  his  services 
against  the  Irish.  O'Connor,  it  would  appear, 
participated  in  these  services,  as  he  got  part 
of  the  reward,  viz.,  forty  pence  for  every 
plough-land  in  the  county  of  Meath. 

The  archbishops  of  Dublin  and  Tuam  both 
died  this  year.  The  former  was  John  Wal- 
ton, who  obtained,  by  order  of  parliament, 
the  restitution  of  some  lands  which  belonged 
to  the  archbishopric  of  Dublin,  and  which 
had  been  sold  byhis  immediate  predecessors, 
Talbot  and  Tregury.  This  prelate  held  the 
see  for  six  years,  but  having  lost  his  sight, 
and  being  reduced  to  a  state  of  infirmity,  he 
resigned  it,  reserving  at  S  words  a  competency 


374 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


for  his  support.  He  was  succeeded  by  Wal- 
ter Fitz-Simmons.  Donat  O'Murray,  a  regu- 
lar canon  of  the  order  of  St.  Augustin,  was 
nominated  to  the  archbishopric  of  Tuam. 
John  Bole,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  wrote  a 
circular  letter  to  this  prelate  and  his  suflra- 
gans,  informing  them  that  he  would  shortly 
visit  the  province  of  Tuam,  inasmuch  as  the 
archbishops  of  Armagh,  as  primates,  claimed 
at  all  times  the  right  of  visiting  the  other 
provinces  every  seven  years.  This  prelate 
added  some  establishments  to  the  church  of 
St.  Nicholas,  in  Gahvay;  he  was  succeeded 
in  the  see  of  Tuam  by  William  Shivy. 

Some  writers  appeared  in  Ireland  during 
this  century.*  William,  surnamed  Water- 
ford,  wrote  a  book  on  religion,  which  he  dedi- 
cated to  Cardinal  Julian  in  1433.  A  canon 
of  the  order  of  St.  Augustin,  at  Loghkey,  in 
the  county  Roscommon,  left  the  annals  of 
Ireland  to  his  own  time,  written  in  Irish  and 
Latin.  Ware  mentions  having  seen  that  part 
of  his  work  which  begins  with  the  year  1249, 
and  ends  with  1408.  John  of  Ireland  flour- 
ished in  1460.  According  to  Antonius  Al- 
fonsus  Feniandus,  and  Michael  Plodius,  he 
I  wrote  a  book  called  the  Bunch  of  Flowers, 
I  having  taken  from  the  sacred  writers  the 
most  valuable  thoughts  on  each  subject  of  his 
work.  It  is  probable  that  these  writers  have 
confounded  this  John  with  Thomas  of  Ire- 
land, of  whom  we  have  already  spoken,  who 
Avrote  a  book  called  the  "  Flowers  of  the 
Doctors,"  in  the  thirteenth  century,  which 
was  printed  in  Paris  in  1664.  John  of  Ire- 
land, a  Dominican,  is  said  to  have  been  the 
author  of  a  book  called  "  .Scala  Dei,"  or  "the 
Ladder  to  Heaven."  Philip  Norris,  having 
taken  the  degree  of  doctor  in  theology,  at 
Oxford,  returned  to  Ireland,  his  native  coun- 
try, Avhere  he  was  made  prebendary  of  Ya- 
gogstown,  which  depended  on  St.  Patrick's 
church  in  Dublin.  He  was  afterwards  dean 
of  that  cathedral,  in  1457.  Like  Richard 
of  Armagh,  he  wrote  against  mendicants, 
and  inveighed  strongly  against  them  in  his 
sermons,  which  brought  disgrace  upon  him. 
According  to  Bale,  he  left  many  works, 
namely,  declamations,  lectures  on  the  holy 
Scriptures,  sermons  to  the  people,  a  treatise 
against  mendicants  in  health,  &c. 

In  England,  the  duke  of  Gloucester,  not 
content  with  having  deprived  his  nephews  of 
their  birthright  to  the  crown,  sacrificed  them 
to  his  cruelty,  and  had  them  put  to  death. 
He  also  caused  his  favorite,  the  duke  of 
Buckingham,  who  had  taken  up  arms  against 
him,  to  be  executed.     The  only  enemy  that 

*  Wad.  Tom.  4,  Annal.  Min.  ad  an.  1395. 


Richard  had  now  to  fear,  was  the  earl  of 
Richmond,thelastof  the  house  of  Lancaster, 
who  was,  in  a  manner,  prisoner  at  the  court 
of  Brittany.  This  prince,  however,  had  cor- 
respondents in  England.  Having  received 
some  assistance  in  money  from  Charles  VIII. 
king  of  France,  he  sailed  from  Harfleurwith 
two  thousand  men,  and,  af;fer  seven  days, 
landed  at  Milford,  from  which  place  he 
marched  towards  Hereford,  where  he  was 
joined  by  the  Welsh,  and  other  friends,  who 
flocked  to  his  standard,  and  in  a  few  days 
collected  a  considerable  force.  Richard 
having  received  intelligence  of  the  success 
of  Richmond,  marched,  at  the  head  of  a  pow- 
erful army,  to  meet  him,  and  gave  him  battle 
in  the  plain  of  Bosworth,  which  proved  fatal 
to  Richard,  who  lost  in  it  both  the  crown  and 
his  life.  Lord  Stanly,  in  the  thick  of  the 
fight,  having  discovered  the  crown  upon  the 
ground,  took  it  up  and  placed  it  on  the  head 
of  Richmond  ;  which,  together  with  the  ac- 
clamations of  the  troops,  shouting  "  Long 
live  the  king,"  gave  to  the  earl  an  additional 
title,  by  a  sort  of  military  election. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


After  the  battle  of  Bosworth,  Henry, 
earl  of  Richmond,  was  crowned  at  West- 
minster king  of  England,  under  the  name  of 
Henry  VII.*  He  was  of  the  house  of  Lan- 
caster, being  great-grandson  to  John,  earl 
of  Somerset,  who  was  born  before  the  mar- 
riage of  John  of  Ghent,  fourth  son  of  Ed- 
ward III.,  with  Catherine,  his  third  wife, 
widow  of  Swinford  ;  but  who,  by  an  act  of 
parliament  under  Richard  II. ,t  was  made 
legitimate.  In  order  to  secure  himself 
more  firmly  upon  the  throne,  Henry  added 
a  third  title  to  the  right  of  conquest  and  the 
claims  he  derived  from  the  house  of  Lan- 
caster, by  marrying  the  Princess  Elizabeth, 
eldest  daughter  of  Edward  IV.,  and  conse- 
quent heiress  to  the  house  of  York  and  the 
crown,  A.  D.  1485.  This  happy  union  put  an 
end  to  the  feuds  of  the  two  roses,  which  had 
cost  England  so  much  blood.  This  prince 
confined  the  earl  of  Warwick,  called  Ed- 
ward Plantagenet,  only  son  and  heir  of 
George,  duke  of  Clarence,  and  the  last  male 
child  of  the  house  of  York,  in  the  tower  of 
London.    He  was  the  first  king  of  England 

*  Polyd.  Virgil.  Ang.  Hist.  lib.  26,  page  1433. 
t  Baker,  Chron.  Higgins'  Short  View. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


375 


who  established  a  body  guard,  in  imitation 
of  the  kings  of  France.  He  appointed  a 
captain  over  them,  and  allowed  them  pay ; 
and  the  corps  has  been  continued  by  his 
successors. 

The  king  having  appointed  the  duke  of 
Bedford  lord-lieutenant  of  Ireland,  Gerald, 
earl  of  Kildare,  retained  the  office  of  de- 
puty.* Henry  also  allowed  the  chancellor, 
treasurer,  and  other  officers,  whom  he  knew 
to  have  favored  the  cause  of  the  white 
rose,  to  continue  in  office ;  he  wished  to 
make  them  feel  that  he  reposed  confidence 
in  them,  and  at  the  same  time,  that  he  was 
above  that  weakness  which  generally  arises 
from  fear  and  suspicion.  He  was  not,  how- 
ever, unmindful  of  his  friends.  Thomas 
Butler,  whose  family  had  been  long  in  dis- 
grace for  their  attachment  to  the  house  of 
Lancaster,  was  restored  by  an  act  of  parlia- 
ment to  his  wealth  and  honors,  and  after 
taking  the  usual  oath,  was  admitted  into  the 
privy  council  of  the  king.  It  appears  that 
the  Desmond  family  was  restored  at  the 
same  time,  as  it  is  mentioned  that  Thomas 
Coppinger,  seneschal  of  St.  James,  earl  of 
Desmond,  in  the  liberties  of  Kerry,  ad- 
ministered justice  in  his  name. 

A  dispute  arose  this  year  between  James 
Keating  and  Marmeduke  Lumley,  respecting 
the  priory  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem,  called 
the  priory  of  Kilmainham,  near  Dublin. f 
Keating  having  been  accused  to  Peter  d'x\u- 
busson,  grand  master  of  the  order,  in  the 
island  of  Rhodes,  of  having  mortgaged  or 
sold  several  ornaments  belonging  to  the 
house,  (among  others,  a  bit  of  the  true 
cross,)  and  of  having  made  over,  or  encum- 
bered with  pensions,  the  revenues  of  the 
priory,  was  deprived  of  his  office  by  the 
grand  master,  who  nominated  Lumley  in  his 
stead.  The  latter  having  arrived  at  Clontarf 
with  the  intention  of  taking  possession  of  his 
new  dignity,  Keating  and  his  attendants 
prevented  him,  by  taking  him  prisoner,  and 
obliging  him  to  give  up  his  credentials  and 
every  thing  respecting  his  nomination ;  to 
compensate  him  for  which  Keating  gave  him 
the  commandery  of  Kilsaran,  in  the  county 
of  Louth.  Lumley,  indignant  at  this  treat- 
ment, wrote  to  the  king  and  grand  master, 
and  on  his  complaints  Keating  was  excom- 
municated, by  which  he  was  so  exasperated, 
that  he  deprived  Lumley  of  his  commandery, 
and  confined  him,  contrary  to  the  request  of 
the  archbishop  of  Armagh,  in  prison,  where 
it  is  probable  he  ended  his  days.     Keating 


*  War.  de  Annal.  Hib. 
t  War.  de  Annal.  Hib. 


an.  1485. 


kept  forcible  possession  of  his  priory  for 
nine  years  ;  but  Avas  at  length  expelled  with 
ignominy  and  disgrace.  He  was  succeeded 
by  James  Vale. 

There  was  a  convent  of  Franciscans  in  the 
large  island  of  Arran,  at  the  entrance  of  the 
bay  of  Galway.*  Wadding  states,  that, 
according  to  the  annals  of  Ireland,  this  con- 
vent was  built  in  1485,  in  the  island  of 
saints,  which  is  the  same  as  the  isle  of  Arran. 

Wadding  mentions  likewise  the  convent 
of  KilcuUen,  built  in  1486,  for  Observantine 
friars  of  the  order  of  St.  Francis,  by  Row- 
land Eustace,  who  Avas  lord-justice  and 
for  some  time  chancellor  and  treasurer  of 
Ireland-!  He  says  there  were  tombs,  not 
only  of  the  founder,  but  of  several  other 
noblemen,  in  the  church  and  chapels.  At 
Dungarvan,  a  small  seaport  in  the  county  of 
Waterford,  a  convent  was  built,  according  to 
Ware,  by  an  earl  of  Desmond,  for  Augustin 
hermits.  Father  Lubin  informs  us  that  it  is 
mentioned  in  the  registries  of  the  order,1448. 

Although  Henry's  strongest  claim  to  the 
crown  lay  in  his  marriage  with  the  heiress 
of  the  house  of  York,  he  did  not  treat 
the  queen  with  the  respect  due  to  her ; 
but  manifested  his  indifference  towards  her, 
by  delaying  the  ceremony  of  her  coronation, 
till  he  was  compelled  to  have  it  performed 
by  the  murmurs  of  the  people,  who  were 
always  attached  to  the  house  of  York.  The 
number  of  malecontents  increased,  and  pre- 
tenders to  the  crown  were  set  up,  who  dis- 
turbed a  great  part  of  his  reign.  The  im- 
postures of  Lambert  Simnel  and  Perkin 
Warbeck,  both  supported  by  Margaret,  sis- 
ter of  Edward  IV.,  widow  of  Charles,  duke 
of  Burgundy,  and  the  implacable  enemy  of 
the  house  of  Lancaster,  form  some  of  the 
most  peculiar  features  in  the  history  of  the 
English  nation. 

The  king  having  some  suspicion  of  the 
earl  of  Kildare's  loyalty,  who  was  his  deputy 
in  Ireland,  wrote  to  him  to  repair  to  Eng- 
land, under  pretext  of  consulting  him  on 
some  matters  respecting  the  welfare  of  the 
state.  The  earl,  who  dreaded  some  dis- 
agreeable result  from  this  order,  showed  the 
king's  letter  to  the  parliament  that  were  as- 
sembled in  Dublin  :  whereupon  the  nobles 
wrote  to  the  king,  representing  to  him  that 
the  presence  of  the  deputy  was  necessary  in 
some  matters  of  importance,  and  entreating 
of  his  majesty  to  dispense  with  his  voyage  for 
the  present.  The  ecclesiastics  who  signed 
this  letter  were  the  archbishops  of  Armagh 


*  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  26. 

+  AUemand,  Hist.  Monast.  d'Irl.  p.  284. 


376 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


and  Dublin,  the  bishop  of  Meath,  four  ab- 
bots and  a  prior,  all  ecclesiastical  lords  who 
sat  in  parliament ;  the  temporal  lords  were, 
viscount  Gormaustown,  and  the  barons  of 
Slanc,  Delvin,  Killeen,  Howth,  Trimles- 
town,  and  Duusany.  During  this  time,  a 
faction  was  forming  in  favor  of  the  White 
Rose.  The  person  pitched  upon  to  carry  out 
its  objects,  was  Lambert  Simnel,  son  of  a 
shoemaker,  or  baker,  who  had  been  educated 
at  Oxford  by  a  priest  called  Richard  Symon, 
a  man  of  learning.  This  young  man  had  a 
prepossessing  and  noble  aspect,  and  a  lively 
understanding,  and  was  to  personate  young 
Edward,  earl  of  Warwick,  son  of  George, 
duke  of  Clarence,  in  order  to  lay  claim  to 
the  crown.  This  project,  however,  was  for 
two  reasons  impracticable  ;  first,  the  real 
Edward  was  in  the  tower ;  secondly,  the 
right  which  Henry  had  acquired  by  his  mar- 
riage with  the  heiress  of  Edward  IV.,  ex- 
cluded every  other  claimant.  These  circum- 
stances did  not  prevent  Simnel  from  acting 
the  part  of  a  prince.  He  was  brought  to 
Ireland,  and  presented  to  the  deputy,  the 
chancellor,  the  treasurer,  and  other  noble- 
men of  the  English  province,  who  received 
him  with  distinguished  regard.  He  was 
acknowledged  by  all  but  the  archbishop  of 
Armagh,  the  bishop  of  Clogher,  the  Butlers, 
the  baron  of  Howth,  and  the  inhabitants  of 
W^aterford.  The  king  being  informed  by 
the  baron  of  Howth,  of  the  triumphal  entry 
of  Simnel  into  Ireland,  gave  orders  to  have 
the  real  earl  of  Warwick  taken  from  the 
tower,  and  led,  under  a  strong  guard,  through 
the  streets  of  the  city  to  St.  Paul's  church, 
in  order  to  undeceive  the  people.  In  the 
mean  time,  the  duchess  of  Burgundy  sent 
over  two  thousand  men  to  Simnel,  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  Swart. 

This  army  landed  in  Dublin  in  the  month 
of  May  ;  and  the  earl  of  Lincoln  and  Lord 
Lovel  repaired  thither  also  ;  whereupon  the 
supposed  Warwick  was  solemnly  crowned 
in  the  cathedral  of  the  Trinity,  called 
Christ's  church,  after  a  sermon  preached  by 
John  Payne,  bishop  of  Meath,  who  made 
known  his  right  to  the  crown,  in  presence  of 
the  deputy,  the  chancellor,  treasurer,  the 
earl  of  Lincoln,  lord  Lovel,  and  several 
other  noblemen,  both  spiritual  and  temporal, 
of  the  EngUsh  province.  A  crown  which 
had  been  found  on  a  statue  of  the  blessed 
Virgin,  in  a  church  bearing  her  name,  was 
used  for  this  ceremony.  The  new  king  was 
led  through  the  city,  followed  by  the  accla- 
mations of  the  people,  to  the  castle,  where  a 
magnificent  banquet  was  prepared.  The 
parliament,  and  courts  of  justice  were  holden, 


lawsuits  carried  on,  statutes  enacted,  and  all 
the  acts  of  the  council  gone  through  in  the 
name  of  this  pretended  prince.  These  acts 
were  all,  however,  annulled  in  the  time  of 
Poynings,  when  deputy,  in  a  parliament 
held  at  Droghcda,  in  1494. 

In  the  month  of  June,  1487,  Lord  Thomas 
Fitzgerald,  chancellor  of  Ireland,  in  order  to 
unburden  himself,  resigned  his  office  to 
Rowland  Eustace,  baron  of  Portlester. 
Shortly  after  this,  a  fleet  was  prepared,  by 
order  of  the  council,  for  the  expedition  to 
England,  and  the  Pretender  and  his  army, 
commanded  by  the  earl  of  Lincoln,  set  sail, 
attended  by  Lord  Lovel,  the  ex-chancellor 
Lord  Thomas  Fitzgerald,  Colonel  Swart,  a 
German,  and  other  noblemen.  On  their 
landing  in  Lancashire,  they  were  joined  by 
Sir  Thomas  Broughton,  who  commanded  a 
body  of  troops.  With  this  reinforcement 
they  marched  towards  Newark,  where  they 
met  the  king  at  the  head  of  his  army,  and 
having  come  to  an  engagement,  the  victory 
was  undecided  for  three  hours,  but  at  length 
declared  in  favor  of  Henry.  Several  lives 
were  lost  on  the  Pretender's  side  ;  the  prin- 
cipal were  those  of  John  de  la  Pole,  earl  of 
Lincoln,  Francis,  viscount  Lovel,  Lord  Tho- 
mas Fitzgerald,  Maurice  Fitzthomas  Fitz- 
gerald, Sir  Thomas  Broughton,  Plunket, 
son  of  Baron  Killeen,  and  Colonel  Swart, 
besides  four  thousand  soldiers.  Simnel  was 
among  the  number  of  the  prisoners  :  and 
having  confessed  his  crime,  the  king,  with 
unexampled  clemency,  granted  him  his  life, 
and  gave  him  a  situation  in  his  falconry, 
which  he  held  till  his  death.  After  this 
victory,  Henry  marched  towards  the  north, 
where  he  discovered  more  partisans  of  Sim- 
nel, among  whom  was  the  earl  of  Lincoln. 
Some  of  these  he  had  put  to  death  as  an  ex- 
ample ;  others  he  made  pay  large  sums  of 
money,  and  pardoned  the  least  guilty.  He 
then  returned  to  London,  where  he  was 
joyfully  received,  and  in  the  month  of 
November,  on  St.  Catherine's  day,  his 
queen,  Elizabeth,  was  crowned  with  great 
pomp,  at  Westminster. 

In  Ulster,  Hugh  M'Mahon  taking  advan- 
tage of  the  disturbances  in  the  state,  assem- 
bled  his   vassals,  and   committed   dreadful 
devastation  on  the  lands  of  the  Anglo-Irish 
in  the  county  Louth,  from  which  he  carried 
off  large  herds  of  cattle,  and  other  goods. 
It  is  said  that  twenty-eight  villages  were  j 
burned  in  this  expedition.      Some  parts  of 
the  province  were  visited,  at  this  time,  by 
rains  and  storms,  which  tore  up  trees  by  | 
their  roots,  and  threw  down  churches  and  j 
houses.  I 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


377 


About  this  time,  Henry  VII.  wrote  to  the 
mayor  and  citizens  of  Waterford,  expressing 
to  them  his  satisfaction  for  their  loyalty  to 
him,  and  exhorting  them  to  persevere  in  it. 
He  gave  them  permission  to  seize  upon  the 
vessels  and  merchandise  belonging  to  the 
inhabitants  of  Dublin,  and  others  who  traded 
with  them,  and  turn  them  to  their  own  ad- 
vantage ;  some  time  afterwards  he  granted 
them  privileges  and  immunities,  as  a  reward 
for  their  fidelity. 

The  earl  of  Kildare,  and  other  ministers 
of  state  who  had  abetted  the  cause  of  Sim- 
nel,  being  informed  of  his  defeat,  sent  a  de- 
putation to  the  king,  avowing  their  crime, 
and  imploring  his  forgiveness.  The  king,  gra- 
tified with  their  submission,  wrote  to  them, 
and  reprimanding  them  slightly,  granted 
them  a  pardon,  of  which  their  future  conduct 
should  be  a  guarantee ;  while  as  a  proof  of 
his  perfect  reconciliation,  he  continued  the 
earl  in  the  government  of  Ireland,  and  gave 
him  orders  and  instructions  relative  to  the 
times.  The  king  had  indeed  cause  to  sus- 
pect the  fidelity  of  the  people,  and  to  dread, 
that,  on  the  first  opportunity,  some  sparks 
of  rebellion  would  burst  forth  ;  but  he  did 
not  deem  it  prudent  either  to  employ  rigor- 
ous measures,  or  send  troops  to  Ireland  to 
put  down  the  remains  of  the  York  faction  ;* 
and  lest  he  should  weaken  the  colony,  which 
was  with  difficulty  maintained  in  a  corner  of 
the  island,  against  the  attacks  of  the  old  in- 
habitants, he  confined  himself  to  receive  the 
submission  of  the  guilty.  For  these  purposes 
he  sent  Sir  Richard  Edgcombe  with  a  com- 
mission to  make  his  subjects  renew  their 
oath  of  allegiance,  and  to  secure  their  fidelity 
for  the  future,  by  announcing  to  them  his 
forgiveness.  This  minister,  accompanied  by 
a  guard  of  five  hundred  men,  arrived  with 
five  vessels,  in  the  harbor  of  Kinsale,  in  the 
month  of  June,  and  as  he  was  averse  to  come 
on  shore.  Lord  Thomas  Barry  went  on  board 
his  ship,  paid  him  homage  for  himself  and 
his  barony,  and  took  the  oath  of  allegiance. 
At  the  solicitation,  however,  of  Lord  Courcy 
and  the  inhabitants,  Edgcombe  entered  the 
town  the  day  following,  where  Courcy  did 
him  homage  in  the  church  of  St.  Meltock  ; 
and  with  the  inhabitants,  took  the  oath  of 
allegiance.  After  dining,  he  set  sail  for 
Waterford,  the  citizens  of  which  he  com- 
plimented for  their  fidelity  to  their  king,  of 
whose  protection  he  assured  them.  He  then 
sailed  for  Dublin,  where  he  arrived  on  the 
5th  of  July,  and  was  honorably  received 
by  the  mayor  and  citizens,  at  the  gate  of  the 

*  Hib.  Anglic,  on  the  reign  of  Henry  VII. 


Dominican  convent,  which  had  been  assigned 
for  his  residence  during  his  stay.  The  earl 
of  Kildare  was  absent  at  the  time,  on  an  ex- 
pedition against  the  Irish ;  but  having  re- 
turned after  a  few  days,  Edgcombe,  attended 
by  the  bishop  of  Meath,  the  baron  of  Slane, 
and  other  lords,  waited  upon  him  in  the 
abbey  of  Thomas-court,  where  he  resided. 
He  there  presented  to  him  his  letters  from 
the  king,  his  master,  with  manifestations  of 
displeasure,  and  after  a  private  conference, 
they  separated  without  coming  to  any  con- 
clusive arrangement.  The  lord-deputy  went 
to  his  castle  of  Maynooth,  and  Edgcombe 
returned  home. 

In  the  beginning  of  these  disturbances, 
the  king  obtained  a  bull  from  the  pope  to 
excommunicate  the  rebels  ;  and  by  a  similar 
authority,  Edgcombe  caused  a  general  abso- 
lution to  be  proclaimed  in  Christ's  cathedral 
on  the  following  Sunday,  for  all  those  who 
should  continue  in  their  obedience  to  his 
majesty.  The  lord-deputy  having  returned 
to  Dublin,  was  absolved  from  his  excom- 
munication, during  the  divine  service,  and 
paid  his  homage  to  Edgcombe  in  the  large 
hall  of  the  abbey  of  Thomas-court ;  the 
king's  commissioner  then  announced  his 
majesty's  pardon,  by  putting  a  gold  chain 
around  the  neck  of  the  deputy,  on  the  part 
of  the  king,  in  token  of  his  perfect  recon- 
ciliation. The  form  of  an  oath  of  allegiance 
was  then  drawn  up,  to  be  taken  by  the 
nobility  and  clergy  ;  it  was  signed  by  Walter 
Fitzsimons,  archbishop  of  Dublin,  and  his 
predecessor  John  Walton,  John  Payne, 
bishop  of  Meath,  Edmond  Lane,  bishop  of 
Kildare,  John  Purcel,  abbot  of  Thomas- 
court,  near  Dublin,  Walter  Champflour, 
abbot  of  our  Lady's,  and  John  Cogan,  prior 
of  Holm  Patrick.  Every  thing  having  been 
settled  to  Edgcombe's  satisfaction,  he  gave  a 
magnificent  banquet  to  the  earl,  and  all  the 
nobility,  in  the  Dominican  convent,  and  next 
day  received  in  the  Toulsel,  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance from  Thomas  Meyler,  mayor  of  Dub- 
lin, and  all  the  citizens,  of  which  he  took  a 
copy,  sealed  with  the  seal  of  the  city.  He 
went  afterwards  to  Drogheda,  and  from  that 
place  to  Trim,  where  he  received  the  sub- 
mission and  oaths  of  the  inhabitants.  Their 
example  was  followed  by  Nicholas  Herbert, 
prior  of  St.  Peter's  of  Newtown,  near  Trim, 
Richard  Nangle,  abbot  of  Navan,  and 
James,  abbot  of  Castlemartin,  of  the  order 
of  Bectiff".  On  Edgcombe's  return  to  Dub- 
lin, he  received  the  submission  of  Octavia- 
nus,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  Philip  Ber- 
mingham,  chief-justice  of  the  king's  bench, 
and  Thomas  Dowdal,  master  of  the  rolls. 

48 


378 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


There  were  two  persons  not  included  in 
the  pardon  granted  by  Edgcombe  to  the 
king's  subjects  in  Ireland  ;  Keating,  prior  of 
Kilniainhani,  of  whom  we  have  already 
spoken,  and  Tlionias  Plunket,  chief-justice 
of  the  court  of  coniniou  pleas  ;  they  being 
considered  as  the  instigators  of  Simnel's 
rebellion.  The  lord-deputy  and  nobles  so- 
licited pardon  for  them  from  the  commis- 
sioner. It  was,  however,  granted  only  to 
the  latter  :  Keating,  so  far  from  obtaining 
forgiveness,  was  deprived  of  the  office  of 
governor  of  the  castle  of  Dublin,  which  he 
had  taken  by  force,  and  Richard  Archbold, 
the  old  governor,  was  restored.  Edgcombe 
having  terminated  his  commission,  returned 
to  England  to  give  an  account  of  his  suc- 
cess to  the  king. 

The  lord-deputy  and  council  deputed  the 
bishop  of  Meath  to  express  to  his  majesty 
their  gratitude  for  the  favors  he  had  just 
granted  to  his  people  in  Ireland,  and  to  con- 
vince him  of  their  submission,  in  order  to  re- 
move every  imputation  which  their  enemies 
might  cast  upon  their  conduct.  This  prelate 
acquitted  himself  so  ably  in  this  undertaking, 
that  he  prevented  the  archbishop  of  Armagh, 
though  the  king's  favorite,  from  obtaining 
the  office  of  chancellor,  lest  the  jealousy 
which  subsisted  between  him  and  the  deputy 
might  be  renewed,  and  thus  disturb  that 
tranquillity  so  lately  restored  to  the  state. 

Some  time  afterwards  the  deputy  marched 
at  the  head  of  his  troops  towards  Kinalyach, 
in  Westmeath,  to  check  the  incursions  of 
Magheoghegan  upon  the  English  province, 
and  surprised  the  castle  of  Bileragh.  He 
laid  waste  the  district  of  Moycashel,  and 
carried  away  considerable  booty,  a.  d.  1382  ; 
but  was  repulsed  some  time  afterwards,  by 
the  Magheoghegans,  and  pursued  to  his  castle 
of  Maynooth,  where  he  escaped  their  fury. 

Henry  VII.,  suspecting  the  loyalty  of  his 

subjects  in   Ireland,  whom  he  knew  to  be 

attached  to  the  house  of  York,  made  several 

of  them  come  to  England  ;  namely,  the  earl 

of  Kildare,  the  viscounts  Gormanstovvn,  Fer- 

moy,  and  Buttevant,  the  barons  of  Athenry, 

Kinsale,  Delvin,  Howth,Trimlestovvn,Slane, 

Killeen,  and  Dunsany.  These  noblemen  were 

presented  to  the  king  at  Greenwich.   Having 

given  to  each  a  reprimand  in  private,  he  was 

reconciled  to  them,  and  entertained  them  at 

a  banquet.     In  order,  however,  to  mortify 

their  pride,  Lambert  Simnel,  whom  they  had 

crowned  some  time  before,  performed  to  them 

1 1  the  office  of  cup-bearer.     After  this  they  had 

|i  the  honor  of  accompanying  the  king  to  a 

I    solemn  procession  at  Greenwich.  They  then 

j   took  leave  of  his  majesty,  who  dismissed  them 


with  presents,  and  other  demonstrations  of 
his  protection  and  friendship.  It  is  mentioned 
that  he  made  a  present  of  three  hundred 
poiuids  sterling  to  the  baron  of  Howth. 

While  these  noblemen  were  at  court  in 
England,  Maurice  Bockagh,  (the  lame,)  earl 
of  Desmond,  was  making  war  against  his 
neighbors  :  he  gained  a  victory  over  Mor- 
rough  0'Carrol,who  was  killed  in  the  action, 
with  Moel-Murry,  his  brother  ;  and  a  second 
over  Dermod  M'Carty,  son  of  Thadeus,  who 
was  also  killed.  It  is  said  that  this  earl 
was  no  loser  by  his  troubles,  as  he  added 
the  estates  of  those  with  whom  he  made  war 
to  his  own  possessions.  It  was  thus  that 
these  new-comers  raised  themselves  at  the 
expense  of  their  neighbors. 

Octavianus,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  con- 
vened a  synod  in  the  month  of  July,  in  the 
church  of  our  Lady,  at  Atherdee,  at  which 
John  Payne,  bishop  of  Meath,  Edward 
Courcy,  bishop  of  Clogher,  William  O'Fer- 
rall,  bishop  of  Ardagh,  George,  bishop  of 
Dromore,  Donald  O'Fallon,  bishop  of  Derry, 
Menelaus  M'Cornycan,  bishop  of  Raphoe, 
and  Walter  Blake,  bishop  of  Clonmacnoisk, 
attended.  A  difTerence  arose  at  this  synod, 
between  Thomas  M'Brady  and  one  Cor- 
mock,  respecting  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
bishopric  of  Kilmore,  which  was  left  to  the 
decision  of  the  bishops  of  Meath,  Clogher, 
and  Ardagh ;  but  their  opinion  is  not  re- 
corded. They  both,  however,  appeared  six 
years  afterwards,  at  the  synod  of  Drogheda, 
each  with  the  title  of  bishop  of  Kilmore. 

It  does  not  appear  that  the  bishopric  of 
Kilmore  is  very  ancient.*  It  is  not  mentioned 
in  the  division  of  the  bishoprics  of  Ireland 
which  took  place  in  11 52,  at  the  synod  where 
Cardinal  Paparo  presided.  The  first  bishop 
of  this  district,  who  is  to  be  met  with  in  his- 
tory,was  FlanusO'Conacty, who  died  in  1231. 
This  prelate  and  his  successors  were  some- 
times called  bishops  of  Brefny,  the  ancient 
name  of  the  district,  and  sometimes  bishops 
of  Triburna,  an  obscure  village  where  they 
resided.  Towards  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  Andrew  M'Brady  was  appointed  to 
this  bishopric  ;  and  dissatisfied  with  finding 
the  episcopal  see  established  in  so  inconve- 
nient a  place,  he  removed  it,  with  the  consent 
of  Pope  Nicholas  V.,  to  the  parish  church  of 
St.  Felim,in  a  village  called  Kilmore,  a  short 
distance  from  Cavan.  He  erected  this  church 
into  a  cathedral,  with  thirteen  canons  and  a 
dean :  which  establishment  was  confirmed  the 
year  following  by  Pope  Calixtus  III.,  so  that 
since  the  above  period,  the  diocese  and  the 

*  War.  de  Episc.  cop.  Kilmor. 


CHRISTIAN     IRELAND. 


379 


bishops  who  governed  it,  have  taken  the 
name  of  Kihnorc.* 

Prince  Arthur,  eldest  son  of  Henry  VII., 
born  in  1487,  was  declared  prince  of  Wales 
in  1490.  This  year  was  remarkable  in  Ire- 
land for  tempests  and  frequent  rains,  which 
continued  during  the  suninjer  and  autumn, 
and  produced  sickness,  to  which  many  fell 
victims. 

At  this  time  six  muskets  were  sent  from 
Germany  to  the  earl  of  Kildare,  and  were 
made  use  of  by  his  guard  while  they  stood 
sentinel  in  his  apartments.  They  were  con- 
sidered a  rare  present  at  that  time,  since  it 
is  said  that  fire-arms  were  not  then  known 
in  Ireland,  (a.  d.  1491.)  Baker  asserts, 
however,  that  Edward  III.  had  them  at  the 
siege  of  Calais. f 

Warm  disputes,  which  ultimately  led  to  a 
war,  arose  about  this  time  between  Conn- 
More  O'Neill  and  Hugh  Roe  O'Donnel,  two 
powerful  princes  in  Ulster, — one  in  Tyrone, 
the  other  in  Tirconnel.  These  disputes  were 
caused  by  a  tribute  which  O'Neill  demanded 
from  O'Donnel,  as  if  the  latter  held  his 
estates  under  him.  O'Neill  first  sent  a  letter 
written  in  the  Irish  language,  which,  from  its 
singularity,  and  its  being  too  laconic  to  tire 
the  reader,  may  be  introduced  here  :  "  Cuir 
hogoin  me  kiesse,  no  mar  d  cuirhuir  — ;" 
that  is,  "  Send  me  my  rent,  or  if  not  — ." 
To  this  O'Donnel  replied  in  the  same  style, 
saying,  ''  Neel  kiesse  d  gut  orm,  agus  da 
meh  — ;"  that  is,  "  I  owe  you  no  rent,  and 
if  I  did  — ."  O'Neill  was  irritated  by  this 
reply,  and  hostilities  began  on  both  sides. 
Although  the  earl  of  Kildare  strove  to  act  as 
mediator  between  the  two  princes,  they  came 


*  Andrew  M'Brady,  first  bishop  of  Kilmore,  was 
of  the  noble  family  of  the  M'Bradys  of  Lochtee. 
The  sept  of  the  M-Bradys  is  a  branch  of  the  tribes 
of  the  Hy  Brunes  of  Connaught,  of  which  O'Connor 
was  chief.  They  were  anciently  known  by  the 
name  of  Carbhuillis,  and,  according  to  Gratianiis 
Lucius,  owned  the  territory  of  Cabria,  in  Brefny, 
now  the  county  of  Cavan,  as  we  have  seen  in  the 
previous  part  of  this  history.  It  was  in  the  thir- 
teenth century  that  this  family  changed  the  name 
of  Carbhuillis  for  that  of  M'Brada,  or  Brady,  from 
one  of  the  chiefs  ;  and  that  the  name  of  Cabria  was 
changed  to  Lochlee,  at  present  a  barony  in  the 
I  county  of  Cavan,  the  patrimony  of  this  noble  family 
till  the  revolution  caused  by  the  tyrant  Cromwell. 
This  family  gave  several  bishops  to  the  church  ; 
Ware  reckons  five  of  Brefny,  one  of  Ardagh,  and 
one  of  Meath.  It  is  probable  that  the  latter  cm- 
braced  the  reformed  religion,  as  he  was  nominated 
by  Queen  Elizabeth  to  replace  William  Walsh, 
bishop  of  Meath,  who  was  dispossessed,  thrown 
into  prison,  and  subsequently  banished  from  the 
kingdom,  for  his  attachment  to  the  old  religion. 
+  Chron.  Engl,  page  126. 


to  an  engagement,  and  many  lives  were  lost 
on  both  sides.  O'Neill  had  the  advantage  ; 
but  his  death,  which  took  place  soon  after- 
wards, and  the  advanced  age  of  O'Donnel, 
which  obliged  him  to  give  up  the  principality 
to  his  son  Conn,  put  an  end  to  this  war. 

The  duchess  of  Burgundy,  an  intriguing 
woman,  and  the  implacable  enemy  of  the 
house  of  Lancaster,  was  still  intent  on  her 
endeavors  to  disturb  the  reign  of  Henry  VII. 
She  first  caused  a  report  to  be  spread  that 
Richard,  duke  of  York,  brother  and  heir  of 
Edward  V.,  had  not  been  put  to  death,  but 
that,  having  escaped  from  the  tower,  he  was 
still  alive.  She  then  sought  for  a  young  man 
who  might  be  capable  to  act  his  part  ;  and 
discovered  one  Peter  Osbeck,  afterwards 
known  by  the  name  of  Perkin  Warbeck,  a 
native  of  Tournay,  and  son  of  John  Osbeck, 
who  filled  the  office  of  controller  in  that  city, 
and  Catherine  de  Faro,  who  was  acquainted 
with  the  English  language,  and  had,  perhaps, 
taught  it  to  her  son.  The  duchess  looked 
upon  this  young  man  as  perfectly  qualified 
for  her  views.  She  kept  him  with  her  some 
months,  in  order  to  initiate  him  into  the 
manners  of  the  court,  and  make  him  ac- 
quainted with  every  thing  relative  to  the 
house  of  York  ;  and  taught  him  to  assume 
the  manners  and  support  the  dignity  of  a 
prince,  the  part  of  which  he  was  about  to  act. 
It  is  asserted,  too,  that  he  really  resembled 
the  prince  whom  he  was  to  personate.  The 
better  to  conceal  her  designs,  the  duchess 
sent  him  afterwards  to  Portugal,  well  equip- 
ped, and  attended  by  persons  to  watch  all 
his  actions,  till  she  should  think  fit  to  send 
him  to  Ireland. 

Henry  VII .,  who  was  well  acquainted  with 
Margaret  of  Burgundy's  proceedings,  thought 
prudent  to  change  his  ministers  in  Ireland, 
and  put  persons  attached  to  his  interests  into 
office.  He  therefore  nominated  Caspar  duke 
of  Bedford,  lord-lieutenant,  in  place  of  the 
earl  of  Kildare  ;  and  Walter  Fitzsimons, 
archbishop  of  Dublin,  his  deputy.  Sir 
James  Orinond,  natural  son  of  John  earl  of 
Ormond,  was  appointed  treasurer  in  place 
of  Eustace,  lord  of  Portlester,  who  had  filled 
that  office  for  thirty-eight  years,  (a.  d.  1492.) 
The  new  treasurer  arrived  in  Ireland  in  the 
month  of  June,  attended  by  a  cohort  of  Eng- 
lish troops.  He  had  an  altercation  imme- 
diately with  the  earl  of  Kildare,  which  was 
followed  by  a  battle  disastrous  to  the  families 
of  the  Butlers  and  Fitzgeralds,  and  to  the 
colony  in  general  ;  as  the  Irish  took  advan- 
tage of  it  to  lay  waste  the  frontiers  of  the 
English  province. 

On  the  22d  of  June,  the  same  year,  is 


380 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


fixed  the  birth  of  Henry,  second  son  of 
Henry  VH.,  and  liis  successor  on  the  throne 
under  the  name  of  Henry  VHI.,  so  well 
known  in  history  for  his  de])aucheries,  and 
the  changes  he  ellected  in  religion. 

In  the  month  of  September,  some  of  the 
state  ofiicers  in  Ireland  were  again  changed  ; 
Alexander  Plunket  was  nominated  chancel- 
lor, Thomas  Butler  was  appointed  master 
of  the  rolls,  and  Nicholas  Turner  chief- 
justice  of  the  court  of  common  pleas.  About 
this  time  the  earl  of  Ormond  and  the  prior 
of  Canterbury  were  sent  on  an  embassy  to 
the  court  of  France  ;  but  were,  however, 
recalled  as  soon  as  their  master  heard  that 
Charles  VIII.  was  about  to  form  an  alliance 
whh  yVnne  of  Brittany. 

The  drought  in  Ireland  this  summer  was 
so  great,  that  the  cattle  died  for  want  of 
water.  It  also  caused  contagious  disorders, 
by  which  many  lives  were  lost. 

It  was  now  time  to  bring  forward  Perkin 
Warbeck,  (whom  we  left  in  Portugal,)  to 
perform  the  part  of  Richard,  duke  of  York, 
for  which  he  was  intended  ;  and  so  well  did 
he  acquit  himself,  that  it  was  doubted  for 
some  time  whether  he  was  in  reality  Richard, 
or  an  impostor.  The  duchess  of  Burgundy 
gave  orders  that  Perkin  should  sail  from 
Lisbon,  for  Cork,  in  Ireland,  where  he  was 
honorably  received  by  the  citizens,  and  par- 
ticularly by  John  Waters,  an  eminent  mer- 
chant, and  mayor  of  the  city,  in  whose  house, 
it  is  said,  he  was  instructed  how  to  act.  The 
young  pretender  wrote  immediately  to  the 
earls  of  Kildare  and  Desmond  to  assist  him 
against  King  Henry ;  but  before  their  answer 
could  be  received,  Charles  VHI.  invited 
him  to  go  to  France,  where  he  was  received 
in  the  kindest  manner.  He  remained  there 
till  peace  was  concluded  between  that  prince 
and  the  king  of  England,  at  the  siege  of 
Boulogne,  after  which  Perkin  withdrew  to 
Flanders,  where  he  was  likewise  well  re- 
ceived by  his  supposed  aunt,  the  duchess  of 
Burgundy.  This  year  was  remarkable  for 
the  voyage  of  Christopher  Columbus,  and  his 
discovery  of  the  new  world,  which  Seneca 
seems  to  have  predicted  in  his  Medea.* 

Henry  VII.,  to  whom  Columbus  first  ap 
plied,  neglected,  it  appears,  both  his  own 
interest  and  glory,  by  refusing  the  offer  which 
this  great  man  made  to  him  in  his  projected 
voyage,  and  which  Ferdinand  of  Castile  con 
trived  to  turn  to  his  own  advantage. 

*  "  Ages  will  arise  in  after  years,  when  the 
ocean  will  loose  her  chains,  and  the  great  globe 
will  open  ;  when  the  sea  will  develope  new  orbs, 
and  that  Thule  will  not  be  the  extreme  region  of 
the  earth." 


The  deputy  of  Ireland  held  a  parliament  in 
Dublin,  in  the  month  of  June,  1493,  in  which 
some  laws  that  had  been  enacted  at  the  in- 
stance of  Eustace  of  Portlester,  were  repeal- 
ed. Matters  having  taken  a  change,  and  the 
partisans  of  the  house  of  Lancaster  being  in 
office,  Portlester  himself  was  commanded  to 
appear  before  the  court  of  exchequer,  and  ren- 
der an  account  of  his  bad  government  while 
he  filled  the  office  of  treasurer.  The  city  of 
Waterford  was  restored  to  its  ancient  privi- 
leges and  freedom,  of  which  it  had  been  de- 
prived, and  the  crown  lands  were  ordered 
to  be  recovered,  which  had  been  sold  after 
the  first  year  of  Henry  VI. 's  reign.  This 
parliament  being  dissolved  in  the  month  of 
August,  the  lord-deputy  resigned  his  com- 
mission to  Robert  Preston,  viscount  of  Gor- 
manstown.  The  new  deputy  summoned  a 
meeting  of  the  nobility  and  leading  persons 
of  the  counties  of  Dublin,  Meath,  and  Kil- 
dare, to  Trim.  On  this  occasion  the  chan- 
cellor, with  the  earl  of  Kildare,  the  bishops 
of  Meath  and  Kildare,  the  barons  of  Slane, 
Delvin,  Killeen,  Howth,  Trimlestown,  Dun- 
sany,  &c.,  were  assembled.  Articles  for  pre- 
serving the  peace  and  welfare  of  the  state 
were  signed  :  among  others,  that  no  indi- 
vidual should  make  war  unless  authorized  by 
the  king  or  his  deputy  ;  that  the  extortions 
and  taxes  with  which  the  people  had  been 
burdened,  should  be  abolished  ;  and  that  all 
vagrants,  robbers,  and  murderers  should  be 
brought  to  condign  punishment.  Robert 
Preston  then  convened  a  parliament  at 
Drogheda,  the  statutes  of  which  were,  how- 
ever, declared  nidi  and  void  by  a  subsequent 
parliament,  which  was  held  the  year  follow- 
ing in  the  same  city,  by  the  deputy  Poyn- 
ings,  for  the  following  reasons,  viz. :  that 
the  duke  of  Bedford,  lord-lieutenant  of  Ire- 
land, to  whom  Preston  was  deputy,  had  re- 
signed his  office  before  this  parliament  had 
been  convened  ;  that  the  parliament  was  not 
composed  of  members  from  the  whole  pro- 
vince, but  from  four  counties  only  ;  and  last- 
ly, that,  in  the  letters  patent  which  the  king 
had  granted  to  the  deputy,  no  mention  was 
made  of  any  power  to  convene  parliaments. 

In  the  month  of  October,  Fitzsimons,  arch- 
bishop of  Dublin,  ex-deputy  in  Ireland,  went 
over  to  England  to  give  the  king  an  ac- 
count, not  only  of  his  own  administration 
while  deputy,  but  also  of  the  state  of  affairs 
in  Ireland  at  the  time.  The  earl  of  Kildare 
having  learned  that  his  enemies  in  England 
were  injurhig  him  in  the  king's  opinion,  went 
over  also  in  November,  to  clear  himself  of 
the  crimes  which  had  been  imputed  to  him. 
He  was  followed  by  the  deputy,  who  con- 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


381 


fided  the  care  of  government  to  his  son  dur- 
ing his  absence,  and  by  Ormond,  the  trea- 
surer, who  prevented  his  vindication  from 
being  received,  and  had  him  sent  back  to 
Ireland  a  prisoner,  to  be  tried. 

Sir  Edward  Poynings  was  at  this  time, 
A.  D.  1494,  appointed  lord-deputy  of  Ireland. 
His  principal  business  was  to  suppress  the 
revolt  of  Perkin  Warbeck's  partisans.  He 
arrived  there  in  the  month  of  September, 
effected  great  changes  among  the  state  min- 
isters, and  put  Englishmen  by  birth  in  their 
places  ;  he  nominated  Henry  Dean,  bishop 
of  Bangor,  chancellor  of  Ireland  ;  Sir  Hugh 
Conway,  treasurer ;  Thomas  Bowring,  chief- 
justice  of  the  king's  bench  ;  John  Topcliff, 
chief-justice  of  the  common  pleas,  and 
Walter  Ever,  chief-baron  of  the  exchequer. 
This  deputy  brought  a  thousand  men  with 
him  to  Ireland,  with  whom,  and  the  other 
troops  of  the  English  province,  he  entered 
Ulster,  under  pretext  that  some  of  Perkin's 
adherents  had  taken  refuge  among  them.  It 
appears  extraordinary  that  he  should  have 
been  attended  in  this  expedition  by  the  earl 
of  Kildare  and  Sir  James  Ormond,  who  had 
been  deprived  of  the  office  of  treasurer.  He 
laid  waste  the  districts  of  O'Hanlon,  Ma- 
gennis,  and  others.  The  earl  of  Kildare 
was  suspected  and  accused  of  having  con- 
spired secretly  with  O'Hanlon,  to  destroy 
the  deputy,  but  was  afterwards  declared  in- 
nocent. The  earl  of  Kildare's  brother  hav- 
ing, in  the  mean  time,  taken  possession  of 
the  castle  of  Carlow,  the  deputy  was  obliged 
to  give  up  what  he  had  seized  on  in  Ulster, 
to  bring  assistance  to  that  place.  For  this 
purpose  he  made  peace  with  O'Hanlon  and 
Magennis,  and  marched  direct  to  Carlow, 
which  he  besieged,  and  made  himself  mas- 
ter of  in  ten  days. 

The  king,  who  kept  a  continual  watch 
over  the  duchess  of  Burgundy,  and  the  sup- 
posititious duke  of  York,  sent  his  spies  to 
Flanders,  by  which  means  the  whole  secret 
of  the  party  was  discovered,  and  several  of 
the  conspirators  executed  in  England. 

The  archbishop  of  Dublin  being  at  court, 
the  king,  who  confided  in  him,  frequently 
interrogated  him  respecting  the  state  of  af- 
fairs in  Ireland.  This  prelate  was  one  day 
present  at  a  discourse  delivered  before  the 
king ;  who  having  asked  him  what  he  thought 
of  it,  the  prelate  answered,  with  a  freedom 
worthy  of  the  ancient  philosophers,  that  "  if 
his  highness  was  satisfied,  he  was  so  like- 
wise, but  that,  at  the  same  time,  he  thought 
his  highness  was  too  much  flattered."  "  In 
good  faith,  father  of  Dublin,"  replied  the 
king,  "  I  think  so  too." 


Poynings  convened  the  celebrated  parlia- 
ment of  Drogheda,  in  November,  in  which 
many  statutes  were  enacted  which  are  quoted 
by  Ware,  Cox,  and  others.  Among  them 
was  one  against  the  exaction  of  Coyn  and 
Livery,  and  one  against  those  who  protected 
traitors ;  it  was  also  expressly  forbidden  to  all 
persons,  under  pain  of  high  treason,  to  excite 
the  ancient  Irish  to  make  war  upon  the  Eng- 
lish, but  the  most  celebrated  statute,  which 
was  called  Poyning's  law,  made  it  illegal  to 
convene  any  parliament  in  Ireland  without 
informing  the  king,  and  apprizing  him  of  the 
motives  for  the  meeting,  and  the  laws  which 
were  to  be  passed  in  it ;  and  further  receiv- 
ing the  approbation  of  his  majesty  and  coun- 
cil, obtained  under  the  great  seal  of  Eng- 
land, for  such  meeting,  and  that  every  par- 
liament convened  otherwise  than  on  these 
conditions,  should  be  null  and  without  effect. 

This  statute  was  not  favorable  to  the 
x\nglo-Irish,  whose  interests  had  already 
become  difl^erent  from  those  of  the  English. 
It  was  passed  by  a  parliament,  the  chief  men 
of  which  were  the  deputy,  chancellor,  trea- 
surer, and  other  influential  ministers,  them- 
selves Englishmen  by  birth.  The  statute, 
however,  was  not  always  carried  into  eflfect, 
but  was  frequently  suspended  in  the  suc- 
ceeding reigns. 

Many  other  regulations  that  have  not  been 
printed  were  made  in  this  parliament.  .Sub- 
sidies were  granted  to  the  king,  and  power 
given  to  the  treasurer  to  govern  the  province 
in  case  of  the  death  or  resignation  of  the 
governor,  till  the  king's  pleasure  should  be 
made  known.  The  knights  of  St.  John  of 
Jerusalem  were  allowed  to  recover  the  lands 
which  had  been  disposed  of  by  Keating,  or 
his  predecessor,  Thomas  Talbot,  and  the 
grants  which  had  been  made  by  the  kings 
subsequent  to  Edward  II.  were  ordered  to 
be  revoked.  By  another  act  of  this  parlia- 
ment, the  earl  of  Kildare  and  his  brother 
James  were  accused  of  high  treason,  on  ac- 
count of  their  intercourse  with  O'Hanlon  ; 
their  having  seized  upon  the  castle  of  Car- 
low,  and  exacted  Coyn  and  Livery  ;  and 
lastly,  for  having  entered  into  a  secret  treaty 
with  the  king  of  Scotland  :  the  earl,  how- 
ever, cleared  himself  in  England  of  all  these 
crimes,  and  was  restored  to  favor.  The 
military  society  of  St.  George,  which  had 
been  established  in  1479,  by  an  act  of  par- 
liament under  Edward  IV.,  was  now  sup- 
pressed. 

Perkin  Warbeck,  who  withdrew  to  Flan- 
ders with  the  duchess  of  Burgundy,  a.  d. 
1495,  filled  with  the  extravagant  notion  of 
his  assumed  greatness,  and  instigated  by 


382 


HrSTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


his  patroness,  set  sail  for  England  with  near 
six  hundred  men.  On  his  arrival  upon  the 
coast  of  Kent  he  was  badly  received,  and 
lost  more  than  a  hundred  and  sixty  of  his 
followers,  who  were  made  prisoners,  and 
afterwards  executed.  He  then  sailed  for 
Ireland,  in  hopes  of  meeting  with  a  more 
favorable  reception.  Having  remained  some 
time  at  Cork  and  the  neighborhood,  and  find- 
ing it  impossible  that  his  adherents  could 
support  him  against  the  superior  forces  of 
the  deputy  and  other  English  ministers,  he 
went  over  to  Scotland,  where  he  was  honor- 
ably received,  and  with  the  consent  of  James 
IV.,  who  was  then  king,  married  Catherine, 
daughter  of  Alexander,  earl  of  Huntly,  who 
was  allied  to  the  crown. 

The  king  of  Scotland,  who  had  some 
cause  of  displeasure  against  Henry  VII., 
availed  himself  of  this  opportunity  to  declare 
war  against  him.  It  is  said  that  he  was  en- 
couraged by  letters  which  he  received  from 
the  Emperor  INIaximilian,  Charles  VIII., and 
Margaret  of  Burgundy,  in  favor  of  the  im- 
postor. However  this  was,  he  entered  Eng- 
land in  a  hostile  manner  ;  but  not  finding 
among  the  English  any  partisans  of  the  pre- 
tended prince,  he  laid  waste  the  county  of 
Northumberland,  and  returned  to  Scotland. 

Poynings,  having  governed  the  English 
province  in  Ireland  with  prudence,  and  en- 
acted wise  laws,  which  were  not,  however, 
obeyed  beyond  the  limits  of  the  province, 
was  recalled  in  the  month  of  January,  to  re- 
ceive the  reward  of  his  labors.  The  king, 
who  was  pleased  with  the  services  he  had 
rendered  him,  made  him  a  knight  of  the  or- 
der of  the  Garter. 

Henry  Dean,  bishop  of  Bangor,  chancel- 
lor of  Ireland,  and  afterwards  archbishop 
of  Canterbury,  was  appointed  in  the  month 
of  April,  1496,  lord-justice  of  Ireland,  in 
place  of  Poynings  ;  William  RatclifT,  vice- 
treasurer  ;  and  John  Pimpe ,  secretary  of  war ; 
and  in  the  month  of  June  following,  Richard 
Nugent,  baron  of  Delvin,  was  appointed 
general  of  the  troops  and  commander-in- 
chief,  for  the  defence  of  the  counties  of 
Dublin,  Kildare,  Meath,  and  Uriel,  or  Louth. 

Octavianus,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  con- 
vened a  synod  in  the  month  of  July,  at 
Drogheda,  the  acts  of  which  have  been  lost. 

On  the  return  of  Hugh  O'Donnell  from 
Scotland,  he  attacked  and  defeated  O'Con- 
nor near  Sligo.  He  then  laid  siege  to  the 
castle,  but  was  forced  to  raise  it  on  the  ap- 
proach of  the  Burkes  of  Clanrickard,  who 
laid  waste  the  frontiers  of  Tyrconnel. 

New  accusations  were  preferred  against 
the  earl  of  Kildare  in  England,  where  he 


was  arrested  and  thrown  into  prison,  which 
caused  the  death  of  his  wife  Alicia,  daugh- 
ter of  Rowland  Eustace,  baron  of  Portlester. 
He  was  accused,  in  presence  of  the  king,  of 
having  burned  the  church  of  Cashel,  but  was 
saved  by  the  ingenuousness  of  his  answers. 
His  enemies  then  said  that  all  Ireland  was 
not  able  to  govern  him.  "  Is  it  so  ?"  said 
the  king,  "  he  is  then  the  fittest  person  to 
rule  Ireland,"  and  he  immediately  appointed 
him  lord-lieutenant  by  letters  patent,  dated 
6th  of  August,  and  restored  him  to  his 
dignities  and  possessions.  He,  however, 
detained  Gerald,  eldest  son  of  the  earl,  as  a 
hostage,  to  secure  the  loyhlty  of  the  father, 
who  proved  himself  afterwards  a  faithful 
subject. 

The  earl  having  returned  to  Ireland  with 
Elizabeth  St.  John,  whom  he  had  just  mar- 
ried, and  having  received,  according  to  cus- 
tom, the  sword  of  his  predecessor,  march- 
ed towards  Thuomond  against  O'Brien, 
passed  through  Limerick,  and  took  the  cas- 
tle of  Felyback,  which  belonged  to  Finin- 
Mac-Nemara.  He  next  took  the  castle  of 
Ballynice,  and  other  fortified  places  ;  after 
which  expeditions  he  returned  to  Dublin, 
and  was  reconciled  to  Octavianus,  arch- 
bishop of  Armagh. 

Dean,  bishop  of  Bangor,  having  been 
recalled  to  England,  Walter,  archbishop  of 
Dublin,  was  appointed  chancellor  in  his 
stead.  The  king,  by  the  advice  of  the  lord- 
lieutenant,  resolved  to  grant  a  general  par- 
don to  all  the  noblemen  who  had  been  en- 
gaged in  the  affair  of  Perkin  Warbeck,  lest 
despair  might  instigate  them  to  excite  new 
disturbances ;  he  therefore  granted  a  general 
amnesty  to  the  earl  of  Desmond,  the  arch- 
bishop of  Cashel,  the  bishops  of  Cork  and 
Waterford,  and  several  of  the  principal  men 
of  Munster.  He  also  had  the  liberties  and 
charters  of  Youghal  restored  and  confirmed, 
and  extended  its  privileges. 

The  king  of  Scotland  having  made  some 
efTorts  in  favor  of  Perkin  Warbeck,  was 
forced  to  beg  a  peace  from  Henry  VII. 
That  king,  however,  would  listen  to  no  over- 
tures till  the  king  of  Scotland  would  first 
give  up  the  impostor  from  under  his  protec- 
tion. Under  this  gloomy  state  of  things, 
Perkin  saw  that  he  must  leave  Scotland. 
The  king,  who  was  too  generous  to  deliver 
him  over  to  his  enemies,  supplied  him  with 
money  to  enable  him  to  do  so.  He  accord- 
ingly embarked  with  his  wife  and  family  for 
Ireland,  a.  d.  1497,  and  having  arrived  in 
Cork,  found  some  friends  there,  who,  how- 
ever, were  unable  to  render  him  any  impor- 
tant services.    In  the  mean  time,  an  iavita- 


CtlRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


383 


tion  was  sent  to  him  by  the  people  of  Corn- 
wall in  England,  who  were  ready  to  sacrifice 
every  thing  in  his  cause.  He  accordingly 
set  sail,  in  the  month  of  September,  with  his 
family,  and  about  one  hundred  and  twenty 
soldiers,  and  arrived  at  Whitesandbay,  in 
Cornwall,  although  the  inhabitants  of  Water- 
ford  dispatched  four  vessels  in  pursuit  of 
him.  On  his  landing,  he  assumed  the  name 
and  title  of  Richard  IV.,  king  of  England, 
and  was  joined  at  Bodmin  by  a  few  thou- 
I  sand  men,  with  whom  he  besieged  Exeter. 

The  defence  which  the  inhabitants  made 
being  equal  to  the  courage  of  the  assailants, 
and  Perkin  seeing  that  the  bravery  and  good- 
will of  his  men  were  superior  to  their 
strength,  and  that  the  king's  army  was  on 
its  march,  resolved  to  withdraw,  and  seek 
an  asylum  at  Beaulieu,  in  Hampshire.  He 
afterwards,  however,  surrendered  him- 
self a  prisoner,  and  was  brought  to  the 
tower,  from  which  he  escaped  ;  but  having 
been  retaken  and  arrested  in  an  attempt  to 
escape  a  second  time,  he  was  hanged  at  Ty- 
burn, with  his  friend  John  Waters,  mayor  of 
Cork. 

The  earl  of  Kildare  was  continually  occu- 
pied in  discharging  the  duties  of  his  office. 
He  convened  a  parliament  at  Trim,  in  the 
month  of  August,  1498,  in  which  it  was  de- 
creed, among  other  things,  that  all  the 
custom-house  laws  which  were  enacted  in 
England,  should  be  adopted  in  Ireland. 

A  dispute  happened  at  this  time  between 
Henry  O'Neill  and  his  two  nephews,  Tyr- 
logh  and  Conn,  respecting  the  principality 
of  Tyrone,  which  the  former,  in  opposition 
to  their  interest,  usurped,  after  killing  their 
father.  Conn  O'Neill.  The  earl  of  Kildare, 
who  was  the  maternal  uncle  of  these  young 
noblemen,  espoused  their  cause,  and  at  the 
head  of  an  army,  entered  Ulster,  where  he 
was  joined  by  O'Donnel,  Maguire,  and  other 
allies  of  Tyrlogh  O'Neill.  With  this  com- 
bined force  he  laid  siege  to  Dungannon, 
forced  Niall  M'Art  O'Neill,  who  was  the 
commander,  to  surrender  the  castle,  and  set 
the  prisoners  at  liberty,  as  well  as  to  give 
hostages.  Henry  O'Neill  having  been  killed, 
young  Conn  took  possession  of  Tyrone,  the 
patrimony  of  his  ancestors,  and  the  earl  of 
Tyrone  took  the  castle  of  Omey. 

After  the  expedition  to  Ulster,  the  earl 
marched  in  October  towards  Cork,  where 
he  placed  a  garrison,  as  he  had  reason  to 
suspect  the  loyalty  of  its  inhabitants.  He 
obliged  them  and  the  citizens  of  Kinsale  to 
j  take  the  usual  oath,  and  made  them  give 
hostages.  It  appears  that  young  Henry, 
second  son  of  Henry  VII.,  was  appointed  to 


the  office  of  lord-lieutenant  of  Ireland,  since, 
on  the  earl's  return  from  Cork,  he  convened 
a  parliament  in  Dublin  in  the  month  of 
March,  and  assumed  the  title  of  lord-deputy 
to  that  young  prince.  Richard  Talbot,  who 
had  governed  the  priory  of  St.  John  of 
Jerusalem  in  Ireland  for  some  time,  was 
recalled,  and  Robert  Evers,  an  Englishman, 
was  nominated  prior  by  the  grand  master 
of  Rhodes. 

Some  religious  houses  were  founded  at 
this  time  in  Ireland.  Ware  mentions  the 
convent  of  Rosserelly  to  have  been  estab- 
lished in  the  county  of  Gal  way,  in  1498, 
for  Observantine  monks,  by  an  English  lord 
called  Gannard.  At  Invert,  in  the  county 
of  Antrim,  there  was  a  convent  founded  for 
the  third  order  of  Franciscans,  by  a  Scotch 
nobleman.  One  also  for  the  same  order 
was  founded  at  Dungaimon  in  Tyrone,  by 
Conn  O'Neill,  prince  of  that  district.  A 
house  was  established  for  them  about  the 
same  time,  at  Clonrahan,  in  the  county  of 
Roscommon,  by  O'Connor  Roe,  an  Irish 
nobleman,  of  the  illustrious  tribe  of  the 
O'Connors  of  Connaught. 

Ireland  produced  some  writers  about  this 
period.  Philip  Higgins,  a  Franciscan,  Avrote 
some  sacred  poems  :  he  died  in  1487.  Pan- 
derus,  who  is  thought  to  have  been  the 
author  of  a  book  called  "  Salus  Populi," 
flourished  at  the  same  time.  He  treats  in  it  on 
the  cause  of  the  miseries  with  which  Ireland 
was  afflicted,  and  points  out  a  mode  by 
Avhich  they  might  be  remedied.  Charles 
Maguire,  a  native  of  the  county  Fermanagh, 
and  canon  of  Armagh,  flourished  at  this 
time  also.  He  was  a  learned  philosopher, 
a  deep  theologian,  and  well  versed  in 
history.  He  wrote  the  annals  of  Ireland 
down  to  his  own  time,  and  died  in  1495,  at 
the  age  of  sixty  years.  Donald  O'Fihely, 
a  native  of  the  county  Cork,  wrote  also  the 
annals  of  his  country  to  his  own  time,  in  the 
Irish  language,  which  he  dedicated  to  Flor- 
ence O'Mahony.  Ware  mentions  having 
seen  them  in  manuscript  in  London. 

The  lord-deputy  undertook  an  expedition 
into  Connaught,  a.  d.  1499,  and  seized  upon 
the  castles  of  Athleagh,  Roscommon,  Tuilsk, 
and  Castlereagh,  in  which  he  placed  a  gar- 
rison. About  this  time,  Tirlogh  O'Brien, 
prince  of  Thuomond,  after  the  death  of  Gil- 
duff",  had  a  dispute  with  Sir  Pierce  Butler, 
respecting  the  boundaries  of  their  estates. 
It  was  terminated  by  a  sanguinary  conHict, 
in  which  Butler  and  his  men  were  put  to 
flight,  leaving  several  dead  upon  the  field  of 
battle. 

The    lord-deputy  held   a    parliament    at 


384 


HtSTOSY    OF    lUELAND. 


Castledermo(.l,in  the  month  of  August,  which 
granted  to  the  king  and  his  succ-cssors  a  tax 
of  twelve  pence  in  the  pound,  on  all  kinds  of 
merchandise  that  were  imported,  except  wine 
and  oil.  In  this  parliament  it  was  enacted, 
that  the  nobility,  when  riding,  should,  like 
the  English,  make  use  of  saddles,  and  attend 
parliament  in  their  robes.  Subsidies,  too, 
were  permitted  to  be  levied  upon  the  people 
and  clergy  for  the  king's  use. 

The  adherents  of  the  house  of  York  being 
still  dissatisfied,  sought  means,  after  the 
death  of  Perkin,  to  rescue  the  natural  son  of 
Richard  III.  from  prison,  and  make  him 
undertake  a  similar  part  as  Perkin  ;  but  the 
conspirators  were  discovered,  and  their  at- 
tempts tended  only  to  shorten  the  days  of 
that  young  man. 

The  lord-deputy  returned  to  Ulster  this 
year,  to  quell  some  sedition  which  had  been 
raised  against  his  nephew,  Tyrlogh  O'Neill. 
He  took  the  castle  of  Kinard,  in  which  he 
placed  a  garrison,  and  gave  the  command  of 
it  to  Tyrlogh,  a.  d.  1500.  The  king,  who 
was  always  inclined  to  mercy,  pardoned  the 
inhabitants  of  Cork,  in  the  month  of  August, 
and  extended  their  privileges  by  a  new 
charter.  This  generous  act  was  followed  by 
one  equally  barbarous  and  cruel  on  the  part 
of  David  Barry,  archdeacon  of  Cork  and 
Cloyne.  He  assassinated  his  brother,  Wil- 
liam Barry ;  but  his  crime  did  not  long  es- 
cape punishment  ;  he  was  arrested,  and  put 
to  death  by  Thomas  Barry,  and  his  body, 
after  having  lain  twenty  days  in  the  earth, 
was  taken  up  and  publicly  burned,  by  order 
of  the  earl  of  Desmond. 

Domnal  O'Fallon,  of  the  order  of  St. 
Francis,  and  bishop  of  Derry,  died  at  this 
time,  having  governed  that  see  for  fifteen 
years ;  he  was  the  most  celebrated  prelate 
of  the  church  of  Ireland  in  his  time,  for  his 
erudition  and  preaching.  He  particularly 
excelled  in  the  latter,  which  he  exercised 
with  applause,  throughout  the  island,  for 
thirty  years. 

A  general  peace  prevailed  in  1501,  in  the 
provinces  of  Leinster  and  Munster,  while 
Connaught  and  Ulster  became  a  prey  to 
sedition.  The  fort  of  Sligo,  in  Connaught, 
was  scaled  and  taken  by  the  troops  of  Rory, 
son  of  Tirlogh  O'Connor,  surnamed  Cur- 
ragh.  The  discord  which  prevailed  between 
the  nobility  of  Ulster,  caused  several  of  them 
to  perish  by  the  sword.  The  O'Neills  gave 
battle  to  the  Scotch,  by  whom  they  were  at- 
tacked. It  was  fatal  to  the  latter,  who  lost 
four  of  their  captains,  of  the  tribe  of  the 
M'Donnels,  and  about  sixty  soldiers. 

William  Shioy,  or  Joy,  who  was  appointed 


to  the  see  of  Tuam  by  the  pope,  in  1485, 
governed  it  for  sixteen  years  and  a  few 
months.  He  died  a.  d.  1501,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Philip  Pinson. 

This  year  was  remarkable  for  two  mar- 
riages that  were  celebrated  in  England.  Ar- 
thur, the  king's  eldest  son,  and  prince  of 
Wales,  married,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  the 
princess  Catherine,  daughter  of  Ferdinand, 
king  of  Spain,  on  the  fourteenth  of  Novem- 
ber ;  and  on  the  25th  of  January  following, 
Margaret,  the  king's  eldest  daughter,  and 
sister  to  Arthur,  was  given  in  marriage  to 
James  IV.  of  Scotland. 

Prince  Arthur  died  on  the  2d  of  April, 
having  lived  but  four  months  and  a  half  after 
his  marriage,  which  was  never  consumma- 
ted.* His  young  widow  was  given,  six 
months  afterwards,  with  the  mutual  consent 
of  their  parents,  to  his  brother  Henry,  who 
was  then  but  twelve  years  old  ;  a  dispensa- 
tion being  sought  for  their  marriage.  The 
death  of  Arthur  was  soon  followed  by  that 
of  his  mother,  queen  Elizabeth,  whose 
virtues  made  her  an  ornament  to  her  sex, 
and  the  age  in  which  she  lived. 

About  this  time  there  was  a  great  mortality 
among  the  cattle  in  Ireland,  and  frequent 
seditions  broke  out  in  Ulster,  which  were 
accompanied  by  murders.  In  the  month  of 
April,  1503,  the  earl  of  Kildare  was  ordered 
to  repair  to  England,  both  to  give  an  account 
of  the  state  of  affairs  in  Ireland,  and  to  re- 
ceive fresh  instructions  relative  to  the  govern- 
ment of  the  country.  The  earl  having  ended 
his  business  at  court,  was  sent  back  with 
honor,  and  continued  in  his  rank  of  deputy. 
He  resumed  on  his  return  the  reins  of  govern- 
ment, which  he  had  confided  in  his  absence 
to  William  Fitzsimons,  archbishop  of  Dublin. 

Towards  the  end  of  autumn,  the  lord- 
deputy  undertook  an  expedition  into  Ulster, 
where  he  destroyed  the  castle  of  Belfast. 
He  next  entered  Carrickfergus,  and  placed 
a  garrison  in  the  castle  ;  the  command  of 
which  he  confided  to  one  Staunton,  and 
then  returned  to  Dublin. 

At  this  time,  Theobald  Burke,  lord  of 
Muskry  Cuirk,  in  Munster,  was  killed  in  a 
skirmish  by  Donagh  O'Carrol.and  Cornelius 
O'Dwyer.  About  the  same  time,  Malachy 
O'Kelly,  and  some  of  the  Burkes,  who  had 

*  Cacterum  Hcnricus  septimiis  de  niedicorum 
concilio  caveret  ut  gravis  qu£Bdam  Matrona  in  eodern 
cum  illis  tlialamo  sociata,  videret,  ne  came  conjun- 
gereiitur,  eo  quod  Arlhurus  dccimum  quintum  jetatis 
annum  vix  dum  attingens,  ex  lento  prooterea  morbo 
laborarct,  cujus  tabe  post  quintum  mcn.sem  confcc- 
tus,  ex  hac  migravit.  Sanderus  dc  Scliis.  Anglic, 
lib.  1,  page  2. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


385 


taken  his  part,  were  defeated  in  Connaught 
by  Ulysses  Burke. 

On  the  18th  of  February  following,  after 
the  death  of  his  brother  Arthur,  Henry, 
duke  of  York,  was  created,  according  to 
custom,  prince  of  Wales  and  earl  of  Ches- 
ter. Ten  days  afterwards,  Gerald,  son  of 
the  earl  of  Kildare,  was  appointed  treasurer 
of  Ireland,  and  took  the  oath  in  presence  of 
the  deputy  and  council,  in  Dublin. 

David  Creagh,  a  native  of  Limerick,  and 
archbishop  of  Cashel,  died  at  this  time,  and 
was  succeeded  byMaurice  Fitzgerald. During 
the  episcopacy  of  David,  the  earl  of  Kildare 
caused  St.  Patrick's  cathedral,  in  Cashel,  to 
be  burned ;  but  it  is  a  strange  fact,  that  the 
complaint  which  the  bishop  made  of  it  to  the 
king  was  rejected,  although  the  earl  acknow- 
ledged himself  guilty.  When  asked  why  he 
had  committed  so  great  a  sacrilege,  he  re- 
plied, swearing  by  his  God,  that  he  had  done 
so,  thinking  that  the  prelate  was  in  the 
church.  The  king,  it  seems,  found  sufficient 
merit  in  his  answer,  not  only  to  grant  him 
his  pardon,  but  likewise  to  repose  confidence 
in  him,  by  appointing  him  deputy  of  Ireland. 
Philip  Pinson,  an  Englishman,  of  the  order 
of  St.  Francis,  and  lecturer  in  theology,  was 
appointed  to  the  archbishopric  of  Tuam  by 
the  pope,  at  the  solicitation  of  Henry  VII.* 
This  prelate  never  went  thither,  having  died 
of  the  plague  at  Rome,  three  days  after  his 
election.  Two  years  after  the  death  of  Philip, 
the  archbishopric  of  Tuam  was  given  to 
Maurice  O'Fihely,  or  Mauritius  de  Porter,  a 
man  celebrated  for  his  learning.  He  is  men- 
tioned by  John  Camus,  in  the  following 
words  : — "  Maurice  d  Porter,"  says  he,  "  a 
native  of  Ireland,  of  the  order  of  St.  Francis, 
was  celebrated  for  his  profound  knowledge  in 
theology,logic,  philosophy,  and  metaphysics. 
It  is  impossible  to  give  an  idea  of  his  polite, 
and  at  the  same  time  holy  and  religious  con- 
versation. Having  taught  the  sciences  with 
general  approbation  during  many  years,  in 
the  university  of  Padua,  he  was  nominated 
by  Pope  Julian  II.  to  the  archbishopric  of 
Tuam,  whither  he  repaired,  Italy  being  at 
the  time  a  prey  to  the  calamities  of  war.  He 
died,  however,  soon  after  his  arrival,  deeply 
regretted  by  the  learned  world,  having  just 
attained  his  fiftieth  year.  He  left  many  monu- 
ments of  his  learning,  in  manuscript,  which 
were  not  published,  on  account  of  his  prema- 
ture death."  Francis  Gonzaga  also  makes 
mention  of  him.f  "  Maurice,  an  Irishman," 
says  he,  "  revived  the  doctrine  of  John  Scot, 

*  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Tuam.  War.  de  Script. 
Ilib.  in  35,  cap.  Solini. 

+  De  Origin.  Francise.  part  1,  p.  83. 


by  his  commentaries  on  '  Universality.'  He 
published  also  a  dictionary  of  the  holy  scrip- 
tures." Possevinus  speaks  of  him  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner  ;*--."  Maurice,  an  Irishmap, 
a  minorite  and  archbishop  of  Tuam,  com- 
posed a  dictionary  of  the  holy  scriptures, 
which  was  first  printed  at  Venice,  in  1603, 
by  John  Anthony  and  James  Francis,  by 
order  of  the  most  illustrious  Matthew  Zane, 
patriarch  of  Venice  ;  but  what  remains  of  it 
at  present  does  not  go  beyond  the  letter  E. 
inclusive.  Besides  this,  he  explains,  by  com- 
mentaries, the  whole  doctrine  of  Scot,  part 
of  which  was  printed  at  Venice,  by  Simon  dc 
Lucre,  in  1500.  In  his  exposition  of  Scot, 
the  theorems  were  published  at  Venice,  in 
1514,  by  Lazare  Soard.  His  '  Enchiridion 
of  the  Faith,'  was  published  1509,  by  Octa- 
vianus  Scotus."  John  Grace  also  published 
a  work  of  this  author,  entitled  "  Reportata." 
It  is  said  that  he  wrote  the  "  Life  of  John 
Scot,"  with  a  book  of  distinctions,  which  be- 
longs to  the  Franciscans  at  Ravenna.  He  is 
thought  to  have  been  author  of  an  abridgment 
of  truth,  in  verse,  and  a  work  on  Porphyrins, 
published  at  Venice,  in  1519.  Nicholas 
Maguire,  bishop  of  Leighlin,  wrote  a  chro- 
nicle at  this  time,  which  was  of  much  benefit 
to  Thadeus  Dowling  in  composing  his  An- 
nals. He  also  wrote  the  life  of  his  prede- 
cessor, Milo,  and  began  other  works,  which 
his  death  prevented  him  from  completing. 

Some  houses  were  founded  at  this  time  for 
the  third  order  of  Franciscans.  The  convent 
of  Kil  O'Donnel  was  built  in  the  beginning 
of  this  century  by  O'Donnel,  prince  of  Tyr- 
connel.  There  were  two  other  convents 
belonging  to  this  order,  in  the  same  district ; 
one  at  Killybeg,  a  seaport,  buih  by  M'Swee- 
ny  Banach ;_  the  other  at  Fanegara,  by 
M' Sweeny  Panid,  both  Irish  noblemen. f 

Ulysses  Burke,  commonly  called  M'Wil- 
liam,  lord  of  Clanricard,  in  Connaught,  made 
great  preparations  this  year  for  some  expedi- 
tion, the  object  of  which  could  not  be  discov- 
ered. He  made  a  league  with  other  lords 
of  his  name,  with  Tirlagh  O'Brien,  prince  of 
Thuomond,  Mebrony  O'Carrol,  of  Eile,  and 
other  noblemen  in  the  south,  with  whom  he 
began  his  campaign.  Intelligence  having 
been  sent  to  the  deputy,  he  collected  all  his 
forces  and  advanced  towards  Connaught, 
attended  by  several  of  the  nobles  of  Meath  ; 
namely,  Viscount  Gorraanstown,  the  barons 
of  Slane,  Delvin,  Killeen,  Howth,  Trimles- 
town,  and  Dunsany.  John  Blake,  mayor  of 
Dublin,  with  his  archers,  and  the  inhabitants 


*  In  Apparat.  Sacro. 
t  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  26. 
Monast.  d'Irlande. 


AUemand,   Hist. 


49 


386 


HISTORY    OF   IRELAND. 


of  DrogheJa  ;  O'Doiuu-l  O'Reilly,  OTcrral, 
bishop  of  ArJagh  and  lord  of  Annaly,  (Long- 
ford,) besides  other  chiefs,  also  joined  the 
deputy.  Both  annies  having  met,  on  the 
19th  of  August,  A.  n.  1 50 1,  within  a  few  miles 
of  Gal  way,  at  a  place  called  Knock  To,  or 
Knock  Tuah,  which  implies  the  "  Mount  of 
Axes,"  the  action  began,  and  the  ground  was 
disputed  for  some  hours,  with  equal  loss  on 
both  sides  ;  but  the  Connaught  army  having 
at  length  lost  ground,  were  routed,  with  the 
loss  of  two  thousand  men  ;  and  the  deputy 
was  victorious.  His  loss  is  not  known.  Ac- 
cording to  the  book  of  Howth,  says  Ware, 
that  of  the  vanquished  amounted  to  nine 
thousand  men  ;  and  in  the  white  book  of  the 
exchequer,  it  is  alleged  that  not  one  Eng- 
lishman was  wounded  in  the  deputy's  army. 
Ware,  however,  rejects  both  statements  as 
incredible.  After  this  victory  the  deputy  laid 
the  country  waste,  and  made  himself  master 
of  the  towns  of  Galway  and  Athenry,  and 
carried  ofT  considerable  booty.  He  also  took 
the  two  sons  of  Ulysses  prisoners  ;  but  the 
father  escaped  by  flight.  On  his  return,  the 
earl  distributed  thirty  barrels  of  wine  among 
the  soldiers  who  fought  with  him.  It  is 
affirmed  by  some,  that  this  battle,  in  which 
so  many  lives  were  lost,  was  caused  by  a 
private  dispute  that  occurred  between  the 
deputy  and  Clanricard.  However  this  may- 
be, the  king  rewarded  the  deputy,  by  making 
him  a  knight  of  the  garter. 

Fitzsimons,  archbishop  of  Dublin,  was 
sent  over  to  England,  some  time  after  this, 
by  the  deputy  and  council,  to  give  to  the 
king  an  account  of  his  success,  and  on  other 
matters  of  state.  This  prelate  acquitted 
himself  in  the  discharge  of  his  commission, 
to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties. 

A  plague  raged  in  Ireland  during  this 
year,  and  was  particularly  malignant  in  Ul- 
ster. It  interrupted  the  synod  which  the 
archbishop  of  Armagh  had  convened,  first  at 
Drogheda,  and  afterwards  at  Ardee.  The 
plague  was  followed  by  a  famine,  caused  by 
continued  rains  in  the  summer  and  autumn  of 
1505.  The  year  following,  a  disastrous  fire, 
caused  by  lightning,  consumed  the  town  of 
Trim,  at  that  time  the  most  considerable  in 
Meath.  In  October,  1508,  the  lord-deputy 
convened  a  parUament  in  Dublin,  in  which 
subsidies  were  granted  to  the  king,  by  taxing 
the  lands  according  to  their  produce. 

The  deputy  proceeded  on  another  expedi- 
tion into  Ulster,  at  the  solicitation  of  his  re- 
lations, the  O'Neills,  to  assist  them  in  recov- 
ering the  forts  of  Dungannon  and  Omey, 
which  had  been  seized  upon  by  their  ene- 
mies, A.  D.  1509.     The  fort  of  Dungannon 


surrendered  before  his  arrival  in  Tyrone.  He 
proceeded  then  against  Omey,  which  he  took 
by  assault,  and  had  it  razed  to  the  ground,  after 
restoring  Arthur,  son  of  Conn  O'Neill,  to 
liberty,  who  had  been  a  prisoner  in  the  fort. 

At  this  time,  a  convent  for  Observantine' 
Franciscans  was  founded  at  Cruleagh,  or 
Balli-Rourk,  in  the  district  of  Leitrim,  for- 
merly Brcfny,  by  O'Rourk,  lord  of  that 
country.* 

This  was  the  last  year  of  the  reign  and 
life  of  Henry  VII.  He  was  first  attacked 
by  the  gout,  and  afterwards  by  a  cold  and 
disease  of  his  lungs  ;  and  died  at  Richmond 
palace  on  the  22d  of  April,  in  the  fifty-second 
year  of  his  age,  and  twenty-fourth  of  his 
reign.  He  was  interred  with  pomp  at  West- 
minster. This  prince  was  considered  wise, 
and  valiant,  and  ranked  among  the  best  kings 
that  have  ruled  over  England.  If  we  except 
a  few  acts  of  cruelty,  which  he  had,  perhaps, 
thought  necessary  to  maintain  himself  upon 
the  throne,  he  was  naturally  inclined  to  cle- 
mency. For  the  fair  sex  he  manifested  in- 
difference, and  for  every  bodily  pleasure,  to 
which  persons  in  his  station  too  generally 
think  themselves  entitled.  His  respect  for 
religion  appears  from  the  confidence  which 
he  placed  in  the  clergy,  whose  advice  he  fol- 
lowed in  his  most  important  undertakings. 
He  was,  from  his  youth,  frugal  without  ava- 
rice ;  though  this  vice  gained  strength  in  his 
latter  years,  to  the  injury  of  his  subjects, 
which  must  be  ascribed  to  his  weakness. 
Finding  his  death  approach,  however,  he 
ordered  by  his  will,  that  all  the  money  which 
his  officers  had  raised  unjustly  in  his  name, 
should  be  restored.  ' 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Henry  VII.  beingdcad,  his  only  son, Henry, 
in  whose  person  were  united  the  claims  of 
the  houses  of  York  and  Lancaster,  succeeded 
to  the  throne  of  his  ancestors  on  the  22d  of 
April,  1509,  at  the  age  of  "eighteen  years. f 
Having  performed  the  funeral  ceremonies  of 
his  father,  he  married  Catherine  of  Aragon, 
his  brother  Arthur's  widow,  on  the  3d  of 
June  following,  (a  dispensation  being  ob- 
tained from  Pope  Julian  II.,)  and  was  so- 
lemnly crowned  with  her,  on  the  24th  of 
the  same  month,  in  St.  Peter's  church,  West- 
minster, by  William  Warham,   archbishop 

*  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  cap.  2G.  Allemand,  Hist. 
Monast.  d'Irlande. 

t  Polydor.  Virgil.  Anglic.  Hist.  lib.  ^7. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELANO. 


387 


of  Canterbury,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of 
the  whole  kingdom.* 

Henry  applied  himself  so  assiduously  to 
study  in  his  youth,  that  he  was  considered 
the  most  learned  prince  in  Europe.  On 
coming  to  the  throne,  he  chose  the  most 
grave  and  wise  among  the  nobles  to  be  his 
counsellors  ;  by  whose  aid  he  matured  still 
more  his  capability  for  government,  and  sub- 
mitted his  authority  to  their  prudence  on 
many  occasions.  The  greatness  of  this 
prince's  mind,  the  beauty  of  his  person,  his 
munificence,  courage,  and  other  great  quali- 
ties, seemed  to  promise  a  happier  and  more 
brilliant  reign  than  that  of  which  he  has  left 
so  awful  and  disgusting  a  picture  to  posterity. 
The  beginning  of  his  reign,  when  kings 
generally  display  their  best  qualities,  by  per- 
forming acts  of  clemency,  in  order  to  make 
favorable  impressions  upon  their  people,  was. 
however,  stained  by  the  death  of  Delapool, 
earl  of  Suffolk  :  that  nobleman,  who  was 
detained  a  prisoner  for  a  considerable  time 
under  the  preceding  reign,  having  died  on 
the  scaffold  by  order  of  the  new  king.  His 
treasures  soon  became  exhausted  in  tourna- 
ments, balls,  masquerades,  and  other  amuse- 
ments suited  to  a  young  prince  who  wished 
to  immortalize  himself  by  the  splendor  of 
his  court ;  and  finding  himself  forced  to 
supply  the  deficiency  of  his  finances,  sacri- 
lege, and  usurpation  of  the  goods  of  others, 
were,  ere  long,  resorted  to  by  him. 

On  his  accession  to  the  throne,  Henry 
found  the  earl  of  Kildare  intrusted  with  the 
government  of  Ireland,  as  deputy.  Not 
wishing  to  make  any  change  in  this  country, 
that  prince  appointed  him,  by  letters  patent, 
to  exercise  the  functions  of  lord-justice  ; 
having  informed  him  of  the  death  of  his 
father,  Henry  VH.,  and  his  own  succession 
to  the  crown.  All  the  other  state  officers 
he  likewise  confirmed  in  their  respective 
posts,  in  consequence  of  which  Henry  VHI. 
was  proclaimed  in  Dublin,  and  all  the  other 
towns  in  the  English  province,  king  of  Eng- 
land and  France,  and  lord  of  Ireland. 

The  earl  of  Kildare  undertook  an  expe- 
dition this  year,  a.  d.  1510,  into  Munster,  in 
which  he  was  unsuccessful. f  Having  col- 
lected the  troops  of  Dublin,  Meath,  Kildare, 
and  Louth,  and  being  joined  by  Hugh 
O'Donncl,  prince  of  Tyrconnel,  he  directed 
his  march  towards  that  province,  where  he 
took  some  strong  places  in  the  district  of 
Desmond,  and  laid  the  whole  country  waste, 
without  meeting   any  opposition  ;    but  his 

*  Baker,    Chron.  on    the    reign  of    Henry  VII. 
War.  de  Annal.  Hib.  reg.  Henry  VIII.,  cap.  1. 
t  Iligghis'  Short  View. 


army  being  loaded  with  their  spoils  and 
plunder,  he  was  attacked  in  his  retreat,  at 
Monetrar,  in  the  county  of  Limerick,  by  the 
enemy,  headed  by  James,  eldest  son  of 
Maurice  earl  of  Desmond,  Tirlagh  O'Brien, 
prince  of  Thuomond,  and  M'William  of  the 
family  of  the  Burkes.  The  action  was 
bloody,  and  the  loss  was  very  considerable, 
particularly  on  the  side  of  the  royalists,  who 
owed  their  safety  to  the  darkness  of  the 
night,  which  concealed  them  from  their  pur- 
suers. 

Robert  Evers,  prior  of  St.  John  of  Jeru- 
salem, in  Ireland,  after  an  administration  of 
thirteen  years,  was  recalled  at  this  time,  a.  d. 
1511,*  by  order  of  the  grand  master,  resi- 
dent in  the  island  of  Rhodes,  for  which  no 
cause  is  given  by  historians.  They  merely 
mention  that  he  was  appointed  to  the  com- 
mandery  of  Slebich,  in  the  county  of  Pem- 
broke, in  Wal«s,  and  that  he  was  succeeded 
in  the  priory  of  Ireland  by  John  Rawson, 
an  Englishman,  who  was.  afterwards  made 
a  member  of  the  king's  privy  council. 

At  this  time  Walter  Fitzsimons,  arch- 
bishop of  Dublin,  died.  He  was  a  graduate 
in  canon  and  civil  law,  a  subtle  philosopher, 
and  profound  theologian.!  He  had  been 
grand  chorister  of  St.  Patrick's  cathedral, 
from  wliich  situation  he  was  raised  by  Pope 
Sixtus  IV.  to  the  archiepiscopal  dignity  ; 
had  held  the  office  of  deputy  under  the  duke 
of  Bedford,  viceroy  of  Ireland,  and  was 
afterwards  chancellor.  This  prelate  having 
governed  the  church  of  Dublin  for  twenty- 
seven  years,  died  at  Finglass,  two  miles  from 
the  city,  and  was  interred  in  St.  Patrick's 
cathedral.  After  the  death  of  this  prelate, 
Richard  Skerrett,  prior  of  Christ's  cathedral, 
took,  according  to  custom,  possession  of  the 
crosier,  of  which  he  was  the  guardian  in 
virtue  of  his  benefice,  to  give  to  his  succes- 
sor,^ whose  name  was  William  Rokeby. 

Caher,  or  Charles  O'Connor,  prince  of 
OfTaly,  was  assassinated  at  this  time,  near 
the  Franciscan  convent  of  Monaster-Fcoris, 
in  the  district  of  OfTaly.  A  son  was  born 
this  year  to  Henry  VIII.  and  Catherine  of 
Aragon.  He  was  called  Henry.  His  death, 
which  took  place  a  few  days  after  his  birth, 
was  the  cause  of  great  sorrow,  particularly 
to  his  parents. 

The  earl  of  Kildare  marched  at  the  head 
of  his  army  into  Ulster,  a.  d.  1512,  where 
he  took,  and  razed  to  the  ground,  the  castle 
of  Belfast,  which  had  been  recently  rebuilt. 
History  makes  no  mention  of  the  earl's  hav- 

*  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  3. 

+  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Dublinicns. 


388 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


ing  met  with  resistance  in  this  expedition  ; 

he  therefore  burned  and  pillaged  the  coun- 

I  try  with  impunity,  and  carried  away  con- 

I  siderable  booty,  which  he  distributed  among 

j  his  soldiers. 

'      We  must  mention  in  this  place  the  names 

:  of  two   great  writers  :    Thomas   Brown,  a 

secular  priest,  who  wrote  the  life  of  Nicho- 

I  las  Maguire,  bishop  of  Leighlin,  to  whom 

,  he   was  chaplain  ;*    and    Thomas    Fich,    a 

j  regular,  and  sub-prior  of  Christ's   church, 

1  Dublin,  who  wrote  a  book  on  the  affairs  of 

;  that  church,  called  the  "  White  Book." 

I       There  were  other  writers  also  at  this  time. 

Philip    Flatisbury,    of    John's-town,    near 

j  Naas,  in  the   county  of  Kildare,  according 

to  Stanihurst,t  wrote  some  chronicles  at  the 

request  of  Gerald,  earl  of  Kildare.     Ware, 

i  who  has  compared    these  chronicles  with 

those  written  by  Pembrige,  alleges  that  they 

j  are  the  same,  and  that  Flatisbury  made  only 

I  a  transcript  of  them   with   some   additions. 

[  George  Cogley,  notary  and  register  of  the 

j  bishopric  of  Meath,  wrote  a  catalogue  of  the 

j  prelates  of  that  see,  from  Simon  Rochford, 

j  who  was  the  first  English  bishop  of  it,  to 

1  the  time  of  Hugh  Inge,  of  whom  this  author 

I  was  contemporary. 

I  A  monk  of  the  Cistertian  order,  belonging 
to  the  abbey  of  Duiske,  in  the  county  of 
Kilkenny,  wrote  the  Annals  of  Ireland,  by 
order  of  his  abbot,  Charles  Cavenagh,  which 
he  continued  till  the  time  of  the  suppression 
j  of  monasteries.  He  inserted  them  after- 
j  wards  in  the  registry  of  the  charters  of  this 


Two  convents  for  the  third  order  of  St. 
Francis,  were  founded  this  year  in  Ireland  : 
one  at  Slane,  in  the  county  of  Meath,  by 
Christopher  Fleming,  baron  of  Slane,  and 
his  wife  Elizabeth  Stukely  ;  the  other  at 
Bunamargy,  in  the  county  of  Antrim,  by  a 
M'Doimel,  of  the  house  of  Antrim.^ 

Jealousy,  the  certain  and  usual  source  of 
1  discord,  still  prevailed  between  the  Fitz- 
:  geralds  of  Kildare  and  the  Butlers  of  Or- 
i  mond.  These  noblemen  having  embraced 
I  opposite  parties  in  the  wars  between  York 
!  and  Lancaster,  their  greatness  depended  on 
I  the  success  of  those  rival  houses. §  Ormond 
i  beheld  with  displeasure  the  government  of 
;  Ireland  vested  in  the  house  of  Kildare  ;  of 
j  which  feeling  the  deputy  was  aware,  but 
j  yet  was  not  sufficiently  guarded  against  his 
!  artifice.     Ormond  wrote  a  polite  letter  to 

I       *  War.  ibid.  cap.  4. 

t  War.  de  Scrip.  Hiij.  cap.  7. 
1       i  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  c.  2fi.     Allemand,   Hist. 
,  M<  nast.  d'lrlaiide. 
i      §  Cox,  Hib.  Anglic,  p.  232. 


him,  representing  that  the  public  having  ac- 
cused him  of  being  opposed  to  his  govern- 
ment, he  was  desirous  of  coming  to  an  ex- 
planation upon  the  subject.  For  this  pur- 
pose he  proposed  to  meet  him  in  Dublin,  in 
order  to  clear  himself  in  his  presence,  at  a 
public  assembly,  of  these  false  imputations. 
Kildare  readily  acceded  to  it.  Ormond  set 
out  on  his  march,  at  the  head  of  an  army, 
for  Dublin,  and  took  up  his  quarters  in  the 
abbey  of  Thomas-court,  one  of  the  suburbs 
of  the  city.  The  deputy  and  council  were 
not  less  alarmed  than  the  inhabitants  of 
Dublin,  at  the  approach  of  these  troops, 
who  committed  dreadful  excesses  upon  their 
march.  Ormond,  however,  appearing  to 
have  nothing  hostile  in  view,  sent  to  inform 
the  deputy  of  his  arrival  ;  told  him  he  was 
ready  to  perform  all  that  he  had  promised 
in  his  letter,  and  that  no  uneasiness  need  be 
apprehended  on  account  of  the  troops.  He 
knew,  he  said,  that  evil-minded  persons  had 
cast  imputations  on  his  conduct ;  but  he 
trusted  to  be  able  to  exculpate  himself  on 
the  first  opportunity,  in  the  opinion  of  his 
highness.  The  earl  of  Kildare,  who  was 
flattered  by  this  communication,  sent  word 
to  the  earl  of  Ormond  to  repair,  on  a  day 
appointed,  to  St.  Patrick's  cathedral,  that 
they  might  treat  together  ;  but  instead  of 
seeking  measures  of  reconciliation,  the  earls 
began  their  conference  by  reciprocal  abuse, 
and  their  example  was  followed  by  the 
people.  The  citizens  had  an  altercation 
with  the  troops  of  Ormond,  respecting  the 
tyranny  and  oppression  they  exercised  in 
the  city  and  the  suburbs.  In  the  mean  time, 
a  company  of  armed  archers  entered,  who 
increased  the  confusion,  by  endeavoring  to 
kill  the  earl  of  Ormond,  as  the  principal 
cause  of  the  disturbance.  The  earl,  seeing 
the  danger  he  was  in,  hastened  into  the 
chapter-house,  and  shut  himself  np,  by  clos- 
ing the  door  after  him.  ,  He  was  pursued 
by  the  earl  of  Kildare,  who  promised,  on  his 
word  of  honor,  that  nothing  mischievous 
should  occur  to  him.  Ormond,  however, 
having  asked  him  for  his  hand,  as  a  security 
for  his  life,  a  hole  was  cut  in  the  door,  and 
the  two  noblemen  shook  hands  through  it, 
as  a  token  of  being  reconciled.  This  ludi- 
crous scene  is  mentioned  by  Cox,  and  Hol- 
ingshed,  an  English  writer.  The  church 
having  been  profaned  in  this  sedition  by  the 
blood  of  some  persons  who  had  been  killed, 
and  disrespect  manifested  for  the  images, 
which  were  pierced  with  arrows,  a  legate 
was  deputed  by  the  pope  to  have  the  whole 
aflair  investigated.  As  a  penance,  and  to 
expiate   the   sacrilege   thus   committed,  he 


CHRISTIAN     IRELAND. 


389 


commanded  that  the  lord-mayor  should  walk 
barefooted  through  the  city,  preceded  by  the 
holy  sacrament,  carried  in  procession,  on 
Corpus  Christi  day,  which  penance  was 
duly  performed  by  that  magistrate. 

The  carl  of  Kildare,  who  was  continually 
intent  on  great  designs  against  the  Irish, 
collected  all  his  forces,  and  began  his  march 
in  August^  1513,  towards  Eile,  the  country 
of  the  O'Carrols  ;*  but  having  fallen  sick 
at  Ath}'-,  he  was  removed  to  Kildare,  where 
he  died  on  the  3d  of  September.  His  body 
was  brought  to  Dublin,  and  honorably  in- 
terred in  Christ's  cathedral,  to  which  he 
had  been  a  benefactor.  The  army  being 
disheartened  by  the  death  of  their  general, 
dispersed  immediately;  and  thus  ended  the 
projects  of  this  great  man,  in  the  midst  of 
his  career,  at  a  time  he  promised  himself 
most  glory  and  success. 

Gerald,  son  of  the  deceased  earl  of  Kil- 
dare, being  treasurer  at  that  time,  was  ap- 
pointed lord-justice  by  the  council,'  in  place 
of  his  father,  in  virtue  of  the  law  enacted  by 
parliament  in  the  preceding  reign.  He  was 
afterwards  appointed  deputy  by  letters  pa- 
tent from  the  king.  Cromptori  was  made 
chancellor,  and  Christopher  Fleming,  bai'on 
of  Slane,  treasurer.  The  other  offices  were 
filled  up  with  all  possible  dispatch. 

While  the  lords  of  the  English  province 
were  regulating  their  affairs  of  state,  the 
Irish  were  making  incursions  on  their  lands : 
the  O'Morras  and  O'Reillys  were  up  in 
arms,  and  Donald  M'Guillin  took  the  fort 
of  Dunluse,  in  Ulster,  by  assault. 

This  year  was  remarkable  for  the  death 
of  two  celebrated  members  of  the  church  of 
Ireland,  namely,  the  archbishops  of  Tuam 
and  Armagh. 

Maurice  O'Fihely,  or  De  Portu,  was  born 
near  Baltimore,  in  the  county  of  Cork.f  He 
embraced  the  order  of  the  Minor  Francis- 
cans, and  was  educated  at  Padua,  in  Italy, 
where  he  became  celebraled  for  his  erudition, 
and  took  the  degree  of  doctor  in  theology. 
He  was  promoted  to  the  see  of  Tuam  by 
Pope  Julian  II. ,|  in  which  character  he  at- 
tended the  two  first  sessions  of  the  council 
of  Lateran.  He  came  to  Ireland  the  year 
following,  and  having  fallen  sick  on  his  ar- 
rival in  Gal  way,  he  died  in  the  month  of 
May,  at  the  age  of  fifty  years,  and  was  in- 
terred in  the  convent  of  his  order.  We  have 
already  spoken  of  his  learning  and  literary 
productions.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  see 
of  Tuam  by  Thomas  O'MuUaly,  or  Lally. 

*  War.  ibid,  cap.  5. 

t  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Tuamens. 

t  Biny,  Concil.  1.  9. 


Octavianus  de  Palatio,  a  native  of  Flor- 
ence, and  doctor  in  canon  law,  was  nomi- 
nated to  the  archbishopric  of  Armagh  in 
1480,  by  Pope  Sixtus  IV.*  He  governed 
that  church,  and  held  several  synods,  during 
thirty-three  years.  His  death  took  place  at 
an  advanced  age,  and  he  was  interred  in  the 
church  of  Drogheda.  His  successor  was 
John  Kite. 

In  order  to  check  the  inroads  which  the 
Irish  were  making  on  the  English  province, 
the  earl  of  Kildare  advanced  with  his  army 
into  the  district  of  Leix,  and  defeated  the 
O'Morras,  A.  d.  1514;  he  then  passed  through 
Brefney,  where  he  attacked  the  O'Reillys, 
killed  Hugh  their  chief,  and  razed  the  castle 
of  Cavan  to  the  ground  ;  after  which  he 
burned  the  surrounding  country,  and  return- 
ed home  loaded  with  spoil. 

Kildare  having  been  obliged  to  go  to 
England  on  some  affairs  of  moment,  a.  d. 
1515,  William  Preston,  viscount  Gormans- 
town,  was  appointed  lord-justice  during  his 
absence.!  On  his  return,  he  convened,  by 
orders  of  the  king,  a  parliament  in  Dublin, 
in  which  the  liberties  and  prerogatives  of 
the  church  and  kingdom  were  confirmed, 
and  subsidies  were  granted  to  the  crown. 
The  custom  was  then  abolished  which  au- 
thorized an  appeal  in  suits  of  law  from  Ire- 
land to  England,  in  virtue  of  the  privy  seal, 
unless  the  plaintifT  became  responsible  to  the 
court  of  chancery  in  Ireland  for  the  costs 
and  expenses  of  the  lawsuit,  in  the  event 
of  a  verdict  being  granted  in  favor  of  the 
defendant. 

William  Rokeby,  archbishop  of  Dublin, 
was  appointed  chancellor  of  Ireland  by  let- 
ters patent  from  the  king  ;  which  office  he 
held  till  his  death. 

Thomas  Butler,  earl  of  Ormond,  died  in 
London  in  the  month  of  August.  He  had 
been  ambassador  to  France,  and  member  of 
the  privy  council ;  and  took  his  seat  in  the 
English  parliament  in  precedence  of  the 
barons.  He  was  the  richest  of  all  the  king's 
subjects  :  and  besides  his  plate  and  jewels, 
left  forty  thousand  pounds  sterling  in  ready 
money.  Having  no  male  children,  he  be- 
queathed all  the  property  he  possessed  in 
England,  amounting  to  thirty  thousand 
pounds  sterling  per  annum,  to  his  two 
daughters,  Ann  and  Margaret,  the  elder  of 
whom  had  been  married  to  Sir  James  St. 
Leger,  and  the  second  to  Sir  William  Bollen, 
son  of  Geoffry  Bollen,  mayor  of  London, 
by  whom  she  had  Sir  Thomas  Bollen,  so 


*  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Ardmach. 
t  War.  ibid.  c.  7. 


390 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


well  known  under  Henry  VIII.  The  earl's 
propcrtv  in  In^laml,  with  the  Orniond  title, 
reverted  to  Pierce  Butler  of  Carrick,  his  heir 
in  a  collateral  line  ;  but  the  king,  some  time 
afterwards,  made  him  resign  it  in  favor  of 
Sir  Thomas  Bollen,  and  created  him  earl  of 
Ossorv.  Bollen  having  died  without  an  heir, 
the  title  of  Ormond  was  restored  to  Butler, 
who  thereupon  resigned  that  of  Ossory. 

The  lord-deputy  was  continually  intent  on 
conquering  the  Irish.     In  1516  he  entered 
j  the  district  of  Imayle  in  the  county  of  Wick- 
I  low,  at  the  head  of  his  troops,  where  he  killed 
j  Shane  O'Tool  in  battle,  and  sent  his  head 
I  to  the  mayor  of  Dublin.*     He  then  marched 
!  into  the  territory  of  Eile  against  O'Carrol, 
j  where  he  was  joined  by  such  of  the  nobility 
I  of  Leinster  and  Munster  as  were  of  English 
[  descent ;  among  whom  were  Pierce  Butler, 
I  earl  of  Ormond,  and  James,  eldest  son  of 
1  the  earl  of  Desmond.   With  these  reinforce- 
I  ments  he  penetrated  still  further,  and  laid 
!  siege  to  the  castle  of  Lemevan,  which  he 
'  took  after  a  siege  of  ten  days,  the  garrison 
I  having  abandoned  and  dismantled  it.     In- 
flated with  pride  and  confidence  from  these 
successes,  he  marched  with  all  possible  dili- 
gence towards  the  town  of  Clonmel,  situated 
I  on  the  river  Suire  ;  the  inhabitants  of  which, 
I  terrified  at  his  approach,  surrendered  on  cer- 
1  tain  conditions.     The  campaign  being  thus 
ended,  he  returned  home  with  hostages  and 
prisoners.     The  following  year,  1517,  Kil- 
dare  carried  the  war  into  tJlster.    He  enter- 
ed the  district  of  Lecale,  and  surprised  the 
!  fort  of  Dundrum,  from  which  the  English 
I  had  been  driven  by  the  Irish  some  time  be- 
\  fore.f     He  took  Phelim  M'Gennis  prisoner 
i  in  an  engagement  in  which  he  lost  several 
,  of  his  men,  and  burned  the  neighboring  vil- 
i  lages.     He  then  marched  to  Tyrone,  which 
i  he  laid  waste,  and  burned  the  fort  of  Dim- 
:  gannon  ;  and  having  enriched  himself  with 
,  booty  in  this  expedition,  returned  to  Dublin. 
I       A  desire  for  plunder  induced  the  inhabi- 
1  tants  of  Dublin  to  collect  in  bodies  at  this 
time.    They  went  out  of  the  city  well  armed 
'  to  ravage  the  territory  of  Imale,  in  the  county 
!  of  Wicklow,  but  were  soon  put  to  flight,  with 
i  considerable  loss,  by  the  sept  of  the  O'Tools, 
j  who  pursued  them  to  their  very  gates.    The 
coldness  of  the  weather  caused  hostilities 
I  to  cease  for  some  time  ;  the  frost  being  so 
intense  that  the  rivers  were  frozen  over,  and 
!  supported  the  heaviest  carriages,  a  circum- 
I  stance  which  seldom  occurs  in  Ireland. 
Henry  VIII.  had  three  sons  by  Catherine 

*  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  88. 
t  War.  ibid.  cap.  9. 


of  Aragon,  who  died  in  their  infancy  ;  and 
likewise  a  daughter  called  Mary,  born  at 
Greenwich,  a.  d.  1517,  who  afterwards  be- 
came queen  of  England.*  The  education  of 
this  princess  was  confided  to  Margaret,  niece 
of  Edward  IV.,  a  virtuous  lady,  and  mother 
of  Reginald,  afterwards  Cardinal  Pole.  Ma- 
ry was  declared  princess  of  Wales,  and  heir- 
ess to  the  crown,  by  the  king  her  father,  who 
sent  her,  attended  by  a  brilliant* court,  to 
Wales,  to  assume  the  government  of  that 
principality.  She  was  sought  for  in  marriage 
by  many  ofthe  neighboring  kings  and  princes 
A.  D.  1518.  Oneof  the  conditions  of  the  peace 
concluded  by  Henry  with  France,  after  the 
battle  of  the  spurs,  and  the  taking  of  The- 
rouane  and  Tournay,  was,  that  the  dauphin 
of  France  should  marry  the  princess  Mary, 
who  was  then  only  two  years  old,  so  soon 
as  she  should  be  marriageable. 

The  inheritance  of  Thomas  Butler,  earl 
of  Ormond,  was  warmly  disputed  between 
Pierce  Butler  of  Carrick  and  Sir  James  Or- 
mond, each  of  whom  declared  himself  his 
heir.  Although  the  right  of  Pierce  was  in- 
disputable, his  grandfather,  Edmond  Butler, 
having  been  cousin-german  to  the  deceased 
earl  Thomas  ;  still,  James  Ormond,  natural 
son  of  John  Butler,  brother  to  the  last  earl, 
and  a  popular  character,  who  had  held  for 
some  time  the  oflice  of  treasurer  of  Ireland, 
took  possession  of  the  entire  property,  leav- 
ing nothing  to  the  lawful  heir,  who  had 
married  Margaret,  sister  of  the  earl  of  Kil- 
dare.  The  dispute  was  at  length  terminated 
by  the  death  of  James  Ormond,  who  was 
killed  between  Dromore  and  Kilkenny  by 
his  opponent,  who  by  this  means  recovered 
his  right. 

Rokeby,  archbishop  of  Dublin  and  chan- 
cellor of  Ireland,  convened  a  provincial  sy- 
nod in  Dublin,  the  canons  of  which  are  to 
be  met  with  in  the  registry  of  the  bishopric 
of  Ossory.  Some  difl'erences  having  arisen 
between  Arthur  O'Neill,  a  prince  of  the 
house  of  Tyrone,  and  O'Dogharty,  O'Neill 
marched  into  the  peninsula  of  Inis-Owen, 
the  country  of  O'Dogharty,  where  he  put 
all  to  fire  and  sword. 

The  great  authority  of  the  earl  of  Kildare, 
who  was  still  deputy  in  Ireland,  created  ene- 
mies for  him,  who  left  nothing  undone  to 
render  him  suspected  by  the  court  of  London. 
He  was  accused,  a.  d.  1519,  of  having  gov- 
erned unjustly,  and  particularly  of  having 
enriched  himself  by  appropriating  the  reve- 
nues and  lands  of  the  crown  to  his  own  use, 


*  Sander,  de  Schis.  Anglic.     Edit.  Ingolstad. 
lib.  1,  p.  4,  et  seq. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


391 


and  of  having  tried  to  conciliate  the  friend- 
ship of  the  Irish,  so  as  to  attach  them  to  his 
interests.  The  influence  of  Cardinal  Wolsey 
was  made  use  of,  to  oblige  him  to  go  to 
England,  in  order  to  clear  himself  of  these 
charges .  Previous,  ho  we  ver,  to  his  departure , 
he  substituted  in  his  place,  with  the  king's 
permission,  Maurice,  son  of  Thomas  Fitz- 
gerald of  Lackagh,  his  relative,  with  the  title 
of  lord-justice.  The  earl  having  presented 
himself  at  court,  his  case  was  examined  into 
before  the  council  l  during  which  investiga- 
tion he  married  Elizabeth  Grey,  daughter  of 
the  marquis  of  Dorset.  This  alliance  having 
procured  him  friends  in  England,  he  was 
restored  to  the  king's  favor,  whom  he  accom- 
panied to  France,  and  was  present  at  the 
interview  between  the  kings  of  France  and 
England,  which  took  place  near  Calais,  be- 
tween Ardres  and  Guisnes,  at  a  place  called 
the  field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold,  from  the 
splendor  of  the  meeting  of  the  two  princes. 
At  this  time  Cardinal  Wolsey  possessed 
the  unbounded  confidence  of  the  king  :* 
having  from  being  a  man  of  obscure  origin, 
become  the  most  powerful  subject  in  the 
kingdom.  This  prelate,  called  Thomas  at 
his  baptism,  was  the  son  of  a  butcher  at 
Ipswich  in  Suffolk.  He  was  educated  at  Ox- 
ford, in  Magdalen  college,  where  he  evinced 
a  particular  fondness  for  study.  His  fortune 
was  first  raised  by  the  marquis  of  Dorset, 
who  gave  him  a  living.  His  second  patron 
was  John  Naphant,  treasurer  of  Calais,  who 
presented  him  to  Henry  VI I .,  which  monarch 
having  a  matter  of  importance  to  negotiate 
with  the  Emperor  Maximilian,  intrusted  Wol- 
sey, who  was  then  his  chaplain,  with  his 
dispatches.  So  promptly  was  this  commission 
performed,  that  Wolsey  had  returned  to 
England,  when  it  was  supposed  he  could 
scarcely  have  arrived  at  the  imperial  court. 
The  king  was  so  pleased  with  the  success  of 
his  envoy,  that  he  conferred  upon  him  the 
deanery  of  Lincoln,  and  subsequently  made 
him  his  almoner,  which  office  he  held  on  the 
accession  of  Henry  VIII.  to  the  throne. 
The  favor  of  this  prince  he  secured  to  him- 
self so  well  that  he  was  appointed  a  member 
of  his  council,  and  successively  bishop  of 
Tournay,  Lincoln,  archbishop  of  York,  and 
lastly,  cardinal  and  legate,  chancellor  of  Eng- 
land, and  bishop  of  Winchester.  He  was 
abbot  of  the  convent  of  St.  Alban's,  and  pos- 
sessed likewise  the  revenues  of  the  episcopal 
sees  of  Bath,  Worcester,  and  Hereford,which 
he  held  like  farms  from  foreign  titular  bishops, 
who  did  not  reside  in  the  kingdom  ;  besides 

*  Baker's  Cliron.  on  the  Reign  of  Henry  VIII. 


several  priories  and  other  benefices.  So 
great  was  the  splendor  to  which  he  attained, 
that  he  kept  an  almost  incredible  number  of 
officers  and  servants  in  his  household  ;  and 
when  sent  by  the  king  as  an  ambassador  to 
the  court  of  France,  he  brought  with  him, 
in  his  train,  twelve  hundred  horses,  eighty 
chariots,  sixty  mules,  and  other  parts  of  his 
retinue  in  proportion.  Splendor  cannot  be 
supported  without  wealth,  and  Wolsey  was 
insatiable  in  his  pursuit  of  it.  Man  generally 
possesses  many  passions,  but  one  usually  pre- 
ponderates, in  which  the  others  seem  to  cen- 
tre. The  cardinal's  ruling  passion  was  am- 
bition. He  aspired  to  nothing  less  than  the 
papal  chair,  for  which  object  he  sought  to 
obtain  the  friendship  and  influence  of  Charles 
v.*  This  emperor,  who  looked  upon  him 
as  necessary  to  aid  him  in  carrying  his  plans 
into  effect,  began  to  display  much  regard 
towards  him  by  a  frequent  correspondence, 
and  in  the  letters  which  he  wrote,  he  signed 
himself,  "  Charles  your  son  and  relation.'''' 
The  emperor  gave  him  cause  to  hope  that  he 
would  use  his  influence  to  have  him  elected 
to  the  see  of  St.  Peter,  on  the  death  of  Leo 
X.,  provided,  however,  that  he  would  influ- 
ence the  king  of  England  to  unite  with  him 
in  a  war,  offensive  and  defensive,  against 
France.  The  cardinal  endeavored  to  fulfil 
these  conditions,  but  finding  his  hopes  frus- 
trated upon  the  death  of  Pope  Leo,  by  the 
election  of  Adrian  VI.,  at  the  recommenda- 
tion of  Charles,  whose  preceptor  he  had  been, 
he  thought  it  prudent  to  dissemble  for  a 
while,  and  await  the  death  of  Adrian.  He 
then  discovered  that  this  prince  had  no  longer 
the  same  regard  for  him,  and  that,  after 
Francis  I.  had  been  taken  at  the  battle  of 
Pavia,  he  wrote  to  him  but  seldom,  and  in  a 
hand  diff*erent  from  his  own,  subscribing 
himself  simply,  "  Charles. ^^  He  accordingly 
formed  a  plan  of  being  revenged,  by  espous- 
ing the  cause  of  France  ;  which  was  the  real 
motive  for  the  pains  which  Wolsey  took  to 
procure  the  divorce  of  Catherine  of  Aragon, 
queen  of  England,  and  maternal  aunt  of 
Charles  V.  As  we  shall  have  frequent  occa- 
sion to  speak  of  the  cardinal,  we  have  thought 
this  digression  necessary,  in  order  to  eluci- 
date his  character,  and  make  it  known.  In 
the  sequel  we  shall  witness  his  fall  and  ruin. 
Wolsey  having  represented  to  the  king 
that  his  affairs  in  Ireland  were  too  much 
neglected,  and  that  it  was  of  absolute  neces- 
sity to  confide  the  government  of  it  to  a  man 
of  impartiality,  wholly  unconnected  with  the 
factions  by  which  that  country  was  torn,  and 

*  Sanderus,  ibid.  lib.  1,  page  8. 


392 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


which  caused  so  much  blood  to  flow,  recom- 
mended :ind  caused  Thomas  Howard,  earl  of 
Surrey,  lo  be  appointed,  less,  however,  it  is 
said,  through  love  for  this  nobleman,  than 
hatred  for  the  earl  of  Kildare. 

The  earl  of  Surrey,  lord-admiral  of  Eng- 
land and  Ireland,  and  knight  of  the  garter, 
having  been  nominated  lord-lieutenant  of 
Ireland,  a.  d.  1 520,  landed  in  Dublin  the  week 
before  Pentecost,  with  his  wife,  daughter  of 
Edward  duke  of  Buckingham.*  He  was 
escorted  by  one  hundred  men  as  a  guard,  and 
a  thousand  soldiers,  cavalry  and  infantry. 
This  viceroy  had  no  sooner  assumed  the  reins 
of  government,  than  he  received  intelligence 
that  Conn  Backagh  O'Neill,  prince  of  Tyrone, 
was  advancing  at  the  head  of  an  army,  to 
devastate  the  county  of  Meath,  which  was 
not  in  a  state  to  defend  itself.f  Hoping  to 
signalize  the  beginning  of  his  administration 
by  a  victory,  the  governor  collected  the  pro- 
vincial troops,  with  those  he  had  brought 
from  England,  and  marched  towards  Slane  ; 
but  O'Neill  had  already  retimied  to  Ulster. 
Paulus  Jovius  asserts  that  the  prince  of  Ulster 
had  four  thousand  cavalry  and  twelve  thou- 
sand infantry,  and  that  the  viceroy,  not  deem- 
ing it  prudent  to  attack  him,  endeavored  to 
conciliate  him  by  presents.  The  truth  is, 
that  O'Neill  made  his  peace  with  the  king 
by  letters,  and  was  restored  to  favor. 

Surrey  wrote  to  Wolsey  in  the  month  of 
September,  to  inform  him  that  some  soldiers 
who  were  taken  as  pirates  upon  the  coasts, 
were  thrown  into  prison  ;  but  complained  to 
him  that  his  commission  did  not  authorize 
him  to  have  them  put  to  death.  In  order  to 
make  the  cardinal  his  friend,  he  informed  him 
that  the  earl  of  Kildare  was  fomenting  a  re- 
bellion in  Ireland,  and  that  he  had  written 
for  that  end  some  letters  to  O'Carroll ;  and 
that  the  country  would  be  lost  if  he  were 
permitted  to  return.  He  added,  that  so  great 
was  the  scarcity  of  provisions  in  Ireland,  that 
a  soldier  could  not  subsist  himself  on  four 
pence  a  day,  and  asked  that  a  penny  might 
be  added  to  their  pay. 

This  address  from  the  deputy  to  Wolsey, 
was,  perhaps,  the  cause  of  a  letter  which  the 
king  wrote  to  him  in  the  month  of  October 
following.|  This  prince,  who  began  to  dis- 
cover that  it  was  imprudent,  and  even  unjust, 
to  endeavor  to  make  the  Irish  pass  for  ene- 
mies in  their  own  country,  informed  him  that 
in  order  to  keep  peace  with  them,  and  intro- 
duce a  form  of  government  among  them,  it 

*  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  12. 

t  Cox,  History  of  Ireland,  on  the  reign  of  Henry 
VIII. 

t  Cox,  History  of  Ireland,  page  209. 


was  necessary  to  grant  them  the  privileges  of 
the  law.  He  then  sent  him  a  more  extended 
commission,  with  the  power  of  creating 
knights,  and  ordered  him  to  confer  the  degree 
of  knighthood  upon  O'Neill  and  other  Irish 
noblemen  ;  and  also  to  propose  a  marriage 
between  the  son  of  the  earl  of  Ormond,  and 
the  daughter  of  Sir  Thomas  Bollen.  Lastly, 
the  king  sent  O'Neill  a  gold  collar,  as  a  pledge 
of  his  friendship,  and  wrote  to  the  deputy  to 
endeavor  to  induce  him  to  go  to  court. 

Maurice,  son  of  Thomas  Fitzgerald  of 
Lackagh,  of  whom  we  have  already  spoken, 
was  killed  in  an  engagement,  by  the  O'Morras 
of  Leix  ;  the  cause  of  which  is  not  mentioned 
by  historians.  Maurice,  earl  of  Desmond, 
having  died,  James,  his  son  and  successor, 
repaired  to  Waterford  to  the  lord-deputy, 
who  labored  with  success  to  effect  a  recon- 
ciliation between  the  houses  of  Desmond  and 
Ormond. 

Two  convents  were  founded  at  this  time 
in  the  county  of  Antrim,  for  friars  of  the 
third  order  of  St.  Francis  ;  one  at  Masserin, 
by  O'Neill,  another  at  Limbeg,  by-  M'Don- 
nel  of  Antrim.* 

The  O'Byrnes,  of  Wicklow,  having  taken 
up  arms,  the  earl  of  Surrey  marched  against 
them  with  a  formidable  army,  a.  d.  1521; 
but  he  had  no  difficulty  in  reducing  a  light- 
armed,  and  inexperienced  soldiery,  his  army 
being  superior  both  in  numbers  and  mili- 
tary discipline.  He  disbanded  the  company 
of  Bulmer,  consisting  of  fifty  horsemen,  for 
having  shown  marks  of  cowardice  in  this 
expedition. 

The  deputy  convened  a  parliament  in 
Dublin,  in  the  month  of  June,  in  which  laws 
were  made  relative  to  the  state  of  affairs  at 
that  time.f  It  was  enacted  that  the  burning  of 
houses  or  ricks  of  corn,  either  through  design 
or  premeditated  malice,  should  be  subject  to 
the  same  punishment  as  felony.  The  export- 
ation of  flocks  and  of  wool  was  prohibited, 
under  the  penalty  of  a  fine  and  confiscation. 
It  was  enacted,  likewise,  that  from  the  small 
number  of  subjects  in  the  counties  subject  to 
the  laws  of  England,  a  man  worth  ten  marks 
a  year  might  be  appointed  a  juror  on  public 
trials.  This  parliament,  which  was  several 
limes  prorogued,  terminated  its  sittings  in 
the  month  of  May  following. 

The  deputy  having  received  intelligence 
in  Dublin,  that  the  O'Morras,  O'Connors 
Faly,  O'CarroUs,  and  other  Irish  chieftains, 
were  threatening  the  frontiers  of  the  English 
province,  gave  orders  to  have  his  forces  col- 

*  War.  de  Antiq.  Hib.  Allemand,  Hist.  Monast 
d'Irlande. 

t  War.  ibid.  cap.  13. 


CFIRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


393 


lected.  He  intended  both  to  repel  the  enemy 
and  revenge  at  the  same  time  the  death  of 
Mam-ice,  son  of  Thomas  Fitzgerald,  who 
had  been  killed  the  preceding  year  by  the 
O'Morras.  The  deputy  was  soon  joined  by 
the  militia  of  Dublin  and  Drogheda,  under 
the  command  of  the  mayors  of  those  cities, 
and  several  noblemen  followed  by  their  vas- 
sals, to  whom  a  few  Irish  nobles,  with  their 
light  cavalry,  were  also  added.  All  these 
troops  being  joined  to  the  forces  which  the 
deputy  had  brought  from  England,  and  sup- 
ported with  some  pieces  of  cannon,  which 
were  not  at  that  time  made  use  of  by  the 
Irish,  formed  an  army  that  was  more  than 
equal  to  put  down  men  that  were  badly  armed. 
Notwithstanding  this,  the  English  make  a 
boast  of  their  victories.  All  things  being 
prepared,  the  deputy  marched  at  the  head 
of  his  army  towards  the  district  of  Leix. 
The  Irish  troops  were  divided  into  compa- 
nies, headed  by  their  respective  chiefs. 
This  was  done  apparently  with  a  view  of 
harassing  the  enemy,  as  they  were  not  strong 
enough  to  face  them  in  a  body.  One  of  these 
detachments  made  a  vigorous  attack  upon  the 
baggage  of  the  enemy,  and  put  a  body  of 
English  who  were  guarding  it  to  flight ;  but 
being  promptly  relieved  by  the  enemy,  the 
Irish  lost  the  glory  of  this  action,  and  the 
hope  of  a  rich  spoil.  An  accident  which  oc- 
curred to  the  deputy,  proved  the  danger  he 
would  incur  by  penetrating  the  district  of 
Leix.  As  he  was  passing  a  defile  at  the 
head  of  his  army,  a  musket-shot  was  fired  at 
him,  which,  but  for  his  helmet,  must  have 
been  fatal.  The  man  who  fired  it  was  put 
to  death  upon  the  spot.  The  deputy  not  find- 
ing himself  secure,  turned  his  arms  tov/ards 
Ofialy,  and  laid  siege  to  a  monastery  called 
Monaster-Feoris,  Avhere  O'Connor  kept  a 
garrison.  The  walls  of  the  convent  could  not 
long  withstand  the  battering  of  three  pieces  of 
cannon,  and  the  garrison,  alarmed  at  this  new 
mode  of  carrying  on  a  siege,  escaped  dur- 
ing the  night,  and  abandoned  the  place  to  the 
deputy,  who  left  a  detachment  to  guard  it. 
With  the  rest  of  the  troops  he  laid  the  neigh- 
boring country  waste.  Little  booty,  however, 
was  found  in  it,  as  O'Connor  took  care  to  have 
all  the  corn,  cattle,  and  everything  necessary 
for  the  subsistence  of  an  army,  carried  away. 
In  the  mean  time  O'Connor,  with  O'Car- 
rol,  and  other  allies,  made  incursions  into 
Meath,  either  to  create  a  diversion  or  to  be 
revenged  for  the  tyranny  that  was  exercised 
over  them,  and  thereby  prevent  the  English 
in  that  country  from  uniting  with  the  deputy. 
However  this  may  have  been,  they  found 
themselves,  on  their  return,  in  front  of  the 


English  army,  whose  superior  numbers  were 
a  just  cause  of  alarm.  They  resolved  there- 
fore to  act  on  the  defensive,  and  to  fight  re- 
treating ;  by  which  both  parties  sustained 
considerable  loss.  Among  the  English, 
Edward  Plunket,  lord  of  Dunsany,  in  that 
county,  whose  descendants  have  since  borne 
the  title  of  barons  of  Dunsany,  was  found 
among  the  slain. 

About  this  time,  Aodh,  or  Hugh  O'Don- 
nel,  prince  Tyrconnel,  returned  from  a  pil- 
grimage to  Rome,  and  made  a  truce  with  the 
king  of  England.  He  wrote  some  letters  on 
this  occasion  to  the  deputy,  promising  to  as- 
sist him  against  his  enemies.  The  deputy 
received  his  proposal  gladly,  calculating 
upon  his  alliance,  and  that  of  O'Neill,  who 
provided  him  with  four  hundred  horse,  and 
twelve  hundred  light-armed  troops.  An  ex- 
pedition was  now  undertaken  against  O'Ma- 
laghlin  of  Clonlolan,  a  powerful  nobleman, 
descended  from  the  kings  of  Meath.*  O'Neill 
and  O'Donnel  were  the  chiefs  of  two  rival 
houses  in  Ulster,  as  M'Carty  and  O'Brien 
v/ere  in  Munster.  These  noblemen  were 
often  known  to  sacrifice  every  thing,  even 
the  welfare  of  their  country,  to  their  private 
resentments.  O'Donnel,  finding  his  neigh- 
bor and  friend  ready  to  fall,  under  the  united 
eftbrts  of  the  deputy  and  Tyrone,  thought 
it  prudent,  notwithstanding  the  peace  he 
had  lately  concluded  with  the  former,  lo 
cause  a  diversion  in  favor  of  O'Malaghlin  ; 
and  for  this  purpose  he  invaded  Tyrone, 
whereby  O'Neill  was  forced  to  abandon  his 
ally,  in  order  to  defend  his  own  patrimony, 
by  which  means  the  enterprise  against 
O'Malaghlin  proved  abortive. 

A  war  broke  out  at  the  same  time  in  Mun- 
ster, between  Cormac  Mac-Carthy  of  Mus- 
kerry,  commonly  called  Cormac  Oge  Lader, 
and  James,  earl  of  Desmond. f  William 
Rokeby,  archbishop  of  Dublin,  and  other 
commissioners,  were  deputed  to  settle  their 
diflferences,  and  repaired  for  that  purpose  to 
Waterford,  but  their  eflforts  failed,  as  Des- 
mond would  hear  of  no  settlement,  but  con- 
tinued to  pillage  and  lay  waste  the  lands  of 
M'Carty.  The  latter  was  a  brave  and  pow- 
erful nobleman  ;  and  being  joined  by  Mac- 
Carty  Riagh,  the  O'Mahonys,  and  other  lords 
of  Carbry,  he  met  the  earl  near  the  monas- 
tery of  Morn,  otherwise  More,  or  Ballina- 
mony,  which  was  a  commandery  belonging 
to  the  order  of  Malta,  between  Mallow  and 
Cork.  A  sanguinary  engagement  took  place 
in  September,  between  these  noblemen  and 


*  Camd.  Brit,  page  754. 
t  Ware,  ibid.  c.  13. 


I  394 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


the  earl,  which  was  fatal  to  him  ;  his  uncles 

John  and  Gerald  were  made  prisoners,  and 

j  more  than  a  thousand  of  his  men  fell  on  the 

I  field   of  battle  ;    the    earl,    however,  saved 

I  himself  by  flight. 

j  John  Kite,  a  native  of  London,  having 
held  the  conuriission  of  legate  or  ambassador 
'  for  Henry  VIII.,  in  Spain,  was  appointed  to 
the  archbishopric  of  Armagh  in  1513,  by 
Pope  Leo  X.*  This  prelate,  says  our  au- 
thor, was  celebrated  for  his  hospitality  and 
the  goodness  of  his  table.  He  resigned  the 
see  of  Armagh  in  1521,  and  was  succeeded 
by  George  Cromer. 

About  this  time  William  Rokeby,  the  arch- 
bishop of  Dublin,  died.f  He  was  first  nomi- 
nated to  the  bishopric  of  Meath  in  1507,  by 
Julian  II.,  and  admitted  the  same  year  into 
the  council  of  Henry  VII.  In  1511  he  was 
removed  to  the  archbishopric  of  Dublin  by 
the  same  pope,  and  was  afterwards  made 
chancellor  of  Ireland.  He  convened  a  pro- 
vincial synod,  the  statutes  of  which  are  in  the 
Red  Book  of  the  church  of  Ossory.  His 
body  was  interred  in  St.  Patrick's  cathedral, 
and  his  heart  brought  to  England,  and  depos- 
ited in  the  tomb  of  his  ancestors.  His  suc- 
cessor in  the  see  of  Dublin  was  Hugh  Inge. 
The  earl  of  Surrey,  lord-deputy  of  Ireland, 
finding  it  impossible  to  reduce  the  Irish,  or 
support  himself  honorably  in  the  government 
of  the  country  for  want  of  money,  (the  trea- 
sury in  England  being  exhausted,)  solicited 
Cardinal  Wolsey  to  have  him  recalled,  which 
request  was  granted  him.  He  returned  to 
England  with  all  his  family,  and  the  troops 
he  had  taken  with  him.  By  order  of  the  king, 
Piers,  or  Peter  Butler,  earl  of  Ormond,  his 
friend,  was  appointed  deputy  in  his  stead. 
Surrey  was  kindly  received,  on  his  return,  by 
the  king,  and  appointed  to  the  command  of 
his  fieet  in  the  war  against  France.  Ormond, 
finding  that  the  Irish  forces  were  considera- 
bly weakened  by  the  departure  of  the  Eng- 
lish troops,  and  dreading  an  invasion  from  the 
Scotch,  requested  the  cardinal  to  order  that 
six  ships  of  war  should  cruize  between  Ire- 
land and  Scotland,  to  act  as  a  check  upon 
that  Deople. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 
We  have  now  arrived  at  the  period  of  the 
fall  of  religion  in  many  of  the  states  of  Eu- 
rope, and  of  the  glory  of  Henry  VIII.  king 
of  England.  If  it  be  painful  to  behold  an 
ambitious  and  profligate  monk  oppose  him- 

*  War  tie  Archiep.  Ardmaeh. 
+  Idem,  de  Archiep.  Dubliniens. 


self  to  a  religion  which  he  should,  from  his 
station,  have  supported  even  with  the  loss  of 
life  ;  it  is,  on  the  other  hand,  edifying  to  see  a 
king  acting  the  part  of  a  divine  in  its  defence. 
Before  the  beginning  of  the  fifth  century, 
all  the  nations  of  Europe  were  united  in  the 
same  worship,  the  same  sacrifice,  the  same 
sacraments,  and  in  subordination  to  the  same 
head  in  matters  of  religion.  Though  there 
were  a  few  sects  who  differed  in  some  points 
from  the  common  faith,  such  as  the  Vaudois 
in  the  valleys  of  Piedmont,  the  Lollards  in 
England,  and  the  disciples  of  John  Huss  in 
Bohemia ;  still  they  were  but  obscure  charac- 
ters,whose  influence  could  make  little  impres- 
sion against  the  unity  in  religion,  and  submis- 
sion to  the  legitimate  authority  of  the  church, 
which  prevailed  at  the  time.  Martin  Luther, 
of  Wirtemberg  in  Saxony,  and  a  friar  of  the 
order  of  St.  Augustin,  was  more  successful. 
Being  jealous  of  the  preference  which  Leo 
X.  had  given  to  the  Dominicans,  by  allowing 
them  to  preach  certain  indulgences,  he  began 
in  1517  to  excite  controversies,  and  refute 
those  indulgences,  together  with  other  points 
of  the  Catholic  tenets  in  religion.  Being  con- 
demned in  a  bidl  issued  by  the  pope  in  1520, 
he  no  longer  kept  any  terms  with  the  holy 
see.  He  was,  as  he  himself  acknowledges 
in  the  preface  to  his  works  at  Wirtemberg, 
alone  in  the  beginning,  and  diffident  of  suc- 
ceeding, but  finding  himself  supported  by 
Andrew  Carlostad,  archdeacon  of  Wirtem- 
berg, and  Philip  Melancthon,  professor  of 
Greek  in  that  university,  who  embraced  his 
doctrine,  and  protected  by  his  sovereigTi,  the 
elector  of  Saxony,  he  removed  the  mask,  and 
used  his  pen  in  publishing  the  most  heinous 
and  calumnious  attacks  upon  the  spouse  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  the  pope,  whom  he  termed 
Antichrist.  In  1525  he  married  Catherine 
Boren,  a  mm,  who  found  means  to  escape 
from  her  convent,  in  defiance  of  the  solemn 
vows  of  chastity  they  had  both  made  when 
embracing  the  monastic  life ;  imitating  there- 
in Carlostad,  who  had  married  some  time 
previously.  Their  example  w^as  followed, 
in  this  respect,  by  most  of  the  early  preach- 
ers of  the  Protestant  religion.  These  new 
reformers  first  took  the  name  of  Evangeli- 
cals ;  as  heretics  always  boast  of  the  author- 
ity of  the  Scriptures  and  the  holy  fathers, 
and,  by  forced  interpretations,  make  them 
appear  to  favor  their  own  views.  They 
were  afterwards  called  Protestants  in  1529, 
from  the  protest  made  by  six  princes  of  the 
empire,  and  fourteen  towns,  when  the  diet  of 
Spires  had  published  a  decree  agauist  them.* 

*  Sleidan,  lib.  6.     Osiander.  lib.  2,  cap.  9. 


CHRISTIAN-  IRELAND. 


395 


Luther  was  specially  protected  by  Philip, 
landgrave  of  Hesse,  to  whom  this  false  apos- 
tle "gave  permission  to  keep  two  wives  at  the 
same  time  ;  and  his  doctrine  spread  itself 
through  the  north  of  Germany,  the  king- 
doms of  Denmark  and  Sweden,  and  a  part 
of  Poland.  Avarice  and  cupidity  had  a  con- 
siderable share  in  their  sudden  conversion.* 
Frederick  I.  having  dethroned  his  nephew 
Christiern  II.,  began  his  reign  in  Denmark 
in  1522,  and  introduced  Lutheranism  into 
that  kingdom,  through  the  ministry  of  Bu- 
genhage,  a  Lutheran  of  Pomerania.  All 
the  bishops  who  would  not  subscribe  to  the 
reformed  tenets,  were  dispossessed,  and 
others  nominated  in  their  stead,  whose 
power  and  revenues  were  considerably  less- 
ened. The  same  system  took  place  in  Swe- 
den in  1523.  King  Christiern  was  expelled 
by  Gustavus  Eric,  through  the  influence  of 
Peter  Nevicius,  a  Lutheran. f  The  Lutheran 
religion  was  established  in  the  country  by 
the  new  king,  with  the  intention  of  appro- 
priating the  revenues  of  the  church  to  his 
own  purposes.  They  were  therefore  siezed 
upon,  and  a  law  enacted  by  which  the  pro- 
perties of  bishops  became  dependent  on  the 
lung's  will.  Dantzic  was  the  first  city  in 
Poland  which  received  the  doctrine  of  Lu- 
ther ;  and  in  so  tumultuous  a  manner  was 
this  effected,  that  the  common  council  was 
suddenly  changed  by  the  patrons  of  the  new 
religion.  The  churches  were  profaned  and 
stripped  of  their  ornaments,  the  priests  and 
other  religious  persons  shamefully  abused, 
the  mass  abolished,  and  every  thing  changed 
through  the  fury  of  these  innovators.  It 
was  thus  they  had  their  gospel  preached  by 
the  populace  in  other  towns  of  Germany. 

In  this  manner  did  the  doctrine  of  Luther 
spread  itself  in  the  north,  while  Zuingle,  a 
priest  of  Zurich,  CEcolampadius,  a  monk 
of  Basle,  in  Switzerland,  and  a  few  others, 
preached  a  different  doctrine,  which  drew 
upon  them  the  censures  of  Luther,  who 
termed  them  fanatics,  heretics,  and  blasphe- 
mers, men  possessed  by  the  devil,  and  who 
sinned  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  &c.  John 
Calvin,  a  priest,  and  native  of  Noyon  in 
Picardy,  came  to  their  assistance.  He  em- 
braced the  doctrine  of  Zuingle,  which  he 
reformed  by  the  addition  of  some  articles 
respecting  the  real  presence,  predestination, 
free  will,  &c.  "  While  the  Lutherans," 
says  Heylin,  an  English  Protestant  writer,;}: 
"  were  acting  their  part  in  Germany,  another 
party  began  to  appear  in  Switzerland,  headed 

*  Heylin.  Cosmog.  edit.  5,  page  106. 
+  Idem.  Cosmog.  page  140. 
t  Cosmog.  lib.  2,  page  36. 


by  Zuingle.  They  did  not  consult  together, 
and  all  pursued  different  ways,  particularly 
in  what  related  to  transubstantiation  and  the 
real  presence  :  on  these  points  neither  they 
nor  their  disciples  could  agree.  Calvin  hav- 
ing got  precedence  to  Zuingle,  added  some 
articles  to  the  doctrine  of  the  latter,  respect- 
ing predestination  and  freedom  of  the  will, 
&c. ;  so  that  their  differences  having  in- 
creased, the  breach  became  irreparable,  and 
the  cause  was  followed  up  on  both  sides  so 
warmly,  that  they  sought  less  after  the  truth 
than  the  victory.  The  religion  having  been 
again  changed  in  1528,"  continues  Heylin,* 
"  in  the  canton  of  Berne,  by  Viret  and  Farel- 
lus,  two  Zuinglian  preachers,  the  same  thing 
was  attempted  in  Geneva,  where  they  in- 
sinuated themselves  into  the  minds  of  the 
people  to  such  a  degree,  that  the  bishop  and 
clergy,  who  were  opposed  to  their  proceed- 
ings, were  forced,  by  a  rising  of  the  people, 
to  leave  the  city."  A  few  fanatics,  under 
the  name  of  reformers,  are  generally  suffi- 
cient to  impose  upon  the  populace,  and 
drive  them  to  acts  of  outrage  ;  as  they  are 
easily  seduced  by  appearances,  and  are  not 
upon  their  guard  against  that  spirit  of  am- 
bition and  revolt  against  legal  authority,  by 
which  these  false  teachers  are  actuated  and 
urged  on.  "  They  changed,"  says  Heylin, 
"  the  doctrine  and  discipline  established  in 
the  church,  overthrew  the  government  of  the 
state,  and  renounced,  under  the  pretext  of 
liberty,  that  allegiance  which  they  had  pro- 
mised to  their  prince.  Their  conduct  was, 
however,  approved  of  by  Calvin,  who  after- 
wards came  to  settle  among  them."  Our 
author  speaks  in  the  same  place,  of  the  eccle- 
siastical discipline  of  Presbyterianism,  intro- 
duced by  Calvin  into  the  church  of  Geneva, 
and  thence  extended  to  wherever  Calvinism 
was  received ;  "  a  discipline,  (says  he,)  which 
was  engendered  in  rebellion,  born  in  sedition, 
and  nurtured  by  faction."  He  says  again, 
speaking  of  these  reformers,!  "  Rather  than 
see  their  discipline  rejected,  and  episcopacy 
left  unannihilated  in  all  Christian  churches, 
they  determined  to  depose  kings,  to  destroy 
kingdoms,  and  overthrow  the  fundamental 
constitution  of  states.  Their  ambition  led 
them  to  commit  these  excesses,  by  affecting 
a  sort  of  supremacy  in  their  parishes,  and 
creating  lords  in  the  inheritance  of  God, 
under  pretence  of  placing  Jesus  Christ  upon 
his  throne.  This  passion  for  pre-eminence 
induced  themto  use  violent  invectives  against 
the  bishops,  whom  they  not  only  refused  to 

*  Cosmog.  lib.  2,  page  136. 
t  Cosmog.  lib.  1,  page  137. 


396 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


receive,  but  expelled  all  those  who  acknow- 
ledged them  Irom  their  churches.  This  am 
bition  in  the  ordinary  ministers  of  parishes 
was  artfully  fomented  by  some  of  the  hioher 
clergy,  and  the  lay  patrons,  who  all  had  their 
own  respective  interests  in  view  ;  some  to 
increase  their  fortunes  by  despoiling  the 
bishops,  and  others  to  apply  to  their  own  use 
the  tenth  of  the  benefices,  of  which  they 
were  only  the  depositaries.  Such  was  the 
artifice  made  use  of  to  spread  the  doctrine 
of  Calvin. 

This  new  doctrine,  which,  from  its  author, 
was  called  Calvinism,  was  received  into 
Switzerland,  and  some  provinces  of  France, 
parts  of  Germany,  Hungary,  Bohemia,  and 
Poland,  the  united  provinces  of  Holland, 
and  Scotland,  where  it  was  introduced  by 
John  Knox  and  his  associates. 

The  Catholic  theologians  testified  their 
zeal  in  refuting  these  new  teachers.  The 
first  and  principal  writers  against  Luther, 
were  Eckius,  Cochlaeus,  and  Faber,  in  Ger- 
many ;  Silvester  de  Prieris,  general  of  the 
Dominicans  in  Italy  ;  the  theologians  of 
Paris  and  Louvain,  in  France  and  Flanders  ; 
Fisher,  bishop  of  Salisbury,  and  Sir  Thomas 
More,  in  England.  But  the  most  celebrated 
antagonist  of  this  heresiarch  was  Henry 
Vni.,  who  wrote  a  book  against  the  Baby- 
lonian captivity,  entitled  the  "  Assertion  of 
the  Seven  Sacraments,"  which  he  dedicated 
to  Pope  Leo  X.  This  work  gained  him  the 
glorious  title  of  Defender  of  the  Faith,  which 
his  holiness  conferred  on  him  by  a  bull, 
dated  St.  Peter's,  Rome,  the  11th  of  Octo- 
ber, and  signed  by  twenty-seven  cardinals 
and  bishops. 

Leo  X.  died  in  the  December  following. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Adrian  VL,  a  native 
of  Holland,  who  had  been  preceptor  of 
Charles  V.,  and  was  elected  while  viceroy 
in  Spain,  before  the  arrival  of  Richard 
Pacey,  dean  of  St.  PaulV,  London,  whom 
Wolsey  had  sent  to  interfere  in  his  own 
behalf. 

Though  the  earl  of  Surrey  brought  back 
his  troops  to  England,  tranquillity  prevailed 
in  the  English  province,  a.  d.  1522.  It  was 
not  so  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  where  two 
powerful  and  rival  princes,  O'Neill  and 
O'Donnel,  were  continually  at  war.  After 
some  engagements,  O'Neill  invaded  the 
district  of  Tirconnel,  where  he  committed 
dreadful  devastations,  and  burned  Ballyshan- 
non  castle,  the  principal  place  in  that  dis- 
trict, situated  at  the  mouth  of  Lough  Earne, 
while  O'Donnel  was  desolating  Tyrone,  from 
which  he  carried  away  many  prisoners. 

The  English  who  had  settled  in  Ireland, 


not  content  with  their  first  usurpations, 
sought  incessantly  the  opportunity  of  ex- 
tending their  possessions,  at  the  expense  of 
their  neighbors.  M'GioUa  Phadruig,  or 
Fitzpatrick,  lord  of  Ossory,  and  neighbor  to 
the  Butlers,  having  had  some  cause  of  dis- 
pleasure against  Peter  Butler,  earl  of  Or- 
mond,  who  was  then  deputy,  sent  his  com- 
plaint to  the  khig  of  England,  threatening 
to  declare  war  against  him  in  case  he  should 
refuse  to  punish  Red  Peter.  The  faithful 
messenger,  meeting  the  king  on  his  way  to 
mass,  spoke  to  him  in  the  following  words, 
which  are  mentioned  in  the  book  of  Howth, 
and  are  too  remarkable  to  be  omitted  :  "  Stop, 
my  lord  king,"  said  he  ;  "  my  lord  M'GioUa 
Phadruig  has  sent  me  to  tell  you,  that  if  you 
do  not  chastise  Red  Peter,  he  will  declare 
war  against  you." 

At  this  time  the  plague  depopulated  Lim- 
erick and  its  environs  ;*  David  Comin,  mayor 
of  the  city,  was  among  the  number  of  those 
who  fell  victims  to  it.  He  was  succeeded 
in  office  by  Nicholas  Arthur.  This  year 
was  remarkable  for  the  taking  of  the  island 
of  Rhodes,  which  surrendered  on  Christmas 
day,  to  Soliman  XL,  emperor  of  the  Turks, 
after  a  vigorous  defence  of  some  months,  by 
the  knights  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem. 

The  earl  of  Kildare  having  returned  from 
England,  A.  d.  1523,  invaded,  by  the  permis- 
sion of  the  earl  of  Ormond,  who  was  deputy, 
the  territory  of  Leix,  attended  by  his  troops, 
and  the  inhabitants  of  Dublin,  under  the 
command  of  John  Fitzsimon,  mayor  of  the 
city.  Having  burned  a  few  villages,  he  fell 
into  an  ambuscade,  which  had  been  pre- 
pared for  him  by  the  O'Morras,  in  which  he 
sustained  a  heavy  loss,  but  considered  him- 
self fortunate  in  having  escaped  with  a  por- 
tion of  his  army. 

The  old  enmities  which  formerly  prevailed 
between  the  earl  of  Kildare  and  Ormond, 
his  brother-in-law,  broke  out  anew  about 
this  time.  James  Fitzgerald  had  not  a  little 
contributed  to  this.  He  was  the  favorite 
of  Kildare,  and  having  met,  near  Ballymore, 
with  Robert  Talbot  of  Belgard,  who  was 
going  to  spend  the  Christmas  at  Kilkenny 
with  the  deputy,  of  whom  he  was  suspected 
to  have  been  the  spy,  he  murdered  him. 
Ormond,  who  was  justly  incensed  by  this 
cruel  act,  committed  through  hatred  towards 
himself,  sent  his  complaints  to  court  against 
Kildare,  whom  he  accused  of  various  crimes. 

Maurice  Fitzgerald,  archbishop  of  Cashel, 
died  this  year.f     He  was  nominated  to  that 


*  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  14. 
t  Ware,  de  Arch.  Cassill. 


CHKISTIAN    IRELAND. 


397 


see  in  1504,  by  Pope  Julian  II.  He  con- 
vened a  synod  at  Limerick,  the  statutes  of 
which  were  inserted  in  the  registry  of  Thomas 
Purcel,  formerly  bishop  of  Lismore  and  Wa- 
terford.  His  successor  was  Edmond  Butler. 
In  this  year  also  Gerald  Cavanagh  died.  He 
was  chief  of  his  tribe,  and  descended  from 
the  kings  of  Leinster ;  and  was  much  es- 
teemed among  the  Irish.  His  heir,  Mau- 
rice Cavanagh,  succeeded  him  in  his  estates ; 
who  having  died  with  his  two  sons,  Dermod 
and  Donogh,  Charles  Cavanagh  succeeded 
to  their  inheritance. 

The  court  of  London  did  not  forget  the 
accusations  that  were  made,  the  preceding 
year,  by  the  deputy  against  the  earl  of  Kil- 
dare,  a.  d.  1524.*  It  is  said  that,  at  the 
solicitation  of  the  marquis  of  Dorset,  Kil- 
dare's  father-in-law,  the  king  appointed  com- 
missioners, with  full  power  to  examine  into 
the  aflliir.  The  commissioners  were.  Sir 
Ralph  Egerton,  Sir  Anthony  Fitzherbert, 
and  James  Denton,  dean  of  Lichfield  ;  who 
arrived  in  Dublin  in  the  month  of  June,  and 
having  heard  the  case  of  both  earls,  Ormond 
was  superseded,  and  Kildare  appointed  to 
succeed  him.  The  earl  having  taken  the 
oath  usual  on  these  occasions,  the  sword  of 
state  was  carried  before  him  by  his  relative. 
Conn  O'Neill.  They  then  repaired  to  the 
abbey  of  St.  Thomas,  after  which  the  com- 
missioners, with  many  noblemen,  were 
sumptuously  entertained  by  Kildare. 

After  this  the  commissioners  returned  to 
England,  bringing  James  Fitzgerald,  whom 
we  have  already  mentioned,  a  prisoner  with 
them.  This  nobleman  was  given  up  to  Car- 
dinal Wolsey,  the  implacable  enemy  of  the 
Fitzgeralds.  In  order  to  load  him  with  still 
greater  ignominy,  he  was  brought  to  prison 
through  the  streets  of  London,  with  a  rope 
around  his  neck.  Fitzgerald,  however,  after 
a  short  time,  obtained,  through  the  inter- 
ference of  Denton,  dean  of  Lichfield,  the 
king's  pardon,  and  was  set  at  liberty,  in  op- 
position to  the  cardinal. 

The  Emperor  Charles  V.,  and  Henry VIII., 
king  of  England,  having  entered  into  a  league 
against  Francis  I.,  resolved  to  attack  him  on 
all  sides.  To  defend  himself,  Francis  made 
all  the  alliances  he  could  against  them.  The 
duke  of  Albania  was  sent  to  Scotland  to 
create  a  diversion  in  that  quarter;!  and  be- 
ing aware  too,  that  the  Irish  had  long  and 
reluctantly  borne  the  dominion  of  the  Eng- 
lish, and  that  they  supported  a  vigorous  and 
just  warfare  against  them,  Francis  proposed 

*  Ware,  de  Annal.  cap.  16. 
t  Baker,  Chron.  Engl.  p.  271. 


a  treaty  of  alliance  with  some  of  their  chiefs.* 
James  Fitzgerald,  earl  of  Desmond,  was  then 
a  powerful  lord  in  Munster.  From  the  situa- 
tion of  his  estates  in  the  south  of  the  island, 
he  was  more  contiguous  to  France  than  the 
others,  and  although  a  natural  subject  of  the 
king  of  England,  either  through  an  ambition 
of  reigning,  or  a  spirit  of  revenge  for  the 
death  of  his  ancestor,  who  had  been  unjustly 
beheaded  at  Drogheda,  he  was  the  first  to 
express  his  dissatisfaction  towards  the  Eng- 
lish government.  He  entered  into  the  views 
of  the  French  monarch,  who  concluded  a 
confederacy  with  him  on  the  20th  of  June, 
1523  ;  the  original  act  is  in  the  "  Chambre 
des  Comptes"  in  Paris,  wherein  he  is  styled 
James,  earl  of  Munster,  and  prince  of  Ire- 
land. Terdelach  O'Brien,  hereditary  prince 
of  Thuomond,  was  included  in  this  treaty,  by 
which  Francis  bound  himself,  among  other 
things,  to  make  no  peace  or  truce  with  Henry 
VIII.,  withoutincluding  the  earl  of  Desmond 
and  Lord  Theodore,  or  Terdelach  O'Brien 
and  his  family.  This  treaty,  however,  was 
not  observed  afterwards.  Many  princes  and 
noblemen  in  Ireland  would  willingly  have 
joined  in  it,  but  there  was  not  time.  Francis 
I.  was  taken  prisoner  at  Pavia,  and  a  peace 
concluded  the  yearfoUowing  between  France 
and  England,  in  which  the  earl  of  Desmond 
was  not  included,  since  Henry  VIII.  had 
orders  dispatched  to  the  earl  of  Kildare,  who 
was  deputy,  to  have  him  arrested  for  high 
treason. 

The  earl  of  Desmond  had  no  legitimate 
son  ;  and  but  one  daughter  called  Jane,  who 
was  married  to  the  earl  of  Ormond,  and  was 
mother  to  Earl  Thomas  Butler,  a  knight  of 
the  order  of  the  garter,  and  a  favorite  of 
Queen  Elizabeth.!  The  earl  of  Desmond 
was  suspected,  according  to  the  author  of 
the  account  of  the  Geraldines,  of  keeping  up 
a  secret  correspondence  with  the  Emperor 
Charles  V.,  king  of  Spain.  He  flattered 
himself  that  this  emperor  would  give  him  his 
daughter  in  marriage,  which  would  enable 
him  to  have  Ireland  invaded  by  foreign 
troops.  There  appears  to  be  an  error  in 
this  account,  and  that  the  author  has  substi- 
tuted Charles  V.  for  Francis  I.,  who  had 
concluded  a  treaty  with  the  earl,  in  1523. 
Through  the  intrigues  of  Cardinal  Wolsey, 
the  avowed  enemy  of  the  nobility,  and  par- 
ticularly opposed  to  the  Fitzgeralds,  Des- 
mond was  summoned  to  appear,  and  give  an 
account  of  his  conduct.  The  cardinal's  power 
caused  diffidence  in  the  earl,  and  being  afraid 

*  Ware,  de  Annal.  Hib.  cap.  16. 
t  Relat.   Giraldis.  traduc.   Francoise  de  I'Abb^ 
Joubert,  p.  16,  et.  seq. 


398 


mSTORy    OP    IRELAND. 


to  submit  to  llie  order,  he  objected  to  the 
trial.  The  king  therefore  sent  his  commands 
to  the  earl  of  Kildare,  viceroy  of  Ireland,  to 
have  Desmond  arrested,  and  immediately 
sent  to  England.  The  non-execution  of  the 
royal  mandate  was,  as  we  shall  presently 
see,  the  cause  of  Kildare's  disgrace. 

In  obedience  to  the  king's  commands,  the 
deputy  marched  at  the  head  of  his  troops 
towards  Munster,  without  meeting  Desmond, 
which  circumstance  gave  rise  to  a  suspicion 
of  his  being  partial  to  the  earl,  who  was  his 
kinsman.  It  is  even  asserted  that  Kildare 
had  enlisted  the  O'Byrnes  of  Wicklow  in 
Desmond's  interest,  and  that  he  wrote  to  the 
latter,  proposing  an  interview  with  him  in 
the  district  of  Ossory,  which  letter  was  in- 
tercepted by  the  intrigues  of  Wolsey. 

The  earl  of  Kildare  and  Conn  O'Neill, 
prince  of  Tyrone,  with  their  united  forces, 
entered  the  country  of  Tirconnel,  deter- 
mined on  making  war  against  Manus  O'Don- 
nel,  prince  of  that  district ;  but  receiving 
intelligence  that  Hugh  O'Neill,  Conn's  rival, 
was  levying  troops  in  Tyrone  during  their 
absence,  they  made  a  truce  with  O'Donnel, 
marched  against  Hugh  O'Neill,  and  gave 
him  battle,  which  he  lost,  together  with  his 
life.  John  Barnwell,  baron  of  Trimlestown, 
Avas  at  this  time  appointed  vice-treasurer  of 
Ireland. 

The  continual  rains  in  the  autumn  of  1 525 
caused  a  great  scarcity  of  provisions  that 
year  in  Ireland,  and  the  drought  of  the  sum- 
mer was  followed  by  a  plague  which  carried 
ofT  numbers,  particularly  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Dublin. 

At  this  time  Cardinal  Wolsey  set  the  first 
example  of  suppressing  monasteries  in  Eng- 
land.* This  ambitious  prelate,  wishing  to 
immortalize  his  name  by  some  public  monu- 
ment, obtained  permission  from  the  king  to 
establish  two  colleges,  one  at  Oxford  and  the 
other  at  Ipswich,  and  likewise  to  suppress 
forty  monasteries,  the  wealth  and  revenues 
of  which  were  afterwards  applied  to  the 
building  and  support  of  these  colleges  ;  a 
pernicious  example,  says  Baker,  though  a 
Protestant,  which  the  king  imitated,  by  sup- 
pressing all  religious  houses  in  the  kingdom. 
Discord  still  prevailed  between  Conn 
O'Neill  of  Tyrone,  and  Manus  O'Donnel  of 
Tirconnel,  a.  d.  1526.  Those  two  princes 
wishing  to  make  the  earl  of  Kildare  the  ar- 
bitrator of  their  difl'erences,  repaired  to  him. 
Each,  however,  being  resolved  on  establish- 
ing his  own  claim,  they  separated  without 
coming  to  any  arrangement. 

*  Bakei,  Chron.  of  England,  page  273. 


The  earl  of  Kildare  was  summoned  this 
year  to  appear  before  the  council  in  England, 
to  render  an  account  of  his  administration, 
and  answer  to  the  several  charges  of  which 
he  stood  accused;*  the  principal  were,  1st, 
having  neglected  the  orders  which  the  king 
had  given  him  to  arrest  the  earl  of  Desmond  ; 
2d,  having  made  an  alliance  with  the  hostile 
Irish  ;  3(1,  having  caused  many  good  and 
faithful  subjects  to  be  hanged,  whose  only 
crime  was  having  been  favored  by  the  family 
of  the  Butlers  ;  4th,  holding  a  secret  corre- 
spondence with  O'Neill,  O'Connor,  and  other 
enemies,  and  of  having  excited  them  to  make 
incursions  on  the  lands  of  the  earl  of  Or- 
mond,  when  he  was  deputy. 

Before  his  departure  for  England,  Kildare 
nominated  his  brother,  Thomas  Fitzgerald 
of  Leixlip,  deputy  in  his  place.  Kildare's 
chief  adversaries  were  Cardinal  Wolsey  and 
the  earl  of  Ormond,  who  possessed  sufficient 
authority  to  send  him  a  prisoner  to  the  tower, 
from  whence  he  was  afterwards  brought  be- 
fore the  council  to  be  heard.  The  cardinal 
performed  the  part  of  a  lawyer,  and  pleaded 
against  him  ;  but  the  earl  was  a  man  of  great 
discernment,  and  was  beloved  by  several  of 
the  lords  who  composed  the  council,  so  that 
the  cardinal,  fin4ing  it  impossible  to  have 
him  condemned,  adjourned  the  matter  to 
another  day,  and  in  the  mean  time  the  earl 
was  sent  back  to  the  tower.  The  cardinal, 
who  only  sought  the  opportunity  of  destroy- 
ing him,  having  received  fresh  informations 
respecting  the  secret  understanding  of  the 
earl  Avith  O'Neill  and  O'Connor,  sent  orders 
to  the  lieutenant  of  the  tower  to  have  him 
executed.  This  officer,  who  was  greatly 
attached  to  the  earl,  did  not  fail  to  commu- 
nicate to  him  the  order  he  had  just  received 
from  the  cardinal :  on  which  the  earl  pre- 
vailed on  him  to  go  immediately  and  learn 
the  king's  will  in  the  affair.  The  monarch 
was  both  surprised  and  indignant  at  such 
conduct ;  he  forbid  all  further  proceedings 
against  the  earl ;  and  as  a  proof  of  it  he 
gave  his  ring  to  the  lieutenant  of  the  tower, 
with  orders  to  show  it  to  the  cardinal.  The 
earl  was  then  set  at  liberty  on  bail  of  several 
of  the  nobles,  and  was  reinstated  in  the 
king's  favor,  who  soon  afterwards  restored 
him  to  his  former  dignities. 

Thomas  Fitzgerald,  of  Leixlip,  who  had 
exercised  the  functions  of  deputy  during  the 
earl's  absence,  was  replaced  by  Richard  Nu- 
gent, baron  of  Delvin,  a.  d.  1 527.  The  earls 
of  Kildare  and  Ormond,  whose  private  quar- 
rels were  frequently  fatal  to  Ireland,  being 

*  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  18. 


CHRISTIAN    IKEL.WD. 


399 


still  in  England,  it  might  be  imagined  that 
their  absence  would  produce  tranquillity  to 
the  former  country  ;  but  matters  were  in  too 
disordered  a  state,  and  private  interests  too 
much  at  variance,  to  admit  of  it. 

This  year  was  remarkable  for  the  taking 
of  the  capital  of  Hungary,  and  the  greater 
part  of  that  kingdom  by  the  Turks,  to  the 
disgrace  of  the  Christian  princes  by  whose 
disunion  it  was  caused. 

Peter  Butler,  who  had  till  this  time  borne 
the  title  of  earl  of  Ormond,  was  solemnly 
j  created  at  Windsor,  earl  of  Ossory.*  In 
order  to  please  the  king,  he  resigned  the 
earldom  of  Ormond,  in  favor  of  Sir  Thomas 
Bollen,  viscount  of  Rochfort,  who  was  after- 
wards created  earl  of  Wiltshire  and  Ormond. 

We  have  already  seen,  in  the  reign  of 
Henry  VI.,  that  the  English  who  had  been 
settled  in  Ireland,  were  obliged,  in  order  to 
preserve  peace,  to  pay  a  tribute  to  some  of 
the  Irish  chieftains. f  Either  on  account  of 
this  tribute  being  paid,  or  on  some  other 
ground,  O'Connor  attacked  the  frontiers  of 
the  English  province,  from  whence  he  car- 
ried off  considerable  booty,  a.  d.  1528.  The 
deputy  not  being  sufficiently  strong  to  take 
revenge  for  this  insult,  gave  orders  to  dis- 
continue the  tribute  which  had  been  paid  to 
that  nobleman.  O'Connor,  who  was  but  lit- 
tle pleased  with  this  order,  having  met  the 
deputy  at  the  castle  of  Sir  William  Darcy, 
near  Ruthen,  surprised  him  in  an  ambus- 
cade, made  him  his  prisoner,  with  several  of 
his  followers,  and  put  the  rest  to  the  sword. 

The  baron  of  Delvin  being  a  prisoner, 
the  council  of  the  king  appointed  Peter  But- 
ler, earl  of  Ossory,  to  succeed  him.  On  the 
arrival  of  the  new  deputy  in  Dublin,  he  was 
joined  by  O'Morra,  O'Carrol,  and  one  of 
the  O'Connors  ;  and  having  taken  the  usual 
oath,  in  the  abbey  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  he 
sent  Walter  Wellesley,  prior  of  Conally, 
and  Sir  Walter  de  la  Hide,  to  O'Connor, 
to  solicit  the  liberty  of  Delvin.  Their  mis- 
sion, however,  was  unsuccessful ;  whereupon 
the  deputy  and  council  issued  a  proclama- 
tion, dated  the  25th  of  February  following, 
for  the  continuance  of  O'Connor's  pension. 
This  deed  was  signed  by  the  earl  of  Ossory, 
who  was  lord-deputy,  the  barons  of  Howth, 
Killeen,  Trimleston,  and  Dunsany,  the  judges 
of  the  courts,  and  the  lord  chief  baron.  The 
clergy  by  whom  it  was  signed  were,  John 
Allen,  the  intended  archbishop  of  Dublin, 
and  chancellor  of  Ireland,  Edmond,  abbot 
of  Baltinglass,  and  James  Cotterell,  abbot 

*  Nichol's  Rudiments  of  Honor,  respecting  the 
earls  of  Arran. 
t  War.  ibid.  c.  20. 


of  St.  Thomas's,  near  Dublin.  It  is  not 
known  whether  Delvin  obtained  his  liberty  ; 
but  a  law  was  afterwards  enacted,  to  abolish 
these  contributions  which  the  English  col- 
onists had  to  pay  to  the  Irish. 

A  contagious  disorder,  called  Sudor  An- 
glicus,  broke  out  this  year  in  Ireland,  and 
proved  fatal  to  many ;  Hugh  Inge,  arch- 
bishop of  Dublin,  and  chancellor  of  Ireland, 
having  among  others  fallen  a  victim  to  it.* 
This  prelate  was  celebrated  for  his  probity 
and  morals  ;  he  was  succeeded  by  John  Al- 
len, chaplain  to  Cardinal  Wolsey,  and  one 
of  those  who  had  abetted  him  in  the  sup- 
pression of  the  forty  monasteries.  The 
cardinal  had  him  raised  to  this  dignity,  in 
order  to  make  an  instrument  of  him,  to 
destroy  the  earl  of  Kildare. 

The  vindictive  and  turbulent  disposition 
of  the  earl  was  the  ultimate  cause  of  his  ruin. 
He  could  not  bring  himself  to  forgive  the 
earl  of  Ossory,  between  whom  and  himself 
the  old  enmities  still  existed.  Kildare  sent 
his  daughter  Alicia,  wife  of  the  baron  of 
Slane,  who  was  then  at  Newington,  to  Ire- 
land, to  influence  his  brothers  and  his  friends 
the  O'Neills,  O'Connors,  and  others,  secretly 
to  oppose  the  deputy.  She  unfortunately 
succeeded  in  her  mission  ;  the  possessions  of 
the  deputy  and  his  adherents  were  laid  waste 
and  pillaged  without  mercy  ;  conduct  which 
principally  produced  the  dreadful  disasters 
which  afterwards  befell  her  father  and  his 
family. 

Terdelach  O'Brien,  prince  of  Thuomond, 
died  this  year,  greatly  regretted  by  his  coun- 
trymen. He  was  succeeded  by  Concovar, 
or  Cornelius,  his  son,  from  whom  Donat,  or 
Donough  O'Brien,  who  was  created  earl  of 
Thuomond,  was  descended. 

Henry  VIII.,  (who  was  at  one  time  the 
friend  of  the  emperor,  and  at  another  of  the 
king  of  France,)  having  at  this  time  made 
peace  with  Francis  I ., quarrelled  with  Charles 
V.  The  political  grounds  assigned  for  this 
rupture  were,  the  cruelties  practised  by 
the  imperial  army  in  Rome,  against  the 
pope  and  his  cardinals;  the  severe  conditions 
which  were  imposed  on  Francis  by  Charles, 
as  a  ransom  for  his  freedom  ;  and  lastly,  the 
repugnance  which  the  emperor  began  ta 
evince  for  the  marriage  he  was  to  have  con- 
tracted with  the  princess  Mary,  Henry's 
daughter.!  Other  secret  reasons,  however, 
are  also  assigned  for  it,  viz. — the  risinggrcat- 
ness  of  the  emperor,  and  his  haughtiness 
after  his  conquests  in  Italy,  conduct  which 
generally   gives    umbrage    to    neighboring 

*  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Dubliniens. 
t  Baker,  Chron.  of  Engl.  p.  275. 


400 


IIU-sTO  ;Y    ok    IKELAXn. 


princes.  The  hatri-d  also  of  CanliiKil  Wol- 
scy  for  the  ompcror,  who  had  reluse J  him  the 
archbishopric  of  Toledo,  might  liave  had  a 
share  in  it.  However  this  might  have  been, 
the  emperor  sent  Gonzaga  Fernandez  to 
Ireland,  to  the  carl  of  Desmond,  to  stir  up  a 
rebellion  against  Henry.*  The  instructions 
of  this  ambassador,  dated  Toledo,  the  24th 
February,  were  to  treat  on  certain  condi- 
tions, with  these  words — "  illustrissimo  el 
conde  de  Desmond;'"  but  this  negotiation 
ended  without  any  result,  in  consequence  of 
the  death  of  the  earl,  which  took  place  at 
Dingle  on  the  18th  of  June  following. 

Two  religious  houses  were  founded  about 
this  time  in  Ireland,  which  are  perhaps  the 
last  that  were  established  in  this  country,  as 
the  suppression  of  monasteries,  not  only  in 
England,  but  also  in  Ireland,  took  place  soon 
after. 

According  to  Herrera  and  Father  Lubin, 
there  was  a  convent  founded  in  Waterford 
in  1629,  dedicated  to  St.  Catherine,  for  her- 
mits of  St.  Augustin.f  Both  are,  however, 
in  error  in  this  statement.  There  was  no 
mention  in  1629  of  building  convents  in  Ire- 
land, but  rather  of  destroying  them,  as  this 
was  the  commencement  of  Charles  I.'s  reign, 
who  succeeded  three  or  four  kings  or  queens 
under  whom  all  the  convents  were  destroyed. 
The  schismatic  Henry  VIII.  was  the  first  to 
put  them  down,  but  his  son  Edward,  who 
was  a  Protestant,  continued  the  destruction; 
his  sister  Mary's  reign  was  too  short  to  re- 
store them  :  Elizabeth  and  James  I.  expelled 
both  monks  and  friars  from  every  house  in 
whicli  they  were  established  throughout  the 
three  kingdoms.  The  like  persecution  con- 
tinued under  Charles  I.,  which  makes  it  pro- 
bable that  the  date  of  the  above  foundation 
should  have  been  1529  instead  of  1629. 

Ware  mentions  a  house  for  Franciscans 
to  have  been  founded  in  1530  at  Lisgavail, 
on  the  banks  of  lake  Earne,  in  the  county 
of  Fermanagh,  but  does  not  say  who  was 
its  founder.^ 

Henry  Fitzroy,  duke  of  Richmond  and 
Somerset,  the  king,'s  natural  son,  was  ap- 
pointed viceroy  of  Ireland,  a.  d.  1529.  He 
sent  Sir  W,  Skeffington  thither  as  his  deputy, 
who  arrived  in  Dublin  in  the  month  of  Au- 
gust, with  a  large  sum  of  money  and  two 
hundred  horsemen,  accompanied  by  tire  earl 
of  Kildare,  who  was  freed  from  his  embar- 
rassments. The  new  deputy  was  received 
with  every  demonstration  of  joy  by  the  citi- 
zens of  Dublin.     He  had  received  instruc- 

*  Cox,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  p.  221. 

+  AUemand,  Hist.  Moiiast.  d'lrlande. 

I  Ware,  de  Antiq.  Hibern. 


tions  to  maintain  peace  between  the  earls  of 
Kildare,  Desmond,  and  Ossory,  in  order  that 
they  might  support  the  common  cause  against 
the  Irish;  to  act  always  on  the  defensive, 
and  undertake  nothing  without  the  advice  of 
the  council ;  to  assist  the  carl  of  Kildare  in 
his  enterprises  against  the  natives  ;  to  di- 
minish the  exactions  for  the  army  ;  to  tax 
the  church  lands  in  order  to  defray  part  of 
the  public  expenses  ;  and  lastly,  to  convene 
a  parliament,  and  procure  subsidies  for  the 
king. 

Edmond  Butler,  archbishop  of  Cashel, 
convened  about  this  time,  a  provincial  synod 
in  Limerick,  at  which  Nicholas  Comine, 
bishop  of  Lismore  and  Waterford,  John 
Coin,  bishop  of  Limerick,  and  James  O'Cor- 
rin,  bishop  of  Killaloe,  were  present.  By 
this  synod  the  magistracy  of  Limerick  were 
invested  with  power  to  arrest  ecclesiastics 
for  debt,  without  incurring  excommunica- 
tion. The  inferior  clergy,  who  looked 
upon  this  decree  as  injurious  to  them,  and 
contrary  to  ecclesiastical  privileges,  pro- 
tested strongly  against  it. 

The  lord-deputy  began  his  expedition  in 
the  district  of  Leix,  against  O'Morra ;  laid 
the  country  waste,  and  carried  away  consid- 
erable booty.*  He  then  turned  his  arms 
against  Ulster,  accompanied  by  the  earl  of 
Kildare,  notwithstanding  that  jealousies  had 
already  begun  to  arise  between  them.  He 
destroyed  the  castle  of  Kinard,  laid  the 
neighboring  districts  waste,  and  burned 
several  villages,  after  which  he  returned 
loaded  with  booty.  The  pretended  reforma- 
tion of  the  morals  of  the  Irish,  was  a  spe- 
cious pretext  made  use  of  by  these  new 
comers  to  satisfy  their  rapacity  after  wealth. 
The  succors  which  they  received  from 
England  from  time  to  time  in  men  and  money, 
enabled  them  to  extend  their  possessions  at 
the  expense  of  the  Irish,  and  the  private  in- 
terest of  their  chiefs  was  always  held  in 
more  consideration  than  the  public  good. 

Hugh  O'Donnel,  prince  of  Tyrconnel, 
alarmed  at  the  devastations  which  the  Eng- 
lish were  committing  around  him,  and  find- 
ing himself  incapacitated  by  sickness  from 
taking  the  command  of  his  troops,  to  defend 
his  frontiers,  sent  Conn  O'Fraghill,  abbot  of 
Derry,  and  Richard  O'Grayhan  of  Drogheda, 
to  the  deputy,  to  sue  for  peace,  on  condition 
of  their  making  a  form  of  submission  in  his 
name,  a.  d.  1531.t 

An  English  vessel  having  taken  about  this 
time,  a  Spanish  ship  that  was  fishing  near 
the  Dursy  islands,  on  the  coasts  of  Beare  and 

*  Ware,  de  Annal.  c.  21. 
t  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  22,  23. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


401 


gantry,  in  Munster,  Derraod  O'Sullivan, 
who  was  lord  of  that  country,  considering 
it  an  act  of  hostility  against  the  rights  of  na- 
tions, put  to  soa  with  some  vessels  in  order 
to  assist  the  Spaniard.*  Having  taken  both 
ships,  he  had  the  Englishman  hanged,  and 
set  th"?  Spaniard  at  liberty.  Cox,  as  usual, 
attacks  the  conduct  of  O'Sullivan.  "  We 
may,"  he  says,  "  discover  herein  how  those 
men  have  been  disposed  towards  the  Eng- 
lish, and  how  loyal  to  their  king,  when  they 
murder  his  subjects  and  assist  his  enemies." 
But  what  coidd  the  English  calculate  upon 
from  a  people  whom  they  never  ceased  to 
pursue  with  fire  and  sword  1  Could  they 
venture  to  rely  upon  a  promise  of  allegiance 
which  was  tyrannically  extorted  from  them? 
The  ancestors  of  this  nobleman,  robbed  of 
their  possessions  by  the  English,  found 
themselves  under  the  harsh  necessity  of 
committing  a  dreadful  massacre  to  regain 
their  properties  ;  and  can  it  surprise  us 
that  hatred  for  the  name  of  an  Englishman 
should  have  been  retained  during  many  gen- 
erations in  the  family  of  the  O'SuUivans  ? 
I  Discord  still  continued  to  prevail  be- 
tween Sir  William  Skeffington  and  Fitzger- 
ald, earl  of  Kildare  ;  they  were  continually 
forwarding  complaints  against  each  other  to 
court.  The  deputy  accused  Kildare  of  enor- 
,  mous  crimes  ;  while  the  latter  reproached 
the  deputy  with  mal-administration,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  having  himself  nominated  to  that 
office  by  the  king,  instead  of  his  opponent. 
Fortune,  which  seemed  to  favor  Kildare  at 
this  juncture,  soon  afterwards  forsook  him, 
as  the  reader  will  discover  in  the  sequel. 

About  this  time  some  writers  appeared  in 
Ireland.!  Theobald  Anguilbert,  a  medical 
doctor  of  the  university  of  Paris,  is  said  to 
have  written  a  book  entitled  "  Mensa  Phi- 
losophica,"  or  the  philosophical  table.  It  is 
a  treatise  on  table-talk,  filled  with  jests  and 
humorous  wit.  This  book  was  printed  in 
Paris  in  1530,  by  John  de  Haisy,  and  the 
author  avows  himself  an  Irishman  in  his  de- 
dicatory epistle.  The  work  has  been  falsely 
ascribed  to  Michael  Scott,  a  physician,  and 
was  printed  with  his  name  at  Leipsic,  in 
1603,  with  the  tales  of  Othomar  Luscinius. 

Magnus,  or  Manus,  son  of  Hugh  O'Don- 
nel,  prince  of  Tyrconnel,  wrote  the  life  of 
St.  Columb-Kill,  in  three  books  in  the  Irish 
language,  about  the  year  1520. J:  The  first 
gives  a  history  of  the  actions  and  miracles  of 
this  saint  previous  to  his  voyage  into  Bri- 
tain ;  the  second  treats  of  his  mission  in  Bri- 

*  Cox,  Hib.  Anglic,  page  223.    ^ 

t  Ware,  de  Script.  Hib. 

t  Colg.  Trias.  Thaum.  Vit.  5,  S.  Columb. 


tain,  and  return  to  Ireland  to  the  assembly 
of  Drumkeat ;  the  third  contains  an  account 
of  the  remaining  part  of  his  life.  This  work, 
which  was  composed  by  the  author  from 
the  ancient  monuments  of  the  countiy,  was 
abridged  and  translated  into  Latin  by  John 
Colgan. 

Patrick  O'Cullen,  of  the  order  of  St.  Au- 
gustin,  and  afterwards  bishop  of  Clogher, 
assisted  by  Roderick  Cassidy,  archdeacon  of 
his  church,  wrote  a  registry  of  its  antiquities, 
A.  D.  1525,  with  a  catalogue  of  his  prede- 
cessors. He  also  composed  a  hymn  in 
honor  of  St.  M'Cartin,  first  bishop  of  Clo- 
gher, which  was  generally  sung  upon  his 
festival ;  the  beginning  of  it  is  subjoined.* 

Cassidy,  the  archdeacon,  was  a  theolo- 
gian, canonist,  and  philosopher,  and  was 
well  versed  in  the  antiquities  of  his  country; 
he  corrected  and  made  considerable  addi- 
tions to  the  annals  of  Ulster.  He  died  at 
an  advanced  age  in  1541. 

Patrick  Finglas,  an  able  legislator,  was 
nominated  chief-baron  of  the  exchequer  by 
Henry  VIII.,  and  chief-justice  of  the  king's 
bench  in  1534.  He  wrote  a  treatise  on  the 
causes  of  the  miseries  of  Ireland,  and  the 
manner  in  which  they  might  be  remedied. 

Sir  William  Darcy,  a  native  of  Plattin,  in 
the  county  of  Louth,  and  vice-treasurer  of 
Ireland,  was  a  wise  and  learned  man.  He 
had  been  particularly  instrumental  in  for- 
warding the  English  interest  in  Ireland.  He 
wrote  a  book  entitled  "  the  fall  of  Ireland, 
and  the  causes  that  produced  it  ;"  and  died 
at  an  advanced  age,  in  the  year  1540. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

We  have  now  come  to  the  beginning  of 
the  schism  of  Henry  VIII.  with  the  church 
of  Rome,  which  was  attended  with  the  sub- 
version of  religion  in  England.  This  prince, 
who  in  the  opening  of  his  reign  held  out 
such  flattering  hopes  for  the  happiness  of  his 
people,  turned  to  a  bad  purpose  those  admira- 
ble qualities  with  which  God  had  endowed 
him.  His  irregularities,  and  the  manner 
in  which  he  was  blinded  by  his  unhappy 
amours;  the  blood  which  he  caused  to  be 
shed,  and  the  dreadful  consequences  of  his 
marriages,which  proved  fatal  to  almost  all  his  j 
wives,  are  subjects  well  known  to  the  world.  ' 
The   motive    is   likewise  well   understood 

*  "  Hear  us,  O  Trinity,  celebrating  this  worthy 
festival,  and  venerating  and  praising  this  holy  man 
Maccartinus." 

51 


402 


HISTORY    or    IRELAND. 


which  induced  him  to  become  the  author  of 
a  new  sect,  equally  detested  by  Catholics, 
Lutherans,  and  Sacramentarians.  His  di- 
vorce, after  a  lapse  of  twenty  years,  from 
Catherine  of  Aragon,  the  widow  of  his 
brother  Arthur,  and  the  marriage  which  he 
contracted  with  Anne  Bollen,  or  BuUen,  be- 
ing condemned  by  the  holy  see,  he  not  only 
declared  against  that  authority  which  con- 
demned him,  but  by  a  procedure  hitherto 
unheard  of  among  Christians,  proclaimed 
himself  both  spiritual  and  temporal  head  of 
the  church  of  England.  It  was  thus  that  the 
English  reformation  commenced,  of  which 
Burnet  has  written  so  ingenious  a  history, 
and  one  at  the  same  time  so  replete  with 
cahmmies  against  the  Catholic  church. 

As  events  generally  follow  from  a  chain  of 
circumstances  and  secondary  causes,  which 
have  a  mutual  influence  one  upon  the  other, 
the  source  of  the  changes  which  took  place 
in  England  will  be  discovered  in  the  situa- 
tion of  afhiirs  in  Europe  at  that  period,  and 
the  opposite  interests  of  its  princes.  About 
the  end  of  the  preceding  century,  the  king- 
doms of  Castille  and  Aragon  were  united, 
and  the  Moors  driven  out  of  Spain.  Mary, 
the  only  daughter  and  heiress  of  Charles, 
duke  ol'  Burgundy,  brought  her  extensive 
possessions  to  the  house  of  Austria.  Louis 
XL,  king  of  France,  having  instituted  pro- 
ceedings for  felony  against  the  memory  of 
the  duke  of  Burgundy,  confiscated  the  duchy 
and  the  county  of  Artois,  belonging  to  his 
heiress.  Charles  d'Anjou,  count  du  Maine, 
(to  whom  his  uncle,  Rene  d'Anjou,  had  given 
Provence,)  bequeathed  that  country,  and  his 
right  over  Naples  and  Sicily,  to  Louis  XL 
and  his  son,  Charles  VIIL,  (at  the  instance, 
it  is  said,  of  John  de  Cosse,  seneschal  of 
Provence,  and  Palamede  de  Forbin,  whom 
this  king  appointed  constable  of  it.)  And 
lastly,  Charles  VIIL,  by  marrying  the  heir- 
ess of  Brittany,  united  that  province  to  his 
crown,  from  which  it  had  been  separated 
for  so  many  centuries. 

France,  which  had  thus  acquired,  without 
any  loss  of  blood,  so  many  provinces,  which 
had  frequently  before  borne  arms  against 
her,  became  formidable  to  her  neighbors. 
A  league  was  formed  between  her,  England, 
and  Austria,  in  confirmation  of  which,  Fer- 
dinand of  Aragon  gave  Jane,  his  second 
daughter,  in  marriage  to  Philip  of  Austria, 
son  of  Maximilian,  and  another  of  his  daugh- 
ters, called  Catherine,  to  Arthur,  son  of 
Henry  VIL,  king  of  England.  These  alli- 
ances proved  unfortunate.  The  love  of  Jane 
for  her  husband  was  so  excessive  that  she 
lost  her  reason.     Catherine  was  scarcely 


married  when  she  became  a  widow.  Her 
husband,  Arthur,  had  been  prematurely  born, 
and  the  physicians  were  of  oj)inion  that,  in 
consequence,  he  could  not  be  long-lived. 
His  appearance  was  always  delicate  and  in- 
firm, notwithstanding  what  Protestant  wri- 
ters assert ;  among  others.  Chancellor  Ba- 
con, who  says  that  it  was  never  known  with 
certainty  whether  the  young  prince  had  con- 
summated his  marriage,  and  that  on  this  mat- 
ter various  opinions  were  put  forward,  accord- 
ing to  the  prejudices  of  the  different  reigns. 

The  same  motives  which  influenced  Fer- 
dinand and  Henry  to  make  this  alliance  still 
existed,  and  gave  rise  to  the  idea  of  forming 
a  second,  by  giving  Arthur's  widow  to  his 
brother  Henry,  who  was  then  the  only  son 
of  Henry  VII.  Rome  was  applied  to  for  a 
dispensation,  which  was  granted  by  Julius 
II.  But  Henry,  who  was  an  avaricious 
prince,  demanded  an  increase  of  dowry  with 
Catherine,  on  this,  her  second  marriage, 
while  Ferdinand  insisted  that  it  was  already 
sufficiently  great,  and  as  he  was  resolved  to 
give  no  more  money,  he  demanded  back  his 
daughter,  and  required  that  her  dowry,  which 
had  been  paid,  should  be  restored  to  him. 
In  the  mean  time,  Henry,  who  could  dis- 
cover no  more  suitable  match  for  his  son, 
resolved  on  making  the  most  of  the  new  alli- 
ance ;  and  in  order  to  draw  Ferdinand  into 
his  views,  he  obliged  his  son  to  protest  against 
the  intended  marriage,  without,  however,  in- 
tending to  push  matters  further  ;  as  he,  in 
fact,  never  communicated  this  protest  to 
either  Ferdinand  or  Catherine. 

Such  was  the  state  in  which  matters  stood 
on  the  demise  of  Henry  VII.  The  council 
of  the  new  king  took  into  their  consideration 
whether  the  marriage  would  be  advantageous 
for  England  ;  whether  it  was  contrary  to  the 
law  of  God  ;  and  also,  whether  the  pope 
could  grant  a  dispensation,  and  whether  any 
regard  should  be  paid  to  the  protest  of  the 
intended  husband.  All  things  having  been 
duly  considered,  the  marriage  of  Henry  and 
Catherine  was  celebrated  in  the  month  of 
June,  with  all  possible  pomp  and  magnifi- 
cence.* 

The  new  queen  possessed  in  an  eminent 
degree  all  those  private  virtues  which  are 
the  solid  and  chief  ornaments  of  her  sex.f 
In  her  piety  and  attention  to  her  husband  she 
was  exemplary :  a  love  of  seclusion  and  em- 
ployment were  manifest  in  her  whole  de- 

,  Polyd.  Virgil.  Aug.  Hist.  lib.  27.  Sander,  de 
Schis.  Anglic,  edit.  Ingoldstad,  p.  2,  et  seq.  Baker's 
Chron.  on  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII. 

t  Hist,  of  the  Divorce  of  Henry  VIII.  and  Cath- 
erine of  Aragon,  by  Joachim  Ic  Grand,  torn.  1. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


403 


portment,  and  she  was  looked  upon  as  a 
model  of  wisdom  by  all.  Her  virtue,  how- 
ever, had  nothing  of  harshness  in  it,  and  she 
possessed  a  greatness  of  soul,  and  an  eleva- 
tion of  mind,  which,  even  more  than  her 
birth,  gained  for  her  universal  respect. 
Henry  himself,  even  in  withdrawing  his  af- 
fections, still  preserved  a  high  esteem  for  her. 

This  princess  had  three  children  of  her 
marriage  with  Henry  ;  two  sons,  who  died 
very  young,  and  a  daughter  called  Mary, 
who  was  afterwards  queen.  She  had  also 
some  miscarriages,  which  caused  her  much 
infirm  health,  and  which  probably  produced 
displeasure  to  a  husband  so  abandoned  to 
his  passions. 

The  debaucheries  of  Henry  were  generally 
well  known.  Having  already  seduced  some 
of  the  maids  of  honor  belonging  to  the 
queen,  he  fell  in  love  with  Anne  Bullen, 
daughter  to  Thomas  Bullen,  and  a  sister  of 
the  duke  of  Norfolk,  who  had  gone  with 
Queen  Mary,  wife  of  Louis  XII.,  to  France, 
where  she  was  educated.  She  afterwards 
became  maid  of  honor  to  the  Queen  Claude, 
and  after  the  death  of  this  princess  was  taken 
into  the  household  of  the  Duchess  d'Alencon, 
sister  of  Francis  I.,  where,  it  is  said,  she  first 
imbibed  the  principles  of  Luther's  heresy. 

We  do  not  here  vouch  for  the  truth  of  the 
scandalous  narrative  which  is  given  by  San- 
ders, concerning  the  birth  and  conduct  of 
Anne  Bullen,  before  Henry  became  enamor- 
ed of  her,*  namely,  that  she  was  the  off- 
spring of  Henry's  own  intercourse  with  the 
wife  of  Thomas  Bullen,  during  the  absence 
of  that  nobleman  ;  that  she  had  a  sister  who 
was  seduced  by  that  monarch  ;  that  she  be- 
came a  prostitute  almost  from  her  infancy, 
to  the  master  of  the  household,  and  the  al- 
moner of  Thomas  Bullen,  who  was  sup- 
posed to  be  her  father ;  and  that  having 
gone  to  the  court  of  France,  she  was  so 
dishonored  by  Francis  L,  and  his  courtiers, 
that  the  most  infamous  names  were  pub- 
licly attached  to  her,  and  she  was  called, 
"Xa  hacquenee  Anglaise." 

There  is  no  reason,  however,  for  denying 
all  credence  to  this  historian.  He  was  an 
Englishman  by  birth,  and  a  cotemporary 
witness  of  some  of  the  facts  which  he  relates. 
He  was  also  a  man  of  erudition,  having  made 
his  studies  at  Oxford,  where  he  became  a 
bachelor  of  arts,  and  was  afterwards  deemed 
worthy  to  fill  the  chair  of  professor  of  law  in 
that  university.  At  the  time  of  the  persecu- 
tion of  Catholics  by  Elizabeth,  he  was  forced 
to  quit  his  occupation  and  country.  He 
went  to  Rome,  where  he  received  the  order 

*  De  Schismat.  Anglic,  lib.  1,  p.  14-16. 


of  priesthood,  and  the  degree  of  doctor.  He 
attached  himself  to  Cardinal  Hosius,whom  he 
accompanied  to  Trent,  Prussia,  Poland,  and 
Lithuania.  On  his  return  he  taught  theology 
at  Louvain.  Several  of  his  works  have  been 
published  ;  among  others,  one  which  has  for 
its  title,  "De  Visibili  Monarchia  Ecclesim" 
that  is,  "the  Visible  Monarchy  of  the  Church." 
He  attached  himself  afterwards  to  Cardinal 
Commendon,  and  to  Sega,  bishop  of  Pla- 
centia,  who  was  afterwards  a  cardinal.  The 
latter  brought  him  to  Augsburg,  and  from 
that  to  Spain,  where  he  left  him  in  the  quality 
of  nuncio.  Sanders  labored  during  these 
voyages,  and  it  was  while  nuncio  in  Spain, 
that  he  wrote  his  history  of  the  schism  in 
England.  After  this  he  went,  by  orders  of 
Pope  Gregory  HI.,  to  Ireland,  to  console  the 
persecuted  Catholics  of  that  country,  where 
he  died.  In  fine,  Sanders  lived  in  England 
during  the  troubles  that  were  caused  by  the 
divorce  ;  where,  besides  his  own  knowledge 
of  facts,  he  had  the  opportunity  of  conversing 
with  many  who  were  equally  well  informed 
as  himself  on  what  had  been  passing.  We 
may  therefore  suppose  that  he  wrote  what 
he  had  seen  and  heard  from  people  worthy 
of  belief,  and  it  is  highly  improbable  that  a 
man  of  his  character  and  talents  would  have 
ventured  to  impose  upon  the  world  by  un- 
founded calumnies,  and  have  published  false- 
hoods, at  a  time  that  many  who  were  living 
and  interested  might  have  refuted  him. 

Protestant  writers  all  exclaim  against  every 
thing  alleged  by  Sanders  disgraceful  to  the 
supposed  reformation.  Some  wrote  refuta- 
tions of  his  history  of  the  schism,  among 
whom  were  Doctor  Burnet,  who  appeared  one 
hundred  years  after  him,  but  who  was,  how- 
ever, confuted  altogether  by  Joachim  le 
Grand,  a  learned  Frenchman,  who  undertook 
the  defence  of  Sanders  against  him,  and  by 
the  celebrated  bishop  of  Meaux,  in  his 
"  Variations."  Burnet's  partiality,  and  the 
inaccuracy  of  his  works  on  the  revolution, 
says  Higgins,  an  English  Protestant  author, 
have  made  him  discredited,  even  by  the 
honorable  men  of  his  own  party.* 

However  this  be,  on  Anne's  return  to 
England  she  appeared  at  court,  with  all  the 
advantages  arising  from  her  youth,  and  her 
being  niece  of  one  of  the  prime  ministers.! 
It  does  not  appear  that  she  was  one  of  those 
regidar  beauties  without  defect,  but  she  was 
very  young,  and  of  an  agreeable  figure  ; 
lively  in  her  manners  ;  sung  and  played  on 
many  instruments,  and  danced  still  better  ; 

*  Short  View,  pages  186, 187. 
t  Heylin,  Hist,  of  the  Reformation,  on  the  reign 
of  Elizabeth,  page  257,  et  seq. 


404 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


SO  that  she  easily  procured  the  same  rank 
with  Catherine,  as  she  had  enjoyed  with 
Queen  Claude  in  France.  She  was  not  long 
at  court  when  she  attracted  general  admira- 
tion. Several  noblemen  fell  in  love  with 
her.  The  monarch  himself  became  enam- 
ored, and  had  a  marriage  broken  off  that 
was  about  to  take  place  between  her  and 
Percy,  son  of  the  earl  of  Northumberland. 

The  divorce  of  Henry  VIII.  from  Cathe- 
rine of  Aragon,  after  a  marriage  of  twenty 
years,  began  now  to  be  spoken  of.*   Cardinal 
Wolsey  gave  the  first  hints  of  it.     The  am- 
bition of  this  prelate,  or  rather  his  desire  of 
revenge  against  a  powerful  prince  by  whom 
he  had  been  disappointed  in  his  hopes,  was 
the  cause  of  ruin  to  himself,  danger  to  his 
master,  and  the  fall  of  religion  in  his  country.! 
He  had  been  filled  with  the  idea  of  becoming 
pope.      Charles  V.  flattered  him  with  this 
hope,  in  order  to  interest  him  in  his  cause, 
and  thereby  conciliate  the  friendship  of  Eng- 
land towards  him  ;  and  in  spite  of  Wolsey's 
intelligence, he  became  a  dupe  to  that  prince, 
who  was  equally  clever  as  himself.:}:     Two 
popes  died  without  any  mention  having  been 
made  of  the  English  cardinal  in  the  conclave, 
in  which  Charles  possessed  sufficient  influ- 
ence to  have  his  preceptor  appointed  to  the 
papal  chair.    Thenceforward  Wolsey  turned 
his  thoughts  upon  revenge.   He  first  gave  his 
■  master  to  understand  that  policy  required 
he  should  unite  with  Francis  I.,  for  his  own 
safety  against  a  prince  who    had  become 
haughty  from  his   conquests  in  Italy,  and 
aspired  to  universal  dominion,  to  which  he 
was  advancing  with  rapid  strides.     Henry 
was  influenced  to  listen  to  the  advice  of  his 
minister  the  more  willingly,  since  having 
j  written  to  Charles  V.,  after  the  battle  of 
I  Pavia,  to  know  how  he  should    act,    that 
prince,  dazzled  by  his  own  good  fortune, 
replied  that,  "  he  might  remain  tranquil,  as 
I  the  stag  being  secured  in  his  toils,  he  had  to 
j  hope  only  for  a  share  of  the  skin."     By  this 
answer,  Henry  perceived  that  the  emperor 
began  already  to  disregard  his  alliance,  and 
j  he  therefore  declared  himself  in  favor  of  the 
;  holy  league  which  had  been  made  between 
I  Pope  Clement  VII.,  Francis  I.,  and  all  the 
j  princes  of  Italy,  the  object  of  which  was  to 
I  prevent  the  emperor  from  getting  possession 
I  of  the  duchy  of  Milan,  and  to  check  his  pro- 
gress in  Italy. 

*  Sander,  de  Schls.  Angl.  lib.  1,  p.  7,  et  seq. 

;       t  Joach.   le   Grand,   ibid.   torn.  1,  p.  15,  et  seq. 

Abridg.  of  the  Hist,  of  England,  by  an  anonymous 

I  author  at  the    Hague,  in   1695.      Higgiiis'   Short 

[  View. 

I  Hist,  of  the  Revolutions  of  England,  reign  of 
I  Henry  VIII.     Hist,  of  the  Variations,  book  7. 


Wolsey  was  still  dissatisfied.  Not  content 
with  having  gained  his  point  respecting  the 
interest  of  the  crowned  heads,  he  undertook 
a  measure  which  he  thought  likely  to  give 
more  personal  uneasiness  to  the  emperor. 
This  was  the  celebrated  divorce  between 
Henry  and  his  queen,  (who  was  the  maternal 
aunt  of  Charles,)  under  the  pretext  that  this 
princess  should  not  have  been  married  to  the 
two  brothers  ;  that  the  marriage  was  an  in- 
cestuous one,  and  the  dispensation  which  had 
been  obtained  was  null  and  of  no  effect.  He 
first  brought  over  to  his  views  Longland, 
bishop  of  Lincoln,  the  king's  confessor,whom 
he  found  ready  to-believe  all  he  wished  upon 
that  subject.  He  was  indeed  precisely  the 
kind  of  character  whom  the  cardinal  should 
desire  for  forwarding  his  designs  ;  being 
simple,  scrupulous,  and  possessed  of  far  more 
piety  than  penetration.  He  accompanied 
Wolsey  to  the  king,  and  said  to  him,  "  that 
his  marriage  with  Catherine  gave  universal 
scandal ;  that  he  considered  himself,  as  his 
confessor,  bound  in  conscience  to  apprize 
him  of  it,  and  to  beg  that  he  would  have  the 
subject  investigated  by  the  learned  ;  that  it 
was  a  duty  he  owed  to  himself,  and  to  that 
love  of  justice  which  he  had  always  testified." 
This  discourse  produced  some  impression  on 
the  king's  mind.  Wolsey,  delighted  that 
Longland  had  broached  the  matter,  proposed 
to  Henry  to  break  off  his  alliance  with  Ca- 
therine, and  marry  the  duchess  dowager 
d'Alencon,  sister  to  Francis  I.  It  was  thus 
the  cardinal,  unintentionally,  laid  the  foun- 
dation of  the  greatness  of  a  girl  who  was  to 
be  one  day  the  cause  of  his  downfall.  Anne 
Bullen  was  not  ignorant  of  the  king's  passion 
for  her.  She  counterfeited  a  virtuous  cha- 
racter, and  gave  him  no  hope,  but  that  of 
marrying  her,  should  he  succeed  in  the  di- 
vorce proposed  to  him  by  the  cardinal. 

Henry  was  unable  to  resist  the  solicitations 
of  his  minister,  the  remonstrances  of  his  con- 
fessor, and  the  pretended  remorse  of  his  own 
conscience,  which  reproached  him  with  a 
marriage  contrary  to  the  laws  of  God.  He 
commissioned  some  of  his  counsellors  to  ex- 
amine its  validity,  and  also  a  passage  in  Le- 
viticus, wherein  it  is  forbidden  to  marry  the 
wife  of  a  brother.  These  counsellors  an- 
swered that  Leviticus  should  be  expounded 
by  Deuteronomy.  He  then  had  recourse  to 
some  of  the  learned  theologians  in  his  own 
kingdom,  and  afterwards  to  those  of  other 
universities  of  Europe,  some  of  whom  were 
favorable  to  him.  Lastly,  he  sent  to  Rome, 
begging  very  humbly  that  the  pope  would 
send  him  a  judge  competent  to  bring  this 
important  matter  to  an  end. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


405 


Clement  VII.,  who  at  the  time  filled  the 
papal  chair,  had  just  escaped  from  the  hands 
of  Charles  V.,  by  whom  he  had  been  detain- 
ed a  prisoner.  The  holy  see  was  already 
indebted  to  the  zeal  of  the  king  of  England, 
against  the  heresies  that  were  springing  up, 
and  the  pope  in  particular,  to  whom  this 
monarch  had  rendered  services  during  his 
captivity,  was  desirous  of  obliging  him. 
Besides,  the  king  of  France  supported 
Henry,  by  strong  solicitations  to  the  holy 
see.  The  pope  had  promised,  that  as  soon 
as  he  should  be  free  with  the  emperor,  he 
would  give  to  his  benefactor  all  the  satis- 
faction in  his  power  ;  and  he  accordingly 
sent  over  Cardinal  Campegio  to  investigate 
the  matter  with  Cardinal  Wolsey. 

Before  the  plan  of  Henry's  divorce  was 
generally  known,  Francis  I.  sent  Gabriel  de 
Gramond,  bishop  of  Tarbres,  the  Viscount 
de  Turenne,  and  Le  Viste,  first  president  of 
Paris  and  Brittany,  as  ambassadors  to  Eng- 
land.* They  had  orders  to  conclude  a  lasting 
peace  between  the  two  crowns,  and  to  ask 
the  Princess  Mary,  only  daughter  and  heiress 
of  Henry  VIII.,  in  marriage,  either  for  the 
King  Francis  I.,  or  the  duke  of  Orleans,  his 
second  son.  The  basis  of  a  peace  and  an 
alliance  with  the  Princess  Mary  were  agreed 
upon.  The  treaty  was  signed  in  the  month 
of  April  ;  and  on  Sunday  the  5th  of  May  the 
ambassadors  had  a  farewell  audience  at 
Hampton  court,  where  they  were  magnifi- 
cently entertained.  It  is  affirmed  that  on 
that  day  the  bishop  of  Tarbes,  urged  on,  no 
doubt,  by  the  importunate  Wolsey,  said  to 
the  king,  that  learned  men  condemned  his 
marriage  with  Catherine,  and  that  his  con- 
science and  salvation  required  that  it  should 
be  examined  into  ;  but  it  may  be  supposed 
that  Protestant  writers  had  their  own  views 
in  speaking  thus  of  that  prelate. 

Cardinal  Campegio,  whom  the  pope  had 
nominated,  in  conjunction  with  Cardinal 
Wolsey,  to  investigate  the  project  of  the 
divorce,  having  received  his  instructions 
from  his  holiness,  arrived  in  England  in  the 
beginning  of  October. 

The  king  appointed,  by  letters  patent, 
Richard  Sampson,  the  dean  of  his  chapel, 
and  John  Bell,  a  doctor  of  law,  as  his  advo- 
cates and  pleaders  ;  to  whom  are  also  added 
Peter  and  Trigonel.  The  queen  had  already 
chosen  William  Warham,  archbishop  of  Can- 
terbury, Nicholas  West,  bishop  of  Ely,  and 
some  doctors  of  law,  besides  John  Fisher, 
bishop  of  Rochester,  and  Henry  Standish, 
bishop  of  St.  Asaph,  and  doctor  in  theology, 
and   others,   according   to   the    permission 

*  Le  Grand,  ibid,  page  17. 


which  had  been  previously  granted  to  her. 
On  the  18th  of  the  same  month,  Sampson 
and  Bell  presented  the  commission  which 
the  king  had  given  them  to  act  in  his  name  ; 
but  the  queen  herself  appearing,  declared 
that  she  could  not  acknowledge  the  legates 
to  be  her  judges,  and  demanded  the  act  of 
her  protest.  Campegio  then  adjourned  their 
sitting  to  the  21st,  on  which  day  the  king 
and  queen  both  appeared.  When  they  were 
called,  the  king  answered  ;  but  the  queen, 
not  wishing  to  reply,  threw  herself  at  the 
king's  feet,  and  said  in  the  presence  of  the 
people  by  whom  he  was  surrounded,  "  that 
she  besought  him  to  have  mercy  on  her  ; 
that  she  only  asked  for  justice  ;  that  she  was 
a  poor  stranger,  far  from  her  relatives  and 
friends  ;  that  she  dared  not  follow  either  her 
own  judgment  or  the  advice  of  her  lawyers  ; 
that  she  took  God  to  be  her  witness,  whether 
she  were  not  his  real  wife  ;  that  she  had  been 
always  faithful  to  him  ;  that  during  more  than 
twenty  years  of  marriage  she  had  been  as 
attached  to  him  as  w^oman  could  be  to  her 
husband  ;  that  she  knew  not  how  she  could 
have  merited  his  displeasure  ;  that  he  knew 
well,  if  he  would  but  speak  according  to  his 
conscience,  that  he  had  found  her  a  virgin  at 
her  marriage  ;  that  she  consented  to  be  ex- 
pelled with  infam}',  if  what  she  advanced 
were  not  true  ;  that  their  parents,  who  were 
wise  princes,  had  not  concluded  on  their 
marriage  without  proper  investigation  ;  that 
among  all  the  able  characters  by  whom  they 
were  surrounded,  none  had  noticed  the  pro- 
tests which  were  now  sought  after  ;  that  as 
to  herself,  she  could  not  discover  how  her 
marriage  could  be  called  into  doubt  ;  that 
indeed  she  had  been  permitted  to  have  coun- 
sel, but  she  could  repose  no  confidence  in  | 
them  ;  that  her  lawyers  and  judges  were  the 
king's  subjects  ;  that  she  could  not  acknow- 
ledge the  authority  of  the  legates  ;  that,  in 
fine,  every  thing  was  to  her  an  object  of  sus- 
picion :  she  therefore  besought  the  king  that 
he  would  postpone  the  proceedings  till  she 
would  hear  from  Spain  ;  and  that  if  he  re- 
fused her  that  favor,  he  might  act  as  he 
thought  proper."  She  then  arose,  and  re- 
spectfully retired.  She  was  again  called,  but 
would  not  return.  The  whole  assembly  was 
moved  by  her  discourse.  The  king  himself 
appeared  affected,  and  when  she  had  with- 
drawn, said,  "  that  he  had  no  complaints  to 
advance  against  her  ;  that  he  was  satisfied 
with  her  conduct  ;  and  that  her  virtue  could  ; 
not  be  sufficiently  admired.  He  declared,  | 
likewise,  that  he  would  continue  willingly  j 
to  live  with  her,  if  his  conscience  would  | 
permit  him." 


406 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


The  divorce  question  was  frequently  de- 
bated without  any  thing  being  conchided  on. 
The  king,  therefore,  sent  for  the  two  cardi- 
nals, in  order  that  they  may  induce  the  queen 
to  leave  the  matter  to  his  own  decision. 
They  immediately  repaired  to  her,  and  found 
her  working  with  her  female  attendants. 
When  she  heard  Wolsey  addressing  her, 
and  contiiuiing  to  speak,  "  I  see  clearly," 
said  she,  "  that  you  have  come  here  to  de- 
bate on  matters  which  surpass  my  capacity." 
Then  showing  a  skein  of  silk  which  hung 
upon  her  neck,  "  Behold,"  she  continued, 
"  what  I  am  capable  of,  and  wha'  is  my  sole 
occupation."  Wolsey  entreated  her,  through 
kindness  for  the  king,  not  to  await  the  result 
of  a  lawsuit,  the  issue  of  which  could  not  be 
favorable  to  her.  "  I  do  not  know  (replied 
the  queen)  who  has  advised  the  king  to  act 
as  he  is  now  doing.  I  confess,  cardinal,  that 
it  is  you  whom  I  blame  for  it.  Our  parents, 
who  were  wise  princes,  had  our  marriage 
previously  investigated,  and  obtained  from 
the  pope  a  dispensation  for  it,  of  which  I 
hold  the  original.  The  king  and  I  have 
lived  for  almost  eighteen  years  together, 
during  which  no  censure  has  been  cast  upon 
us.  Your  pride,  however,  I  cannot  approve 
of;  your  debaucheries,  your  tyranny,  and 
insolence,  I  have  spoken  of.  Through  the 
influence  of  my  nephew,  the  emperor,  you 
have  failed  in  being  appointed  pope,  which 
is  the  source  of  all  my  misfortunes  ;  since 
in  order  to  be  revenged,  you  have  not  been 
content  with  kindling  a  war  throughout  all 
Europe,  but  have  been  likewise  Ihe  secret 
spring  and  cause  of  all  my  misfortunes. 
Every  thing  that  I  suffer,  cardinal,  from  this 
disgrace,  is  known  to  God,  who  will  be  your 
judge  and  mine."  Wolsey  wished  to  reply, 
but  she  would  not  hear  him.  Campegio  she 
treated  with  politeness,  but  protested  that 
she  never  would  acknowledge  either  one  or 
the  other  as  her  judges,  and  would  continue 
in  the  line  of  conduct  she  had  adopted. 
After  the  sitting  of  the  2 1st  of  June,  she 
refused  to  appear  before  the  legates.  A 
judgment  by  default  was  obtained  against 
her  on  the  25th,  and  the  examination  of  the 
witnesses  was  commenced. 

During  the  taking  of  the  informations, 
the  sittings  were  not  discontinued,  but  were, 
however,  frequently  adjourned.  The  minis- 
ters of  Charles  V.  and  of  Ferdinand  de- 
manded that  the  matter  should  be  brought 
to  a  higher  tribunal.  The  pope,  who  still 
feared  to  irritate  Henry,  postponed  the  sub- 
ject as  long  as  it  was  possible  ;  but  being  at 
length  unable  to  refuse  any  longer  a  request 
that  was  so  just,  he  informed  that  prince,  in 


a  letter  dated  the  9th  of  July,  of  his  inten- 
tions, and  without  wailing  for  an  answer, 
signed  the  evocation,  of  which  he  informed 
him  and  Cardinal  Wolsey  on  the  19th. 

As  soon  as  intelligence  was  received  from 
Rome  that  the  cause  had  been  transferred 
to  another  tribunal,  the  king  went  to  Grafton 
with  Anne  BuUen,  where  Campegio  had  an 
audience  previous  to  his  departure. 

Wolsey  began  already  to  feel  the  effects 
of  his  impending  disgrace.  There  were 
different  cabals  in  the  court,  all  of  which 
tended  to  his  downfall.  Those  who  were 
attached  to  the  queen,  considered  him  as  the 
author  of  her  ruin.  The  relatives  and  par- 
tisans of  Anne  BuUen  were  convinced  that 
his  presence  at  court  was  inauspicious  to 
their  advancement.  The  courtiers  them- 
selves, who  had  neither  God  nor  any  other 
object  in  view  than  the  will  of  their  prince, 
appeared  to  be  the  cardinal's  most  deter- 
mined opposers  ;  and  even  his  own  creatures 
for  the  most  part  abandoned  him,  and  ad- 
mitted his  guilt,  when  they  found  that  his 
downfall  had  commenced.  Anne  Bullen 
was  minutely  informed  of  every  crime  he  had 
committed  during  the  fifteen  years  that  he 
ruled  the  state  with  absolute  power  ;  all 
which  she  communicated  to  the  king,  who 
listened  to  her  with  pleasure.  Orders  were 
dispatched  on  the  22d  of  October  to  Wolsey, 
to  quit  York  palace,  at  present  called  White- 
hall, and  the  usual  residence  of  the  kings 
of  England.  He  was  sent  eight  leagues  from 
London,  to  a  place  called  Asher.  All  his 
furniture  and  papers  were  also  seized,  by 
which  conduct  his  enemies  deprived  him  of 
the  means  of  defending  himself.  The  dukes 
of  Norfolk  and  Suffolk,  who  were  at  that 
time  heads  of  the  council,  went  to  him  to 
demand  the  great  seal  ;  but  this  he  refused 
to  surrender  without  an  express  order  from 
the  king.  As  there  was  no  difficulty  in  ob- 
taining this,  the  cardinal  only  deferred  his 
resignation  of  it  for  a  day  or  two.  Sir 
Thomas  More,  who  was,  both  in  principle 
and  integrity  of  life,  the  first  man  then  in 
England,  was  raised  to  the  dignity  of  lord 
chancellor. 

The  parliament  met  in  London,  on  the 
third  of  November,  and  was  immediately 
adjourned  to  Westminster.  It  seemed  as  if 
it  were  convened  only  for  the  destruction 
of  Wolsey,  so  determined  were  his  enemies 
against  him.  They  presented  a  petition  to 
the  king,  containing  many  pohits  of  accusa- 
tion, and  threatened  to  condemn  him  as 
guilty  of  high  treason  ;  but  his  cause  was 
ably  defended  by  his  servant,  Thomas  Crom- 
well, a  member  of  the  parliament.     They 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


407 


then  dismissed  the  accusations  of  high  trea- 
son against  him,  but  he  was  arraigned  imder 
the  hiw  of  prccmunirc,  and  declared  to  be 
out  of  the  king's  protection.  His  property 
was  conHscated,  and  his  arrest  was  even 
spoken  of. 

Several  members  of  parliament  were  at- 
tached to  the  new  doctrine,  and  laws  were 
enacted  against  the  clergy,  under  pretext 
of  their  exactions,  which  were  considerably 
exaggerated,  in  order  to  make  them  appear 
contemptible  in  the  eyes  of  the  people,  whose 
minds  were  thus  prepared  by  degrees  for  the 
supposed  reformation  that  had  been  already 
projected. 

The  cardinal  experienced  very  severe 
treatment  in  the  place  to  which  he  had  re- 
tired ;  being  left  without  clothes,  linen,  plate, 
ov  money,  and  so  destitute  of  every  thing, 
that  were  it  not  for  the  bishop  of  Carlisle, 
he  must  have  perished  from  hunger  and  dis- 
tress. Having  fallen  sick  at  Asher,  the  king, 
who  had  still  some  consideration  for  him, 
permitted  him  to  go  to  Richmond  for  change 
of  air  ;  but  his  enemies,  who  were  jealous  of 
his  being  so  near  the  court,  importuned 
Henry  so  strongly,  that  he  gave  orders  to 
have  him  removed  to  his  archbishopric  of 
York.  Fresh  complaints  being  made  to  the 
king,  who  was  accustomed  to  yield  to  his 
flatterers,  he  ordered  Sir  Walter  Walsh,  his 
private  chaplain,  and  the  earl  of  Northum- 
berland, to  arrest  him.  This  last  stroke 
was  too  heavy  for  Wolsey  to  bear.  The 
shock  and  surprise  were  so  powerful,  that  a 
dysentery  ensued,  by  which  his  constitution 
was  soon  shattered.  He  however  set  out, 
but  his  disease  increasing,  he  was  forced  to 
stop  at  Leicester  abbey,  where  he  died,  and 
was  interred  the  week  after  his  arrival,  a.  d. 
1531. 

The  cardinal's  death  was  the  commence- 
ment of  a  violent  persecution  against  the 
clergy.  The  parliament,  which  had  been  j 
so  frequently  prorogued,  met  in  the  month 
of  January.  The  clergy  were  accused  of 
having  incurred  the  penalty  of  the  law  of 
prcBmunire,  and  immediate  submission  to 
the  king,  together  with  the  payment  of  one 
hundred  thousand  pounds  sterling,  were 
made  the  sole  conditions  on  which  he  granted 
them  his  pardon. 

When  Campegio  arrived  in  England  with 
the  pope's  sanction  for  having  the  subject  of 
the  divorce  investigated,  no  means  were  left 
imtried  to  obtain  the  decision  of  the  several 
uiuversities,  or  the  learned  men  in  France 
and  England,  in  its  favor.*  It  is  well  known 
what  bribes,  threats,  and  sums  of  money 
*  Joachim  le  Grand,  p.  17,  et  seq. 


were  lavished  by  Fox,  Henrj-s  almoner,  and 
Gardiner,  secretary  of  state,  in  both  the 
English  universities,  namely,  Cambridge  and 
Oxford,  to  gain  their  approval  of  the  divorce. 
The  English  began  now  to  murmur  loudly, and 
it  was  publicly  declared,  that  in  spite  of  what- 
ever might  be  decided  upon,  he  who  married 
the  princess  Maryshould  be  kingof  England. 
Similar  sentiments  were  entertained  by  the 
nobles,  who,  though  they  did  not  express 
themselves  so  freely,  did  not  think  the  less 
on  that  account.  The  theologians  and 
legislators  were  as  unfavorable  to  Henry 
as  his  other  subjects.  No  one  could  be 
found  to  write  in  favor  of  the  divorce. 

John  du  Bellay,  bishop  of  Bayonne,  and 
afterwards  of  Paris,  and  subsequently  a  car- 
dinal, was  sent  to  England  to  negotiate 
affairs  with  Henry  VIII.  As  he  was  partial 
to  the  divorce,  he  could  not  fail  of  being 
well  received  by  the  prince.  He  was  there- 
fore commissioned  to  conciliate  the  French 
theologians  in  favor  of  Henry,  and  for  that 
purpose  returned  to  France .  He  first  brought 
the  university  of  Orleans  to  publish  a  dec- 
laration against  the  marriage  of  Catherine  of 
Aragon,  which  example  was  followed,  in  a 
few  months,  by  the  university  of  Toulouse. 

The  same  facility  was  not  to  be  met  with 
in  every  jilace.*  The  question  produced  a 
great  noise  among  the  theologians  in  Paris. 
Recourse  was  first  had  to  some  doctors  who 
were  easily  bribed,  and  who  promised  to  do 
every  thing  that  could  be  desired.  Among 
these  was  master  Gervais,  a  man  devoted  to 
those  who  sought  for  the  divorce,  and  anxious 
also  to  advance  himself  at  court,  and  there- 
by to  make  his  fortune.  Doctor  Noel  Beda, 
a  steady  man,  and  possessing  great  merit, 
throughout  opposed  the  king  of  England, 
for  which  he  was  at  length  driven  into  exile. 
No  question  was  ever  debated  so  strongly  in 
the  university  of  Paris,  as  this.  The  king 
of  England  honored  tlie  theologians  so  far 
as  to  write  to  them  with  his  own  hand  on 
the  subject;  while  his  ambassadors  expended 
large  sums  of  money,  seeking  and  even  beg- 
ging for  suffrages  Irom  door  to  door.  A 
meeting  was  at  length  convened  ;  one  party 
yielded  to  Henry  in  every  thing  that  he 
wished,  while  another  declared  that  they 
could  not  deliberate  upon  the  subject,  till 
they  would  first  write  to  the  pope,  who  had 
already  forbidden  any  one  to  interfere  in  a 
matter  of  such  moment.  A  third  party  was 
then  formed,  which  was  desirous  of  writing 
to  both  the  king  and  the  pope,  and  in  the 
meanwhile  the  deliberations  were  continued. 

*  Le  Grand,  ibid,  page  175. 


408 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


When  the  votes,  however,  were  being  col- 
lected, one  doctor,  more  violent  than  the 
others,  rose  up,  and  having  torn  the  minutes 
from  the  hands  of  the  recorder,  destroyed 
them,  and  declared  that  the  greater  part 
would  not  continue  any  longer  in  their  dis- 
cussions upon  the  subject.  The  assembly  was 
hereby  thrown  into  confusion,  and  conse- 
quently broken  up.  Other  meetings  were 
afterwards  held.  The  facuUy  prohibited  the 
doctors  from  coming  to  any  conclusion  re- 
specting the  divorce .  The  division  that  pre- 
vailed being  caused  by  these  men,  who,  on 
account  of  the  favors  which  they  hoped  to 
receive  from  the  king,  always  avowed  them- 
selves favorable  to  Henry,  so  that  nothing 
could  be  decided  upon. 

Among  the  doctors  of  the  university  of 
Angers,  the  ferment  was  equally  great  as  in 
Paris.  The  faculties  of  theology  and  law 
differed  so  widely,  that  both  came  to  opposite 
conclusions  on  the  same  day.  The  faculty  of 
law  supported  the  pretensions  of  Henry  V II  I. , 
and  care  was  taken  to  make  the  decision 
public.  But  as  the  theologians  were  opposed 
to  him  in  opinion,  their  decree  was  carefully 
suppressed,  though  it  was  subsequently  pub- 
lished by  Joachim  le  Grand.  The  same  want 
of  union  seems  to  have  prevailed  in  the  uni- 
versity of  Bourges.  It  has  never  been  ascer- 
tained what  decisions  the  universities  of  Pa- 
via  and  Bologna  came  to  upon  the  subject  of 
Henry's  divorce.  It  is,  however,  generally 
said,  that  he  owed  to  his  authority,  to  his 
money,  and  to  the  intrigues  of  Du  Bellay, 
all  the  boasted  sanctions  of  the  universities. 

Henry  VIII.,  having  forced  from  the  Eng- 
lish and  French  academies  decisions  favor- 
able to  his  cause,  sent  some  noblemen  to  the 
queen  about  the  end  of  May,  to  inform  her 
of  these  results,  and  to  induce  her  to  with- 
draw her  appeal,  and  submit  her  interests  to 
the  arbitration  of  four  bishops  and  four  no- 
blemen, in  order  that  the  matter  might  be 
set  at  rest,  and  tranquillity  restored  to  the 
king's  mind.*  The  queen  replied  as  before, 
that  she  was  the  king's  wife  ;  that  she  would 
persist  in  her  appeal,  and  would  consent  to 
nothing  without  the  advice  of  her  nephew 
the  emperor,  and  also  that  of  the  pope, 
who  was  the  best  judge  of  her  rights. 

The  queen's  resolution  irritated  Henry  ; 
however,  he  dissembled  for  some  time,  and 
went  with  her  to  Windsor,where  he  remained 
till  the  14th  of  July  ;  when  he  left  her,  and 
proceeded  to  Woodstock.  After  some  time, 
she  repaired  to  Easthamstead,  which  was  the 

*  Heylin,  ibid,  page  176.  Baker's  Chron.  of 
Engl.  p.  281. 


commencement  of  their  separation.  The  king 
again  sent  several  noblemen  to  exhort  her  to 
conform  to  the  law  of  God,  by  withdrawing 
her  pretensions,  and  to  inform  her,  in  his 
name,  that  if  she  still  persisted  in  her  deter- 
mination, she  might  choose  between  Oking, 
Easthamstead,  and  the  monastery  of  Bisham, 
where  she  should  thenceforward  reside,  and 
not  annoy  him  more  by  her  proceedings. 

God  at  length  permitted  that  Henry  should 
meet  no  further  opposition  to  his  will.  Wil- 
liam Warham,  archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
one  of  the  greatest  men  that  England  ever 
prodrfced,  died  at  this  time.  All  the  flatterers 
about  the  court,  who  were  interested  in  the 
success  of  Henry's  wicked  intentions,  were 
rejoiced  at  the  death  of  so  wise  a  prelate. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Cranmer  ;  and  as  the 
latter  had  a  greater  share  than  any  other  in 
the  pretended  reformation  of  the  church  of 
England,  it  is  necessary  to  make  his  charac- 
ter known. 

Parker,  Fox,  and  Burnet  think  that  Cran- 
mer was  a  man  of  noble  rank,  though  others, 
by  whom  he  ought  to  be  better  known,  do 
not  agree  with  them.  However,  if  he  were 
not,  he  ought  to  have  been,  as  those  who 
are  raised  by  fortune  seldom  want  the  means 
of  becoming  ennobled.  All  that  is  known 
with  certainty  of  him  is,  that  he  was  profes- 
sor in  the  university  of  Cambridge ;  that  he 
was  expelled  for  having  married  ;  and  that 
he  was  one  of  the  first  who  wrote  in  favor 
of  the  divorce.  From  the  year  1529,  Cran- 
mer placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  party 
who  wished  for  Catherine's  separation,  and 
the  marriage  upon  which  the  king  was  de- 
termined with  x\nne  Bullen.  In  1530  he 
wrote  a  book  against  the  validity  of  Cathe- 
rine's marriage,  and  it  may  be  readily  in- 
ferred what  pleasure  this  must  have  afforded 
to  a  prince,  whose  predominant  passions  were 
thereby  defended.  He  was  from  this  time 
looked  on  as  a  favorite  at  court,  and  con- 
sidered likely  to  succeed  Cardinal  Wolsey  in 
influence.  Cranmer  had  already  adopted  the 
principles  of  Luther,  and  was,  according  to 
Burnet,  the  most  esteemed  of  all  those  who 
had  embraced  them.  Heretics  generally 
admire  those  who  adopt  their  own  opinions, 
and  bestow  upon  them  the  character  of  good 
men,  how  depraved  soever  they  may  be  in 
their  morals.  Anne  Bullen,  continues  Bur- 
net, had  also  imbibed  a  tincture  of  the  same 
doctrine.  He  makes  it  appear,  too,  that  she 
was  quite  attached  to  the  opinions  of  those 
who  were  called  reformers.  Every  one,  con- 
tinues he,  of  the  same  party,  had  declared 
in  favor  of  the  divorce.  Herein  is  discover- 
ed the  secret   connection   between    Cran- 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


409 


mer,  his  adherents,  and  Henry's  mistress, 
and  the  foundation  of  the  influence  of  this 
new  confidant,  as  also  the  commencement 
of  the  EngUsh  reformation.  The  mihappy 
prince,  who  knew  nothing  of  their  machina- 
tions, or  the  objects  they  had  in  view,  united 
himself  by  degrees  to  the  enemies  of  the 
faith  which  he  had  before  so  ably  defend- 
ed, and  entering  xmconsciously  into  their 
secret  plots,  forwarded  thereby  their  pro- 
jects for  destroying  it. 

Cranmer  was  sent  to  Rome  to  support  the 
divorce  question,  and  while  there,  concealed 
his  errors  so  ably,  that  the  pope  made  him 
his  penitentiary,  which  proves  that  he  was 
a  priest ;  and  although  a  Lutheran,  he  ac- 
cepted that  office  from  his  holiness.  From 
Rome  he  went  to  Germany,  in  order  to  se- 
cure the  friendship  of  his  trusty  friends,  the 
Protestants.  It  was  there  that  he  married 
the  sister  of  Osiander,  after  having  first  se- 
duced her.  While  there  it  also  was  that 
the  archbishopric  of  Canterbury  became  va- 
cant by  the  death  of  Warham,  as  we  have 
already  mentioned.  The  king  of  England, 
from  whom  Cranmer's  marriage  had  been 
concealed,  appointed  him  to  that  see,  which 
he  accepted,  and  the  pope,  who  imagined 
that  his  only  fault  lay  in  supporting  the 
invalidity  of  Henry's  marriage,  a  question 
which  was  then  undecided,  gave  him  his 
bulls.  Cranmer  received  them,  and  did  not 
hesitate  to  stain  his  reputation  by  receiving, 
as  his  party  expressed  themselves,  "  the 
mark  of  the  beast.'''' 

Had  the  pretended  reformation  of  religion 
been  confined  to  England  alone,  this  long 
digression  might  appear  foreign  to  the  his- 
tory of  Ireland  ;  but  as  its  unhappy  effects 
have  been  but  too  sensibly  felt  in  this  coun- 
try, it  has  been  thought  necessary  to  reveal 
its  source,  and  make  the  principal  actors  in 
it  known  to  the  world. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

The  earl  of  Kildare  having  been  ap- 
pointed deputy  for  the  English  province  in 
Ireland,  in  the  place  of  Skeffington,  repaired 
to  Dublin  in  August,  1 552,  where  he  was  joy- 
fully received  by  the  inhabitants  ;*  and  after 
taking  the  usual  oath,  received  the  sword  of 
office  from  his  predecessor.  John  Alan,  or 
Allen,  one  of  Cardinal  Wolsey's  favorites, 
was,  at  the  time,  archbishop  of  Dublin  and 
chancellor  of  Ireland  :   but  the  deputy,  who 

*  War.  de  Annal.  Hib.  cap.  24. 


belonged  to  the  opposite  faction,  had  George 
Cromer,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  appointed 
chancellor  and  keeper  of  the  seals  in  his 
place,  which  increased  the  hatred  that  al- 
ready prevailed  between  him  and  Alan.  In 
order  to  counterbalance  Kildare's  authority, 
the  court  nominated  James  Butler,  son  of 
the  earl  of  Ossory,  treasurer.  This  noble- 
man, through  the  deputy's  nephew,  was 
nevertheless  his  enemy,  having  always  es- 
poused the  quarrels  of  his  father,  the  earl 
of  Ossory,  against  him. 

The  earl  of  Kildare  finding  himself  at  the 
head  of  the  government  in  Ireland,  began  to 
look  upon  his  enemies  with  contempt.  To 
strengthen  his  party,  he  formed  an  alliance 
with  two  of  the  most  powerful  of  the  Irish 
nobility,  who  were  implacable  enemies  to  the 
dominion  of  the  English  ;  namely,  O'Con- 
nor Faly  and  Fear-Gan-Ainim  O'CarroU,  to 
whom  he  gave  his  two  daughters  in  mar- 
riage. Supported  by  these  new  alliances, 
he  declared  war  against  the  earl  of  Ossory, 
devastated  his  estates,  and  those  of  his 
friends,  and  carried  off  considerable  spoil. 
Conn  O'Neill,  and  his  brother  John  Fitz- 
gerald, after  this  made  incursions  into  the 
county  of  Louth,  burned  the  possessions  of 
the  English,  and  carried  off  their  cattle  with- 
out any  opposition.  The  deputy  convened 
a  parliament  in  Dublin  in  1533,  in  which 
regulations  were  made  relative  to  the  gov- 
ernment. The  dispute  for  pre-eminence,  so 
frequently  renewed  between  the  primate  of 
Armagh  and  the  archbishop  of  Dublin,  was 
decided  by  this  parliament  in  favor  of  the 
former. 

The  parliament  having  been  prorogued, 
Kildare  marched  at  the  head  of  his  forces  to 
support  the  pretensions  of  Fear-Gan-Ainim, 
or  Nehemias  O'Carrol,  his  son-in-law.*  The 
latter  had  taken  possession  of  the  lordship  of 
Eile,  on  the  death  of  his  brother,  in  virtue 
of  the  law  called  Tanistry  ;t  but  the  son  of 
the  deceased,  a  young  nobleman  capable  of 
governing  and  commanding,  considered  it 
his  duty  to  support  his  birthright  against  his 
uncle.  For  this  purpose  he  collected  all  his 
vassals,  and  took  possession  of  Birr,  the 
principal  town  in  the  district.  He  was  there 
besieged  by  the  deputy  ;  but  that  general, 
having  been  wounded  in  the  head  by  a  mus- 
ket-ball, the  effects  of  which  he  felt  through- 
out life,  soon  abandoned  the  enterprise.  It 
is  said  that  a  soldier,  who  was  beside  him, 
hearing  him  complain,  said,  "  Why  do  you 
groan,  my  lord  ?    I  have  received  three  gun- 

*  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  25. 
t  This  law  will  be  hereafter  explained. 
52 


410 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


shot  wounds  in  my  body,  and  I  am  now 
perfectly  well."  "  Would  to  God,"  replied 
the  earl,  "  that  you  had  received  the  fourth 
instead  of  nic." 

Henry  VIII.  was  continually  sending  his 
agents  to  Rome  to  endeavor  to  procure  the 
divorce,  without  giving  them  credentials  for 
that  purpose.*  The  pope,  who  was  aware 
of  the  manner  in  which  the  king  of  Eng- 
land was  acting,  commanded  him  by  letter 
to  send  away  his  mistress  and  take  back  his 
wife ;  and  in  case  that  he  disobeyed,  ordered 
him  to  appear  at  Rome  vv'ith  Anne  B alien, 
to  answer  for  the  scandal  they  had  caused, 
by  living  together  as  man  and  wife,  in  con- 
tempt of  the  censures  of  the  church.  The 
pope  concluded  by  observing,  that  it  was  a 
matter  of  deep  regret  to  him  to  find  himself 
obliged  to  Jiave  recourse  to  such  measures  ; 
that  if  it  were  only  his  own  private  interest 
that  was  concerned,  he  would  gladly  submit 
it  to  his  own  decision  ;  but  that,  as  the  glory 
of  God,  his  owli  conscience,  and  the  honor 
of  a  virtuous  princess  loaded  with  ignominy, 
after  twenty  years  marriage,  were  now  at 
stake,  he  was  compelled,  in  spite  of  himself, 
to  have  recourse  to  these  measures.  This 
letter  produced  no  better  effect  than  the  oth- 
ers. The  evil  increased  every  day,  and  it 
was  soon  discovered  that  Henry  wished  to 
break  with  the  court  of  Rome,  and  separate 
himself  from  its  communion. 

The  parliament  having  assembled  in  the 
beginning  of  the  year,  fresh  attacks  were 
projected  against  the  clergy  and  the  pope. 
The  commons,  who  were  accustomed  to 
complain  of  the  ecclesiastics,  accused  them 
in  their  writings  to  Henry,  but  he  did  not 
think  prudent  to  listen  to  them.  They  com- 
plained of  the  immense  sums  drawn  by  the 
popes  from  England,  as  first-fruits,  provisions 
for  benefices,  bulls,  and  various  other  things 
of  the  same  character,  as  being  all  contrary 
to  English  freedom. 

Henry,  in  the  mean  time,  gave  himself 
up  to  his  passions.  The  longer  the  pope 
deferred  the  divorce  question,  the  more  his 
passion  for  Anne  BuUen  increased.  In  or- 
der to  prove  his  affection  for  her,  he  created 
her  marchioness  of  Pembroke,  by  letters 
patent  dated  the  15th  of  September,  1532, 
and  assigned  her  one  thousand  pounds  ster- 
ling a  year,  which  was  a  considerable  sum 
at  that  time,  to  support  her  dignity. "j" 

Henry,  who  could  not  bear  the  absence 
of  the  new  marchioness,  brought  her  to  Ca- 

*  Sanders,  de  Schis.  Anglic,  p.  62.  Le  Grand, 
History  of  tbe  Divorce,  pp.  219,  235. 

t  Heylin,  Hist,  of  the  Revolution,  p.  176.  Ba- 
ker, Chron.  Reign  of  Henry  VIII.  p.  281. 


lais  in  the  month  of  October,  to  be  present 
I  at  an  interview  which  he  had  at  Boulogne 
with  Francis  I.,  and  on  his  return  to  Eng- 
land, n>arried  her  secretly  on  the  14th  of 
Nov.,  though  the  sentence  of  the  divorce 
between  him  and  Catherine  was  not  yet 
pronounced.  Roland  Lee,  who  was  after- 
wards bishop  of  Lichfield,  performed  the 
marriage  ceremony  ;  the  king  having  as- 
sured him  that  the  pope  permitted  him  to 
leave  Catherine,  and  take  another  wife,  pro- 
vided he  would  marry  in  private,  and  without 
witnesses,  in  order  to  avoid  giving  scandal. 
After  a  few  months,  the  marchioness  be- 
ing in  a  state  of  pregnancy,  the  marriage 
could  not  be  concealed  longer.*  Cranmer 
labored  to  have  the  king's  divorce  from 
Catherine  sanctioned  by  the  parliament. 
Every  law  that  had  been  previously  enacted 
against  the  popes,  was  re-enacted  by  this 
assembly.  It  was  prohibited  to  appeal  to 
Rome  on  any  subject  concerning  England, 
as  that  kingdom  should  not  submit  to  the 
regulations  of  any  foreign  power,  in  either 
spiritual  or  temporal  affairs ;  and  that,  there- 
fore, all  ecclesiastical  matters,  on  which  ap- 
peals had  been  till  then  made  to  the  court  of 
Rome,  should  be  finally  determined  in  Eng- 
land, through  an  appeal  from  the  commis- 
sioner to  the  bishop,  from  the  bishop  to  the 
archbishop,  and  from  him  to  the  king  :  that 
whatever  excommunications  might  arrive 
from  Rome,  the  divine  service  should  be 
nevertheless  celebrated,  and  the  sacraments 
administered  ;f  and  if  difliiculties  were  in- 
terposed by  any  of  the  clergy,  they  should 
be  condemned  to  one  year's  imprisonment, 
and  a  fine  to  be  paid,  according  to  the  king's 
pleasure  ;  and  that  those  who  violated  these 
acts  should  incur  the  penalties  of  the  law  of 
prcsmunire.  Lastly,  it  was  concluded  that 
I  matters  respecting  the  king's  interest  should 
be  adjusted  by  a  sovereign  convocation  of 
the  clergy. 

This  was  the  prelude  to  the  ecclesiastical 
authority  which  Henry  afterwards  assumed 
to  himself,  and  in  which  he  was  confirmed 
by  an  act  passed  in  the  same  parliament, 
entitled  "  an  act  to  extinguish  the  authority 
of  the  bishop  of  Rome." 

In  the  mean  time,  Cranmer,  whom  the 
king  had  purposely  raised  to  the  dignity  of 
archbishop  of  Canterbury,  undertook  what 

*  Protestant  writers  call  her  Queen  Anne  while 
Catherine  was  still  alive,  and  before  the  sentence 
of  divorce  had  been  pronounced.  None  but  a  law- 
ful wife  could  assume  that  title. 

t  Heretics  always  make  it  a  practice  to  prepare 
the  minds  of  the  faithful  to  despise  excommunica- 
tion, which  is  the  only  weapon  used  by  the  church 
to  repress  their  audacity. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


411 


the  pope  had  not  dared  to  do.  Being  in-1 
vested  with  authority  by  Henry  VIII.,  who  I 
was  now  declared  to  be  supreme  head  of  the 
English  church,  he  removed  to  Dunstable  in 
the  beginning  of  May,  accompanied  by  the 
bishops  of  London,  Winchester,  Wells,  and 
Lincoln,  and  attended  by  some  ofFicers  of 
justice,  where  they  established  a  sort  of 
tribunal,  to  which  Catherine  of  Aragon  was 
summoned,  to  be  heard  on  the  subject  of  her 
marriage  with  the  king.  The  queen,  how- 
ever, who  still  adhered  to  her  first  resolution, 
which  was,  to  acknowledge  no  tribunal  but 
that  of  Rome,  or  no  judge  but  the  pope, 
having  refused  to  appear,  was  condemned 
for  contumacy.  The  sentence  of  divorce 
was  then  pronounced,  and  her  marriage  with 
the  king  declared  to  be  null.  This  decision 
was  confirmed  by  the  parliament,  which  de- 
prived this  princess  of  the  rank  of  queen, 
and  decreed  that  she  should  thenceforward 
be  called  princess  dowager,  as  being  only 
the  widow  of  Prince  Arthur.  It  was  enacted 
by  the  same  parliament,  that  it  was  lawful 
for  the  king  to  marry  a  second  time. 

Every  thing  being  thus  arranged,  the  mar- 
chioness of  Pembroke  was  solemnly  crowned 
at  Whitehall,  with  the  usual  ceremonies,  and 
with  the  title  of  queen.  In  a  few  months 
after  this,  the  celebrated  Elizabeth  was  born, 
the  unhappy  offspring  of  lust  and  discord ; 
and  was  subsequently  queen  of  England. 

The  parliament  continued  their  endeavors, 
by  order  of  the  king,  to  annihilate  the  pope's 
authority  in  England.  Every  day  some 
bishop  mounted  the  pulpit  in  St.  Paul's,  and 
preached  to  the  people  that  the  bishop  of 
Rome  had  no  more  power  in  the  kingdom, 
than  any  other  bishop  out  of  his  own  diocese. 
The  English  had  been  prepared  for  this 
change  for  some  years  before,  so  that  the 
king  found  but  little  opposition  to  his  wishes 
in  the  two  houses  of  parliament.  It  was 
therefore  decreed  that  nothing  more  should 
be  referred  after  this  to  the  court  of  Rome  ; 
but  that  all  cases  wherein  an  appeal  had  been 
made  to  the  pope,  should  be  hereafter  finally 
settled  by  the  king  and  his  council.  The 
king's  second  marriage  was  confirmed,  and 
the  former  having  been  declared  null,  it  was 
enacted  that  the  children  born  of  that  alliance 
could  not  inherit  from  their  father,  and 
should  be  therefore  considered  illegitimate  ; 
that  the  male  children  whom  the  king  might 
have  by  Anne  BuUen,  should  succeed  to  the 
crown,  and  that,  in  the  event  of  having  no 
male  issue,  the  daughters  should  succeed  ; 
so  that  tlie  Princess  iVIary  was  disinherited, 
i  and  Elizabeth  declared  heiress  to  the  crown. 
j  But  tliis  law  was  continued  only  as  long  as 

i 


the  king's  passion  lasted  for  Anne  BuIIen, 
and  the  offspring  of  Henry's  connection  with 
her  was  afterwards  dealt  with  as  severely  as 
the  Princess  Mary ;  the  parliament  follow- 
ing no  other  rule  in  making  or  rescinding 
laws,  than  the  caprices  of  the  prince. 

A  conspiracy  was  formed  about  the  year 
1533,  against  the  earl  of  Kildare,  deputy  of 
Ireland,  which  proved  fatal  to  this  nobleman 
and  his  whole  family.*  This  earl  had  many 
enemies.  He  had  supplanted  Skeffington  in 
the  government  of  Ireland,  and  deprived 
Alan,  or  Allen,  archbishop  of  Dublin,  of  the 
office  of  chancellor,  to  confer  it  on  another. 
The  earl  of  Ossory  was  his  brother-in-law, 
but  not  his  friend,  and  the  spirit  of  jealousy 
which  had  long  existed  between  the  houses 
of  Butler  and  Fitzgerald,  was  not  forgotten 
by  the  present  chiefs  of  them.  These  three 
noblemen  conspired  against  Kildare,  and 
soon  drew  others  into  their  party. 

John  Allen,  a  creature  of  the  ex-chan- 
cellor, who  was  secretary  to  the  council,  and 
afterwards  master  of  the  rolls,  was  sent  to 
England  by  the  council,  to  inform  the  king 
of  the  state  of  the  English  province,  and  the 
abuses  which  required  reformation.  He  was 
commissioned  to  represent  to  his  majesty, 
that  every  thing  in  the  province  was  in  a 
state  of  decline  ;  that  the  order  which  had 
been  established,  as  well  as  the  language 
and  mode  of  dress  which  had  been  ordained, 
were  neglected  ;  and  lastly,  that  the  English 
laws  were  not  in  force  for  more  than  about 
a  circuit  of  twenty  miles.  He  was  also 
ordered  to  make  known  to  the  king  and  his 
council,  that  these  abuses  proceeded  from 
the  great  power  of  some  nobles  to  whom  the 
government  was  intrusted,  the  frequent 
change  of  deputies,  and  the  making  over  of 
the  crown  lands,  by  which  the  revenues  in- 
tended to  support  the  state  were  consider- 
ably diminished.  Allen  acquitted  himself 
so  well  of  his  commission,  that  the  king  sent 
an  order  to  the  deputy  to  repair  to  England, 
to  account  for  his  conduct,  and  to  answer 
for  the  crimes  of  wliich  he  stood  accused. 

Kildare  dreading  the  consequences,  sought 
means  to  delay  his  voyage.  He  sent  his 
countess  to  England,  to  prevail  upon  her 
relatives  and  friends  to  solicit  the  king  to 
countermand  the  order,  under  pretext  that 
her  husband's  absence  might  produce  dan- 
gerous results  in  the  present  state  of  affairs 
in  Ireland.  But  the  enemies  of  the  earl 
having  informed  the  king  and  council  of 
England  of  his  attempts,  the  appeal  was 
rejected.     He  determined  then  to  risk  all, 

*  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  25. 


412 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


and  to  proceed.  Previous,  however,  to  his 
departure, he  caused  his  castles  of  Maynooth 
and  Ley,  and  other  pUices  which  belonged 
to  him,  to  be  provided  with  arms  and  am- 
munition of  all  sorts  from  the  king's  stores. 

The  deputy  prepared  for  his  voyage  to 
England  in  the  spring  of  1534  ;  having,  be- 
fore he  set  out,  nominated  his  son,  Thomas 
Fitzgerald,  deputy  in  his  stead,  according  to 
the  orders  he  had  received  from  the  king,  to 
give  the  administration  of  affairs  during  his 
absence  to  one  for  whom  he  should  be  re- 
sponsible.* The  vice-deputy  was  a  young 
man  about  twenty-one,  impetuous,  and  with- 
out the  experience  requisite  for  so  important 
a  trust.  The  father,  when  giving  him  the 
sword  of  justice,  made  a  very  impressive 
discourse  to  him,  in  presence  of  the  council, 
at  Drogheda.  It  is  quoted  by  HoUingshed, 
and  is  in  substance  as  follows  : 

"  You  know,  my  son,  that  my  sovereign 
lord,  the  king,  has  commanded  me  to  repair 
to  England.  I  am  ignorant  of  what  may 
arise  to  me  ;  God  alone  knows  ;  but  what- 
ever may  occur,  you  are  as  well  aware  as  I 
am,  that  my  years  are  far  advanced,  and  that, 
being  a  mortal,  death  may  at  any  time  befall 
me  ;  and  that  it  will  necessarily  come  soon, 
from  my  advanced  age.  As  my  winter  there- 
fore is  drawing  to  a  close,  and  you  are  only 
in  the  spring  of  life,  it  is  my  wish  that  you 
conduct  yourself  in  youth  with  such  prudence 
that  you  may  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  your 
summer  to  the  satisfaction  of  your  friends  ; 
gather  the  fruits  of  your  autumn,  and  attain 
with  honor  the  winter  of  your  career,  to 
which  you  see  I  am  fast  approaching.  Since 
it  is  his  majesty's  will  that  I  should  appoint 
a  substitute,  for  whom  I  shall  be  responsible, 
I  may  be,  perhaps,  blamed  for  having  placed 
a  naked  sword  in  the  hands  of  so  young  a 
man,  whose  opinions  are  not  yet  matured, 
nor  his  judgment  formed  :  however,  I  flatter 
myself,  that,  as  being  your  father,  I  shall 
have  sufficient  authority  to  command  you  in 
the  government  of  affairs,  and  to  reprehend 
you  as  my  son,  should  this  become  necessary. 

Remember,  likewise,  my  son,  that  it 

is  easier  to  pull  down  than  to  build  up  :  be 
guided  therefore  in  every  thing  by  the  wis- 
dom of  your  council.  Though  you  have  the 
authority  of  governing  others,  you  must  act 
under  their  advice."  He  concluded  by  pre- 
senting his  son  with  the  sword,  whereupon 
he  took  leave,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  of  the 
whole  assembly,  and  sailed  immediately  for 
England,  where,  on  his  arrival,  he  was  sent 
to  the  tower  by  orders  of  the  king. 

*  Cox,  History  of  Ireland,  page  226. 


The  enemies  of  the  Fitzgcralds  were  not 
sufficiently  revenged  by  the  earl's  disgrace  ; 
they  wished  to  drag  his  son  and  all  his  family 
into  the  same  ruin.  For  this  purpose,  a  re- 
port was  spread  that  the  earl  of  Kildare  had 
been  beheaded  in  the  tower,  and  that  liis  son, 
the  deputy,  with  his  uncles  and  brothers, 
should  soon  undergo  a  similar  fate.  There 
were  even  letters  published  confirming  the 
report.  One  of  these  letters  having  acci- 
dentally fallen  into  the  hands  of  James  de  la 
Hide,  the  head  of  the  deputy's  council,  this 
favorite  made  him  form  an  alliance  with 
O'Neill,  O'Connor,  and  other  Irish  noble- 
men, in  order  to  strengthen  his  party,  and 
enable  him  to  await  the  event. 

It  may  be  readily  imagined  that  a  young 
nobleman  in  the  flower  of  youth,  could  easily 
be  led  on  the  one  side  by  a  passion,  which 
inspired  revenge  for  the  death  of  a  father  by 
whom  he  was  beloved  ;  and  on  the  other,  by 
apprehension  for  his  own  safety,  and  that  of 
his  whole  family,  who  were  to  be  sacrificed 
to  the  envy  of  their  enemies.  Filled  with 
these  ideas,  the  deputy  put  himself  at  the 
head  of  one  hundred  and  forty  horsemen, 
well  armed,  and  mounted.  With  these  he 
crossed  the  city  of  Dublin,  and  stopping  at 
the  abbey  of  Our  Lady,  where  the  council 
was  assembled,  he  posted  his  troops  around 
the  convent,  which  he  entered,  and  took  his' 
seat  among  the  council.  He  was  followed 
by  some  of  his  horsemen,  who  entered  the 
hall  in  a  tumultuous  manner,  making  a  great 
noise  ;  but  silence  being  ordered,  the  deputy 
addressed  the  meeting,  and  surrendered  the 
sword  of  justice,  and  other  attributes  of  his 
office ;  declaimed  strongly  against  the  injuries 
which  he  and  his  family  sustained,  notwith- 
standing the  important  services  they  had 
rendered  to  the  state ;  declared  that  the  sword 
no  longer  belonged  to  him  ;  that  he  was  no 
longer  the  king's  deputy,  but  his  open  enemy ; 
and  that  he  had  resolved  to  make  him  feel 
for  his  tyranny  and  cruelties.  He  then  pre- 
sented the  sword  to  Cromer,  the  chancellor. 
The  latter,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  used  every 
possible  argumentto  dissuade  the  vice-deputy 
from  an  enterprise,the  consequences  of  which 
might  prove  fatal  to  him  and  his  family  ;  and 
represented  to  him  that  the  name  of  a  king 
is  sacred,  while  that  of  a  rebel  was  odious. 
Fitzgerald  told  the  chancellor  in  reply,  that 
he  did  not  go  there  to  ask  his  advice  on  what 
he  should  do,  but  to  inform  him  of  his  inten- 
tions ;  and  then  withdrew  from  the  assembly, 
and  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  his  forces. 
Thomas  Fitzgerald  having  thus  raised  the 
standard  of  revolt,  proceeded  to  strengthen 
his  party.     He  was  first  joined  by  the  other 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


413 


branches  of  his  family,  who  were  numerous 
and  powerful ;  and  he  was  also  seconded  by- 
some  Irish  lords.  The  rebellion  was  now 
becoming  general,  particularly  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Dublin.  The  O'Tools  and  other 
Irish  seized  the  opportunity  of  plundering 
the  territory  of  Fingal,  which  was  con- 
sidered the  granary  of  the  city  ;  in  which 

I  they  were  encouraged  by  John  Burnel,  an 
English  gentleman,  who  was  favorable  to  the 
rebellion.  Being  loaded  with  booty,  they 
were  attacked  in  their  retreat  near  Kilmain- 
ham,  by  a  considerable  body  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Dublin,  who,  however,  were  soon 
put  to  flight,  leaving  eighty  men  dead  upon 
the  spot ;  the  rest  were  fortunate  to  effect 
their  escape  into  the  city. 

During  these  troubles  several  of  the  king's 
subjects  returned  to  England.  Others  sought 
an  asylum  in  the  castle  of  Dublin  ;  among 
v/hom  were  Allen,  archbishop  of  the  city, 
and  Finglasse,  chief  baron  of  the  exchequer.* 
Fitzgerald  wishing  to  profit  by  the  conster- 
nation which  prevailed  everywhere,  threat- 
ened to  besiege  the  citizens.  He  sent  orders 
to  them  to  remain  neuter  if  they  wished  to 
be  spared,  informing  them  that  he  only  in- 
tended to  lay  siege  to  the  castle.  Francis 
Herbert,  one  of  the  sheriffs,  was  immediately 
dispatched  to  England  to  inform  the  king  of 
the  rebellion  that  had  broken  out ;  while  the 
other  sheriff,  John  Fitzsimons,  undertook  to 
provide  the  castle  with  provisions,  and  all 
kinds  of  ammunition  necessary  to  maintain 
a  defence.  The  unfortunate  archbishop, 
alarmed  by  these  preparations,  and  dreading 
the  consequences  of  a  siege  commanded  by 
his  enemy,  resolved  to  escape  during  the 
night  through  one  of  the  city  gates,  being 
determined  to  cross  over  to  England  ;  but 
the  vessel  having  stranded  at  Clontarf,  on 
leaving  the  harbor,  he  was  obliged  to  retire 
to  a  village  called  Tartain,  where  he  was 
surprised  early  in  the  morning  by  Fitzgerald, 

j  his  two  uncles,  John  and  Oliver,  Sir  James 
de  la  Hide,  and  others  of  their  partisans. 
The  prelate  was  dragged  from  his  bed  with- 
out clothes,  shoes,  or  hat,  by  John  Teling 
and  Nicholas  Wafer.  Fitzgerald,  moved 
with  compassion,  said  to  them  in  the  Irish 
language,  "  Berwoem  a  boddagh" — that  is, 
"  Take  the  boor  out  of  my  presence," — inti- 
mating, apparently,  to  have  him  sent  to  prison. 
But  these  iniquitous  servants,  misinterpret- 
ing their  master's  orders,  dashed  the  arch- 
bishop's brains  out  in  his  presence.  Such 
was  the  tragical  end  of  this  prelate,  who  had 
been  the  principal  tool  made  use  of  by  Car- 

*  Ware,  de  Archiepisc.  Dubliniens. 


dinal  Wolsey,  some  time  before,  in  the  de- 
struction of  forty  monasteries  in  England. 
This  conduct  was  looked  upon,  according  to 
Godwin,  bishop  of  Hereford,  in  his  life  of 
Henry  VIII.,  as  the  Tolosan,  or  fatal  gold,* 
that  brought  misfortune  on  those  who  pos- 
sessed it.f  The  see  of  Dublin  was  occupied 
by  George  Brown  after  the  death  of  Allen. 

Thomas  Fitzgerald  did  not  lose  sight  of 
the  siege  he  had  projected.  He  first  made 
prisoners  of  the  baron  of  Howth,  and  Lut- 
trel,  chief-justice  of  the  court  of  common 
pleas,  whom  he  suspected  ;  and  then,  on  the 
faith  of  the  neutrality  which  the  inhabit- 
ants agreed  to  observe,  sent  Captains  James 
Field  of  Lusk,  Teling,  Wafer,  Broad,  Rouks, 
and  Purcel,  each  at  the  head  of  a  hundred 
men,  to  invest  the  castle.  This  little  army 
having  planted  some  pieces  of  cannon,  en- 
camped before  the  place. 

Thomas  having  given  his  orders  for  the 
siege,  turned  his  views  to  another  quarter. 
Being  desirous  of  gaining  over  young  Butler, 
his  cousin,  eldest  son  of  the  earl  of  Ossory, 
he  endeavored  by  his  correspondence  to  in- 
spire him  with  the  same  rebellious  opinions 
which  actuated  himself ;  but  this  young  no- 
bleman having  refused  to  enter  into  any  con- 
spiracy against  the  king,  Fitzgerald,  accom- 
panied by  O'Neill,  Sir  Richard  Walsh,  Bur- 
nel of  Bally-Griflin,  and  other  allies,  made 
an  incursion  into  the  county  of  Kilkenny, 
where  he  burned  and  laid  waste  the  country 
as  far  as  Thomas-town,  on  the  river  Nore. 
The  earl  of  Ossory  was  at  Jeripont  with  his 
forces  ;  and  while  they  were  consulting  upon 
what  plans  they  should  adopt,  they  were 
attacked  by  the  enemy,  and  put  to  flight. 
Young  Butler  was  wounded  in  this  engage- 
ment ;  and  had  only  time  to  retreat  to  Dun- 
more,  where  he  was  cured  of  his  wounds. 
The  conqueror  then  made  the  inhabitants  of 
the  English  province  take  an  oath  of  fidelity 
to  him,  and  confined  all  those  who  refused 
to  do  so,  in  his  castle  of  Maynooth. 

Fitzgerald,  desirous  of  procuring  foreign 
alliances,  had  recourse  to  Charles  V.,  and 
the  pope,  who  could  not  continue  friends  to 
Henry,  in  consequence  of  the  divorce  and 
schism. I     He  sentCharles  Reynolds,  arch- 

*  This  manner  of  e,\pression  is  derived  from  tlie 
ancient  Tectosages,  wiio,  being  enriclied  with  the 
spoils  of  the  temples  of  the  gods,  and  some  eastern 
nations,  returned  to  Toulouse,  which  was  their 
country.  They  were  afterwards  destroyed  by  a 
dreadful  plague,  which  lasted  till  they  had  thrown 
all  their  unjustly-acquired  treasures  into  a  lake. 

t  "  Which  matter,  (as  some  think,)  altnough 
Tolosan  gold,  brought  destruction  and  very  great 
calamities  upon  all  who  had  touched  it." 

\  Cox,  ibid. 


414 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


deacon  of  Kells,  and  Dominick  Poer,  as 
ambassadors  ;  the  former  to  Paul  III.,  and 
the  latter  to  the  emperor,  to  solicit  their  as- 
sistance. Poer  was  intrusted  with  a  present 
for  the  emperor,  which  consisted  of  twelve 
falcons,  and  fourteen  horses,  called  hobbies. 
This  embassy,  however,  was  of  no  avail. 

In  the  mean  time,  Herbert,  who  had  been 
dispatched  to  England  by  the  citizens  of 
DubUn,  to  inform  the  king  of  the  rebellion  in 
Ireland,  and  receive  his  commands  on  that 
subject,  i-eturned.  The  king  commissioned 
him  to  exhort  the  inhabitants  to  make  a 
vigorous  defence,  and  that  he  would  send 
them  immediate  assistance.  The  citizens 
hereupon  held  a  meeting  to  deliberate  on 
what  should  be  done  ;  and  it  was  determined 
by  the  greater  number  of  votes,  that  there 
was  no  obligation  to  keep  faith  with  a  traitor, 
and  that  the  treaty  made  with  Fitzgerald  was 
of  no  effect.  They  gave  orders,  therefore, 
to  have  the  gates  of  the  city  closed,  and  the 
besiegers  of  the  castle  arrested.  Captain 
Field,  who  commanded  the  siege,  being  in- 
formed of  their  design,  thought  only  of  saving 
his  army  ;  part  of  which  swam  across  the 
river,  but  the  rest  were  made  prisoners. 

Fitzgerald,  who  was  still  in  the  county  of 
Kilkenny,  on  receiving  an  account  of  what 
had  occurred  in  Dublin,  summoned  the  in- 
habitants of  the  English  province  to  join  him 
with  all  their  forces  near  Dublin.  Having 
arrived  within  a  short  distance  of  the  city,  he 
deputed  Doctor  Traverse,  Peter  Linch,  lord 
of  Knock,  in  the  county  of  Meath,  and  Oliver 
Grace,  to  complain  to  the  inhabitants  of  the 
infraction  of  the  treaty  which  had  been  con- 
cluded with  them,  and  to  demand  the  renew- 
al of  it,  or  at  least  that  they  would  set  the 
prisoners  at  liberty.  This  general  having 
received  an  answer  that  did  not  please  him, 
•began  the  attack  upon  the  castle,  on  the  side 
of  Sheep-street ;  but  being  unable  to  bear  the 
incessant  fire  from  within,  which  burned*the 
houses  around  him,  he  was  forced  to  change 
his  position.  He  caused  the  course  of  the 
river  which  supplied  the  city  with  water, 
to  be  turned,  lie  then  posted  himself  at 
Thomas-court,  where  he  pulled  down  the 
street,  and  constructed  a  gallery  to  shelter 
his  troops.  He  also  burned  the  new  street, 
and  planted  a  cannon  opposite  to  Newgate, 
which  did  considerable  damage.  Richard 
Staunton,  jailer  of  Newgate,  killed  several 
of  the  besiegers  from  the  loop-holes  in  that 
building.  But  as  the  besiegers,  wishing  to 
shorten  the  labor,  were  bringing  fagots  to 
set  fire  to  the  gate,  and  by  that  means  to 
effect  an  entrance  into  the  city,  the  besieged 
reported  in  the  enemy's  camp  that  a  large 


body  of  English  had  just  landed,  and  were 
going  to  make  a  general  sally.  This  the 
citizens  performed  with  such  vigor  that  the 
besiegers,  thinking  their  numbers  to  have 
been  increased,  dispersed  immediately,  leav- 
ing several  of  their  men  dead  upon  the  spot, 
and  abandoned  their  works.  The  general 
was  obliged  to  conceal  himself  in  the  Fran- 
ciscan convent,  in  Francis-street,  till  the 
next  day,  when  he  went  to  collect  the  re- 
mains of  his  army. 

The  earl  of  Kildare,  Thomas  Fitzgerald's 
father,  who  was  confined  in  the  tower  of 
London,  heard  of  the  excesses  which  his  son 
had  been  guilty  of  in  Ireland,  notwithstand- 
ing the  wise  counsels  he  had  given  him  at 
his  departure,  and  fell  into  such  a  state  of 
melancholy,  that  he  died  in  the  month  of 
September  of  this  year.  In  the  mean  time, 
his  son,  having  collected  his  forces,  which 
had  been  scattered  by  the  sally  of  the  be- 
sieged, still  pressed  the  city  of  Dublin  ;  but 
his  artillery  and  ammunition  failing  him,  he 
sent  James  de  la  Hide,  and  a  few  others,  to 
propose  terms  of  capitulation  to  the  citizens. 
The  conditions  and  hostages  having  been 
named  and  accepted  on  both  sides,  he  raised 
the  siege  ;  and  after  sending  his  artillery  to 
Howth,  he  proceeded  to  Maynooth,  to  see  if 
its  castle  were  in  a  state  of  defence. 

The  king  of  England  having  been  informed 
of  the  troubles  caused  by  the  rebellion  of  the 
Fitzgeralds,  appointed  Sir  William  Skeffing- 
ton  deputy  of  Ireland  for  the  second  time. 
All  those  who  had  filled  the  high  offij^es  of 
trust,  were  replaced  by  men  incapable  of 
encouraging  the  rebels.  John  Barnewall, 
baron  of  Tremlestown,  was  nominated  chan- 
cellor instead  of  Cromer,  archbishop  of  Ar- 
magh ;  Patrick  Finglasse,  lord-chief-justice 
of  the  king's  bench  ;  Thomas  Lutterel,  chief- 
justice  of  the  common  pleas  ;  Gerald  Ayl- 
mer,  chief  baron  of  the  exchequer  ;  and  Wil- 
liam Brabazon,  vice-treasurer.  The  above 
changes  having  been  effected  in  the  govern- 
ment, English  troops  were  sent  over.  The 
first  division,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty  men,  under  the  command  of  Musgrave 
and  the  two  Mamertons,  having  landed  at 
Howth,  were  attacked  on  the  road  to  Dublin, 
near  Clontarf,  by  Thomas  Fitzgerald,  at  the 
head  of  two  hundred  horse ;  he  killed  several 
of  them,  and  sent  the  rest  prisoners  to  the 
castle  of  Maynooth.  He  himself  was,  how- 
ever, wounded  in  the  conflict.  Captain 
Rouks,  his  pirate,  seized  on  their  transport 
vessels  at  Howth,  one  of  which  was  filled  with 
fine  English  saddle  horseS;  which  he  sent  to 
his  master.  The  Eglebees  and  Dacres  landed 
shortly  afterwards  at  Skerries,  in  the  territory 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


415 


of  Fingal,  with  a  body  of  cavalry.  Sir  Wil- 
liam Brerelon,  accompanied  by  his  son  John, 
also  arrived  in  Dublin  with  two  hundred  and 
fifty  soldiers,  and  was  followed  by  Captain 
Salisbury  with  two  hundred  archers. 

The  deputy,  Skeffington,  attended  by  Leo- 
nard Lord  Grey,  who  was  nominated  marshal 
of  Ireland,  landed  in  Dublin  in  October, 
provided  with  every  thing  necessary  to  carry 
on  the  war.  He  was  received  with  demon- 
strations of  joy  by  the  mayor  and  inhabitants. 
He  presented  them  with  letters  from  the 
king,  thanking  them  for  their  loyalty,  anS 
then  received  the  sword  of  justice  from  the 
chancellor.  Baron  Tremlestown.  He  imme- 
diately turned  all  his  thoughts  towards  pre- 
paring for  an  expedition  against  Thomas 
Fitzgerald,  who,  by  the  death  of  his  father, 
had  become  earl  of  Kildare.  He  caused  this 
nobleman  to  be  declared  a  traitor  to  the  king 
and  government;  but  was  forced,  from  indis- 
position, and  the  approach  of  winter,  to  put 
off  his  enterprise  against  him  till  spring  ;  and 
was  also  obliged  to  wait  for  further  assistance 
in  men  and  money  from  England,  as  Kildare 
had  just  renewed  his  alliance  with  O'Neill, 
O'Connor,  and  other  lords  of  the  country, 
and  was  still  master  of  six  fortified  places, 
well  provided  with  all  kinds  of  warlike  stores ; 
namely,  Maynooth,  Portlester,  Rathangan, 
Catherlagh,  Ley,  and  Athy,  from  which  they 
made  incursions,  during  the  winter,  on  the 
inhabitants  of  the  province. 

The  pope  was  well  aware  of  the  progress 
the  schism  was  making  in  England,  and  the 
attempt  (of  a  nature  hitherto  unheard  of 
among  Christians)  of  Henry  VIII.,  who  had 
declared  himself  head  of  the  English  church, 
both  spiritual  and  temporal.*  Francis  I. 
was  Henry's  friend,  and  was  interested  for 
him,  without,  however,  being  a  party  to  his 
madness.  He  solicited  the  pope,  at  the  inter- 
view he  had  with  him  at  Marseilles,  to  look 
favorably  upon  him,t  to  which  his  holiness 
seemed  inclined  ;  but  when  the  ambassadors 
of  Henry  were  called  on  to  adjust  the  diffi- 
culties that  existed,  it  appeared  that  they 
were  invested  with  no  specific  authority.  The 
surprise  of  Clement  and  Francis  I .  was  great. 
The  latter,  however,  who  felt  extreme  com- 
passion for  the  weaknesses  of  Henry,  begged 
of  the  pope  to  wait  the  return  of  a  courier 
whom  they  had  dispatched  to  England  to 
procure  the  power  necessary  for  acting.  The 
courier,  however,  brought  no  orders  to  the 
English  ambassadors  except  that  they  should 
inform  Clement,  that  neither  the  king  their 

*  Sander,  de  Schis.  Anglic,  lib.  1,  pp.  76,  77. 
Baker,  Chron.  page  280. 

t  Le  Grand,  Hist,  du  Divorce,  page  2G6,  et  seq. 


master,  nor  the  archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
would  acknowledge  him  to  be  their  judge, 
and  that  they  would  appeal  to  a  future  coun- 
cil for  what  had  been  already  done.  This 
order  was  highly  displeasing  to  Francis  I., 
who  complained  of  it  to  the  English  ambas- 
sadors ;  and  told  them,  that  notwithstanding 
the  entreaties  of  their  master  to  him  to  un- 
dertake to  arrange  the  matter  amicably,  he 
clearly  saw  that  he  was  opposed  to  any 
arrangement.  The  French  monarch,  how- 
ever, did  not  yet  abandon  hope  ;  he  still  en-  i 
deavored  to  renew  the  iicgotiation  between 
the  pope  and  Henry,  for  which  purpose  he 
sent  Du  Bellay,  bishop  of  Paris,  to  England, 
in  December,  invested  with  full  powers. 
Upon  his  being  admitted  to  an  audience  in 
London,  it  was  strongly  debated  whether  the 
proposal  for  renewing  the  negotiation  with 
Clement  should  be  accepted, or  all  intercourse 
with  the  holy  see  broken  off.  The  prelate, 
however,  having  proposed  to  go  to  Rome, 
to  negotiate  the  matter  himself,  the  former 
plan  was  adopted.  On  his  arrival  there,  he 
settled  every  thing  to  Henry's  advantage  ; 
but  this  prince,  who  was  incapable  of  acting 
honorably,  only  renewed  his  complaints 
against  Francis,  because  he  would  not,  like 
himself,  break  with  the  pope.  Shortly  after- 
wards, the  bishop  of  Paris  sent  a  list  of  the 
cardinals  whom  he  thought  he  had  gained 
over  to  Henry's  favor ;  and  the  agents  of 
the  emperor  and  queen  Catharine,  as  well  as 
those  of  France  and  England,  peremptorily 
demanding  the  trial  of  this  celebrated  suit, 
the  pope  could  no  longer  defer  it. 

On  Monday,  the  23d  of  March,  his  holi- 
ness held  a  consistory,  at  which  twenty-two 
cardinals  were  present.*  The  divorce  ques- 
tion having  been  proposed,  it  was  under 
discussion  for  a  very  short  time  only  ;  every 
member,  with  the  exception  of  Trivolce, 
Rodolphi,  and  Pesani,  being  of  opinion,  that 
the  king  of  England  should  be  obliged  to 
take  back  Catherine,  and  to  keep  her  as  his 
lawful  wife.  The  different  opinions  being 
then  collected,  the  sentence  was  pronounced, 
by  which  the  pope  decided  that  having  heard 
the  report  of  James  Simoneta,  bishop  of 
Pisaro,  auditor  of  the  sacred  palace,  and 
deputy  of  Paul  Capisucchi,  who  was  then 
absent,  he,  with  the  advice  of  the  cardinals, 
condemned  the  proceedings  of  Henry  as  null 
and  unjust,  and  commanded  him  to  take 
back  his  wife  Catherine,  to  live  with  her, 
declaring  his  marriage  to  be  good  and  valid, 
and  the  children  of  such  marriage  to  be  le- 
gitimate.    The  pope  forbid  him  also  to  con- 

*  Le  Grand,  Hist,  du  Divorce,  page  237. 


416 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


tinue  the  separation  longer,  and  condemned 
him  to  pay  all  the  costs  of  the  suit. 

It  much  afflicted  the  pope  to  have  been 
forced  to  pronounce  so  absolute  a  sentence 
as  the  above.  He  expressed  a  desire  to  do 
every  thing  in  his  power  to  satisfy  the  king 
of  England ;  and  it  was  his  wish  not  to 
grant  the  decision  before  Easter,  though  he 
had  been  required  to  do  so  without  delay, 
by  many  of  the  cardinals.  Clement  found 
himself  in  the  greatest  dilemma ;  he  could 
not  deny  justice  to  Catherine,  without 
giving  scandal  to  the  whole  of  Christendom  ; 
and  by  condemning  Henry,  England  must 
be  lost  to  the  church.  He  deferred,  there- 
fore, as  long  as  he  was  able,  coming  to  any 
decision  upon  this  celebrated  suit.  When 
the  sentence  was  pronounced,  he  spent  the 
night  in  company  with  several  divines,  delib- 
erating on  what  was  best  to  be  done  in  the 
unhappy  conjuncture  ;  but  Henry's  wicked 
disposition,  which  would  not  admit  of  any 
control,  was  stronger  than  the  good- will  of 
the  pope.  It  is  true,  says  Le  Grand,  that 
two  days  subsequent  to  the  decision,  a  cou- 
rier arrived,  who  declared  that  the  king 
would  submit  to  every  thing  ;  but  it  is  diffi- 
cult, he  continues,  to  ascertain  what  were 
the  powers  with  which  he  had  been  intrusted, 
or  on  what  conditions  Henry  would  resume 
his  obedience  to  the  church.  It  is  even 
probable,  adds  our  author,  that  he  only 
made  these  advances  in  consequence  of  let- 
ters of  the  bishop  of  Paris,  who  might  have 
written  to  him  as  he  did  to  Francis  I.,  that 
he  had  gained  over  many  of  the  cardinals, 
and  that  most  of  those  in  the  consistory 
would  be  favorable  to  his  views,  which 
proved  to  be  erroneous.  He  therefore 
would  have  thought  that  he  incurred  no  risk 
by  submitting  to  every  thing,  when  he  ex- 
pected that  all  would  be  in  his  favor.  We 
discover  here  the  injustice  of  the  opinion 
generally  entertained  of  Clement  VII.,  who 
is  accused  of  having  been  too  hasty  in  pro- 
nouncing the  sentence  which  separated 
Henry  from  the  church ;  while,  in  fact,  the 
moderation  of  the  pope  on  the  occasion  is 
well  known.  The  suit  had  been  continued 
during  five  years  ;  and  the  decision  was  de- 
ferred as  long  as  possible,  the  pope  hoping 
that  time  would  moderate  the  king's  passion. 
He  even  proposed  to  queen  Catherine  to 
enter  upon  a  religious  life,  in  order  to  ter- 
minate the  difference  amicably. 

The  English  parliament  passed  two  acts 
at  this  time  ;  one  to  confirm  the  divorce, 
and  declare  the  princess  Mary  illegitimate, 
and  to  establish  the  succession  to  the  throne 
in  the  person  of  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Anne 


Bullen  ;  the  other  to  confirm  the  king  in  the 
title  of  supreme  head  of  the  English  church, 
and  to  abolish  the  pope's  authority  in  Eng- 
land.* 

While  the  parliament  labored  to  secure 
to  the  posterity  of  Anne  Bullen  the  right  of 
succeeding  to  the  throne,  proceedings  were 
going  on  in  Rome  against  the  king  of  England. 
The  strength  of  the  faction  in  favor  of  Spain, 
the  justice  of  Catherine's  cause,  the  wicked 
conduct  of  Henry,  and  the  continued  remon- 
strances of  the  cardinals,  at  length  forced 
the  pope  to  issue  a  bull  of  excommunication 
against  Henry  and  Anne  Bullen,  unless  they 
made  their  appearance  in  the  end  of  Sep- 
tember, and  put  an  end  to  the  scandal  they 
had  given ;  but  the  heart  of  Pharaoh  was 
hardened,  and  his  conscience  calmed  by  the 
laws  which  his  parliament  had  enacted  in 
his  favor. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  world  deplored 
the  fate  of  the  two  men  in  England  most  illus- 
trious for  their  learning  and  piety,  Thomas 
More,  lord-chancellor,  and  Fisher,  bishop  of 
Rochester.  Burnet  himself  bewails  their 
death,  and  considers  their  tragical  end  as  a 
stain  upon  the  life  of  Henry.  They  were 
the  two  most  distinguished  victims  of  the  new 
ecclesiastical  supremacy.  When  More  was 
urged  to  acknowledge  it,  he  made  the  follow- 
ing noble  reply :  "  That  were  he  alone 
against  the  whole  parliament,  he  would  have 
a  diffidence  in  himself ;  but  now,  though  the 
grand  council  of  England  were  opposed  to 
him,  the  whole  church,  that  great  council  of 
Christians,  was  in  his  favor."  Fisher's  end 
was  no  less  edifying,  or  less  Christian-like. 
This  was  the  commencement  of  the  persecu- 
tion, carried  on  alike  against  Catholic  and 
Protestant,  and  Henry  became  the  most 
cruel  of  princes,  from  the  time  he  assumed 
the  supremacy  of  the  church.  It  does  not 
appear,  says  Burnet,  that  he  was  naturally 
prone  to  cruelty. f  He  reigned,  according 
to  this  writer,  for  twenty-five  years,  without 
condemning  any  one  for  capital  crimes,  ex- 
cept two  men  for  whose  punishment  he  can- 
not be  reproached ;  while  in  the  latter  end 
of  his  reign  he  set  no  bounds  to  his  cruelty. 
So  that  Henry,  who  had  previously  been  ex- 
empt from  such  disorders,  did  not  give  him- 
self up  to  them,  according  to  Burnet,  till  the 
last  ten  years  of  his  life,  that  is,  immediately 
after  his  divorce,  his  open  rupture  with  the 
church,  and  his  unprecedented  usurpation 
of  ecclesiastical  supremacy. 

*  Sander,  de  Schis.  Ang.  lib.  1,  c.  88.  Baker's 
Cliron.  p.  281.  Heylin's  History  of  the  Revolution, 
page  179. 

t  Book  3,  page  183. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


417 


CHAPTER  XXXYl. 

The  earl  of  Kildare  having  put  his  fortifi- 
cations into  a  state  of  defence,  particularly 
the  castle  of  Maynooth,  marched  with  his 
army  towards  Connaught  to  collect  the 
troops  which  he  was  to  have  been  provided 
with  by  O'Connor  and  his  other  allies,  a.  d. 
1535.*  Skeffington  the  deputy,  taking  ad- 
vantage of  the  earl's  absence,  surrounded 
the  castle  of  Maynooth  on  the  1 5th  of  March. 
Sir  William  Brereton  summoned  the  garrison 
to  surrender  on  advantageous  terms  ;  but  as 
these  wore  not  accepted,  he  endeavored 
to  effect  a  breach.  His  cannon,  however, 
did  but  little  execution  during  fifteen  days, 
and  the  castle  would  probably  have  held  out 
till  the  arrival  of  Kildare,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  treachery  of  the  governor.  Kildare 
had  confided  the  command  of  the  garrison 
during  his  absence,  to  his  foster-brother 
Christopher  Parese.  This  traitor,  actuated 
by  avarice,  and  the  desire  of  establishing  his 
fortune  on  his  master's  downfall,  wrote 
secretly  to  the  deputy,  and  proposed  to  give 
up  the  castle  for  a  stipulated  sum  of  money. 
The  deputy  joyfully  acceded  to  the  proposal. 
They  only  waited  for  a  favorable  opportu- 
nity to  carry  it  into  effect,  which  soon  pre- 
sented itself;  the  garrison  having  gained 
some  advantages  in  a  sally  against  the  be- 
siegers, Parese  orderedthat  rejoicings  should 
take  place,  and  while  the  sentinels  lay  in- 
toxicated and  asleep,  the  commander  gave 
the  signal  to  the  English,  who  scaled  the 
walls,  and,  almost  without  resistance,  made 
themselves  masters  of  the  castle,  in  which 
they  found  an  immense  booty. 

The  deputy  entered  the  place  triumphant- 
ly. Parese  appeared  before  him,  thinking 
that  he  would  soon  be  well  rewarded  for  his 
perfidy. t  The  deputy  applauded  highly  the 
signal  benefit  the  traitor  had  rendered  to  the 
state.  He  added,  that  if  the  king  were  in- 
formed of  it  he  would  not  fail  to  acknowledge 
so  important  a  service,  and  in  order  to  en- 
able the  monarch  to  reward  him  as  he  ought, 
for  the  sacrifice  he  had  made  of  the  earl  of 
Kildare's  protection,  he  required  to  know  in 
what  the  favors  of  that  nobleman  consisted. 
Parese,  who  thought  his  fortune  was  already 
made,  informed  him  minutely  of  the  earl's 
generous  liberality  to  him.  •'  How  then, 
Parese,"  replied  the  deputy,  "  could  you 
have  betrayed  so  good  a  master?"  Then 
turning  to  his  officers,  he  ordered  them  to 

*  War.  de  Annal.  Hib.  cap.  27. 
t  Cox,  ibid,  pages  239,  240. 


pay  the  sum  agreed  upon  ;  but  as  there  was 
no  mention  made  of  life  in  the  compact  be- 
tween them,  he  ordered  him  to  be  beheaded. 
"  Had  I  known  that,  my  lord,"  said  Parese, 
"  you  would  not  have  had  the  castle  on  such 
cheap  terms."  One  Boyse,  who  was  present, 
replied  in  Irish,  '■'■  Anantra^''  that  is,  "  too 
late  ;"  which  gave  rise  to  the  proverb  among 
the  natives,  "  It  is  too  late,  says  Boyse." 

Skeflfington  having  placed  a  garrison  in 
the  castle  of  Maynooth,  returned  to  Dublin. 
At  this  time  Kildare  was  on  his  march  with 
seven  thousand  men,  intending  to  raise  the 
siege,  but  having  received  intelligence  on  the 
way,  that  the  castle  had  surrendered,  he  was 
abandoned  by  part  of  his  army.  He,  how- 
ever, continued  his  march  with  the  rest  to- 
wards Clane,  in  the  county  of  Kildare.  The 
deputy  having  received  intelligence  of  his 
march,  gave  the  command  of  Dublin  to 
Brereton,  and  set  out  for  Naas.  Both  armies 
were  separated  by  a  bog,  and  the  cavalry 
being  unable  to  act,  the  deputy,  who  was 
strong  in  artillery,  easily  dispersed  the  earl's 
army,  which  was  but  poorly  provided  with 
it.  He  then  forced  Rathangan  and  other 
places  to  surrender.  After  these  losses,  the 
earl  of  Kildare  no  longer  found  himself  at 
the  head  of  a  strong  force.  He  was,  in  fact, 
reduced  to  the  rank  of  a  ring-leader,  and 
obliged,  in  order  to  support  himself,  to  keep 
up  a  petty  warfare.  He  sent  a  herd  of  cattle 
one  morning  within  sight  of  Rathangan, 
where  there  was  an  English  garrison  :  the 
English  seeing  a  favorable  opportunity  of 
obtaining  booty,  went  out  in  crowds,  without 
perceiving  that  the  earl  and  his  forces  were 
lying  in  ambush  ;  they  fell  into  the  snare  ; 
the  earl  cut  off  their  retreat,  and  killed 
several  of  their  men.  He  repeated  this  stra- 
tagem at  Trim,  in  the  county  Meath,  by 
which  means  he  drew  out  the  garrison  there 
also,  and  put  them  to  the  sword. 

On  the  11th  of  May,  in  this  year, 
Lord  James  Butler  was  created  discount 
Thurles,  and  grand-admiral  of  Ireland  ;*  and 
a  few  days  afterwards,  his  father,  the  earl  of 
Ossory,  and  he,  were  nominated  governors 
of  the  counties  of  Kilkenny,  Waterford,  and 
Tipperary,  and  the  districts  of  Ossory  and 
Ormond,  on  condition  of  their  endeavoring 
to  retake  the  castle  of  Dungarvan,  and  vigor- 
ously resisting  the  usurpations  of  the  bishop 
of  Rome.  According  to  Cox,"|"  this  was  the 
first  instance  of  an  engagement  of  this  kind 
to  be  met  with  in  the  history  of  Ireland. 
Leonard  Lord  Grey  was  also  created  at  this 

*  Cox,  Hist,  of  Irel.  page  240. 
t  Ibid,  page  240. 


418 


IirSTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


time  Viscount  Crane.  In  the  month  of  Sep- 
tember followino;,  Tliomas  Eustace  was  made 
baron  of  Kik-uUcn,  and  Sir  Richard  Power, 
or  le  Poor,  baron  of  Croghmore.  The 
former  was  subsequently  created  A'iscount 
Baltinglass. 

Lord  Grey,  who  had  been  sent  to  England 
for  assistance,  returned  at  this  time  to  Ireland 
with  a  reinforcement  of  cavalry  and  archers, 
under  the  command  of  Sir  William   Senlo, 
Sir  Rice  Mansel,  and  Sir  Edward  Griffith. 
j  It  appears  by  a  letter  written  at  the  time  to 
Lord  Cromwell, by  Aylmer,  chief-justice,  and 
'■'  Allen,  master  of  the  rolls,  that  they  found 
1 1  the  state  of  affairs  in  Ireland  to  be  very  un- 
ii  promising;  that  six  of  the  eight  baronies  in 
jj  the  county  of  Kildare  had  been  laid  waste 
jl  and  burned,  with  a  part  of  the  county  of 
Meath ;  that  Powerscourt,  the  building  of 
jl  which  had  cost  five  thousand  marks,  had 
j  been  destroyed  by  the  O'Byrnes  and  O'Tools ; 
!j  that    Fitzgerald    had    retaken    Rathangan, 
through    the    treachery  of   the    sentinels: 
]j  though  having  been  obliged  to  abandon  the 
11  place  on  the  approach  of  the  army,  he  would 
]j  have  been  surprised  if  the  deputy  had  used 
i|  the  necessary  precautions  ;  that  O'AIorra, 
;  I  who  had  joined  .the  English,  had  posted  his 
j!  troops  and    those  of   the    king    so  advan- 
i'  tageously,  that  the  rebels  were  surrounded, 
and  Fitzgerald  never  could  have  escaped, 
had  not  an  English  cohort  given  way ;  that 
the  plague  was   depopulating  Dublin  ;  that 
Charles  O'Connor  had  been  provided  with 
troops  in  the  king's  pay  against  his  brother  ; 
that  the  deputy  was  sick  and  unable  to  de- 
fend the  castle  of  Maynooth  ;  that  no  confi- 
dence coidd  be  placed  in  O'Neill,  as  he  had 
given  no  hostages,  this  remark  referring  to 
a  treaty  concluded  some  time  afterwards  at 
Drogheda,  between  Conn  O'Neill  and  the 
deputy.     This  letter  concludes  with  warm 
praises  of   William    Brabazon,    and    Lord 
Grey,  whom  they  demanded  as  their  deputy 
with  orders  to  convene  a  parliament. 

In  the  mean  time  the  deputy  having  learn- 
ed that  Kildare  had  withdrawn  into  Mun- 
ster,  sent  Lord  Grey,  Sir  William  Brereton, 
and  others,  in  pursuit  of  him,  and  after  some 
j  I  unavailing  skirmishes,Brereton's  advice,  and 
1 1  the  necessity  of  the  affairs  of  Kildare  pro- 
;I  duced  a  conference,  in  which  that  nobleman 
ii  surrendered  to  Lord  Grey,  on  condition  of 
1 1  being  pardoned.     It  is  said  that  he  promised 
I;  him  a  general  pardon.     However  this  be, 
|i  Fitzgerald  was  brought  to  Dublin,  and  sent 
!to  England,  where,  notwithstanding  the  let- 
ij  ters  of  recommendation  with  which  he  was 
Ii  provided  to  the  king,  he  was  arrested  and 
;   confined  in  the  tower,  where  he  remained 
till  the  time  of  his  execution. 


Stephen  Ap  Henry,  Lord  Grey's  favorite, 
wrote  about  this  time  to  Thomas  Cromwell, 
secretary  of  state,  informing  him  that  Lord 
Leonard  Grey  had  gone  to  England  with 
Fitzgerald ;  that  Lord  James  Butler  had 
marched  towards  Clonmel,  where  he  had 
been  joined  by  his  brother-in-law,  Garrett 
M'Shane,  who  could  not  speak  English  ; 
that  they  had  advanced  together  to  Dungar- 
van,  which  surrendered  on  their  approach, 
from  whence  they  set  out  for  Youghal,  and 
from  that  place  to  Cork,  where  they  received 
the  complaints  of  Barry  against  Cormac- 
Ogue  of  Muskerry,  and  M'Carty  Riagh. 
The  complaints  alluded  to  set  forth,  that 
these  noblemen  having  regained  by  force  of 
arms  part  of  the  estates  which  had  been 
usurped  by  the  Barrys  from  their  ancestors 
in  the  twelfth  century,  M'Carty  Muskerry,  a 
peaceful  man,  wished  to  submit  to  the  de- 
cision of  government,  while  M'Carty  Riagh 
answered,  that  with  the  sword  he  would 
preserve  what  he  had  gained  by  the  sword. 
The  letter  concludes  with  observing,  that 
Butler  and  his  brother-in-law  had  continued 
their  march  through  Mallow  and  Kilmallock, 
as  far  as  Limerick,  where  the  son  of  O'Brien, 
brother-in-law  to  Butler,  applied  to  him  for 
assistance  against  his  father  and  uncle,  in 
the  siege  of  Carrigogonell ;  but  Butler  being 
unprovided  with  artillery,  could  undertake 
nothing  for  him,  and  returned  to  Clonmel, 
through  Cashel. 

Skeffington,  the  deputy,  having  requested 
permission  from  the  court  to  return  to  Eng- 
land, on  account  of  his  great  age  and  infir- 
mities, the  king's  answer  was  sent  to  him,  in 
which  thanks  were  given  him  for  the  taking 
of  the  earl  of  Kildare.  The  king  told  him 
also  to  continue  in  the  government  of  Ire- 
land, and  gave  orders  to  convene  a  parlia- 
ment ;  but  the  deputy  died  in  the  end  of 
December,  at  Kilmainham,  and  was  interred 
in  the  cathedral  church  of  St.  Patrick,  in 
Dublin.  Lord  Grey  was  immediately  ap- 
pointed by  the  council  to  succeed  him,  which 
nomination  was  confirmed  by  the  king,  with 
the  title  of  deputy,  under  Henry,  duke  of 
Richmond,  lieutenant  of  Ireland. 

Every  thing  was  now  in  confusion  in  Eng- 
land. The  martyrdom  of  Fisher  and  More, 
and  many  other  sangidnary  executions,  filled 
every  mind  with  horror.  The  people  all 
took  the  oath  acknowledging  Henry's  supre- 
macy, no  one  daring  to  oppose  it.  His 
power  over  the  church  of  England  was  es- 
tablished by  several  parliamentary  statutes  ;* 
and  his  first  act  was  to  confer  on  Cromwell 
the  title  of  his  spiritual  vicar-general.  Crom- 

*  Sander,  de  Scliis.  Angl.  lib.  1,  page  124. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


419 


well  was  the  son  of  a  blacksmith.  Having 
taken  a  dislike  to  the  trade  of  shearer,  which 
he  had  learned,  he  ran  away  from  his  master, 
enlisted  as  a  soldier,  and  was  present  at  the 
sacking  of  Rome.  He  afterwards  returned 
to  England,  and  entered  the  service  of  Car- 
dinal Wolsey,  who  preferred  him  to  his  other 
servants,  and  reposed  confidence  in  him. 
When  Cromwell  became  a  member  of  par- 
liament, he  testified  his  gratitude  by  sup- 
porting his  master's  interests,  and  defending 
him  in  his  misfortunes,  by  which  firmness  he 
acquired  the  esteem  of  the  king.  Having  thus 
advanced  himself  at  court,  he  made  Henry's 
inclinations  his  whole  study,  in  order  to  flat- 
ter him  in  every  thing.  Discovering  that  this 
prince  was  very  ambitious,  and  that  his  reve- 
nues were  not  sufficient  for  his  expenses,  he 
advised  him  to  take  possession  of  the  reve- 
nues of  the  religious  houses.  This  advice 
was  highly  gratifying  to  the  cupidity  of 
Henry,  who  thought  that  he  who  had  given 
it  would  be  the  fittest  person  to  carry  it  into 
execution.  For  this  purpose  he  created 
Cromwell  inspector-general  of  all  the  con- 
vents and  religious  houses  in  England  ;  in 
which  quality,  notwithstanding  that  he  was 
an  ignorant  layman,  he  was  to  preside  at  all 
the  assemblies  of  the  clergy,  and  to  be  made 
acquainted  with  all  matters  of  an  ecclesias- 
tical kind.'  Gi'omwell  was  a  Zuinglian,  or 
at  least  a  Lutheran  :  Cranmer  belonged  to 
the  same  party  ;  he  was  the  intimate  friend 
of  Cromwell,  and  both  acted  in  perfect  ac- 
cordance. The  marchioness  of  Pembroke 
supported  them  with  all  her  influence  ;  and 
in  order  to  increase  the  party,  she  procured 
the  bishoprics  of  Salisbury  and  Winchester 
for  Schaxton  and  Latimer,  her  almoners, 
who  were  secretly  Protestants. 

Cranmer  paid  his  archiepiscopal  visit  to 
his  province,  with  the  royal  permission. 
They  now  began  to  use  the  king's  authority 
in  all  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction,  in  order  to 
establish  his  spiritual  supremacy.  The 
archbishop  of  Canterbury's  first  act  was  to 
place  the  church  under  his  yoke,  and  submit 
to  an  earthly  king  that  power  which  she  had 
received  from  God. 

Cromwell-  also  paid  a  visit  to  his  own 
diocese.*  These  visitations  were  followed 
by  the  suppression  of  three  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-six monasteries,  the  lands  and  revenues 
of  which  were  granted  to  the  king  by  an  act 
of  parliament.  All  good  men  exclaimed 
against  this  sacrilegious  depredation  of  the 
property  dedicated  to  God.  This  was  one 
of  the  first  effects  of  Henry's  supremacy, 

«  Baker's  Chron.  page  283. 


who  made  himself  head  of  the  church  to 
plunder  it  with  impunity. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1536,  the 
five  uncles  of  the  young  earl  of  Kildare, 
who  was  then  a  prisoner  in  the  tower, — 
namely,  James,  Oliver,  Richard,  John,  and 
Walter,  who  were  still  under  arms,  surren- 
dered to  Lord  Grey,  the  deputy,  by  whom 
they  were  sent  prisoners  to  London.*  After 
having  sailed,  they  asked  the  captain  the 
name  of  the  vessel  in  which  they  were  ; 
and  learning  that  it  was  called  The  Cow, 
they  lost  their  courage,  on  account  of  an  an- 
cient prophecy,  which  foretold  that  the  five 
sons  of  an  earl  should  be  carried  to  England 
in  the  belly  of  a  cow,  and  that  they  would 
never  return.  This  prophecy  proved  true  ; 
inasmuch  as  the  earl  of  Kildare  and  his 
uncles  were  tried,  convicted  of  high  treason, 
and  executed  at  Tyburn.  In  the  mean  time, 
James  de  la  Hide,  one  of  the  first  counsellors 
of  Thomas  Fitzgerald,  earl  of  Kildare,  sought 
safety  in  Scotland,  where  he  died. 

The  race  of  Kildare  was  not  yet  extinct. 
One  of  its  members  still  remained,  who  re- 
stored this  illustrious  house.  Gerald,  brother 
to  Thomas,  aged  thirteen  years,  was  sick  of 
the  emall-pox  at  Donoare,  in  the  county  of 
Kildare,  at  the  time  his  uncles  had  surren- 
dered. This  young  nobleman  was  under  the 
guardianship  of  Thomas  Leverous,  after- 
wards bishop  of  Kildare  ;  who  had  him  re- 
moved to  Off"aly,  from  which  he  brought 
him  to  Thuomond,  and  thence  to  Kilbritton, 
in  the  county  of  Cork,  to  his  aunt,  Eleanor 
Fitzgerald,  widow  of  M'Carty  Riagh.  She 
loved  her  young  nephew  tenderly,  and  had 
him  sent  privately  to  France,  having  given 
him  one  hundred  and  forty  pieces  of  gold  to 
defray  his  expenses.  On  arriving  at  St. 
Malo,  he  was  taken  to  Paris,  where,  how- 
ever, he  was  not  long  permitted  to  remain. 
The  English  ambassador  demanded  that  he 
should  be  given  up,  in  virtue  of  the  peace 
which  had  been  just  concluded  between 
France  and  England  ;  but  the  king,  having 
delayed  giving  his  answer  for  some  time, 
afforded  Fitzgerald  an  opportunity  to  with- 
draw to  Flanders,  whither  the  ambassador 
dispatched  James  Sherlock  in  pursuit  of  him. 
The  latter  being  arrested  at  Valenciennes 
by  the  governor,  Fitzgerald  had  again  time 
to  reach  Brussels  ;  where,  however,  he  was 
not  more  secure.  From  Brussels  he  went 
to  Liege.  He  was  recommended  to  the 
bishop  of  that  city  by  the  emperor,  who  as- 
signed him  one  hundred  crowns  a  month  for 
his  support.     Six  months  after  this,  he  was 

*  Ware  de  Annal.  Hib.  cap.  28. 


420 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


brought  to  Rome  by  Cardinal  Pole  ;  and 
after  spending  a  few  years  with  the  bishop 
of  Verona,  and  the  Cardinals  De  Mantua 
and  Pole,  and  other  Italian  noblemen,  he 
undertook  his  pilgrimages  in  the  order  of 
Malta,  and  became  conmiander  of  the  grand 
duke  of  Tuscany's  cavalry.  lie  remained  in 
his  service  till  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.,  who 
restored  him  to  the  possessions  of  his  ances- 
tors ;  and  he  was  reinstated,  two  years  after 
this,  in  his  titles  of  honor  by  Queen  Mary. 

Great  anarchy  prevailed  in  the  family  of 
the  Fitzgeralds  of  Munster,  respecting  the 
succession  to  the  title  and  estates  of  the 
house  of  Desmond.*  On  the  death  of  James 
Fitzmaurice,  Thomas  Moel,  or  the  Bald,  his 
grand-uncle,  third  son  of  him  who  was  be- 
headed at  Drogheda,  was  declared  earl  of 
Desmond.  He  married  the  daughter  of 
M'Carty  of  Muskry,  by  whom  he  had  a  son 
called  Maurice  Fitzthomas,  who  died  before 
his  father,  leaving  a  son  called  James  Fitz- 
maurice. Thomas  having  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years,  James  Fitzmaurice,  who  was  at 
that  time  page  to  Henry  VIII.,  asked  permis- 
sion from  the  king  to  return  to  Ireland,  which 
he  readily  obtained.  The  king,  who  was 
much  attached  to  this  young  nobleman,  sent 
a  certain  number  of  soldiers  with  him,  as  a 
guard  of  honor,  and  also  to  support  him 
against  those  who  might  dispute  his  right. 
He  landed  in  Cork,  and  passing  through  the 
territory  of  Fermoy,  on  his  way  to  Limerick, 
he  was  surprised  in  an  ambuscade  which  had 
been  laid  for  him  by  his  relative  Maurice 
Fitzgerald,  and  was  unfortunately  killed. 
This  cruel  act  was  the  first  step  towards  the 
downfall  of  this  illustrious  house.  Maurice, 
who  had  been  the  cause  of  the  death  of  his 
relative,  was  second  son  of  John  of  Desmond, 
who  was  brother  to  Thomas  the  Bald,  and 
fourth  son  of  the  earl  that  was  beheaded  at 
Drogheda.  Maurice  having  made  some  in- 
cursions upon  the  lands  of  Muskry,  was 
pursued  by  Dermod,  son  of  Teig  M'Carty, 
lord  of  Muskry,  his  father-in-law,  who  took 
him  prisoner.  He  was  afterwards  killed  by 
four  horsemen,  who  had  been  left  to  guard 
him  while  M'Carty  went  in  pursuit  of  the 
fugitives.  John  of  Desmond,  father  to  Mau- 
rice, was  acknowledged  earl  of  Desmond, 
but  did  not  long  enjoy  the  title  :  he  left  sev- 
eral children,  who  all  fell,  as  well  as  their 
sons,  in  the  last  war  of  Earl  Garret,  except 
Maurice  Fitzjohn,  who  died  in  Spain. 

Thomas  Brown,  a  friar  of  the  order  of  St. 
Augustin,  and  provincial  of  that  order  in 
England,  having  been  appointed  in  1535  to 

*  Relat.  Geraldinoriim. 


the  archbishopric  of  Dublin,  was  consecrated 
by  Thomas  Cranmer,  archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, assisted  by  the  bishops  of  Rochester 
and  Salisbury.*  'His  doctrine  was  suspected 
previous  to  his  promotion.  On  his  arrival 
in  Dublin,  he  had  the  images  and  relics  of 
the  saints  removed  from  the  two  cathedrals 
of  the  city,  and  other  churches  in  the  diocese. 
He  was  the  first  who  embraced  the  Protest- 
ant religion  among  the  clergy  of  Ireland.  It 
appears  by  his  letter  to  Cromwell,  that  he 
was  one  of  the  commissioners  appointed  by 
Henry  VIII.  to  supersede  the  pope's  autho- 
rity in  that  kingdom,  and  to  establish  the 
ecclesiastical  supremacy  of  the  king.  The 
letter  of  this  prelate  to  the  vicar-general, 
quoted  by  Cox,  is  as  follows  :t 

"  My  Lord — Having,  as  one  of  the  com- 
missioners of  his  highness,  received  your 
commands,  I  have  endeavored,  even  at  the 
hazard  pf  my  life,  to  reduce  the  nobility  in 
this  country  to  obedience,  by  acknowledging 
his  highness  as  supreme  both  in  spiritual 
and  temporal  affairs  ;  but  I  experience  many 
difficulties,  particularly  from  my  brother  of 
Armagh,  who  has  gained  over  the  suffragans 
and  clergy  under  his  jurisdiction.  He  has 
preached  to  them,  and  has  cursed  those  who 
shall  acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  his 
highness  ;  -affirming  that  Ireland  being,  ac- 
cording to  the  chronicles  of  the  country,  a 
holy  island,  it  belongs  ordy  to  the  church  of 
Rome,  the  former  pontiffs  of  which  granted 
it  to  the  ancestors  of  the  king."  He  adds, 
that  the  archbishop  and  clergy  of  Armagh 
had  already  sent  two  messengers  to  the  pope ; 
that  it  was  essential  to  inform  his  highness 
of  the  necessity  of  convening  a  parliament 
in  the  country,  to  have  the  act  of  supremacy 
passed,  as  little  regard  was  paid  to  the  com- 
mission sent  in  the  name  of  his  highness  ; 
and  concludes  by  observing,  that  he  feared 
O'Neill  had  received  orders  from  the  bishop 
of  Rome  to  oppose  the  authority  of  his  high- 
ness, as  very  many  among  the  inhabitants 
of  the  country  were  attached  to  his  party.   , 

It  appears  that  this  letter  made  some  im- 
pression on  the  court  of  London,  as  the 
king  gave  orders  to  convene  a  parliament  in 
the  month  of  May,  which  was  adjourned  to 
Kilkenny,  thence  to  Cashel,  afterwards  to 
Limerick,  and  lastly  to  Dublin. 

The  following  were  the  principal  statutes 
enacted  in  this  parliament.  The  deceased 
earl  of  Kildare  was  declared  a  traitor.  Sir 
John  and  Sir  Oliver  Fitzgerald,  uncles  to  the 
earl,  Sir  Walter  de  la  Hide  of  Mayclare,  in 

War.  de  Arcbiepisc.  Dubliniens. 


*  War.  de  Arcbiepisc.  Dub 
t  Cox,  Hib.  Anglic,  p.  246. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


421 


the  district  of  Carbry,  county  of  Kildare  ; 
John  Burnell,  Richard  Walsh,  rector  of 
Loughseudy  ;  Charles  Reynolds,  and  other 
accomplices  of  Kildare,  were  convicted  of 
high  treason,  and  all  their  estates  confiscated 
to  the  king's  use. 

The  marriage  of  Henry  with  Catherine 
was  declared  null  by  this  parliament :  the 
divorce  pronounced  by  Cranmer,  as  well  as 
the  king's  marriage  with  Anne  Bullen,  was 
declared  to  be  valid  ;  the  succession  to  the 
throne  was  secured  to  the  heirs  male,  who 
should  be  born  of  this  or  any  other  marriage, 
and  in  case  of  there  being  no  male  heirs,  to 
the  females,  beginning  with  Elizabeth,daugh- 
ter  of  Anne  Bullen  :  and  those  who  might, 
by  writing  or  otherwise, oppose  this  marriage, 
or  these  regulations  for  the  succession  to  the 
crown,  should,  it  was  enacted,  be  convicted 
of  high  treason.  A  total  silence  on  these 
subjects  was  enjoined  upon  all,  under  pain 
of  being  deprived  of  the  benefit  of  the  sanc- 
tuary, and  an  oath  to  this  eftect,  ordered  to 
be  taken  by  all  the  king's  subjects  in  Ireland. 

A  law  was  also  passed  against  absentees, 
that  is,  against  the  English  who  possessed 
estates  in  Ireland,  and  did  not  reside  there, 
such  conduct  having  produced  many  incon- 
veniences. It  was  therefore  enacted,  that 
the  title  to  the  estates  of  the  duke  of  Norfolk, 
Lord  Berkely,  the  earls  of  Waterford  and 
Shrewsbury,  the  heirs  of  the  earl  of  Ormond, 
the  abbots  of  Furnes,  and  St.  Augustin  of 
Bristol,  the  priors  of  Christ's  church  at  Can- 
terbury, of  Lanthony  and  Cartinel,  and  the 
abbots  of  Kentesham,  Osny,  Bath,  and  the 
abbot  of  St.  Thomas  of  Dacres,  should  be 
vested  in  the  king.  It  was  subsequently 
decided,  in  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  that  in  virtue  of  this  law,  the  earl  of 
Shrewsbury  had  forfeited  the  title  of  earl  of 
Waterford  and  viscount  Dungarvan  ;  he  was, 
however,  compensated  in  England  for  the 
losses  he  had  sustained  in  Ireland. 

Cox  mentions  a  circumstance,  w^hich,  he 
alleges,  gave  rise  to  this  law.  I'he  king,  he 
says,  being  detei'mined  to  give  to  Ailmer, 
who  was  then  chief-justice  of  the  common 
pleas,  the  ofllce  of  lord-justice  of  the  king's 
bench,  the  earl  of  Shrewsbury,  at  the  solici- 
tation of  his  farmers  and  vassals  in  Water- 
ford, opposed  his  nomination,  by  representing 
to  the  king  that  Ailmer  wns  weak-minded, 
and  incapable  of  discharging  the  duties  of 
such  an  office  ;  whereupon  the  king  repri- 
manded Lord  Cromwell,  who  had  recom- 
mended a  man  so  undeserving.  In  order 
to  justify  his  choice,  Cromwell  requested  his 
majesty  to  converse  a  while  with  Ailmer,  and 
he  would  soon  discover  that  he  had  been 


imposed  upon ;  to  which  the  king  assented. 
When  Ailmer  was  presented  to  him,  he  was 
asked  what  could  be  the  real  cause  of  the 
decline  of  the  royal  interest  in  Ireland  ?  "  It 
arises,"  replied  Ailmer,  "  from  the  circum- 
stance of  most  of  the  proprietors  of  lands, 
who  formerly  resided  in  Ireland  to  defend 
their  estates,  and  restrain  their  vassals,  now 
living  in  England,  and  leaving  Ireland  a  prey 
to  the  natives  of  the  country ;  but  if  your 
majesty  would  oblige  such  proprietors  to 
reside  in  Ireland,  or  otherwise  confiscate  their 
estates  to  your  own  use,  you  would  soon  dis- 
cover a  change  and  an  improvement."  The 
king,  pleased  with  this  expedient,  thanked 
Ailmer,  saying,  that  the  attention  of  the 
next  parliament  should  be  directed  to  it. 

The  parliament  of  Dublin  having  regulated 
the  afTairs  of  state,  turned  their  thoughts  to 
those  of  religion,  of  their  knowledge  and 
judgment  regarding  which  they  felt  quite 
assured.  In  imitation  of  the  English  parlia- 
ment, they  confirmed  Henry  VIII.  and  his 
successors  on  the  throne,  in  the  title  of  su- 
preme head  of  the  church  in  Ireland,  with 
the  power  of  reforming  and  correcting  here- 
sies and  errors  in  religion.  They  prohibited 
all  further  appeals  being  made  to  Rome, 
under  pains  and  penalties ;  and  ordained  that 
the  clergy  should  pay  the  annats,  or  first-fruits 
of  their  livings,  to  the  king.  They  likewise 
enacted  a  law  to  abolish  and  suppress  the 
pope's  usurpation  and  authority;  penalties 
were  declared  against  those  who  should  dare 
to  support  them  ;  all  persons,  both  lay  and 
ecclesiastic,  who  held  offices  or  livings,  were 
ordered  to  take  the  oath  to  maintain  the 
king's  supremacy,  and  their  refusal  w^as  to 
be  considered  high  treason.  This  act  met 
with  many  opponents  among  the  clergy  ;  but 
the  following  discourse  of  Brown,  archbishop 
of  Dublin,  which  was  approved  of  by  justice 
Brabazon, disconcerted  them  to  such  a  degree, 
that  many  among  them  submitted  to  take  it. 

"  My  Lords, — In  obeying  3-our  king,  you 
imitate  your  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  The  high 
priest  of  our  souls  paid  tribute  to  Caesar,  who 
was  not  a  Christian  ;  consequently,  you  owe 
more  honor  to  his  highness,  your  prince, 
who  is  both  a  king  and  a  Christian.  In  the 
time  of  our  ancestors,  Rome  and  its  bishops 
acknowledged  emperors,  kings,  and  princes, 
to  be  sovereigns  in  their  respective  states, 
and  even  vicars  of  Jesus  Christ.  But  to  the 
shame  of  the  bishop  of  Rome,  he  now  denies, 
what  his  predecessors  have  acknowledged. 
Thus  his  highness  claims  only  what  the  bish- 
op Fleutherius  had  granted  to  St.  Lucius, 
the  first  Christian  king  of  the  Britons  ;  so 
that  I  make  no  scruple  of  acknowledging  his 


422 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


highness,  King  Henry  VIII.,  to  be  supreme  I 
head,  both  in  spiritual  and  temporal  affairs, 
in  England  and  in  Ireland,  and  that  he  who 
refuses  to  submit  as  I  do  to  this  law,  is  not 
a  faithful  subject  to  his  majesty."  The  dis-| 
criminating  reader  will  judge  of  this  prelate's 
reasoning. 

This  parliament  granted  to  the  king  and 
to  his  successors,  for  ever,  a  twentieth  part 
of  the  revenues  and  annual  rents  of  the  se- 
cular livings,  abbeys,  friaries,  and  religious 
houses  in  the  kingdom  of  Ireland.  Henry 
was  so  well  pleased  with  this  grant,  that  he 
wrote  a  letter  of  thanks  to  the  clergy.  An 
act  Avus  passed  prohibiting  any  but  those 
who  spoke  EngUsh,  and  foUov/ed  the  English 
taste  in  every  thing,  to  be  appointed  to  liv- 
ings. In  addition,  this  parliament  decreed 
the  suppression  of  the  abbeys  of  Bectif, 
St.  Peter  of  Trim,  Dousk,  Duleek,  Holm- 
Patrick,  Baltinglass,  Grany,  Teagh-Moling, 
Dunbroody,  Tintern,  Ballybogan,  Hoggis, 
and  Ferns,  and  confiscated  their  property  to 
the  king's  use.  At  the  same  time,  the  priory 
of  St.  Wolstan's,  in  the  county  of  Kildare, 
was  suppressed,  by  another  act.  It  was  at 
this  time,  that  what  has  been  already  ob- 
served of  the  bull,  by  which  Adrian  IV. 
had  conferred  Ireland  on  Henry  II.,  began 
to  be  verified,  namely,  "  that  it  was  the 
cause  of  the  fall  of  religion  in  this  Island."* 

The  parliament  which  had  fabricated  the 
above-named  laws,  and  by  which  the  schism 
of  Henry  VIII.  was  introduced  into  Ireland, 
was  the  parliament  of  the  English  province, 
and  not  that  of  all  Ireland  ;  like  the  pre- 
ceding ones,  it  was  composed  solely  of 
Englishnien  by  birth  or  origin  ;  the  ancient 
Irish  had  no  seat  in  it ;  they  were  excluded 
from  all  offices  in  the  militia  and  magistracy, 
which  is  the  cause  of  their  being  scarcely 
ever  mentioned  by  English  writers.  They 
were  strongly  attached  to  the  religion  of 
their  ancestors,  and  it  is  probable  that  they 
would  all  have  continued  so,  had  they  re- 
mained a  free  people. 

A  law  was  likewise  enacted  in  this  parlia- 
ment for  the  suppression  of  the  tributes 
which  the  English  colonists  had  paid  to  some 
Irish  nobles,  by  whom  they  were  protected. 
Marriages  with  the  Irish  were  prohibited, 
particularly  with  the  children  of  those  who 
had  not  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  in  a 
court  of  justice,  subsequently  to  the  law 
being  passed  for  so  doing.f  This  act,  how- 
ever, was  repealed  under  James  I, 


*  Vol.  I.  part  2,  page  240. 

t  In  consequence  of  this  law,  which  was  often 
re-enacted  by  the  English  parliament,  some  of  the 


The  first  who  was  sacrificed  for  his  attach- 
ment to  the  cause  of  the  pope,  was  John 
Traverse,  a  native  of  Ireland,  asecularpriest, 
and  doctor  in  theology.  About  this  time  he 
published  a  book  entitled  the  Defence  of  the 
Pope's  Supremacy,  notwithstanding  the 
twenty-eighth  statute  of  Henry  VIII.,  who 
had  assumed  to  himself  that  prerogative. 
This  author  was  summoned  to  appear  be- 
fore the  judges  ;  and  having  confessed  the 
deed,  he  was  condemned  to  have  his  fingers 
cut  off  and  thrown  into  the  fire.* 

While  the  parliament  was  assembled  in 
Dublin, O'Connor  and  his  vassals  made  some 
incursions  into  the  territory  of  Carbry,  in 
the  county  of  Kildare,  where  they  committed 
dreadful  havoc.  In  order  to  revenge  this 
insult,  Baron  Tremlestown,  chancellor  of 
Ireland,  and  Brabazon,  the  vice-treasurer, 
marched  with  some  troops  into  Offaly, 
where  they  likewise  committed  frightful 
devastations,  and  forced  O'Connor  to  return 
and  defend  his  own  country. 

The  English  having  violated  some  articles 
of  the  peace,  concluded  the  preceding  year 
between  Conn  O'Neill  and  Skeffington,  who 
was  deputy,  O'Neill  took  up  arms  in  de- 
fence of  his  right.  The  English  government 
being  alarmed  by  O'Neill's  determination, 
the  deputy  dispatched  Brereton  towards  the 
frontiers  of  Ulster,  to  settle  the  dispute  ;  he 
entered  into  a  negotiation  with  the  prince, 
and  renewed  the  treaty  which  had  been  pre- 
viously concluded  with  Skeffington.  About 
this  time,  Henry  VIII.  sent  to  the  city  of 
Waterford  a  gilt  sword  and  hat  in  token  of 
his  protection,  for  their  loyalty  and  attach- 
ment to  the  crown. 

John  Fitzgerald,  earl  of  Desmond,  after 
the  death  of  the  lawful  heir,  who  had  been 
murdered  through  the  malice  and  envy  of 
Maurice,  as  has  been  already  observed,  died 


writers  in  that  country  have  maliciously  set  forth, 
tliat  the  meanest  English  settler  would  not  give  his 
daughter  in  marriage  to  the  noblest  Irishman  ;  it 
was,  however,  much  less  from  contempt,  than  in 
conformity  with  this  law,  which  was  the  result  of 
English  policy  ;  it  would  not  allow  the  people  to 
bind  themselves  by  those  ties  which  might  unite 
their  common  interests.  Besides,  the  contempt 
was  mutual :  the  Irish  were  so  far  from  seeking 
alliances  with  those  strangers,  that  they  considered 
them  as  a  corrupt  blood,  or  rather  an  impure  deposite 
which  the  sea  had  cast  upon  their  shores.  "  And 
so  much  dissevered  are  the  Anglo-Irish  from  the 
natives,  that  the  meanest  settler  would  not  give 
his  daughter  to  the  noblest  Irishman.  But  the 
Irish  hold  them  in  such  contempt,  that  they  consider 
their  blood  impure,  and  themselves  the  excrement 
of  the  sea." — Rut.gerus  Hcrmanridas,  p.  519. 

*  Hist.    Cathol.  p.   71.      Surius    ad    an.   1539. 
Cambr.  Evers.  page  205. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


423 


this  year  at  Tralee,  in  the  county  of  Kerry  ;* 
he  left  three  sons,  James,  the  eldest,  who 
succeeded  him  ;  Maurice,  already  known 
fo]  his  cruelty,  and  John  Oge,  which  signi- 
fies young. 

James,  earl  of  Desmond,  a  young  man  of 
bravery  and  enterprise,  excited  some  disturb- 
ances in  Munster.  In  order  to  check  the 
disoi'der,  government  sent  James  Butler, 
viscount  of  Thurles,  at  the  head  of  an  army-, 
into  the  county  of  Limerick,  where  he  laid 
waste  the  estates  of  the  earl,  repaired  the 
I  castle  of  Loughguir,  and  placed  a  garrison 
I  in  it.  The  deputy  repaired  to  Loughguir  in 
I  the  month  of  July,  from  whence  he  set  out 
for  Carrigogonel,  which  he  took  on  the  2d 
of  August.  It  is  said  that  he  immediately 
restored  this  castle  to  the  owner  for  a  small 
sum.  On  the  6lh  he  advanced  as  far  as 
Brien's  bridge,  took  possession  of  the  castle, 
(the  garrison  being  unable  to  resist  his  artil- 
lery,) and  destroyed  the  bridge.  His  con- 
quests ended  here,  in  consequence  of  a  mu- 
tiny among  the  soldiers,  who  were  in  want 
of  provisions. 

Thomas  O'Mullally,  or  Lally,  archbishop 
of  Tuam,  died  about  the  end  of  April,  1539, 
and  was  interred  in  the  convent  of  the  minor 
brothers  of  Galway,  in  the  same  tomb  as  his 
predecessor,  Maurice  O'Fihely.f  Thomas 
was  a  minor  brother ;  he  convened  a  synod 
in  Galway,  at  which  he  presided,  Ihe  statutes 
of  which  have  been  lost.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Christopher  Bodekin. 

The  same  year,  Henry,  duke  of  Rich- 
mond and  Somerset,  died ;  he  was  natural 
son  of  Henry  VIII.,  by  Elizabeth  Blount, 
and  was  commonly  called  Henry  Fitzroy. 
It  is  said  that  he  possessed  great  qualities, 
both  of  mind  and  body.  He  was  lord-lieu- 
tenant of  Ireland,  but  the  administration  had 
been  confided  successively  to  Skeflington, 
Kildare,  and  Grey,  his  deputies.  He  died 
without  issue,  at  St.  James,  near  Westmin- 
ster, in  the  month  of  July,  and  was  greatly 
regretted  by  the  king. 

Queen  Catherine  of  Aragon  resided  in 
the  castle  of  Kimbolton,  county  of  Hunt- 
ingdon, in  a  very  unhealthy  situation.  The 
cruelties  which  were  practised  in  her  regard, 
caused  her  excessive  grief ;  but  she  bore  the 
unworthy  treatment  which  she  received  as  a 
true  Christian.  The  title  of  queen  was  not 
only  wrested  from  her  by  an  act  of  parlia- 
ment, but  her  servants  were  constrained  by 
oath  to  address  her  by  no  other  title  than 

»  Relat.  Gerald. 

t  Ware,  de  Archlepisc.  Tuamens. 


that  of  princess-dowager.*  She  beheld  with 
grief  an  old  man,  named  John  Forest,  of  the 
order  of  St.  Francis,  her  confessor,  and  in 
whose  society  she  found  some  consolation, 
sufi*er  martyrdom  in  her  cause,  after  two 
years'  imprisonment,  together  with  thirty-five 
others  of  the  same  order.  She  was  aware, 
too,  of  the  tragical  end  of  Fisher,  More,  and 
several  others  who  were  sacrificed  on  her 
accoimt ;  so  that  being  of  too  delicate  a  con- 
stitution to  bear  up  against  such  an  over- 
whelming series  of  aftlictions,  she  fell  into 
n  decline,  which  terminated  her  existence 
in  the  month  of  January.  Finding  her  end 
approaching,  she  wrote  the  following  letter, 
which  she  sent  to  the  king  by  one  of  her 
maids. 

"  Ml/  very  dear  Lord,  King,  and  Husband, 

"  As  the  hour  of  my  death  is  now  ap- 
proaching, my  love  for  you  influences  me  to 
forewarn  you  to  prefer  your  salvation  to  all 
the  perishable  things  of  this  world,  without 
even  excepting  your  anxiety  for  your  own 
person,  which  has  produced  to  me  the  heavy 
calamities  that  have  been  inflicted,  and 
caused  such  troubles  to  yourself ;  but  I 
heartily  forgive  you  all,  and  pray  that  the 
Lord  may  also  forgive  you.  I  recommend 
our  daughter  Mary  to  your  particular  care, 
and  beseech  you,  as  I  have  already  done, 
to  act  with  all  the  tenderness  of  a  father  to- 
wards her.  I  beseech  you,  likewise,  to  give 
my  three  maids  a  marriage  portion,  and  to 
my  other  servants  a  year's  wages,  besides 
what  is  already  due  to  them,  to  secure  them 
against  want.  Lastly,  I  declare  it  to  be  my 
desire  to  see  you  in  preference  to  any  thing 
this  world  afibrds.     Farewell." 

On  reading  the  above  letter,  Henry  could 
not  refrain  from  tears,  notwithstanding  the 
obduracy  of  his  heart ;  and  having  been  in- 
formed of  her  death,  a  few  days  afterwards, 
he  ordered  his  household  to  put  on  mourning. 
The  marchioness,  as  a  mark  of  her  joy,  had 
herself  and  her  female  attendants  all  dressed 
in  yellow  ;  but  her  joy  was  soon  changed 
into  sorrow,  for  in  a  short  time  after  this  she 
was  delivered  of  a  monstrous  abortion.  Four 
or  five  months  after  the  death  of  Queen  Cath- 
erine, Anne  was  sent  to  the  tower,  where 
she  was  accused  and  found  guilty  of  adultery 
with  several  persons,  and  of  incest  with  her 
brother  George  ;  she  was  then  condemned 
to  be  beheaded.     Thomas  Bullen,  her  sup- 


*  Sander,  de  Schis.  Anglic,  lib.  1,  page  118. 
Polidor.  Virgil.  Hist.  lib.  27,  p.  1741.  Heylin's 
Hist,  of  the  Reform,  page  179.  Baker's  Chron. 
page  283. 


424 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


posed  father,  was  one  of  her  judges,  and  the 
first  to  pronounce  her  guilty  ;  she  was  exe- 
cuted iu  the  month  of  May.  Three  days 
afterwards,  George  Bullen,  the  brother  of 
Anne,  Henry  Norris,  William  Brercton, 
Francis  Weston,  and  Mark  Smeton,  a  musi- 
cian, suflered  the  same  fate  as  x'inne,  the  first 
for  incest  with  her,  the  others  for  adultery. 
The  day  after  her  execution,  Henry  married 
Jane  Seymour,  daughter  of  Sir  John  Sey- 
mour and  sister  to  Lord  Edward  Seymour, 
earl  of  Hartfort  and  duke  of  Somerset ;  by 
this  marriage  he  had  Edward  VI.  Anne 
enjoyed  but  for  three  years  the  elevation  to 
which  she  had  been  raised  by  so  many  trou- 
bles. The  same  passion  which  had  been  the 
source  of  her  greatness,  became  the  cause 
of  her  ruin  ;  and  Henry,  who  had  sacrificed 
Catherine  of  Aragon  for  her  sake,  soon  sa- 
crificed herself  to  the  youth  and  charms  of 
Jane  Seymour.  In  losing  the  king's  affec- 
tions, however,  Catherine  preserved  his  es- 
teem to  the  last  moment,  while  he  sent  Anne, 
like  the  most  infamous  criminal,  to  die  on  a 
scaffold,  and  caused  his  marriage  to  be  an- 
nulled in  favor  of  Jane  Seymour,  as  he  had 
previously  broken  his  marriage  with  Cathe- 
rine for  the  sake  of  Anne.  Lastly,  he  caused 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Anne,  to  be  declared 
illegitimate,  as  Mary,  the  daughter  of  Cath- 
erine, had  before  been.  Polidore  Virgil, 
and  Sanders,  place  the  death  of  Queen 
Catherine  in  1535  ;  and  the  latter,  that  of 
Anne  Bullen,  four  months  afterwards.  Ac- 
cording to  Baker,  the  death  of  Anne  took 
place  in  1537.  We  shall  not,  however,  un- 
dertake here  to  reconcile  their  difference. 

Lord  Grey,  deputy  of  Ireland,  undertook 
in  April,  1537,  an  expedition  into  OfFaly, 
j  against  Charles  O'Connor  ;  but  the  continual 
rains  and  bad  weather  defeated  his  plan  of 
operations,  and  obliged  him  to  conclude  a 
dishonorable  treaty  with  that  nobleman.* 
He  then  turned  his  arms  against  the  Cava- 
naghs,  O'Carrols,  and  others,  and  contented 
himself  with  their  submission,  and  some  hos- 
tages. He  marched  in  the  month  of  June 
towards  Fearcall,  the  country  of  the  O'Mol- 
loys,  where  he  surprised  alternately  the  cas- 
tles of  Eglis,  Bir,  and  Modrimye.  He  af- 
terwards received  the  submission  of  O'Ken- 
nedy  of  Ormond,  M'Brian  Arra,  O'Mulrian 
of  Owny,  Ulick  Burke  of  Clanriccard,  and 
Tybod  Bourk  M'William ;  and  then  marched 
towards  Limerick,  where  the  bishop,  mayor, 
and  aldermen,  took  the  oath  of  supremacy, 
and  renounced  the  authority  of  the  pope. 
The  clergy  and  people  were  commanded  to 


*  War.  de  Annal.  Hib. 
Ireland,  p.  232,  et  seq. 


29.     Cox,  History  of 


follow  their  example,  and  deposite  their  certi- 
ficates in  the  court  of  chancery.  In  the  month 
of  July  the  army  arrived  at  O'Brien's  bridge, 
where,  after  some  skirmishing  with  the  re- 
bels,* the  castles  and  the  bridge  were  de- 
stroyed. The  deputy  then  marched  through 
Thuomond  towards  Connaught,  where  he 
took  the  castles  of  Clare,  Ballycolame,  and 
Ballyclare.  The  latter  place  he  gave, up  to 
Ulick  Burke,  and  set  out  with  his  troops  for 
Gal  way;  here  he  and  his  army  were  enter- 
tained, at  the  expense  of  the  corporation,  for 
seven  days  ;  the  mayor  and  aldermen,  like 
those  of  Limerick,  took  the  oath  of  supre- 
macy, and  renounced  the  pope's  authority 
also ;  at  the  same  time,  O'Flaherty,  O'Mad- 
din,  and  M'Yoris,  (Bermingham,)  submitted 
to  the  deputy  ;  he  then  passed  through  Mai- 
nech,  the  country  of  the  O'Kellys,  where 
O'Connor  M'Henry  performed  the  same 
ceremony  ;  lastly,  he  took  a  castle  in  the 
territory  of  the  M'Coghlans,  and  from  thence 
he  repaired  to  Maynooth.  The  principal 
object  of  the  deputy's  tour  was  in  all  appear- 
ance to  establish  the  ecclesiastical  suprema- 
cy of  Henry  VIII.  in  Ireland. 

The  tyranny  of  the  English  drove  several 
of  the  Irish,  at  this  time,  from  their  country, 
to  seek  peace,  under  a  milder  government, 
in  foreign  climes.  Of  this  number  was  John, 
son  of  Edmond  O'Dwyer,  and  brother  of 
Cornelius,  titular  archbishop  of  Tuam.  He 
belonged  to  the  ancient  and  noble  family  of 
the  O'Dwyers  of  Coillenemanagh,  in  the 
county  of  Tipperary,  Avho  were  descended 
from  Heremon,  by  Ugane  More,  and  Con- 
covar,  surnamed  Abhuarua,  both  monarchs 
of  Ireland  ;  the  former  three  centuries  before 
the  Christian  era,  and  the  second  in  the  first 
age  of  Christianity.  This  John  O'Dwyer 
settled  in  Burgundy  in  the  reign  of  Francis 
I.,  according  to  an  ancient  manuscript  pre- 
served in  the  family.  As  foreign  names  are 
subject  to  changes  in  countries  in  which  they 
are  unknown,  on  account  of  the  difference  of 
pronunciation,  the  name  of  John  O'Dwyer 
was  at  first  changed  to  O'Doyer,  and  after- 
wards to  Handoire.  The  governor  of  the 
castle  of  Peronne,  who  was  married  to  Ma- 
demoiselle de  CoUincourt,  daughter  to  the 
Marquis  de  CoUincourt,  and  Mademoiselle 
Bethune,  aunt  to  the  present  Duke  de  Sully, 
is  descended,  in  a  direct  line,  from  the  John 
O'Doyer  in  question. 

The  earl  of  Desmond  was  still  under 
arms  ;  but  the  superior  army  of  the  deputy 
preventing  him  from  undertaking  any  thing 
important,  he  was   forced  to  write  to  the 

*  They  are  so  called  only  by  an  Englishman. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


425 


general,  offering  to  surrender  on  certain  con- 
ditions. Tlie  capitulation  being  of  a  tedious 
character,  the  deputy  was  obliged  to  with- 
draw his  forces  for  want  of  provisions,  and 
to  appoint  commissioners  to  conclude  the 
treaty  with  Desmond.  The  commissioners 
appointed  Clonmel,  then  a  walled  city,  as 
the  place  of  their  conference  ;  but  Desmond 
refused  to  go  thither,  in  assertion  of  an  an- 
cient family  privilege.  Having  then  brought 
them  to  his  camp,  he  took  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance, and  sent  Thomas  Ruadh,  or  the 
Red,  his  natural  son,  as  a  hostage  to  Eng- 
land,* whither  he  himself  shortly  afterwards 
set  out,  attended  by  a  splendid  retinue.  On 
his  arrival,  he  submitted  to  Henry,  and  ac- 
knowledged that  all  his  estates  had  devolved 
on  the  crown,  on  account  of  the  lawful  heir 
having  been  murdered.  The  king,  who  was 
busily  occupied  with  other  affairs,  and  de- 
sirous that  tranquillity  should  be  restored  to 
Ireland,  received  the  earl  with  much  kind- 
ness, reinstated  him  in  his  ancient  patri- 
mony, and  dismissed  him  honorably,  to  re- 
turn to  his  estates. 

The  jealousies  which  had  prevailed  for 
some  time  between  the  deputy  and  the  earl 
of  Ossory,  increased,  at  this  period,  to  direct 
hostilities.  The  deputy  was  so  transported 
with  rage  against  the  earl,  that  he  sent  part 
of  his  army  to  lay  waste  the  lands  of  the 
Butlers.  He  also  quarrelled  with  Archbishop 
Brown,  and  Allen,  the  master  of  the  rolls  ; 
and  though  commissioners  were  sent  by  the 
king,  expressly  to  investigate  their  differ- 
ences and  to  reconcile  them,  the  matter  was 
only  temporarily  arranged  ;  for  the  deputy 
at  length  fell  a  sacrifice  to  their  hatred. 

O'Neill  collected  his  forces  in  Ulster,  and 
gave  the  command  of  them  to  his  son.  His 
design  was,  to  make  himself  master  of  the 
castle  of  Ardglass,  in  the  district  of  Lecale. 
The  deputy  having  received  intelligence  of 
his  movement,  gave  orders  for  the  marching 
of  the  troops  ;  but  previous  to  undertaking 
any  thing,  it  was  determined  by  the  council 
to  send  the  chancellor.  Baron  Tremlestown, 
Stapely,  bishop  of  Meath,  and  Ailmer,  chief- 
justice,  to  the  frontiers  of  Ulster,  to  enter 
into  a  treaty  of  peace  with  O'Neill.  After 
some  difficulties  on  both  sides,  the  treaty  was 
concluded,  and  the  two  armies  disbanded. 
Hugh,  or  Aod  O'Donnel,  surnamed  Dubh, 
(that  is,  the  black,)  hereditary  prince  of  Tir- 
connel,  died  in  July.  He  was  succeeded 
by  his  son  Magnus,  or  Manus,  who  was 
confirmed  in  the  succession  by  a  popular 
election,  according  to  custom,  near  the 
church  of  Kilmacrenan. 

*  Relat.  Gerald. 


In  the  month  of  September,  the  king  of 
England  sent  four  commissioners  to  Ire- 
land,* namely.  Sir  Anthony  St.  Leger,  Sir 
George  Pawlett,  Sir  Thomas  Moyle,  and  Sir 
William  Barnes,  with  orders  to  investigate 
every  thing  connected  with  the  late  rebellion, 
and  those  who  had  been  accomplices  in  it. 
These  commissioners  conducted  themselves 
with  much  prudence  and  moderation,  and 
having  ended  their  inquiries,  granted  a  par- 
don and  general  amnesty  to  the  guilty.  They 
had  orders,  conjointly  with  the  deputy  and 
council,  to  regulate  the  king's  revenues  ;  to 
let  the  crown  lands  in  farms  ;  and  to  make 
an  estimate  of  the  estates  of  the  earl  of  Kil- 
dare,  which  amounted  to  eight  hundred  and 
ninety-three  pounds,  eleven  shillings,  and 
eight  pence  sterling,  which  was  thought  a 
large  sum  at  that  time.  They  reconciled 
the  deputy.  Grey,  and  the  earl  of  Ossory, 
who  resumed  the  title  of  Ormond,  the  house 
of  Bullen  having  become  extinct. 

In  October,  Queen  Jane  died  in  childbed, 
at  Hampton  court,  having  undergone  tlie 
Cesarean  operation,  by  which  the  life  of  her 
child  was  saved.  This  child  was  called 
Edward  at  his  baptism. t  His  sponsors 
were  Cranmer,  the  duke  of  Norfolk,  and  his 
sister,  the  Princess  Mary,  daughter  of  Cathe- 
rine of  Aragon.  On  the  18th  of  the  same 
month,  he  was  created  prince  of  Wales, 
duke  of  Cornwall,  and  earl  of  Chester,  and 
reigned  after  his  father  under  the  name  of 
Edward  VI.  John  Barnwell,  baron  of  Trim- 
lestown,  and  chancellor  of  Ireland,  died  in 
July,  1538.  John  Allen  was  first  nominated 
keeper  of  the  seals  by  the  deputy  and  coun- 
cil, and  afterwards  chancellor  of  Ireland  by 
orders  of  the  king. 

In  the  month  of  May,  the  deputy  marched 
against  O'Reilly,  but  was  stopped  by  the 
submission  of  that  nobleman.  He  afterwards 
entered  Lecale  and  the  Ardes,  in  the  county 
of  Down,  against  a  nobleman  of  English 
extraction,  called  Savage,  to  whom  Cox  and 
others  give  the  appellation  of  "  a  degenerate 
Englishman."!  He  took  the  castle  of  Dun- 
drum,  belonging  to  Magennis,  with  several 
other  fortified  places,  and  laid  all  that  coun- 
try waste.  He  next  laid  his  sacrilegious 
hands  on  the  cathedral  church  of  Down, 
which  he  burned  ;  destroyed  the  monuments 


*  War.  de  Annal.  Hib.  Reign  of  Henry  VIII. 
c.  29. 

t  Baker,  Chron.  page  285. 

t  The  same  religion  began  already  to  unite  seve- 
ral noble  English  families  with  the  ancient  Irisli, 
against  the  Englisji  who  had  forsaken  their  reli- 
gion— a  union  which  acquired  additional  strength 
under  Elizabeth  and  the  succeeding  reigns. 
54 


426 


HfSTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


of  St..  Patrick,  St.  Bridget,  and  St.  Columb- 
Kill,  and  committed  several  other  sacrile- 
gious acts.  He  then  made  war  against 
images,  which  were  destroyed  everywhere 
at  this  time,  particularly  those  that  were 
most  revered  by  the  faithful.  The  celebrated 
statue  of  the  blessed  Virgin,  at  Trim,  was 
burned,  as  also  the  crucifix  of  the  abbey  of 
BalIybogan,and  St.  Patrick's  crosier,*  which 
had  been  removed,  by  order  of  William  Fitz- 
adelin,  in  the  twelfth  century,  from  Armagh 
to  Dublin,  to  be  deposited  in  the  cathedral 
church  of  the  blessed  Trinity.  In  many 
other  parts  of  the  kingdom,  the  example  of 
the  English  was  in  this  instance  followed  ; 
and  it  must  be  admitted  that  all  the  wars  in 
Ireland,  from  that  period  to  the  present, 
have  been  wars  on  account  of  religion. 


CHAPTER   XXXYII. 

While  the  deputy  was  employed  in  Ul- 
ster, O'Connor  on  one  side,  and  O'Toole  on 
the  other,  made  incursions  on  the  English 
province,  in  order  to  be  revenged  for  the 
tyranny  which  was  exercised  against  the 
inhabitants  of  their  province.f  In  conse- 
quence of  this,  the  deputy  was  obliged  to 
leave  the  north  and  march  toward  Offaly, 
to  create  a  diversion,  by  forcing  O'Connor 
to  return  to  the  relief  of  his  own  country. 
It  does  not  appear,  however,  that  the  two 
armies  came  to  an  engagement.  The  deputy 
took  the  castles  of  Braghlan  and  Dingen,  (at 
present  Philipstown.)  In  his  letter,  written 
in  August,  to  the  king,  he  boasts  that  he  had 
forced  O'Carrol  and  O'Meagher  to  give  him 
hostages,  and  that  the  former  had  purchased 
the  liberty  of  his  son  for  three  hundred 
marks.  In  the  same  letter  he  mentions, 
also,  that  O'Carrol  was  desirous  of  holding 
his  lands  by  letters  patent  from  the  king  ; 
but  that  it  would  be  imprudent  to  grant 
them  to  him,  as  he  was  a  man  that  could  not 
be  relied  upon  ;  that  the  English  were  al- 
ready sufficiently  acquainted  with  the  Irish 
and  their  country,  to  turn  it  to  good  account 

*  Providence  has  preserved  a  crosier  to  posterity, 
which  St.  Patrick  had  used  at  the  baptism  of  Aon. 
gus,  king  of  Cashel  ;  the  holy  apostle  having  left  it 
with  O'liearny  of  Cashel,  to  be  used  by  the  bishops 
of  that  church  on  days  of  ceremony,  whose  de- 
scendants have  preserved  it  witli  veneration  to  the 
present  time.  This  venerable  monument  of  Chris- 
tian antiquity  is  still  in  possession  of  Brien  O'Kear- 
ny,  of  Fethard,  in  the  county  of  Tipperary,  the 
chief  of  the  ancient  family  of  that  name. 

t  Co.^,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  p.  255. 


for  his  majesty,  if  he  would  but  furnish  them 
with  the  means  necessary  for  that  purpose. 
It  was  thus  that  those  iniquitous  ministers 
deprived  the  Irish  of  the  protection  of  the 
kings  of  England,  that  they  might  plunder 
them  with  impunity.  It  was  contrary  to 
their  interest,  that  they  should  hold  their 
lands  under  legal  titles,  as  they  would  there- 
by acquire  the  rank  of  subjects,  and  the 
protection  of  the  laws.  In  another  letter, 
written  in  March,  he  informed  him  that  he 
had  forced  Brien  and  Cahir  O'Connor  to 
submit  to  him. 

The  schism  and  supremacy  of  the  king 
of  England  made  but  slow  progress  in  Ire- 
land.* They  were,  however,  warmly  sup- 
ported by  Archbishop  Brown  :  in  his  letters 
to  Cromwell,  he  complains  bitterly  of  the 
opposition  that  he  had  experienced  from 
Cromer,  the  primate,  and  the  clergy  in  gen- 
eral, which  he  ascribed  to  the  ignorance  and 
zeal  of  the  nation — the  usual  mode  of  rea- 
soning with  heretics.  The  conduct  of  this 
archbishop  in  his  diocese,  and  his  close  in- 
timacy with  Cromwell,  who  was  at  least  a 
Lutheran,  are  strong  proofs  that  he  did  not 
confine  himself  exclusively  to  the  affair  of 
the  supremacy  ;  but  that  he  intended  to  intro- 
duce the  reformation  into  Ireland  by  degrees, 
and  carry  matters  further  than  even  he  whom 
he  wished  to  make  head  of  the  church. 

In  another  letter,  in  May,  the  archbishop 
informed  Cromwell  that  the  primate  and 
clergy  of  Ireland  had  received  a  brief  from 
the  pope,  to  excommunicate  all  those  who 
should  acknowledge  the  king's  supremacy. 
He  also  added,  that  the  viceroy  possessed 
but  little  authority  .over  the  ancient  inhabit- 
ants of  the  country  ;  that  the  nation  (that  is, 
the  English  province)  was  poor  and  unable 
to  subdue  them  ;  that  since  Ireland  had  been 
in  possession  of  the  king's  ancestors,  the 
ancient  Irish  had  never  ceased  to  solicit  the 
aid  of  foreign  powers  ;  and  that  at  present, 
the  English  by  descent  and  the  ancient  Irish 
were  beginning  to  forget  their  national  ani- 
mosities, by  opposing  the  king's  ordinances, 
which  might  induce  some  foreign  power  to 
invade  Ireland.  By  this  we  discover  that 
the  English  province,  comprising  about  a 
third  of  the  kingdom,  and  emphatically 
called  a  nation  by  the  English,  was  distin- 
guished from  the  rest  of  the  island  ;  that 
Ireland  had,  since  the  twelfth  century,  been 
inhabited  by  two  distinct  people,  who  had 
no  intercourse  but  that  of  war  ;  and  lastly, 
that  those  two  people  became  united  under 
Henry  VIII.  in  opposing  the  innovations, 

*  Cox,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  p.  256. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


427 


and  changes  which  that  prince  was  desir- 
ous of  introducing  into  religion. 

About  this  time,  a  friar  named  Thady 
O'Birne,  belonging  to  the  order  of  St.  Fran- 
cis,was  arrested  on  suspicion, and  imprisoned 
in  the  castle  of  Dublin.  Among  his  papers 
was  a  letter  addressed  to  O'Neill,  prince  of 
Tyrone,  and  signed  by  the  bishop  of  Mets, 
of  which  the  following  is  a  copy  : — 

"i¥y  son  O'Neill, 

"  You,  as  well  as  your  ancestors,  have 
ever  been  faithful  to  the  mother  church  of 
Rome.  His  holiness  Paul,  our  present  pope, 
and  the  council  of  the  holy  fathers,  have 
lately  discovered  a  prophecy  of  St.  Laserian, 
an  Irish  bishop  of  Cashel,  in  which  it  is 
foretold  that  the  church  of  Rome  shall  fall 
when  the  Catholic  faith  will  have  been  de- 
stroyed in  Ireland.  Put  down,  therefore,  all 
heresy,  and  the  enemies  of  his  holiness,  for 
I  the  glory  of  the  mother  church,  the  honor 
of  St.  Peter,  and  your  own  safety ;  for  when 
the  Catholic  faith  will  perish  in  Ireland,  the 
church  of  Rome  shall  also  fall.  The  council 
of  cardinals  have,  on  this  account,  deemed 
it  prudent  to  encourage  your  country,  Ire- 
land, that  sacred  island,  being  certain  that 
the  mother  church,  having  a  worthy  son 
like  you  and  others,  who  will  come  to  your 
assistance,  will  never  fall,  but  always  retain, 
in  spite  of  fate,  more  or  less  influence  in 
Britain.  Having  thus  obeyed  the  orders  of 
the  sacred  council,  we  recommend  your  royal 
person  to  the  holy  Trinity,  to  the  blessed 
Virgin,  to  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  and  to  the 
whole  court  of  heaven.     Amen." 

This  letter,  which  is  quoted  by  Cox,  in 
his  history  of  Ireland,  is  taken  from  the  life 
of  Brown,  archbishop  of  Dublin.  We  do 
not  pretend  in  this  place  to  decide  whether 
it  be  true,  or  invented  by  the  heretics.  We 
do  not  discover  St.  Laserian,  who  is  men- 
tioned in  it,  in  the  catalogue  of  the  prelates 
of  Cashel,  nor  is  it  certain  that  O'Neill  re- 
ceived such  a  letter  ;  but  it  is  very  probable 
that  the  Irish  were  applied  to  in  their  then 
circumstances  by  many  foreign  princes. 

In  the  beginning  of  May,  1.539,  the  deputy 
Grey  undertook  an  expedition  into  Ulster 
against  Conn  O'Neill,  where  he  laid  waste 
and  depopulated  the  environs  of  Armagh, 
and  carried  away  immense  booty.*  In  order 
to  be  revenged  for  this  insult,  O'Neill  as- 
sembled the  lords  of  his  province,  O'Donnel, 
Maguire,Magennis,0'Cahane,0'Hanlon,and 
other  allies,  with  their  vassals,  in  the  month  of 

*  War.  de  Aiinal.  cap.  31. 


August.  Placing  himself  at  the  head  of  this 
confederate  army,  he  laid  waste  the  pos- 
sessions of  the  English,  from  Atherdee,  in 
the  county  of  Louth,  to  Navan,  in  Meath, 
and  burned  these  two  towns.  In  the  mean- 
while, the  deputy  received  from  England  a 
reinforcement  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
at  the  head  of  whom,  together  with  the  troops 
of  the  province,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Dub- 
lin and  Drogheda,  he  marched  to  meet 
O'Neill,  whom  he  surprised  in  his  camp  at 
Bellahoa.  He  was  assisted  in  this  enter- 
prise by  the  baron  of  Slane,  Robert  Betagh, 
of  Moynalta,  his  equerry,  Mabe,  of  Mabes- 
town,  and  other  noblemen.  The  battle,  which 
was  bloody,  lasted  until  night.  The  Irish 
lost  nearly  four  thousand  men  killed,  and 
Magennis,  one  of  their  chiefs  :  the  English 
lost  about  the  same  number,  and  some  of  their 
leaders,  among  whom  was  General  Mabe. 
After  this  action,  the  deputy  conferred  the 
honor  of  knighthood  on  chief-justice  Ailmer, 
Talbot,  of  Malahide,  Fitzsimons,  mayor  of 
Dublin,  and  Courcy,  mayor  of  Drogheda; 
James  Fleming,  baron  of  Slane,  was  also 
highly  extolled  for  his  bravery.  During  the 
absence  of  the  deputy,  O'Connor  Faly  and 
O'Tool  ravaged  the  English  province.  It 
may  be  easily  imagined,  that  from  the  state 
of  misery  to  which  Ireland  was  reduced  by 
the  frequent  wars  which  devastated  her 
provinces,  the  sorrowful  consequences  were 
famine  and  distempers,  from  which  num- 
bers, both  of  men  and  cattle,  died. 

Although  the  ecclesiastical  supremacy  of 
Henry  VIII.  met  with  considerable  opposi- 
tion in  Ireland,  the  suppression  of  religious 
houses  made  a  rapid  progress  in  that  country. 
Threats  and  caresses  were  the  means  resort- 
ed to  for  this  purpose.  It  was  impossible  that 
a  superior  force  could  be  resisted  ;  the  heads, 
therefore,  of  religious  houses  looked  upon 
themselves  as  very  happy  in  receiving  pen- 
sions for  life,  for  surrendering  their  abbeys, 
priories,  and  other  religious  establishments, 
to  the  king.  The  munber  of  houses  sup- 
pressed in  Ireland  is  too  great  to  admit  of 
being  particularized  ;  we  shall  therefore  con- 
fine ourselves  to  the  principal  ones,  the  heads 
of  which  were  ecclesiastical  lords,  who  had 
the  right  of  seats  in  parliament.  The  most 
celebrated  abbeys  were  those  of  Mellifont, 
St.  Thomas,  and  of  our  Lady,  near  Dublin, 
Baltinglass,  Jeripont,  Tintern,  in  the  county 
of  Wexford,  Douske,  and  Tracton,  in  the 
county  of  Cork,  Dunbrody,  Magie,  or  Nenai 
and  Ovvny,  in  the  county  of  Limerick,  Ros- 
glasser,  Monasterevan,  in  OfTaly,  Bectif,  in 
Meath,  and  Rathto,  in  the  county  of  Kerry. 
The  chief  priories  were  those  of  St.  Jolin 


428 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


of  Jerusalem,  Christ's  church,  in  Dublin,  St. 
Peter,  near  Trim,  Conal,  Kenlis,  in  Ossory, 
St.  Patrick,  in  Down,  All  Saints,  near  Dub- 
lin, Athadsel,  Killagh,  and  the  priory  of  the 
blessed  Virgin,  in  the  town  of  Louth. 

A  Watcrlbrd  ship,  laden  with  wine,  was 
returning  this  year  irom  Portugal,  and  being 
overtaken  by  a  storm,  was  driven  upon  the 
I  coast  of  Paltimorc,  but  had  the  good  fortune 
to  escape,  and  anchored  adjoining  the  estates 
of  O'Driscol,  who  seized  it  as  a  matter  of 
right. 

The  English  merchants  of  Waterford, 
viewing  this  act  of  O'Driscol  as  one  of  per- 
fidy and  treason,  fitted  out  two  ships  and  a 
galley,  with  four  hundred  men  on  board,  the ' 
command  of  which  was  given  to  two  cap- 
tains called  Woodlock  and  Dobbin,  to  take 
revenge  i"or  the  insult  they  had  received. 
They  sailed  towards  Baltimore,  and  not  con- 
tent with  recovering  the  vessel,  with  the' 
crew,  and  part  of  her  cargo,  they  pillaged! 
without  opposition  the  islands  of  Inishircan 
and  Inchepite,  and  having  razed  the  castle  I 
of  O'Driscol  to  the  ground,  returned  to 
Waterford  laden  with  spoil. 

The  reformation  had  not  been  openly 
avowed  under  Henry  VIII. ;  this  revolution 
being  reserved  for  a  future  reign.  That  king 
was  a  schismatic  only  ;  he  published,  about 
this. time,  a  declaration  in  favor  of  the  six 
celebrated  articles  ;  first,  that  of  transub- 
stantiation  ;  second,  the  communion  in  one 
kind  ;  third,  the  celibacy  of  priests,  with  pain 
of  death  against  those  who  should  violate 
it ;  fourth,  the  obligation  of  keeping  vows  ; 
fifth,  private  masses  ;  and  sixth,  the  neces- 
sity of  auricular  confession.  These  articles 
were  published  by  authority  of  the  king  and 
parliament,  with  penalty  of  death  against 
those  who  would  oppose  them  obstinately, 
and  against  others  imprisonment  according 
to  the  king's  pleasure.* 

Leonard  Grey,  lord-justice  of  Ireland, 
having  been  recalled  in  the  beginning  of 
spring,  A.  D.  1540,  returned  to  England, 
leaving  Sir  William  Brereton  in  Ireland,  as 
lord-justice.  Grey  was  at  first  well  received 
by  the  king,  who  had  already  created  him 
Viscount  Grany,  for  his  services  in  Ireland ; 
he  had  even  the  honor  of  wearing  his  sword, 
according  to  custom,  in  presence  of  the 
king,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  These  fa- 
vors were,  however,  soon  changed  into  dis- 
grace, and  at  last  cost  him  his  life.  , 

The  principal  Irish  chieftains,  witnessing 
the  deadly  blows  that  were  aimed  against 
their  religion  and  liberty,  determined  to  make 

*  Ware,  de  Annal.  Ilib.  cap.  32. 


an  effort  in  favor  of  both.*  For  this  purpose, 
O'Neill,  O'lTrien,  O'Donnel,  and  O'Connor, 
formed  a  league  together,  and  agreed  to 
meet,  in  the  month  of  July,  at  Fowre,  in 
Westnieath  ;  intending  to  deliberate  on  what 
measures  they  should  adopt  for  the  defence 
of  their  religion  and  country.  But  Brereton 
having  marched  to  attack  them  with  eight 
thousand  troops  and  artillery,  and  they  being 
unprepared  to  meet  him,  they  thought  pru- 
dent to  wait  for  a  more  favorable  opportu- 
nity, and  withdrew  for  the  time. 

After  this  expedition,  Brereton  was  re- 
placed by  Anthony  St.  Leger,  a  knight  of 
the  order  of  the  garter,  and  gentleman  of 
the  bedchamber ;  the  king  having  sent  him 
to  Ireland  in  the  month  of  July,  as  deputy. 
On  his  arrival,  he  took  the  usual  oath  in 
Christ's  church.  St.  Leger  brought  with 
him  three  experienced  commissioners,  Tho- 
mas Walsh,  John  Myn,  and  William  Caven- 
dish, who  were  of  great  assistance  to  him  in 
regulating  the  rolls  of  the  crown  lands.  The 
court  commissioned  Brown,  archbishop  of 
Dublin,  and  Robert  Cowley,  master  of  the 
rolls,  to  take  an  inventory  of  the  personal 
goods  which  Lord  Grey  had  left  in  Ireland, 
with  orders  to  give  up  every  thing  to  St. 
Leger,  to  be  disposed  of  according  to  the 
king's  will.  Allen,  the  chancellor,  Brabazon, 
the  vice-treasurer,  and  Cowley,  received 
another  commission  to  regidate  the  pensions 
which  were  granted  to  the  monks  of  the 
abbeys  that  had  been  suppressed. 

Brereton  having  been  appointed  lord- 
marshal  of  Ireland,  was  sent  by  the  deputy 
to  Munster,  to  receive  the  submission  of 
James  Fitzjohn,  earl  of  Desmond  ;  but  the 
lord-marshal  fell  sick  on  his  way,  and  died 
at  Kilkenny,  where  he  was  interred  in  the 
church  of  St.  Canice.  This  accident  did 
not  prevent  the  earl  from  repairing,  in  the 
month  of  January  following,  to  Cahir,  on 
the  river  Suire,  where  he  submitted,  in  pre- 
sence of  the  deputy  and  council,  and  re- 
nounced the  ancient  privileges  of  his  family, 
by  which  he  had  the  right  of  being  absent 
from  parliament  during  pleasure,  and  of  re- 
fusing to  enter  or  sojourn  in  walled  cities. 

Money  was  coined  at  this  time  in  Ireland, 
by  orders  of  the  king  ;  namely,  four-penny, 
two-penny,  and  penny  pieces,  stamped  with 
the  harp.  This  was  afterwards  prohibited, 
under  pain  of  confiscation  and  fine. 

Sir  William  Darcy,  a  native  of  Meath, 
died  this  year,  at  an  advanced  age,  having 
been  for  some  time  vice-treasurer  of  Ireland. 
He  was  a  wise  and  learned  man,  and  very 

*  Ware,  de  Annal.  Hib.  cap.  32. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


429 


zealous  for  the  interests  of  his  country.  He 
wrote,  in  English,  a  work  on  the  causes  of 
the  ruin  of  Ireland. 

Henry,  who  had  been  a  widower  for  two 
years,  began  now  to  think  of  marrying 
again.*  Among  the  many  matches  that 
were  proposed,  the  princess  Anne,  sister  to 
the  duke  of  Cleves,  was  one.  She  was  a 
Protestant,  and  therefore  approved  of  by 
Cromwell,  who  was  the  king's  favorite  at 
this  time.  This  minister  used  all  his  in- 
fluence with  Henry  in  favor  of  the  mar- 
riage, which  was  shortly  afterwards  deter- 
mined upon,  and  celebrated  by  Cranmer. 
Cromwell  was  then  created  earl  of  Essex,  to 
the  prejudice  of  the  Devreux  family,  who 
should  have  inherited,  not  only  the  estate, 
but  the  title,  after  Henry  Bourchier,  the  last 
earl,  who  died  without  issue.  The  king 
having  conceived  a  dislike  for  Anne  of 
Cleves,  a  few  months  after  his  marriage  with 
her,  caused  Cromwell  to  be  arrested  on  the 
9th  of  July,  and  brought  to  the  tower.f  He 
was  then  tried,  and  condemned  by  the  par- 
liament, as  a  heretic  and  traitor  to  the  state, 
without  being  heard,  in  accordance  with  that 
abominable  law,  of  which,  it  is  said,  he  was 
himself  the  author.  About  the  end  of  the 
same  month,  he  Avas  beheaded  on  Tower 
Hill.  He  sufl'ered  this  punishment  for  having 
been  the  chief  adviser  of  his  master's  mar- 
riage, and  met  his  destruction  where  he 
thought  to  have  found  support.  In  the  life 
of  this  man,  who  was  in  every  other  respect 
wicked,  we  discover  one  trait  that  does  honor 
to  his  memory,  which  is,  his  having  intro- 
duced into  the  churches  of  England  the 
custom  of  registering  the  baptisms,  mar- 
riages, and  burials,  whereby  the  births  and 
alliances  of  families  are  more  solidly  attested 
than  by  proof  of  witnesses,  which  had  been 
previously  resorted  to.  It  is  probable  that 
this  custom  was  introduced  into  all  other 
churches  about  the  same  time.j: 

After  the  execution  of  Cromwell,  the  king 
had  still,  for  his  own  satisfaction,  to  get  rid 
of  a  wife,  to  whom  he  had  taken  an  uncon- 
querable dislike.  He  resolved,  therefore,  to 
break  his  marriage  with  Anne  of  Cleves ; 
and  the  parliament,  always  willing  to  do 
every  thing  to  please  him,  declared  it  was 
null  and  void ;  that  either  party  was  at 
liberty  to  marry  another :  and  that  the 
queen  should  henceforward  be  called  the 
Princess  Anne  of  Cleves. 

Executions  were,  about  this  time,  general 
throughout  England  ;  the  blood  of  the  first 

*  Baker's  Chron.  page  287. 

t  Sander,  de  Scliis.  Ang.  lib.  1,  page  154,  et  seq. 

t  Bukei's  Chron.  page  295. 


nobility  was  spilled  through  the  inconsistency 
and  cruelty  of  an  inhuman  prince.*  What 
idea  can  be  formed  of  an  age,  or  rather  of  a 
nation,  whose  parliaments  are  so  corrupt,  and 
judges  so  wicked,  as  to  arraign  and  condemn 
the  innocent,  for  the  gratification  of  a  brutal 
tyrant,  whose  fury  was  levelled  alike  against 
every  sex  and  condition.  The  fate  of  Mar- 
garet, countess  of  Salisbury,  alone,  is  enough 
to  fill  us  with  horror.  She  was  nearly  allied 
to  the  king,  and  the  last  of  the  house  of 
Plantagenet,  being  daughter  of  the  duke  of 
Clarence,  and  sister  to  the  celebrated  earl 
of  Warwick,  who  had  been  so  unjustly  put 
to  death  in  the  preceding  reign. f  She  was 
condemned,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  to 
die,  for  no  other  crime  than  that  of  having 
written  an  affectionate  letter  to  her  son, 
Reginald  Pole.  Struggling  with  the  exe- 
cutioner on  the  scaffold,  this  barbarian  seized 
the  unfortunate  lady  by  the  hair,  grov/n  gray 
with  age,  and  dragged  her  by  force  to  the 
block ! 

The  king  conferred  titles  of  honor  on 
some  Irish  lords  in  1541.  On  the  11th  of 
July,  Plunket  was  raised  to  the  peerage, 
under  the  title  of  lord-baron  of  Dunsany,  in 
the  county  of  Meath,  and  in  the  following 
month,  Oliver  Plunket  was  honored  with 
the  title  of  lord-baron  of  Louth. | 

Edmond  Butler,  lord  of  Dunboyne,  near 
Dublin,  was  created  a  peer  of  the  realm, 
under  the  title  of  lord-baron  Dunboyne. 
He  was  descended  from  Theobald,  fourth 
grand-butler  of  Ireland,  and  Jane,  daughter 
of  John  Fitzgeoffry,  earl  of  Essex,  sister  and 
coheiress  of  John  and  Richard  Fitzjohn, 
earls  of  Essex,  who  died  without  issue. § 

The  king  also  granted  the  title  of  baron 
of  Carbry,  in  the  county  of  Kildare,  to  Wil- 
liam Bermingham  ;  and  that  of  viscount  of 
Clontarf  to  John  Rawson,  prior  of  Kilmain- 
ham.  Thomas  Eustace  was  likewise  made 
a  peer  of  the  realm,  under  the  title  of  vis- 
count Baltinglass. 

St.  Leger,  the  deputy,  on  his  return  from 
Limerick,  where  he  had  a  conference  with 
O'Brien  respectinghis  submission,  convened 
a  parliament,  which  was  prorogued  several 
times.  The  first  act  of  this  parliament  was 
to  erect  Ireland  into  a  kingdom,  and  give  to 
Henry  VHI.  the  title  of  king,  instead  of 
that  of  lord  of  Ireland,  which  had  been  till 


*  Baker's  Chron.  p.  287.  Higgins'  Short  View, 
page  195. 

t  Sander,  de  Sehls.  Angl.  lib.  1,  page  133. 
Salmon,  Hist,  of  England,  vol.  vi.  p.  241. 

%  Nichol's  Rudiments  of  Honor. 

§  Nichol's  Rudiments  of  Honor  on  the  article 
respecting  Patrick,  baron  of  Gowran. 


430 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


then  borne  by  him  and  his  predecessors. 
"  Though  under  the  preceding  title,"  says 
the  statute,  "  the  kings  have  enjoyed  all  the 
jurisdiction,  power,  pre-eminence,  and  law- 
ful authority,  which  belong  to  the  majesty  of 
a  king,  since  his  present  majesty  and  his 
royal  ancestors  were  justly  and  lawfully 
kings  of  Ireland,  being  reputed,  acknow- 
ledged, and  styled  as  such,"  &c.* 

This  statute  was  solemnly  published  on 
the  following  Sunday  in  St.  Patrick's  church, 
Dublin,  and  in  London,  in  the  month  of 
January.  St.  Lcger,  the  deputy,  James,  earl 
of  Ormond,  James,  earl  of  Desmond,  the 
other  peers  in  their  parliamentary  robes, 
with  several  distinguished  laymen  and  eccle- 
siastics, attended  at  this  publication.  Some 
prisoners  were  restored  to  liberty,  and  the 
ceremony  terminated  with  feasting  and  fire- 
works. 

In  this  parliament,  all  the  abbeys  in  Ire- 
land, mentioned  in  the  statute,  were  placed 
at  the  king's  disposal,  but  they  did  not  tend 
much  to  increase  his  wealth,  as  he  divided 
the  lands  which  belonged  to  them  among  the 
nobles,  courtiers,  and  other  flatterers,  reserv- 
ing but  an  annual  income  from  them  for 
himself.  It  was  decreed  that  none  but  those 
who  possessed  forty  shillings  a  year  in  landed 
property,  could  have  a  vote  in  the  election 
of  members  for  the  house  of  commons.  It 
was  also  enacted,  that  in  case  of  the  death, 
absence,  or  resignation  of  the  chief  governor, 
the  chancellor  should  perform  the  office  of 
sending  circular  letters  to  privy  counsellors, 
in  the  counties  of  Dublin,  Meath,  Louth, 
Kildare,  Kilkenny,  Tipperary,  Wexford, 
VVaterford,  Cork,  Kerry,  and  Limerick  ;t 
that  these  counsellors  being  assembled, 
should  choose  an  Englishman  by  birth,  to  fill 
the  office  of  chief  governor  during  the  king's 
pleasure,  and  in  case  of  none  thus  qualified 
being  found,  that  two  persons  of  English 
extraction  should  be  chosen  by  the  council, 
to  whom  the  chancellor  should  give  letters 
patent,  after  making  them  take  the  oath 
usual  on  these  occasions. 


*  The  English  flatter  themselves  considerably 
In  their  own  opinion,  every  thing  is  due  to  them 
They  here  take  a  part  for  the  whole  ;  a  third  of  Ire- 
land for  the  entire  island.  Their  jurisdiction,  how. 
ever,  did  not  extend  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the 
English  province,  as  appears  by  a  law  of  this  same 
parliament,  respecting  the  election  of  a  governor, 
which  we  shall  presently  quote.  It  has  been  al- 
ready observed  in  the  course  of  this  history,  that 
the  right  of  the  kings  of  England  to  Ireland,  is  en- 
tirely founded  upon  usurpation. 

t  These  were  the  eleven  counties  which  com- 
posed the  English  province.  Ireland  comprises  in 
the  v/hole  thirty-two  counties. 


Other  laws  were  enacted  in  this  parlia- 
ment, which  are  too  numerous  to  be  inserted 
in  this  place.  The  county  of  Meath  being 
too  extensive  to  be  governed  by  one  sheriff, 
it  was  divided  into  East  and  Westmeath. 

Lord  Grey,  whom  we  left  in  England,  was 
sent  to  the  tower.  He  was  accused  by  the 
earl  of  Ormond,  Allen,  the  chancellor,  Bra- 
bazon,  the  vice-treasurer,  and  Sir  John  Tra- 
vers.*  They  followed  him  to  England,  and 
produced  several  heads  of  accusation  against 
him,  during  his  administration  in  Ireland, 
which,  having  been  verified  by  commis- 
sioners, who  were  sent  purposely  to  Ireland 
to  examine  witnesses,  he  was  publicly  be- 
headed on  Tower  Hill.  This  nobleman  was 
son  to  the  marquis  of  Dorset,  and  brother- 
in-law  to  the  last  earl  of  Kildare,  who  had 
been  beheaded.  He  suffered  death  with 
admirable  fortitude. 

The  king's  marriage  with  Anne  of  Cleves 
having  been  declared  null,  he  married  in 
eight  days  afterwards,  Catherine  Howard, 
daughter  of  Lord  Edward  Howard,  and  niece 
to  the  duke  of  Norfolk.  The  new  queen 
was  as  zealous  in  the  cause  of  the  reforma- 
tion as  Anne  Bullen  had  been  ;  but  the  fate 
of  both  these  reformers  was  of  a  singular 
kind.f  Henry  having  been  informed  of  the 
shameful  and  dissolute  life  of  Catherine, 
caused  her  to  be  arrested,  eighteen  months 
after  his  marriage.  She  was  accused  and 
convicted  of  unchastityboth  before  and  after 
her  marriage,  and  condemned  to  be  beheaded 
with  Durham  and  Colpeper,  the  accomplices 
of  her  guilt.  On  the  scaffold,  Catherine  de- 
clared herself  innocent  since  her  marriage, 
but  admitted  that  previously  to  it  she  had 
been  guilty. |  This  gave  rise  to  a  ridiculous 
and  absurd  act  of  parliament,  prohibiting, 
under  pain  of  high  treason,  any  woman  who 
was  not  a  virgin,  from  marrying  the  king, 
without  first  declaring  the  fact. 

In  Ireland,  Conn  O'Neill,  whose  great 
power  gave  umbrage  to  the  king,  having  lost 
his  old  ally  and  relative,  the  earl  of  Kildare, 
repaired  to  Maynooth,  where  St.  Leger,  the 
deputy  resided,  and  made  peace  with  him. 
Several  of  the  ancient  Irish  chieftains  follow- 
ed his  example  ;  among  others,  O'CarroU, 
O'Morra,  O'lMolloy,  O'Connor,  O'Dunn, 
M'Mahon,  Magennis,  O'Donnel,  O'Rourke, 
O'Reilly,  O'Flaherty,  O'lVIelaghlin,  M'Carty, 
O'Sullivan,  &c.  This  example  was  soon 
afterwards  followed  by  some  nobles  of  Eng- 

*  Ware,  de  Annal.  Hib.  ibid.  Cox,  Hist,  of  Irel. 
page  264. 

t  Sander,  de  Schis.  Ang.  lib.  1,  p.  161.  Baker's 
Chron.  of  England,  on  the  year  1540. 

t  Higgins'  Short  View,  page  194. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


431 


lish  extraction  ;  namely,  Barry,  Roche,  Ber- 
mingham,  and  M'Guillan.  The  latter  de- 
clared himself  to  be  of  English  descent.  The 
acts  of  these  treaties  are  given,  it  is  said,  in 
the  red  book  of  the  Irish  privy  council. 

The  deputy  and  council  made  some  regu- 
lations relative  to  the  government  of  Mun- 
ster,  which  had  not  been  before  subject  to 
the  dominion  of  English  law.*  These  regu- 
lations having  been  published,  arbitrators 
were  appointed  in  the  provinces,  instead  of 
the  ancient  judges,  called  Brehons,  to  have 
them  put  into  execution. 

Henry  YHI.,at  length  resolved  to  exter- 
minate the  monks  altogether,  changed  the 
priory  and  convent  of  the  cathedral  church 
of  the  blessed  Trinity,  in  Dublin,  into  a 
secular  chapter.  He  appointed  Robert  Cas- 
tle, or  Painswick,  dean,  who  had  been  before 
prior,  and  confirmed  this  church  in  its  pos- 
sessions and  privileges. 

The  Jesuits  were  introduced  by  permission 
of  Pope  Paul  III.  into  Ireland,  a.  d.  1541, 
through  the  exertions  of  Robert  Waucop,  a 
Scotchman,  titular  archbishop  of  Armagh. f 
John  Codur  was  the  first  of  the  society  that 
was  received  into  this  country.  He  was 
followed  by  Alphonso  Salmeron,  Pachase 
Broet,  and  Francis  Zapata,  all  of  the  same 
order.  Though  Waucop  was  born  blind,  he 
applied  himself  so  closely  to  study  that  he 
became  a  doctor  of  theology  in  the  faculty 
of  Paris.  He  assisted  at  the  council  of 
Trent,  from  the  first  to  the  eleventh  session, 
after  which  the  pope  sent  him  to  Germany 
as  legate  d  Latere,  which  gave  rise  to  the 
saying  among  the  Germans  :  "A  blind 
legate  to  the  clear-sighted  Germans."  He 
died  in  Paris,  in  1551,  in  the  convent  of 
the  Jesuits. 

James  Fitzgerald,  earl  of  Desmond,  Avent 
to  England  in  August,  1542,  Avhere  he  re- 
newed his  submission  in  presence  of  the 
king,|  from  whom  he  received  some  presents, 
and  was  admitted  by  his  order  into  the  coun- 
cil of  Ireland.^  The  deputy  made  regula- 
tions at  this  time  to  settle  the  differences 
which  had  arisen  between  the  several  fami- 
lies of  the  Magennises,  and  similar  arrange- 
ments for  the  O'Carrolls.  The  O'Byrnes 
made  a  public  submission  ;  surrendered  the 
town  and  castle  of  Wicklow  to  the  king. 


*  "  Respecting  the  reformation  of  the  inhabitants 
of  this  kingdom  in  parts  of  Munster,  who  will  not 
understand  the  laws  and  privileges,  so  as  that  they 
can  immediately  live,  and  be  ruled  according  to 
them."' — Sander.  1540. 

t  War.  de  Archi.  Ardmach.     Cox,  ibid.  p.  272. 

X  War.  de  Annal.  cap.  34. 

§  Cox,  ibid,  page  275. 


and  obtained  the  privilege  that  their  country 
should  be  erected  into  a  county,  under  the 
name  of  Wicklow. 

The  death  of  George  Cromer,  archbishop 
of  Armagh,  took  place  this  year.*  He  was 
a  prelate  of  great  celebrity;  grave,  learned, 
and  of  a  mild  disposition.  Through  the  in- 
fluence of  the  earl  of  Kildare,  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  chancellorship  of  Ireland, 
which  office  he  held  for  two  years  with  in- 
tegrity. He  was  strongly  opposed  to  arch- 
bishop Brown,  respecting  the  ecclesiastical 
supremacy.,  which  had  been  usurped  by 
Henry  VIII.  His  successor  in  the  see  of 
Armagh  was  George  Dowdal. 

Henry  VIII.,  finding  some  difficulty  in 
reducing  the  Irish  people  by  force,  and 
bringing  them  to  the  condition  of  subjects, 
endeavored  to  win  them  by  a  display  of 
kindness,  in  offering  to  confer  titles  of  hon- 
or upon  their  chiefs. 

According  to  the  ancient  history  of  Ire- 
land, the  inhabitants  were  divided  into  tribes ; 
each  tribe  possessing  a  territory,  that  is,  a 
certain  extent  of  land,  which  was  divided 
between  the  different  branches  of  the  tribe. 
These  branches  had  each  its  vassals,  these 
vassals  having  neither  origin  nor  name  in 
common  with  their  masters.  They  were 
the  descendants  of  the  soldiers  and  artisans 
who  had  followed  the  Milesians  from  Spain, 
and  of  the  remnant  of  the  Firbolgs,  the  an- 
cient inhabitants  of  the  country,  who  culti- 
vated the  lands  belonging  to  their  masters. 
They  did  not  take  the  names  of  their  chiefs, 
as  has  been  asserted  by  persons  little  ac- 
quainted with  Irish  history.  Each  tribe 
acknowledged  one  sovereign  chief,  a  rank 
which  usually  devolved  upon  the  elder 
branch ;  but  was  sometimes  elective,  accord- 
ing to  circumstances.  The  chief  and  the 
branches  were  of  the  same  origin,  and  bore 
the  same  name,  preceded  by  the  articles  O 
and  Mac,  Avith  this  difference,  that  these 
articles,  without  any  other  addition,  be- 
longed to  the  chiefs  ;  for  instance,  by  Mac- 
Carty,  O'Donnel,  were  meant  the  heads  of 
these  illustrious  tribes.  The  branches  were 
distinguished  by  their  Christian  names,  or 
some  epithet  added  to  the  surname  ;  as  Cor- 
mac  Mac-Carty,  Mac-Carty-Riagh,  Niall 
Garve  O'Donnel,  &c.,  and  so  with  the  other 
tribes.  Each  tribe  formed  a  small  republic, 
the  members  of  which,  with  their  vassals, 
united  under  the  chief  for  the  general  safety, 
j  and  followed  him  to  war.  They  were  all 
more  or  less  closely  allied  :  and  when  the 
principal  branch  became  extinct,  it  was  re- 
placed by  some  of  the  collateral  ones,  Avho 
*  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Ardmachan. 


432 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


assumed  the  title  of  cliicf  ;  so  that  unless 
the  whole  tribe  became  extinct,  they  could 
never  want  a  chief. 

This  digression  was  necessary  in  order  to 
become  acquainted  with  the  political  views 
of  Henry  Vlll.  That  monarch  intended  to 
subdue  the  Irish  chieftains  by  the  pompous 
title  of  lords,  hoping  that  they  would  bring 
the  tribes  which  they  governed  under  the 
dominion  of  tlie  crown  of  England ;  but  in 
this  he  was  doubly  disappointed.  He  wrote 
on  the  subject  to  several  of  those  chieftains, 
some  of  whose  families  have  carefully  pre- 
served his  letters  ;  but  the  proffered  favors 
Avere  generally  despised  and  rejected.  The 
Irish  nobles  were  possessed  of  too  deep  a 
sense  of  nobility,  to  submit  for  empty  titles 
of  honor,  unknown  till  then  among  them 
titles  which  were  to  be  the  price  of  their 
liberty,  and  which  they  considered  as  the 
seal  of  degrading  subjection  to  a  foreign 
power.  It  is  certain  that  by  receiving  titles 
from  a  prince  to  whom  we  deny  the  rank  of 
sovereign,  we  assume  the  position  of  sub- 
jects ;  and  an  individual  who  accepts  of  fa^ 
vors  under  such  circumstances,  is  justly 
considered  to  have  renounced  the  cause  of 
his  country.  This  was  the  opinion  formed 
by  the  Irish  nobility  respecting  these  first 
lords,*  and  is  the  cause  why  there  are  so 
few  among  the  ancient  Irish  who  bear  the 
title  of  lord,  which  would  be  only  a  distin- 
guishing mark  of  their  apostacy. 

Notwithstanding  the  distaste  which  the 
Irish  had  evinced  for  titles  of  honor,  Henry 
VIII.  found  some  who  were  willing  to  ac- 
cept of  them.  The  principal  of  these  were 
O'Neill  of  Tyrone,  and  O'Brien  of  Thuo- 
mond  ;  but  their  example  was  so  far  from 
being  imitated,  that  they  were  despised  and 
avoided  by  their  best  friends. 

According  to  Ware,  Conn  O'Neill,  here- 
ditary prince  of  Tyrone,  went  over  this  year 
to  England,  accompanied  by  Hugh  O'Ker- 
valan,  bishop  of  Clogher,  and  some  noble- 
men of  his  province.  He  had  an  interview 
Avith  the  king  at  Greenwich,  where  he  sur- 
rendered the  principality  of  Tyrone  to  the 
disposal  of  the  monarch.  The  king  restored 
it  to  him  by  letters  patent,  sealed  Avith  the 
great  seal  of  England,  and  created  him  a  peer 

*  These  observations  relate  but  to  the  ancient 
!  I  Irish.  As  to  the  modern  Irish,  they  were  an  Eng- 
:  Hsh  colony  that  had  settled  in  Ireland,  after  the 
I  twelfth  century,  and  had  continued  the  subjects  of 
1 1  the  kintf  of  England.  These,  therefore,  had  a  right 
1 1  to  expect  favors  from  him.  The  ancient  Irish  who 
1 1  received  titles  after  the  submission  of  the  whole 
1 1  nation  to  James  I.,  are  also  exempt  from  censure — 
I  they  were  subjects.  Tiiey  were  not,  however,  nu- 
!    mcrous. 

il 


of  Ireland,  under  the  title  of  earl  of  Tyrone. 
At  the  same  time  Matthew  O'Neill,  (the  Irish 
call  him  Fardorach,)  son  of  Tyrone,  was 
created  baron  of  Dungannon  :  Denis  and  Ar- 
thur Magennis,  who  had  accompanied  him, 
received  the  honor  of  knighthood ;  and  the 
bishop  of  Clogher  was  confirmed  in  his 
bishopric  by  letters  patent.  The  above  is 
the  account  given  by  Ware  and  Cox,  of  the 
prince  of  Tyrone.  However,  if  this  be  true, 
it  is  strange  that  Baker,  who  mentions  the 
titles  conferred  upon  O'Brien  of  Thuomond, 
I  and  Fitzpatrick  of  Ossory,  says  nothing  of 
Tyrone.*  Conn  O'Neill  was  head  of  that  illus- 
trious house,  Avhich  had  given  several  mon- 
archs  to  Ireland,  from  the  beginning  of  the 
fifth  century,  and  the  reign  of  Niall,  surnamed 
Noygiollach,  from  whom  they  Avere  descend- 
ed, by  his  son  Eogan.  This  prince  had  the 
weakness  to  assume  the  station  of  a  subject, 
and  renotmce  the  ancient  title  of  hereditary 
prince  of  Tyrone,  Avhich  was  founded  on  a 
possession  of  more  than  a  thousand  years,  to 
assume  a  new  one,  based  on  usurpation  and 
tyranny.  He  had  the  coAvardice  to  sign  his 
own  degradation,  and  abandon  the  name  of 
O'Neill,  which  was  much  more  honorable,  in 
the  opinion  of  his  countrymen,  than  that  of 
earl,  Avhich  drew  upon  him  the  contempt  of  all 
true  Irishmen.  What  a  subject  of  humilia- 
tion to  O'Neill  !  what  liberality  on  the  part 
of  Henry  VIII.,  Avho  granted  to  this  prince, 
by  letters  patent,  Avhat  already  belonged  to 
him,  as  if  such  a  title  could  be  more  lawful 
than  that  Avhich  was  foimded  upon  a  posses- 
sion of  many  centuries !  This  pusillanimity 
of  O'Neill,  Avho  seemingly  looked  upon  the 
cA^ent  as  a  mere  matter  of  ceremony,  was, 
however,  amply  compensated  by  his  descend- 
ants. Shane,  or  John,  his  eldest  son,  imme- 
diately on  the  death  of  his  father,  renounced 
the  title  of  earl  of  Tyrone  to  resume  the 
name  of  O'Neill,  as  appears  by  an  act  of  the 
parliament  of  Dublin  in  the  eleventh  year 
of  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  ;  and  his  other  de- 
scendants Avere,  in  the  succeeding  reigns,  the 
most  zealous  defenders  of  their  country. 

In  the  year  1543,  Henry  VIII.  conferred 
the  title  of  earl  of  Thuomond  on  Morrough 
O'Brien  for  life  ;  (the  English  sometimes 
call  him  Maur,  sometimes  Maurice.)  The 
reversion  of  the  title  and  estates  on  his  death, 
was  to  fall  to  Donach,  son  of  Connor  O'Bri- 
en, his  elder  brother.!  Cox,  the  historian, 
Avishes  to  cast  a  doubt  on  the  legitimacy  of 
young  Donough,  which  falls  on  his  descend- 


Chron.  of  England,  page  291 
Ware,  de  Annul,  cap.  35.    Nic 


of  Honor. 


nu,  page  :i'ji. 

cap.  35.    Nichol's  Rudiments 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


433 


ants,  the  earls  of  Thuomond.*  This  author 
observes,  that,  "  whether  this  Donough  were 
nephew  or  natural  son  of  the  earl  is  not 
well  known."  As  Cox  does  not  quote  any 
author,  can  we  suppose  him  incapable  of  ad- 
vancing this  from  mere  conjecture  1  Could 
he  have  calumniated,  without  authority,  a 
nobleman  who  held  the  first  rank  in  the 
province,  of  which  he  himself  was  a  native  ? 
This  is  a  matter  that  we  do  not  undertake  to 
explain.  However  it  be,  Donough  was,  be- 
fore the  death  of  his  uncle,  created  baron  of 
Ibrican,  with  a  pension  of  twenty  pounds 
English  per  annum.  The  king  settled  on 
him,  moreover,  all  the  lands  of  the  priory  of 
Inisnagananagh,  Insula  Canonicorum,  situ- 
ate in  the  river  Shannon,  for  regular  canons, 
with  half  the  abbey  of  Clare,  called  Kilmo- 
ney,  or  De  For g is. 

Muvrough  O'Brien  availed  himself  of  the 
right  which  the  custom,  called  tanistry,  had 
given  him.  This  ancient  Irish  custom,  like 
an  old  right,  called  bail  or  garde  among  the 
Franks,  authorized  the  brother,  uncle,  or 
nearest  relative  of  the  same  name,  capable 
of  governing,  to  succeed  during  his  life,  to 
the  title  and  estates  of  the  chief  of  a  tribe, 
who  died  before  his  children  came  of  age, 
notwithstanding  the  title  which  devolves  to 
a  minor  in  a  direct  line.  The  advantage 
thus  gained  suited  the  policy  of  Murrough, 
and  enabled  him  to  make  his  court  to  the 
king  of  England,  and  apply  to  him  for  favors. 
He  obtained  for  his  son  and  his  descend- 
ants the  title  of  baron  of  Inis-Hy-Quin,  (In- 
chiquin,)  in  the  county  of  Clare,  with  the 
revenues  of  the  abbeys,  and  the  patronage 
of  all  the  livings  that  were  at  the  disposal 
of  his  majesty  in  that  country.! 

The  house  of  Thuomond  comprises  the 
several  branches  of  the  tribe  we  are  about 
to  speak  of.  It  derives  its  origin  from  He- 
ber,  eldest  son  of  Milesius,  through  Oilioll 
Olum,  king  of  the  province  of  Munster,  in 
the  second  century  of  the  Christian  era. 
Oilioll  Olum  had  many  sons,  among  whom 
were  Eogan  More,  and  Corniac-Cas.  From 
Eogan,  the  eldest,  are  descended  the  M'Car- 
tys,  and  their  collateral  branches.  Cormac- 
Cas  was  the  ancestor  of  the  tribe  called  after 
him  Dal-Caiss,  which  was  composed  of  dif- 
ferent branches  of  his  family.  After  the 
genealogical  separation  of  the  descendants 
of  Eogan  and  Cormac-Cas,  in  the  second  cen- 
tury, of  which  Oilioll  Olum  was  the  com- 
mon head,  these  two  tribes  gave,  each  of 
them,  an  absolute  monarch  to  Ireland.  The 
first  was  Crionthan  II.  of  the  race  of  Eogan, 

*  History  of  Ireland,  page  276. 
t  Cox,  ibid. 


monarch  of  the  island  in  the  fourth  century  ; 
the  second  was  the  celebrated  Brien  Boir- 
oimhe,  son  of  Kennede,  and  grandson  of 
Lorcan,  of  the  race  of  Cormac-Cas,  who 
reigned  over  Ireland  in  the  eleventh  century.* 
After  the  death  of  Malachi  II.,  successor  to 
Brien,t  the  government  of  Ireland  fell  into 
anarchy . I  The  descent  of  Murrough  O'Brien, 
first  earl  of  Thuomond,  is  traced  from  the 
monarch,  Brien  Boiroimhe,  by  his  son  Tha- 
deus,  who  was  father  to  Terdelach,  father 
of  Mortough  and  Diarmuid.  Mortough,  or 
Moriertach,  elder  brother  of  Diarmuid,  was 
the  last  king  of  this  race  who  reigned  in 
Leagh-Mogha,  that  is,  the  greater  part  of 
Ireland.  He  was  also  ancestor  of  the  differ- 
ent branches  of  the  M'Mahons  of  Thuomond, 
whose  first  appanage  was  Corcobaskin,  an 
extensive  territory  on  both  banks  of  the 
river  Shannon,  from  Luachra,in  Westmeath, 
as  far  as  Limerick ;  and  from  that  city  to 
Loim-na-Con,  in  the  county  of  Clare. ^  This 
latter  division  comprised  the  barony  of 
Moyarta  and  Clonderala.  The  family  be- 
came numerous,  and  were  distinguished  for 
their  great  deeds  :  the  principal  branches  of 
it  were  Clonderala,  Carrigaholt,  Cobraghan, 
Clenagh,  and  Tuogh.  The  lands  of  Carrig- 
aholt, Cobraghan,  and  others,  were  confis- 
cated in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  for  the  benefit 
of  Donough,  earl  of  Thuomond,  his  brother 
Sir  Daniel  O'Brien,  Bartly,  and  others. 
From  the  branch  of  the  M'Mahons  of  Clon- 
derala, is  descended  Bernard,  or  Bryan 
M'Mahon  Ferrery,  lord  of  several  towns, 
districts,  and  castles,  in  the  counties  of  Clare 
and  Limerick,  of  which  he  was  dispossessed 
in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth.  These  estates 
were  restored  to  him  in  the  succeeding 
reign  ;  but  his  son  Mortough  lost  them  for 
his  loyalty  to  Charles  II.,  king  of  England, 
during  his  exile.  In  the  town  of  Autun,  in 
Burgundy,  there  is  a  M'Mahon,  surnamed 
d'Equilly,  descended  in  a  direct  line  from 
this  ancient  family. 

From  Diarmuid,  brother  of  Mortough, 
are  descended  the  O'Briens,  first  princes, 
and  afterwards  earls  of  Thuomond. ||     Con- 

*  Cambrens.  Evers.  c.  9,  p.  80. 

t  Keat.  Hist,  of  Irel.  lib.  2,  end  of  Malachi's 
reign. 

\  "  Moreover,  the  power  of  the  successors  of 
Malachi  was  confined  within  narrower  limits  than 
tiiat  of  his  predecessors,  for  these  kings,  who  were 
called  Gafrasahhrach,  (as  implied  by  the  word,) 
had  been  advanced  to  royalty  in  opposition  to,  and 
with  the  hostility  of  some  of  the  people." — Grati- 
anus  Lucius,  c.  9,  p.  80. 

§  Hugh  M'Curtin,  Antiq.  of  Ireland,  pp.  269,271, 
272. 

Nichol's  Rudim.  of  Hon.  article  on  Thuornond. 


434 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


nor  O'Brien,  eklest  brother  of  Morrough, 
first  earl  of  Thuomond,  was,  according  to 
Nichols,  the  last  of  the  twelve  princes  of 
this  family,  who  luul  reigned  successively 
in  Thuonioiid,  with  the  titles  of  kings  of 
Limerick  or  Thuomond.  Dornnald  More 
O'Brien,  who  submitted  to  Henry  II.  in  the 
twellth  century,  and  who  was  the  first  of  the 
twelve  princes  mentioned  by  Nichols,  was, 
however,  the  last  king  of  Cashel  and  Lime- 
rick, according  to  the  account  given  by 
Keating  in  his  Genealogy  of  the  house  of 
Thuomond.  These  princes,  however,  gave 
out  many  collateral  branches,  namely,  those 
of  Inchiquin,  Cumrach,  Carrigogoiniol,  Arra, 
Cuonach,  Aharlach,  and  others,  each  of 
which  traces  its  origin  to  one  of  these  prin- 
ces, ancestors  of  the  first  earl  of  Thuomond  ; 
and  each  bears  the  name  of  O'Brien,  being, 
like  him,  descended  from  Brien  Boiroimhe. 
The  king  this  year  created  Ulick  de  Burgh, 
or  Burke,  a  peer  of  Ireland,  under  the  title 
of  baron  of  Dunkellin,  and  earl  of  Clanric- 
card,  in  the  county  of  Galway.*  This  earl 
also  profited  by  the  suppression  of  monas- 
teries ;  he  received  the  revenues  of  the 
abbeys  and  other  religious  houses  in  his 
district,  among  others  the  abbey  called  De- 
via-nova  of  Clonfert. 

Brien,  or  Bernard  M'Giolla  Phadruig, 
(Fitzpatrick,)  being  a  favorite  with  Henry 
VIII. ,  was  made  baron  of  Upper  Ossory,  by 
which  he  received  no  great  additional  hon- 
or, his  ancestors  having  been  hereditary 
princes  of  that  country  for  many  ages. f  Ac- 
cording to  Heylin,  this  title  was  conferred 
on  Fitzpatrick  by  Edward  VL,  of  whom  he 
was  a  particular  favorite, |  but  it  was  Bar- 
naby,  son  of  Bernard,  according  to  Nichols, 
who  was  in  the  highest  favor  with  Edward. 
The  king  gave  to  the  lord  of  Ossory  the 
convent  of  the  Dominicans  of  Aghavo,  and 
the  priory  of  the  regular  canons  of  Aghna- 
cart. 

Henry,  in  conferring  titles  of  honor  on 
these  noblemen,  restored  to  them,  by  letters 
patent,  the  estates  which  they  had  placed  at 
his  disposal,  and  in  order  to  attach  them  still 
more  to  him,  he  became  sacrilegiously- 
liberal.  Without  deducting  from  his  own 
wealth,  he  added  largely  to  their  revenues, 
by  bestowing  upon  them  the  lands  of  the 
churches,  and  the  patronage  of  the  livings 
within  their  several  districts.^  These  newly- 
created    lords    subsequently  testified   their 

*  War.  de  Annal.  cap.  33. 

t  Nich.  Rudim.  of  Hon.  on  Fitzpatrick,  baron 
<jrt>wran. 

X  History  of  the  Reformation. 
§  Cox,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  p.  276. 


gratitude  for  the  king's  favors,  by  becoming 
the  most  zealous  destroyers  of  the  altars 
which  had  been  raised  by  the  piety  of  their 
forefathers. 

In  this  manner  did  the  houses  of  Thuo- 
mond, Ormond,  Clanriccard,  Inchiquin,  and 
some  others,  increase  their  splendor  by  the 
spoils  of  the  churches  and  lands  which  were 
confiscated  on  the  pretence  of  religion,  or  the 
alleged  rebellion  of  their  neighbors,  and 
even  of  their  near  relations — the  court  wil- 
lingly granting  to  them  the  confiscated  es- 
tates as  a  reward  for  their  services.* 

By  such  unworthy  means,  have  these  fami- 
lies supported  themselves  in  splendor  and 
in  elevated  rank,  to  the  present  day ;  while 
other  lords  of  the  country,  who  were  their 
equals  in  birth,  and  their  superiors  in  virtue, 
have  fallen  into  a  species  of  annihilation, 
having  been  sacrificed  for  their  attachment 
to  the  glory  of  religion,  and  the  liberty  of 
their  country.  The  reason  is« obvious  why 
English  writers  extol  the  merit  of  the  for- 
mer, while  they  speak  so  contemptuously  of 
the  latter.  Those  writers  know  how  to 
change  the  names  and  signification  of  ac- 
tions ;  they  style  those  who  had  betrayed 
their  country,  faithful  subjects,  while  those 
who  disdained  slavery  and  chains,  and  fought 
valiantly  to  preserve  their  freedom,  are 
spoken  of  by  them  as  rebels. 

The  old  jealousies  between  Henry  VIII. 
and  the  emperor,  on  one  side,  and  Francis 
I.  on  the  other,  were  renewed  at  this  time, 
and  ended  in  open  war.f  It  was  at  this 
time  that  the  king  of  France  sent  Theobald 
de  Bois,  a  French  nobleman,  to  Ireland,  as 
ambassador  to  O'Donnel.  He  proposed  to 
furnish  this  prince  with  men  and  money,  if, 
to  create  a  division,  he  would  declare  war 
against  the  English  ;  but  O'Donnel  finding 
himself  unable  to  comply  with  the  request 
of  the  French  king,  the  negotiation  was 
productive  of  no  result. 

The  deputy,  St.  Leger,  was  recalled  in 
February,  1544,  after  which  he  went  to 
England,  and  William  Brabazon  was  ap- 
pointed lord-justice  in  his  stead.  New  seals 
were  sent  to  this  deputy,  and  the  old  ones 
discontinued,  on  account  of  the  change  which 
had  taken  place  in  the  title  of  Henry  VIII., 
who,  from  being  lord  of  Ireland,  had  as- 
sumed the  title  of  king. 

Henry  had  already  married  four  wives, 
besides  Anne  Bullen.  He  now  married 
Catherine  Parr,  widow  of  John  Nevill,  lord 

*  The  services  which  acquired  rewards  for  these 
noblemen,  were  those  which  they  had  rendered  to 
the  English,  against  their  own  country. 

1    Ware,  ibid.  c.  35. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


435 


Latimer.  She  had  the  good  fortune  to  sur- 
vive him,  and  thus  escaped  the  unhappy 
fate  of  those  who  had  gone  before  her. 

War  being  declared  against  France, 
Henry  demanded  assistance  from  the  lord- 
justice  of  Ireland,  who  sent  him  seven  hun- 
dred men,  commanded  by  three  chiefs,  Poer, 
Finglass,  and  Scurlock.*  Holingshead  and 
Cox  boast  of  the  valor,  skill,  and  services 
which  the  Irish  rendered  to  the  king  of  Eng- 
land against  the  French  during  the  siege  of 
Boulogne.!  They  tell  us  that  from  their  sup- 
pleness and  activity,  they  extended  their  ex- 
cursions to  about  thirty  miles  round,  burning 
and  pillaging  everywhere,  and  carried  back 
great  booty  to  the  camp.  On  some  occasions 
they  tied  a  bull  to  a  stake,  and  placing  com- 
bustible matter  around  the  animal,  they  set  it 
on  fire  ;  the  bellowing  of  the  beast  on  feeling 
the  flames,  drew  together  herds  of  the  same 
kind  from  the  surrounding  neighborhood. 
These  Irish,  continues  Cox,  never  gave  quar- 
ter to  the  French  ;  and  when  any  of  the  Irish 
fell  into  their  power,  they  caused  them,  by 
way  of  reprisal,  to  be  mutilated  and  tortured 
in  various  ways.  He  adds,  that  after  the 
taking  of  Boulogne,  a  Frenchman  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  harbor  having  sent  a 
challenge  to  the  English  camp,  one  Nicho- 
las Walsh  swam  across  the  river,  fought  the 
Frenchman,  and  after  cutting  off  his  head, 
swam  back  to  his  countrymen,  holding  the 
head  with  his  teeth,  for  which  he  was  well 
rewarded.  The  acts  recorded  on  both  sides 
were  strange  and  inhuman  ;  but  we  cannot 
vouch  for  the  truth  of  the  historian. 

St.  Leger  having  been  created  a  knight 
of  the  garter,  as  a  reward  for  his  services, 
was  sent  back  as  deputy  to  Ireland.  He 
arrived  in  Dublin  in  August,  and  was  hon- 
orably received  by  the  council  and  people  : 
he  received  the  sword,  according  to  custom, 
and  used  the  necessary  measures  for  pre- 
serving the  tranquillity  which  the  state  en- 
joyed on  his  accession. 

Ulick  Burke,  first  earl  of  Clanriccard, 
died  at  this  time,  in  his  house  at  Loughreagh. 
His  death  gave  rise  to  serious  diflerences 
between  his  sons, by  different  wives,  respect- 
ing the  title  and  succession.  The  earl  had 
first  married  Grany  O'Carroll,  while  O'Me- 
laghlin,  her  first  husband,  as  it  is  alleged, 
was  living,  without  any  legal  divorce  having 
taken  place  between  them.  By  this  first 
wife,  the  earl  had  his  eldest  son,  Richard 
Burke.  He  afterwards  discarded  her,  and 
married  Honora  Burke,  from  whom  he  sepa- 
rated, and,  during  the  life  of  the  first  wife, 

*  Ware,  ibid,  cap.  36. 
t  Cox,  p.  277. 


married  Maria  Lynch,  by  whom  he  had  a 
son,  John  Burke,  who  disputed  the  succes- 
sion with  Richard,  his  elder  brother.  The 
deputy  and  his  council,  who  were  desirous 
of  terminating  their  differences,  appointed 
the  earl  of  Ormond,  and  some  other  com- 
missioners, to  examine  into  them  ;  which 
commissioners,  discoveringno  positive  proofs 
of  the  validity  of  the  supposed  marriage  of 
Grany  O'Carroll  with  O'Melaghlin,  adjudged 
the  title  and  inheritance  of  Clanriccard  to 
his  son  Richard. 

Matthew  Stewart,  earl  of  Lenox,  having 
been  obliged  to  leave  Scotland  in  1545, 
sought  refuge  in  England,  where  he  was 
honorably  received  by  the  king,  who  gave 
him  in  marriage,  some  time  afterwards,  his 
niece,  Margaret,  daughter  of  his  eldest  sister 
Margaret,  and  Archibald  Douglas,  earl  of 
Angus.*  The  earl  of  Lenox  had  by  this 
marriage,  Henry,  Lord  Darnly,  who  was 
father  to  James  VI.  of  Scotland. 

After  the  marriage  of  the  earl  of  Lenox, 
Henry  sent  him  to  Ireland,  with  orders  to 
the  deputy,  St.  Leger,  to  have  troops  raised 
with  all  possible  dispatch,  in  order  to  assist 
him  in  the  recovery  of  his  inheritance  in 
Scotland.  This  nobleman  landed  in  Dublin 
on  St.  Michael's  day,  and  went  to  Kilmain- 
ham  to  the  deputy,  to  whom  he  presented 
the  order  of  which  he  was  the  bearer.  The 
deputy  lost  no  time  in  obeying  the  king's 
mandate  ;  and  before  the  middle  of  Novem- 
ber he  raised  a  new  body  of  fifteen  hundred 
men,  under  the  command  of  Sir  John  Tra- 
vers.  These  were  soon  joined  by  an  equal 
number  which  had  been  raised  by  the  earl 
of  Ormond  in  his  own  district  ;  and  the  lit- 
tle army,  commanded  by  the  earl  in  person, 
set  sail,  in  twenty-eight  vessels,  for  Scot- 
land. The  earl  of  Lenox  had  his  corre- 
spondents in  the  country,  and  thought  that 
his  friends  would  be  prepared  to  assist  him  ; 
but  either  through  fickleness  on  their  part, 
or  from  their  being  prevented  by  the  faction 
of  the  duke  of  Hamilton,  who  was  opposed 
to  him,  when  he  was  preparing  to  land  near 
his  castle  at  Dumbritton,  he  perceived  the 
enemy  had  a  superior  army  on  the  shore 
ready  to  oppose  him.  He  therefore  deter- 
mined on  returning  to  Ireland  without  making 
any  attempt  on  Scotland. 

Some  dispute  arose  at  this  time  between 
O'Neill,  earl  of  Tyrone,  and  O'Donnel,  prince 
of  Tyrconnel,t  from  O'Neill  having  claimed 
the  right  of  lord  paramount  over  O'Donnel. 
The  deputy's  policy  was  to  render  them 
both  dependent  on  the  English  government, 

*  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  37. 

t  Cox,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  page  278. 


436 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


by  assuming  to  himself  the  arbitration  of 
their  difference,  and  supporting  the  weaker 
party  against  the  stronger.  By  the  deputy's 
decision,  therefore,  O'Donnel  was  exoner- 
ated from  all  dependence  on  O'Neill,  ex- 
cept a  yearly  tribute  of  sixty  oxen,  which 
he  had  engaged  to  pay  him  for  the  penin- 
sula of  Inisowen.  At  the  same  time,  two 
of  the  noble  tribe  of  the  Cavanaghs,  of  the 
county  Carlow, — namely,  Charles  or  Cahir 
Mac-Art,  of  Polmonty,  and  Gerald  Mac- 
Cahir,  of  Garochil,  disputed  the  right  of 
lordship  or  chief  of  the  tribe  ;  but  instead 
of  having  recourse  to  the  interference  of 
the  deputy,  they  determined  their  quarrel 
by  a  bloody  engagement,  in  which  each 
lost  about  one  hundred  men  killed  upon  the 
spot ;  whereon,  either  by  agreement  or  some 
other  means,  Charles  Mac-Art  became  mas- 
ter of  the  lordship.  He  was  afterwards 
created  baron  of  Balian,  in  the  district  of 
Idrone,  by  Queen  Mary. 

The  northern  Irish  finding  themselves  on 
the  eve  of  falling  under  the  English  yoke, 
O'Neill,  O'Donnel,  O'Dogherty,  and  other 
noblemen,  made  proposals  to  Francis  I. 
whereby  they  promised  that  monarch  to  be- 
come his  subjects,  and  oppose  the  tyranny 
of  the  English,  provided  he  obtained  the 
pope's  concurrence,  and  would  furnish  them 
with  two  thousand  archers,  two  hundred 
light  horse,  and  four  pieces  of  cannon. 
The  French  monarch,  who  considered  this 
overture  worthy  of  his  attention,  sent  John 
de  Montluc,  bishop  of  Valentia,  to  Ireland, 
to  investigate  the  matter,  and  to  see  what 
probability  there  would  be  of  succeeding  in 
such  an  enterprise.  The  ambassador  landed 
at  Loughfoyle,  and  had  a  conference,  a  few 
days  afterwards,  with  the  parties  who  were 
interested,  the  result  of  which  is  not  known  ; 
but  that  nobleman  set  out  immediately  for 
Rome,  probably  to  confer  with  the  pope  on 
the  subject.  It  is  likely  that  Cox  con- 
founds this  embassy  with  one  of  a  more 
solemn  nature,  of  which  we  shall  speak 
under  the  following  reign. 

The  royal  treasury  in  Ireland  being  ex- 
hausted, the  deputy  wished  to  impose  a  tax 
on  the  people,  a.  d.  1545  ;*  but  the  earl  of 
Ormond  having  opposed  it,  a  quarrel  arose 
between  these  noblemen,  who  accused  each 
other  of  treason,  and  they  were  ordered  by 
the  king  to  repair  to  England,  Brabazon  be- 
ing nominated  deputy  during  the  absence  of 
St.  Leger.  At  the  same  time,  Allen,  the 
chancellor,  having  been  accused  of  prevari- 
cation in  the  discharge  of  his  office,  was  put 

*  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  38. 


into  confinement ;  Sir  Thomas  Cusack  was 
appointed  keeper  of  the  seals  in  his  stead, 
and  Sir  Richard  Read  chancellor.  St.  Leger 
and  Ormond  were  summoned  to  appear  be- 
fore the  king  and  council ;  but  their  accusa- 
tions against  each  other  not  amounting  to 
hightreason,they  were  discharged,  St.  Leger 
being  sent  back  to  Ireland  as  deputy.  James 
Butler,  earl  of  Ormond,  grand  treasurer  of 
Ireland,  died  of  poison  at  a  repast  at  Hol- 
born,  near  London  ;  James  White,  the  mas- 
ter of  his  household,  and  sixteen  of  his  ser- 
vants, having  shared  the  same  fate. 

During  the  administration  of  Brabazon, 
the  baron  of  Upper  Ossory  having  had  some 
cause  of  complaint  against  his  son  Thadeus, 
sent  him  prisoner  to  Dublin,  where  he  was 
tried,  condemned,  and  executed.  In  the 
month  of  July,  Patrick  O'Morra  of  Leix, 
and  Bryan  O'Connor  Faly,  with  their  united 
forces,  made  inroadson  the  English  province, 
and  burned  the  town  of  Athy,  in  the  county 
of  Kildare.  Brabazon  marched  in  pursuit 
of  them,  carrying  fire  and  sword  everywhere 
he  went.  The  poor  inhabitants  were  sacri- 
ficed to  his  resentment  ;  he  had  the  fort  of 
Dingen,  now  Philipstovvn,  in  the  King's 
county,  repaired,  and  obliged  O'Connor  to 
seek  an  asylum  in  Connaught.  The  terri- 
tories of  Leix  and  Offaly,  with  the  neigh- 
boring estates,  namely,  Slievmargy,  Irris, 
and  Clanmalire,  were  confiscated  some  years 
afterwards  for  the  king's  use. 

The  king  sent  a  commission,  about  this 
time,  to  his  principal  ministers  in  Ireland,  to 
obHge  the  dean  and  chapter  of  St.  Patrick's 
cathedral  in  Dublin  to  place  at  their  disposal 
the  estates  belonging  to  that  church  ;  which 
was  assented  to  with  considerable  reluctance 
by  the  incumbents.  This  church,  however, 
was  restored  a  few  years  afterwards  to  all 
its  rights  by  Queen  Mary. 

Previous  to  his  death,  Henry  VIII.  be- 
came so  large  and  unwieldy  that  it  was 
necessary  to  invent  a  machine  to  change  or 
move  him  from  one  place  to  another.  He 
sank  under  the  weight  of  his  own  body, 
which  had  become  bloated  from  intemper- 
ance, the  usual  companion  of  lust.  His  body 
might,  with  propriety,  be  termed  the  sepul- 
chre of  himself,  in  which  his  pleasures  and 
disappointments  had  entombed  along  with 
him,  his  religion,  his  conscience,  his  glory, 
and  every  sentiment  of  honor,  justice,  and 
humanity  ;  all  which  gifts  nature  had  be- 
stowed on  him.  He  made  a  will,  whereby 
he  regulated  the  order  of  succession  to  the 
throne  between  his  children,  Edward,  Mary, 
and  Elizabeth. 

Henry  being  attacked  by  a  slow  fever, 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


437 


caused  by  dropsy,  and  by  an  ulcer  in  his  leg, 
the  hour  of  his  death  drew  near,  without  his 
appearing  to  perceive  its  approach.  His 
timid  and  dissolute  courtiers  dared  not  to 
inform  him  of  it,  lest  they  might  incur  his 
resentment  and  their  own  disgrace.  Sir  An- 
thony Denny,  a  member  of  the  privy  council, 
alone,  had  the  courage  to  warn  his  majesty 
of  his  approaching  end,  and  that  it  was  time 
he  should  send  for  a  clergyman  to  assist 
him  in  his  last  moments.  The  king,  con- 
trary to  the  expectation  of  those  around 
him,  received  Denny's  intimation  with  ap- 
parent tranquillity,  and  commanded  that  arch- 
bishop Cranmer  should  be  sent  for.  It  was, 
however,  too  late  ;  he  had  already  lost  the 
use  of  his  speech  before  Cranmer  arrived. 
The  prelate  desired  him  to  make  some  sign 
of  his  dying  in  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ ; 
on  which  the  king  squeezed  his  hand,  and 
immediately  expired,  on  the  28th  of  January, 
•1547,  having  lived  fifty-six  years,  of  which 
he  reigned  thirty-eight. 

It  is  difficult  to  delineate  with  accuracy 
the  character  of  this  unhappy  prince  ;  his 
portrait  varies  according  to  the  different 
dispositions  of  the  historians  who  have  writ- 
ten on  the  subject.  The  partisans  of  the  re- 
formation consider  it  a  merit  in  him  to  have 
shaken  off  the  pope's  authority,  and  thereby 
established  the  new  religion.  His  most 
zealous  panegyrists,  however,  admit  that  he 
was  addicted  to  many  vices.  In  truth,  the 
different  opinions  of  writers,  with  respect  to 
religion  and  the  legitimate  succession  of 
kings,  have  cast  so  many  doubts  on  historical 
facts,  from  the  period  of  the  pretended  divorce 
of  Henry  and  Catherine  of  Aragon  to  the 
present  time,  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
discriminate  between  truth  and  falsehood. 

Notwithstanding,  however,  the  various 
opinions  of  writers  on  Henry's  character,  it 
may  be  affirmed  that  he  was  a  bad  king,  a 
bad  husband,  and  a  bad  Christian.*  A  ty- 
rant is  a  bad  king.  Henry  spent  the  first 
eighteen  years  of  his  reign  at  plays,  mas- 
querades, and  nocturnal  amusements.  He 
soon  squandered  the  eighteen  hundred  thou- 
sand pounds  sterling,  which,  through  the 
avarice  of  his  father,  Henry  VII.,  he  had 
found  in  the  treasury  on  his  accession  to 
the  throne ;  so  that,  though  possessing  more 
considerable  revenues,  he  found  himself 
more  indigent  than  any  of  his  predecessors. 
He,  however,  supplied  the  deficiency  by 
tyranny :  the  immense  wealth  of  the  monas- 
teries, colleges,  and  hospitals,  which  were 
suppressed  ;  the  silver  ornaments  and  ves- 

*  Salmon,  ibid,  page  276. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

Edward  VI.,  only  son  of  Henry  VIII.  and 
of  Jane  Seymour,  ascended  the  throne  at 
the  age  of  nine  years,  in  virtue  of  his  birth- 
right, and  of  his  father's  will.  Edward  Sey- 
mour, earl  of  Hertford,  and  maternal  uncle 
to  the  young  king,  was  appointed  governor 
of  his  person,  and  protector  of  the  kingdom 
during  his  minority ;  being  also  created  duke 
of  Somerset.  This  pfince,  after  receiving  the 

*  Sander,  de  Schis.  Angl.  lib.  1,  p.  168,  et  seq. 
Ward,  History  of  the  Reformation,  cant.  1.  Salmon, 
ibid,  page  285. 

t  Short  View. 


sels  of  these  houses  ;  the  spoils  of  Cardinal 
Wolsey  and  Cromwell,  his  vicar-general  ; 
the  estates  of  several  noblemen  of  the  first 
distinction,  which  were  confiscated  for  his 
use,  and  the  large  sums  that  were  extorted 
from  the  clergy,  under  pretext  of  the  prceinu- 
nire  law,  increased  the  king's  exchequer  to  a 
considerable  extent,  but  were  not  sufficient 
to  support  his  profligacy.*  He  levied  exor- 
bitant taxes  upon  his  p;50ple  ;  raised  exten- 
sive loans  on  his  privy  seal  ;  and  then  pro- 
cured acts  of  parliament  to  annul  his  engage- 
ments, and  defraud  his  creditors  of  their  right. 
Finding  the  wealth  of  the  kingdom  entirely 
exhausted,  he  caused  the  money  to  be  re- 
coined,  and  made  spurious,  to  such  a  degree, 
that,  to  the  shame  of  the  English  nation,  it 
was  not  current  in  foreign  countries,  by  which 
means  the  merchant  lost  his  credit  abroad. 
In  Ireland,  for  want  of  gold  and  silver,  the 
king  ordered  that  copper  money  should  be 
made  use  of,  to  the  great  detriment  and 
displeasure  of  the  public. 

Of  Henry's  six  wives,  two  were  repudi- 
ated, two  were  beheaded,  and  one  died  in 
childbed  ;  the  last,  in  all  likelihood,  only 
escaped  a  cruel  fate  by  the  sudden  death  of 
the  prince  ;  which  facts  fully  prove  him  to  ! 
have  been  the  worst  of  husbands.  I 

In  fine,  Henry  is  represented  as  a  cruel 
and  profligate  prince.    Neither  the  most  de- 
praved of  the  Roman  emperors,  says  Higgins,  I 
nor  even  Christiern  of  Denmark,  Don  Pedro  j 
of  Castile,  nor  Vasilowich  of  Russia,  sur-  {j 
passed  him  in  cruelty  and  debauchery.!  This 
writer,  indeed,  like  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  af- 
firms, that  were  the  portrait  of  tyranny  lost, 
the  original  might  be  found  in  the  life  of  Hen- 
ry VIII.   He  was  amonster  of  humanity,  that 
never  spared  man  in  his  anger,  nor  woman 
in  his  lust ;  and  from  the  consciousness  of 
his  crimes,  he  died  in  utter  despair. 


438 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND, 


order  of  knighthood,  was  solemnly  crowned 
at  Westminster,  on  the  20th  of  February,  by 
the  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  a.  d.  1547.* 
St.  Lcger  was  continued  in  the  govern- 
ment of  Ireland,  first  as  lord-justice,  and  af- 
terwards under  the  title  of  deputy  or  vice- 
roy. He  had  Edward  proclaimed  king  of 
Ireland  on  the  26th  of  February.  James, 
earl  of  Desmond,  was  appointed  treasurer 
about  the  end  of  March,  and  in  April  nine 
privy  counsellors,  besides  the  deputy,  were 
nominated,  viz.,  Read,  chancellor  of  Ireland, 
G.  Brown,  archbishop  of  Dublin,  Edward 
Staply,  bishop  of  Meath,  Sir  William  Bra- 
bazon,  vice-treasurer,  Sir  Gerald  Ailmer, 
chief-justice  of  the  king's  bench.  Sir  Thomas 
Luttrell,  chief-justice  of  the  common  pleas, 
James  Bath,  chief-baron  of  the  exchequer. 
Sir  Thomas  Cusack,  master  of  the  rolls, 
and  Thomas  Howth,  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
king's  bench.  The  king  dispatched  orders, 
at  this  time,  to  the  deputy,  chancellor,  and 
other  magistrates  in  Ireland,  to  grant  pen- 
sions to  the  canons  and  prebendaries  of  St. 
Patrick's  cathedral,  Dublin,  which  had  been 
suppressed,  and  to  give  the  silver,  jewels, 
and  ornaments,  belonging  to  that  church,  to 
the  dean  and  chapter  of  the  cathedral  of  the 
holy  Trinity,  to  whom  were  added  six  priests 
and  two  choristers,  in  consideration  of  forty- 
five  pounds,  six  shillings,  and  eight  pence 
sterling,  payable  at  the  king's  pleasure  ; 
this  grant  was  afterwards  confirmed  to  this 
church,  in  perpetuity,  by  Queen  Mary. 

The  O'Byrnes,  eager  to  take  advantage 
of  the  change  that  occurred  in  the  govern- 
ment, took  the  field,  in  the  month  of  May, 
to  recover  their  freedom.  The  viceroy 
j  marched  with  a  powerful  army  to  oppose 
'  them,  and  after  killing  their  chief,  forced 
them  to  retreat  to  their  fastnesses,  but  was 
unable  to  subdue  them.  At  the  same  time, 
he  had  two  noblemen,  of  the  house  of  Fitz- 
gerald, arrested,  who,  being  proscribed  for 
having  espoused  the  cause  of  the  earl  of  Kil- 
dare,  had  joined  the  O'Tooles.  They  were 
sent  with  other  prisoners  to  Dublin,  where 
they  were  all  put  to  death.  The  O'Morras 
and  O'Connors  were  attacked  in  the  county 
of  Kildare,  after  they  had  taken  considerable 
booty  ;  about  two  hundred  of  them  were 
killed,  and  the  rest  put  to  flight. 

The  English  government  now  saw  the 
difficulties  they  had  to  encounter  in  their 
attempts  to  reduce  the  Irish.  They  appre- 
hended a  general  revolt  throughout  the  island, 
on  account  of  the  religious  opinions  in  which 


*  'Baker's  Chron.  Rei^  of  Edward  VI. 
;  Annal.  reg.  Edv/ard,  cap.  1. 


War 


the  king  had  been  brought  up,  and  the  nov- 
elties which  had  been  already  introduced  ' 
into  religion.    They  found,  too,  that  the  an-  | 
cient  and  modern  Iri.sh,  of  whom  the  nation  ! 
was  then  composed,  began  to  unite,  and  that 
this  union  was  founded  on  similar  prhiciples 
of  religion.    They  thought  it  prudent,  there-  j 
fore,  to  provide  for  the  safety  of  the  nation  ;  i 
for  which  end,  orders  were  given  that  six  | 
hundred   horse  and  four  hundred   infantry 
should  be  sent  to  Ireland,  and  be  well  paid.  | 
The  command  of  this  force  was  given  to 
Edward  Bellingham,  on  whom  the  title  of 
captain-general  was  conferred.*     This  re- 
inforcement landed  at  Waterford,  in  June, 
where  they  were  joined  by  the  deputy  and 
the  army  under  his  command.     The  vice- 
roy and  Bellingham,  with  their  united  forces, 
marched  for  Leix  and  Offaly,  where  they 
proclaimed  O'Morra  and  O'Connor,  chiefs  of 
these  districts,  traitors  to  the  state,  and  dis- 
persed their  vassals.  They  then  repaired  the 
forts  of  Dingen,  at  present  Philipstown,  in 
Offaly,  and  Campaw,  or  Protector,  now  Mary- 
borough, in  the  territory  of  Leix.    O'Morra 
and  O'Connor,  finding  they  had  no  other  re- 
source, made  peace  with  the  viceroy.    As  a 
reward  for  his  services,  Bellingham  received 
the  honor  of  knighthood,  and  was  appointed 
marshal  of  Ireland. 

About  the  end  of  the  same  year,  the  privy 
council,  by  the  advice  of  Brabazon,  the  vice- 
treasurer,  gave  orders  that  the  fort  of  Ath- 
lone,  which  was  situate  in  the  centre  of  the 
island,  should  be  repaired,  fortified,  and  pro- 
vided with  a  good  garrison.  By  command 
of  the  council,  this  undertaking  was  execu- 
ted by  Brabazon,  in  which  he  was  opposed 
by  Domini ck  O'Kelly,  and  other  lords  of 
Connaught. 

The  schism  wliich  had  been  begun  in  Eng- 
land by  Henry  YIIl.,  contir.ued  to  spread 
itself  under  his  son  Edward  VI.  Edward 
Seymour,  the  young  king's  maternal  uncle, 
who,  during  the  minority,  governed  the 
kingdom  as  protector,  added  heresy  to 
schism. t  In  his  doctrine,  this  nobleman  was 
a  Zuinglian.  Cranmer,  who  had  been  al- 
ways one,  found  his  wishes  gratified,  on  see- 
ing all  ready  to  receive  the  poison  of  the 
error  he  was  going  to  proclaim.  The  young 
king,  although  he  was,  by  his  father's  de- 
sire, educated  in  the  Catholic  faith,  favored 
Cranmer  in  his  errors,  which  speedily  gained 
ground,  and  truth  was  suppressed.  In  order 
to  spread  the  heresy  more  widely,  the  pro- 
tector took  care  to  raise  those  who  professed 

*  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  2. 

t  Sander,  de  Schis.  Anglic,  lib,  2,  passim. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


439 


it,  to  the  first  dignities,  and  most  important 
offices  of  the  state. 

The  reformation  was  at  this  time  begin- 
ning to  be  preached  in  public.  Besides 
Cranmer  and  his  agents,  Richard  Cox  and 
Hugh  Latimer,  (whom  the  Lutherans  call 
the  first  apostle  of  England,  from  the  num- 
bers that  he  perverted,)  and  other  English 
preachers,  the  country  was  infested  with 
swarms  of  them  from  Germany.  Martin 
Bucer,  Peter  Martyr,  Bernard  Ochin,  Fagius, 
and  others,  all  preached  their  own  doctrines. 
Some  were  favorable  to  Lutheranism,  which 
was  professed  by  Cranmer ;  others  favored 
the  doctrine  of  Zuingle,  which  was  that  of 
the  protector.*  This  schism  appeared  dan- 
gerous to  the  parliament.  That  tribunal  ac- 
knowledged none  other  in  religious  matters  ; 
it  received  its  commission  expressly  from  the 
king,  who  caused  himself  to  be  declared  the 
head  of  it.  In  order  to  satisfy  all  parties, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  to  preserve  some  ap- 
pearance of  unity,these  wise  senators  adopted 
certain  articles  of  the  tenets  of  each  of  the 
sects,  whereof  the  religion  of  the  country 
was  composed ;  and  in  order  that  none  should 
have  cause  to  complain  of  having  been  ex- 
cluded, they  added  a  portion  of  Calvinism, 
which  was  at  that  time  becoming  popular. 
Calvin  had  already  the  confidence  to  write  to 
the  duke  of  Somerset,  the  protector,  to  exhort 
him  to  make  use  of  the  sword,  to  reduce  the 
Catholics,  and  force  them  to  embrace  what 
he  termed  the  doctrine  of  the  gospel.  From 
the  many  innovations  which  were  introduced 
into  this  new  religion,  that  had  never  before 
been  attempted,  the  people  became  alarmed. 
The  celebration  of  the  mass  was  abolished, 
the  marriage  of  priests  allowed,  the  images 
were  removed  from  the  churches,  and  public 
prayers  said  in  the  language  of  the  country. 
Finally,  the  six  articles  which  had  been  es- 
tablished by  Henry  VIIL  were  annulled; 
several  bishops  were  deprived  of  their  sees, 
and  thrown  into  dungeons  ;  the  revenues 
belonging  to  the  churches,  together  with  their 
vessels  and  ornaments,  were  converted  to 
profane  purposes  :  "  Ut  quid  perditio  hmc" 
dfc,  exclaimed  the  reformers,  like  Judas  ;t 
in  short,  a  new  liturgy  was  substituted  for 
the  old  one,  by  an  act  of  parliament.  All 
these  things  alarmed  the  faithful,  and  gave 
rise  to  a  rebellion  in  many  provinces  of  Eng- 
land, where  the  inhabitants  took  up  arms  in 
defence  of  the  religion  of  their  forefathers. 

In  Ireland,  the  effects  of  the  reformation 


*  Le  Grand,  History  of  the  Divorce,  vol.  l.page 
287. 

t  Baker,  ibid.  p.  304,  et  seq.  Heylin,  Hist,  of 
the  Reformation,  preface  to  the  reader. 


were  beginning  to  be  felt  in  1548.  The  Irish 
were  strongly  attached  to  their  religion,  and 
took  alarm  at  the  slightest  attempt  to  intro- 
duce a  change.  All  Europe  has  witnessed 
the  miseries  they  have  undergone,  and  the 
sacrifices. that  they  have  made  in  defence  of 
it,  from  the  above  period  to  the  present. 
Two  young  noblemen,  named  Richard  and 
Alexander,  sons  of  Thomas  Fitz-Eustace, 
viscount  of  Baltinglass,having  caused  disturb- 
ances in  the  county  of  Kildare,  by  opposing 
some  matters  connected  with  the  reformation, 
which  was  beginning  to  be  introduced  among 
them,  the  government  immediately  sent 
troops,  commanded  by  the  viceroy,  who  was 
attended  by  Bellingham  and  Brabazon,  in 
order  to  crush  the  rising  conspiracy.  A  well 
disciplined  army,  headed  by  the  deputy,  was 
more  than  sufficient  to  disperse  a  body  of 
men  who  had  been  tumultuously  assembled, 
and  badly  provided  with  arms  ;  their  leaders 
soon  surrendered  to  the  viceroy,  who  pro- 
cured them  their  pardon,  and  that  of  their 
father,  the  Viscount  Baltinglass,  who  was 
supposed  to  have  favored  their  insurrection. 

St.  Leger,  the  deputy,  having  received 
orders  to  return  to  England,  brought  O'Mor- 
ra  and  O'Connor  prisoners  along  with  him. 
These  noblemen  having  submitted,  received 
their  pardon,  and  a  pension  for  life,  of  one 
hundred  pounds  sterling  a  year,  from  the 
exchequer.  O'Morra,  however,  enjoyed  it 
for  ordy  a  short  period,  as  he  died  in  the 
course  of  the  same  year  in  London. 

Sir  Edward  Bellingham,  who  had  been 
sent  to  England  by  the  government  to  render 
an  account  of  the  submission  of  some  noble- 
men in  the  county  of  Kildare,  returned  to 
Ireland  as  deputy  from  the  court.  He 
landed  at  Dalkey,  near  Dublin,  on  the  vigil 
of  Pentecost,  and  in  two  days  afterwards, 
received  the  sword  of  office  according  to 
custom,  in  the  cathedral  church  of  Dublin. 
The  new  deputy  reappointed  John  Allen 
chancellor,  instead  of  Read,  who  returned 
soon  afterwards  to  England. 

The  deputy  being  in  possession  of  the 
government,  made  incursions  into  the  terri- 
tories of  Leix  and  OfFaly,  where  he  quelled 
some  disturbances  that  had  been  caused  by 
Cahir  O'Connor,  and  other  nobles  of  this 
district.  He  then  marched  towards  Dealna, 
the  country  of  M'Coghlan,  which  he  laid 
waste,  and  reduced  to  obedience.  He  was 
the  first  after  Henry  III.,  according  to  Davis 
and  Cox,  who  extended  the  frontiers  of  the 
English  province  in  Ireland.* 

This  deputy  established  a  mint  in  Ireland, 

*  History  of  Ireland,  page  284. 


440 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


by  orders  of  the  government ;  it  failed,  how- 
ever, for  want  of  means  to  support  it.  In 
the  niontli  of  April,  of  this  year,  the  city  of 
Dublin,  which  had  been  at  lirst  governed  by 
a  provost,  and  subsequently,  under  Henry 
111.,  by  a  mayor  and  bailiffs,  and  was  hon- 
ored with  the  sword  by  Henry  IV.,  obtained 
perniirisioii  from  the  court  to  change  its 
bailids  into  sheriffs. 

About  this  time,  Francis  Brian,  an  Eng- 
lishuuiu  and  baronet,  having  married  Jane, 
countess  dowager  of  Ormond,  was  appointed 
marshal  of  Ireland,  and  governor  of  the 
counties  Tipperary  and  Kilkenny.  This  gov- 
ernor and  the  deputy  could  not  agree  ;  the 
one  being  unwilling  to  acknowledge  a  supe- 
rior, and  the  other  an  equal ;  their  animosity 
was  carried  to  such  a  pitch  that  Brian  wrote 
to  the  king  against  the  deputy,  and  had  him 
sunnnoned  to  appear  at  court,  to  answer  the 
charges  which  he  advanced  against  him. 

In  the  mean  time,  Teigue,  or  Thadeus 
O'CarroU,  seized  upon  and  destroyed  the 
castle  of  Nenagh,  in  the  county  of  Tippera- 
ry, in  spite  of  the  spirited  resistance  of  the 
English  garrison.  After  this,  he  expelled 
all  the  English  from  the  district.* 

Some  differences  sprang  up  in  Ulster  be- 
tween Manus  O'Donnel,  prince  of  Tircon- 
nel,  and  his  son  Calvagh,  which  ended  in  an 
open  war.  Both  parties  took  up  arms,  and 
on  the  7th  of  February  came  to  an  engage- 
ment, in  which  the  father  was  victorious, 
and  his  son  put  to  flight,  leaving  MacDo- 
nough  O'Cahan,  and  several  other  noblemen, 
his  allies,  dead  on  the  field  of  battle.  A 
dreadful  misfortune  happened  shortly  after- 
wards to  MacCoghlan :  his  district  of  Dealna 
being  laid  waste  by  the  united  forces  of 
Teigue  O'Melaghlin  and  Edmond  Fay. 

King  Edward  being  at  war  with  the  Scotch, 
the  viceroy  and  council  in  Ireland  sent  a 
brigade  of  Irish  troops  to  his  assistance, 
under  the  command  of  Donough,  son  of 
O'Connor  Fahy,  accompanied  by  the  sons 
of  Cahir  O'Connor. 

In  the  month  of  November,  Cormoc  Roe 
O'Connor,  who  had  been  proclaimed  a  trai- 
tor and  proscribed,  appeared  before  the  de- 
puty and  council  in  Christ's  church,  Dublin, 
j  where,  after  making  his  submission,  he  was 
pardoned  ;  but  being  possessed  of  consider- 
able estates,  (which  was  then  a  crime  for  an 
Irishman,)  they  soon  furnished  him  with  fresh 
cause  to  rebel ;  he  was  consequently  arrested 
by  the  earl  of  Clanriccard,  and  sent  to  Dub- 
lin, where  he  was  tried  and  condemned  to 
death.  If  accusation  renders  a  man  guilty, 
innocence  itself  caimot  be  secure. 

*  Cox,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  page  285. 


About  Christmas  the  deputy  wrote  to  the 
carl  of  Desmond,  to  induce  him  to  come  to 
Dublin  on  some  important  business.  The 
earl  was  then  the  richest  of  the  king's  sub- 
jects in  landed  property,  and  though  not  one 
of  the  privy  council,  was  treasurer  of  Ire- 
land. The  deputy,  exasperated  at  his  refusal 
to  obey  the  summons,  set  out  on  a  sudden, 
with  twenty  horsemen,  for  Munster,  where 
he  surprised  him,  and  brought  him  prisoner 
to  Dublin.  This,  however,  proved  fortunate 
for  him,  as  he  obtained  his  pardon  some 
time  afterwards,  and  was  restored  to  favor, 
thVough  the  interference  of  his  adversary. 
Cox  draws  a  very  disadvantageous  portrait 
of  the  earl  of  Desmond,  for  rudeness  and 
ferocity  of  manners.  This,  however,  is  con- 
tradicted by  Ware,  who  was  undoubtedly  a 
more  judicious  and  authentic  historian.* 

The  conquest  of  Ireland  had  not  been  yet 
completed,  a.  d.  1549.  Symptoms,  however, 
appeared  from  time  to  time  among  the  an- 
cient Irish,  which  portended  the  speedy  re- 
duction of  the  island. t  When  the  lords  of 
inferior  districts  had  any  subject  of  com- 
plaint against  their  superior  lords,  respecting 
the  contributions  or  tributes  which  the  latter 
exacted  from  them,  perhaps  with  too  much 
rigor  ;  instead  of  having  recourse  to  the 
usual  mode  of  arbitration,  or  referring 
their  differences  to  the  Brehons,  who  were 
the  ordinary  judges  among  them,  they  car- 
ried their  complaints  before  the  English  gov- 
ernor. This  politic  tribunal,  while  effect- 
ing between  them  an  outward  reconciliation, 
exerted  itself  to  sever  the  ties  of  subordi- 
nation which  bound  them  together,  establish- 
ing an  independence  among  them ;  so  that 
by  a  separation  of  the  vassals  from  their 
chief,  the  body  became  imperceptibly  en- 
feebled, many  instances  of  which  occurred 
about  this  time.  Conn  O'Neill,  earl  of  Ty- 
rone, having  had  a  dispute  with  Maguire, 
Phelim  Roe  O'Neill,  and  other  nobles  who 
held  under  him,  they  presented  themselves 
before  the  deputy  and  council,  in  Dublin,  in 
the  month  of  June.  The  tribunal  heard 
their  mutual  recriminations  and  complaints, 
and  had  them  reconciled  on  certain  condi- 
tions ;  it  decided,  that  Maguire  should  be 
exempt  for  the  future  from  all  subjection, 
homage,  and  dependence  on  the  earl  of  Ty- 
rone and  his  successors  ;  that  he  should  al- 
ways remain  in  peace,  under  the  deputy's 
protection,  and  that  he  should  be  bound  to 
acquit  himself  towards  his  excellency,  as 
often  as  he  should  be  required  by  the  council, 

*  Hist,  of  Ireland,  page  285. 
t  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  3. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


441 


of  all  homage,  debts,  and  generally  of  every 
duty  which  a  subject  owes  to  his  lord.  In 
the  following  month,  a  similar  decree  was 
made  respecting  O'Donnel,  prince  of  Tyr- 
connel,  and  the  nobles  who  derived  under 
him.  These  negotiations  were  followed  by 
the  submission  of  Brian  and  Hugh  Oge 
M'Mahon,  (the  younger,)  to  the  deputy  at 
Kilmainham,  and  the  remission  of  a  fine  of 
five  hundred  marcs,  to  which  they  had  been 
condemned  some  time  before. 

The  war  had  lasted  for  a  considerable  time 
between  the  English  and  Scotch,  respect- 
ing the  marriage  which  it  was  endeavored 
to  conclude  between  the  young  king  Edward 
and  Mary  Stuart,  in  order  to  unite  England 
with  Scotland.*  The  Scotch  nobility  having 
refused  to  consent  to  this  marriage,  the  lord- 
protector  marched  into  Scotland  with  a 
powerful  army,  where  he  gained  the  cele- 
brated battle  of  Musselborough.  Henry  11. 
king  of  France,  whose  interest  it  was  to 
thwart  an  alliance  which  would  produce  the 
union  of  these  two  crowns,  averted  the  blow 
by  sending  for  the  heiress  of  Scotland.  She 
was  afterwards  married  to  his  son,  Francis 
H. 

At  this  conjuncture,  the  Scotch  sent  a 
body  of  troops  to  Ulster  to  support  the  Irish 
against  the  English,  and  thereby  create  a 
diversion  in  their  own  favor ;  but  these 
auxiliaries,  to  the  number  of  two  hundred, 
were  defeated  by  Andrew  Brereton,  at  the 
head  of  thirty -five  horsemen.  This  captain 
quelled  the  disturbances-  in  Ulster,  and  was 
appointed  governor  of  that  province. 

Bellingham,  the  deputy,  having  been  re- 
called by  the  intrigues  of  his  enemies,  sailed 
from  Howth  in  December,  for  England. 
After  his  departure,  the  chancellor  Allen, 
by  the  orders  of  the  king,  having  convened 
a  meeting  of  the  nobility  and  privy  council, 
in  the  church  of  the  holy  Trinity,  Dublin, 
in  order  to  appoint  a  successor,  the  choice 
fell  on  Sir  Francis  Briaa.  This  election 
was  confirmed  by  the  signatures  of  Jenico 
Preston,  viscount  Gormanstown ;  Roland 
Eustace,  viscount  Baltinglass  ;  Edward  Sta- 
ples, bishop  of  Meath ;  Richard  Nugent, 
baron  of  Delvin ;  John  Plunket,  baron  of 
Killeen  ;  Patrick  Barnewall,  baron  of  Trim- 
lestown  ;  Robert  Plunket,  baron  of  Dun- 
sany  ;  Oliver  Plunket,  baron  of  Louth  ;  and 
Brian  Fitzpatrick,  baron  of  Upper  Ossory. 
The  administration  of  this  new  deputy  was 
of  short  duration.  Having  undertaken  an 
expedition  into  the  county  of  Tipperary,  to 
quell  some  disturbances,  and  to  oppose  the 

*  Baker,  ibid. 


incursions  of  O'CarroU,  he  fell  sick  at  Clon- 
mel,  where  he  died  on  the  second  of  Feb- 
ruary following.  His  body  was  removed 
to  Waterford,  and  interred  in  the  cathedral 
of  the  holy  Trinity.  After  his  death,  the 
government  was  confided  by  the  council  to 
Sir  William  Brabazon,  with  the  title  of 
lord-justice,  and  this  governor  intrusted  Ed- 
mond  Butler,  archbishop  of  Casli^l,  with  the 
superintendence  of  the  country  of  Ormond, 
during  the  minority  of  the  earl,  who  was  then 
but  twelve  years  of  age. 

The  lord-justice  marched  towards  Lime- 
rick, where  he  received  the  submission  of 
Teigue,  or  Thadeus  O'CarroU.*  This  noble- 
man undertook  to  pay  an  annual  tribute  to 
the  exchequer,  and  also  to  maintain  a  cer- 
tain number  of  troops,  both  horse  and  foot, 
at  his  own  expense,  for  the  king's  service, 
and  to  resign  his  claims  on  the  barony  of 
Ormond.  He  likewise  placed  the  district  of 
Eile  in  the  king's  hands,  who  restored  it  to 
him  afterwards,  by  letters  patent,  with  the 
title  of  lord-baron  of  Eile.  This  nobleman 
having  got  over  his  own  difficulties,  inter- 
fered in  favor  of  M'Morrough,  O'Kelly, 
and  O'Melaghlin,  and  procured  letters  of 
protection  for  them.  The  lord-justice  at  the 
same  time  reconciled  the  earls  of  Desmond 
and  Thuomond, whose  differences  respecting 
their  frontiers  had  long  disturbed  the  peace 
of  the  province.  Derniod  O'SuUivan,  a 
powerful  nobleman  in  the  county  of  Cork, 
met  with  a  heavy  calamity  at  this  period  ; 
some  barrels  of  powder  having  taken  fire,  by 
which  he  and  his  castle  were  blown  up  to- 
gether. Amalf,  his  brother  and  heir,  was 
killed  some  time  afterwards. 

The  town  of  Boulogne,  which  had  been 
taken  by  Henry  VIII.  six  years  before,  was 
surrendered  to  the  French,  in  April,  1550, 
on  condition  of  paying,  at  two  separate  pe- 
riods, the  sum  of  four  hundred  thousand 
crowns. t  The  king  of  England  expended 
eight  thousand  pounds  sterling  of  this  money 
in  the  service  of  Ireland.  He  also  sent  over 
four  hundred  men  from  that  garrison,  which 
enabled  the  lord-justice  to  pursue  the  rebels, 
among  others  Charles  Mac-Art  Cavanagh, 
who  had  already  been  proclaimed  a  traitor. 
He  devastated  the  country,  and  killed  several 
of  his  followers. 

The  reformation  had  not  yet  made  much 
progress  in  Ireland.  In  the  month  of  May 
of  this  year,  Arthur  Magennis  was  appointed 
by  the  pope  to  the  bishopric  of  Dromore, 
and  was  confirmed  in  it  by  letters  patent 


*  Cox,  ibid,  pagu  287. 
t  VV^are,  ibid.  cap.  4. 
56 


442 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


from  the  king.  Thomas  Lancaster,  of  the 
reformed  religion,  was  consecrated  bishop 
of  Kildare,  in  Dublin,  in  July,  by  George 
Brown,  archbishop  of  that  city.  He,  how- 
ever, lost  his  bishopric  under  the  following 
reign,  on  account  of  his  having  married.* 

The  English  sent  an  army  at  this  time  to 
the  frontiers  of  Scotland.  Henry  H.,  king 
of  Franccf  considered  this  step  against  his 
allies  as  an  infraction  of  the  peace  lately 
concluded  between  him  and  the  English :  and 
accordingly  sent  a  fleet,  consisting  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  vessels,  laden  with  pro- 
visions, powder,  and  cannon,  to  Scotland  ; 
but  having  been  overtaken  by  a  furious  tem- 
pest, sixteen  of  the  largest  vessels  were 
wrecked  upon  the  coast  of  Ireland  ;  the  re- 
mainder were  scattered,  and  found  consider- 
able difficulty  in  reaching  the  coast  of  France. 
The  king  of  England  wished  to  counteract 
the  designs  of  France  against  his  dominions, 
but  particularly  against  Ireland.  He  knew 
that  his  power  was  not  firmly  established  in 
that  country ;  that  the  people  were  in  general 
dissatisfied,  and  that  their  fidelity  being 
founded  on  a  forced  submission,  they  only 
waited  for  an  opportunity  to  shake  off  the 
English  yoke.  For  the  purpose  therefore  of 
guarding  it,  he  sent  a  fleet  of  twenty  vessels, 
consisting  of  large  ships  and  sloops,  under 
the  command  of  Lord  Cobham,  with  orders 
to  cruise  in  the  Irish  sea,  from  the  north  to 
the  south  of  the  island.  Henry  II.  found 
means,  however,  to  elude  these  precautions. 
He  sent  over  De  Forciuevaux,  attended  by 
the  prothonotary  De  Montluc,  who  entered 
into  successful  negotiation  with  the  princes  of 
Ulster,  O'Neill  and  O'Donnell,  and  induced 
them  to  enter  into  a  confederacy  with  France, 
against  the  English.  As,  however,  the  con- 
tinuance of  treaties  is  generally  measured  by 
the  interest  of  princes,  the  peace  which  was 
concluded  between  France  and  England  ren- 
dered this  league  with  the  Irish  abortive. 

De  Serigny  speaks  in  the  following  terms 
of  this  negotiation,  in  his  book  of  general 
peerage,  or  registry  of  the  nobility  of  France, 
in  the  article  respecting  Beccarie  de  Pavie, 
marquis  de  Forquevaux.f  "  In  the  mean 
time,  as  the  king  wished  to  bring  the  Irish 
princes  under  his  dominion,  and  withdraw 
them  from  their  allegiance  to  the  king  of 
England,  who  had  many  partisans  among 
them,  and  was  in  possession  of  some  for- 
tresses ;  he  gave  orders  to  De  Forquevaux  to 
set  out  for  Ireland  with  the  prothonotary, 
De  Montluc,  (John  de  Montesquion  de  Las- 
seran    Massencomme,    brother  to   marshal 

*  War.  de  Episcop.  Kildare. 
t  Regist.  2.  1  part.  vol.  3. 


Blaise  de  Montluc,)  who  was  then  chancellor 
of  Scotland,  and  afterwards  bishop  of  Va- 
lentia,  and  Die  in  Dauphiny.*  Notwith- 
standing the  delicacy  of  this  affair,  they  car- 
ried on  their  negotiation,  which  was  a  dan- 
gerous one,  with  so  much  skill  and  dexterity, 
that,  in  the  month  of  February,  1553,  they 
received  the  oath  of  fidelity  from  prince 
O'Donnel,  and  O'Neill,  earl  of  Tyrone,  in 
the  castle  of  Donegal,  province  of  Ulster, 
which  princes,  both  in  their  own  name,  and 
in  the  names  of  the  other  lords  of  the  coun- 
try, placed  their  lives,  forces,  and  properties 
under  the  protection  of  France  ;  it  having 
been  agreed  upon,  that  whoever  would  be 
king  of  France,  should  be  also  king  of  Ire- 
land." This  is  an  historical  fact,  of  which  no 
mention  is  made,  either  by  our  most  correct 
compilers,  or  in  the  extensive  works  of 
Du  Tillet,  De  Bellefortt,  De  la  Popliniere, 
and  others  ;  but  concerning  which  no  doubt 
can  exist,  since  according  to  the  account  of 
the  biographer  of  Raymond  de  Beccarie,  the 
Latin  transcript  of  the  oath  taken  by  the 
Irish  lords  is  to  be  found  in  the  king's 
treasury,  and  he  was  moreover  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  facts. 

Allen,  chancellor  of  Ireland,  was  recalled 
at  this  time  to  England,  and  succeeded  by 
Sir  Thomas  Cusack,  of  Coffington,  in  the 
county  of  Meath,  who  had  been  master  of 
the  rolls.  The  office  of  chancellor  was  con- 
firmed to  him  by  letters  from  the  king,  in 
the  month  of  August. 

In  September,  Sir  Anthony  St.  Leger  was 
again  appointed  lord-lieutenant  or  deputy  of 
Ireland  ;  and  on  his  arrival  in  Dublin,  Bra- 
bazon  presented  him,  according  to  custom, 
with  the  sword.  This  deputy  received  the 
submission  of  M'Carty,  and  restored  him  to 
favor. 

Richard  Butler,  lord  of  Mongarret,  in  the 
county  of  Wexford,  was  created  a  peer  of 
the  realm  on  the  23d  of  October,  under  the 
title  of  lord  viscount  Mongarret.  He  was 
son  of  Pierce,  or  Peter,  earl  of  Ormond,  and 
of  Margaret,  daughter  of  Fitzgerald,  earl  of 
Kildare. t 

Charles  Mac-Art  Cavanagh  having  ap- 
peared on  the  4th  of  November  before  the 
grand  council  in  Dublin,  made  his  submission, 
and  surrendered  his  possessions  publicly,  in 
the  name  of  Mac-Morrough,  in  presence  of 
the  deputy,  the  earls  of  Desmond,  Tyrone, 
Thuomond,  and  Clanriccard,  viscount  Mon- 
garret, the  baron  of  Dunboyne,  and  other 
noblemen.  The  submission  of  this  nobleman 
produced  him  no  ad  vantage, as  he  was  stripped 

*  He  was  promoted  and  consecrated  in  1553. 
t  Nichol's  Rudiments  of  Honor. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


443 


of  the  best  portion  of  his  estates.  Such  were 
the  usual  terms  that  were  imposed  upon  the 
Irish  by  their  unjust  masters,  after  they  had 
submitted  to  the  yoke.  The  lands  belong- 
ing to  them  were  peculiarly  attractive  to 
Englishmen,  and  enriched  thousands  of  hun- 
gry adventurers,  who  came  in  crowds  to  seek 
their  fortunes  in  Ireland. 

Edmond  Butler,  archbishop  of  Cashel, 
died  at  this  time  ;  he  was  natural  son  of 
Peter,  earl  of  Ormond.*  This  prelate  be- 
longed to  the  privy  council  of  Ireland,  under 
Henry  VIII.  At  the  time  of  the  suppression 
of  monasteries,  he  surrendered  the  priory  of 
St.  Edmond,  of  Athassel,  in  the  county  of 
Tipperary,  to  which  he  had  been  appointed. 
A  synod  was  convened  in  June,  1529,  at 
Limerick,  by  him ;  when,  among  other 
things,  it  was  decreed  that  the  mayor  of 
the  city  should  have  a  power,  without  incur- 
ring any  censure,  to  arrest  and  imprison  ec- 
clesiastics for  debt.  The  clergy  complained 
loudly  of  this  decree,  as  being  an  infraction 
upon  their  privileges.  Butler  was  succeed- 
ed in  the  see  of  Cashel  by  Roland  Barron. 

This  year,  the  king  of  England  sent  his 
commands  to  the  deputy  of  Ireland,  to  have 
the  liturgy  and  public  prayers  performed  in 
the  English  language  ;  with  a  direction  that 
orders  should  be  given  to  all  archbishops, 
bishops,  deans,  archdeacons,  and  parish 
priests,  throughout  the  kingdom,  to  conform 
in  all  these  matters  to  the  king's  will. 

In  obedience  to  the  king's  commands,  the 
deputy  convened  a  meeting  of  the  clergy,  to 
inform  them  of  the  orders  he  had  received, 
and  the  opinions  of  some  English  bishops, 
who  had  conformed  to  the  new  liturgy. 
George  Dowdal,  archbishop  of  Armagh  and 
primate  of  all  Ireland,  who  was  grave,  learn- 
ed, an  able  preacher,  and  firmly  attached  to 
the  Catholic  cause,  spoke  with  vigor  against 
this  innovation,  and  among  other  things  said, 
"Any  iUiterate  layman  will  then  have  power 
to  say  mass."  After  this  he  left  the  meet- 
ing, followed  by  all  his  suffragans,  except 
Edward  Staples,  bishop  of  Meath.  Brown, 
archbishop  of  Dublin,  was  more  submissive 
than  Dowdal :  he  received  the  king's  orders 
respectfully,  observing  that  he  submitted,  as 
Jesus  had  done  to  Caesar,  in  all  that  was 
just  and  lawful,  without  inquiring  into  the 
cause,  as  he  acknowledged  him  to  be  his 
true  and  lawful  king.  On  the  Easter  Sun- 
day following,  he  preached  upon  this  sub- 
ject, in  the  cathedral  of  the  blessed  Trinity, 
Dublin,  taking  for  his  text  the  following 
words  of  the  Psalmist :  "  Open  my  eyes. 
that  I  may  behold  the  wonders  of  thy  law." 
*  Ware,  Arch.  Cassill. 


According  to  Ware,  several  lords  had,  at 
this  time,  the  title  of  baron,  though  they  did 
not  rank  among  the  nobles  :  it  is  probable 
that  these  were  popular  distinctions,  from 
which  they  did  not  derive  the  privilege  of 
sitting  in  parliament.  The  following  he 
mentions  to  have  existed  in  his  time  :  the 
barons  of  Burnchurch,  Navan,  Serine,  Gal- 
trim,  Rheban,  Norragh,  Sleumarg,  Browns- 
ford,  Thomastown,  Ardmail,  and  Loughno. 
When  the  country  was,  by  order  of  the  Eng- 
lish governor,  divided  into  baronies,  the  peo- 
ple, through  courtesy,  gave  the  title  of  baron 
to  some  of  the  ancient  Irish,  to  whom  the 
lands  belonged  ;  among  others,  we  discover 
those  of  Dartry,  Tuathra  Clanmahan,  Tire- 
reil,  Loghtee,  v^^ho  were  styled  barons  of 
their  own  estates.  All  who  had  large  pos- 
sessions assumed  the  title  likewise,  which 
was  also  the  custom  in  England,  previous 
to  its  being  conferred  by  patent. 

St.  Leger,  the  deputy,  was  recalled  this 
year,  on  a'ccount  of  some  complaints  that 
were  urged  against  him  by  the  archbishop  of 
Dublin,  either  for  want  of  zeal  in  advancing 
the  reformation,  or  some  other  secret  cause. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Sir  James  Crofts,  a 
gentleman  of  the  king's  bedchamber.* 

The  new  deputy  having  learned,  on  his 
arrival  in  Ireland,  that  St.  Leger  was  in 
Munster,  he  repaired  to  Cork,  where  he  re- 
ceived the  sword  from  him  in  May,  1551. 
Crofts  was  a  zealous  Protestant,  and  en- 
deavored, but  in  vain,  to  induce  Dowdal, 
the  primate,  to  conform  to  the  king's  wishes 
respecting  the  liturgy.  Upon  his  refusal, 
the  king  and  council  of  England  deprived 
him  of  the  title  of  primate,  which  was  there- 
upon conferred  on  the  see  of  Dublin.  Dow- 
dal was  obliged  to  withdraw  to  a  foreign 
country,  and  Hugh  Goodacre  was  appointed 
to  the  archbishopric  of  Armagh  in  his  stead. 
He  was  consecrated  in  February,  with  John 
Bale,  bishop  of  Ossory,  in  the  church  of 
the  blessed  Trinity,  Dublin,  by  Archbishop 
Brown,  assisted  by  the  bishops  of  Kildare 
and  Down. 

The  first  expedition  of  Crofts  was  into 
Ulster,  to  quell  some  disturbances  that  had 
been  caused  by  the  inhabitants  of  that  pro- 
vince, in  conjunction  with  their  neighbors, 
the  Scotch.  The  deputy  having  reached 
Carrickfergus,  sent  a  detachment  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Bagnall,  to  surprise 
Rachlin,  an  island  at  some  distance  in  the 
sea,  north  of  Fairhead.  This  expedition 
did  not  succeed  to  his  wishes  :  the  detach- 
ment was  repulsdll  with  a  heavy  loss,  and 

*  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  5. 


444 


HISTORY    OF   IRELAND. 


one  of  the  vessels  of  his  little  fleet  was 
wrecked.  Bagnall  was  taken  prisoner  by  the 
MacDonncls,  and  afterwards  exchanged  for 
Surly-Boy  MacDounel,  their  brother,  who 
had  been  kept  in  confuiement  in  Dublin. 
During  his  stay  in  Ulster,  the  deputy  received 
the  submission  of  some  of  the  nobles  of  the 
country.  The  rest  intrenched  themselves 
in  inaccessible  fastnesses,  from  which  he 
found  it  impossible  to  dislodge  them. 

At  this  time,  the  king  changed  the  title 
of  the  Irish  king-at-arms.*  This  officer, 
who  had  till  then  enjoyed  that  office  for  all 
Ireland,  was  thenceforward  called  Ulster 
king-at-arms,  the  cause  of  which  is  not 
known.  Nicholas  Narbon,  one  of  the  Eng- 
lish heralds,  surnamed  Richmond,  was  the 
first  who  held  the  office  under  the  new  title. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Bartholomew  Butler. 

On  the  deputy's  return  to  Dublin,  he  had 
the  earl  of  Tyrone  arrested,  on  account 
of  some  complaints  which  had  been  made 
against  him  by  his  son  Ferdorach  or  Matthew 
O'Neill,  baron  of  Dungannon.  The  brothers 
of  JNIatthew  took  up  arms  and  devastated  the 
lands  of  Dungannon,  to  avenge  the  insult 
which  had  been  ofli"ered  to  their  father.  It 
being  the  interest  of  the  English  government 
to  support  their  client,  they  gave  him  a  body 
of  English  troops  to  enable  him  to  defend 
his  possessions.  The  matter  was  soon  de- 
cided by  a  pitched  battle,  in  which  the  baron 
was  defeated  and  put  to  flight,  with  a  loss 
of  two  hundred  of  his  men,  killed  upon  the 
spot.  The  earl  of  Tyrone  was  detained 
three  months  more  in  prison,  after  which  he 
received  his  freedom,  upon  giving  hostages, 
and  returned  to  his  province. 

Brien  O'Connor  Faly,  who  was  a  prisoner 
in  the  tower  of  London,  having  found  means 
to  escape,  was  retaken,  and  again  thrown 
into  confinement.  MacCoghlan,  who  had 
been  expelled  from  his  territory  of  Dealna, 
or  Delvin,  was  restored  at  this  time,  having 
yielded  to  the  English  yoke.  The  public 
archives,  which  had  been  before  deposited 
in  Bermingham  tower,  Dublin,  were  now 
removed  to  the  library  of  St.  Patrick. 

About  this  period  died  Robert  Waucop, 
otherwise  Venantius,  who  was  either  a  Scot 
or  an  Irishman.  During  the  Ufetime  of 
Dovvdal,  the  primate,  he  was  nominated 
archbishop  of  Armagh,  to  Pope  Paul  III., 
though  Dowdal  was  a  Catholic. f  It  appears 
that  the  pope  paid  no  regard  to  his  nomina- 
tion, it  having  been  by  Henry  VIII.  during 
his  schism.  Two  bishops  appeared  now  for 
the  first  time  in  each  diocese  in  Ireland  : 

*  Cox,  ibid,  page  291. 

t  Baker,  Chron.  of  England,  pp.  306,  308. 


the  one  was  called  titular,  appointed  by  the 
pope  ;  the  other  received  his  mission  from 
the  kings  of  England,  with  the  possession 
of  the  revenues.  The  only  advantage  which 
Waucop  derived  from  his  appointment,  was 
the  honor  of  being  titular  archbishop  of  Ar- 
jmagh. 

Two  years  had  now  elapsed  since  the 
duke  of  Somerset  was  liberated  from  the 
tower,  and  deprived  of  the  protectorship  ;* 
but  fresh  accusations  having  been  brought 
against  him,  by  his  rival  the  duke  of  North- 
umberland, and  other  noblemen,  he  was  im- 
peached and  convicted  of  high  treason,  and 
of  having  attempted  the  life  of  Northumber- 
land, in  consequence  of  which  he  was  be- 
headed on  Tower  Hill.  Such  was  the  end 
,  of  this  ambitious  nobleman,  who,  though  but 
a  subject,  aspired  to  be  the  equal  of  a  sove- 
reign, by  assuming  the  style  of  "  Somerset, 
by  the  grace  of  God,"  a.  d.  1552. t  He 
built  a  magnificent  palace  from  the  ruins  of 
churches  and  the  dwellings  of  the  bishops, 
and  from  the  revenues,  which  they  and  the 
chapters  were  obliged  to  surrender  to  him. 

Morrough  O'Brien,  who  was  created  earl 
of  Thuomond  by  Henry  VIII.,  having  died, 
his  nephew  Donogh,  baron  of  Ibrican,  took 
possession  of  the  estates  and  title  of  Thuo- 
mond, according  to  a  compact  made  between 
them  by  the  king  ;  but  as  this  title  was  to 
end  with  Donough,  he  surrendered  his  pa- 
tent to  Edward  VI.,  who  conferred  a  new 
one  on  him,  by  which  the  title  of  earl  of 
Thuomond  was  confirmed  to  him  and  his 
male  heirs  for  ever.  He  was  soon  after- 
wards killed  by  his  brother  Donald. 

The  noble  family  of  the  Fitzgeralds  of 
Kildare  was  restored  this  year,  in  the  per- 
son of  Gerald,  brother  to  Thomas,  last  earl 
of  Kildare,  who  was  executed  in  England 
with  his  uncles,  on  account  of  their  rebellion. 
This  nobleman  spent  several  years  in  dif- 
ferent countries  of  Europe,  and  having  been 
restored  to  favor,  obtained  letters  from  the 
king,  empowering  him  to  take  possession  of 
Maynooth  and  other  estates  belonging  to  his 
family,  and  two  years  afterwards,  he  re- 
ceived the  ancient  titles  of  his  house  from 
Queen  Mary. 

Donough  O'Brien,  who  had  just  been  cre- 
ated earl  of  Thuomond  by  letters  patent,  and 
declared  heir  to  the  estates  annexed  to  that 
title,  was  disturbed  in  his  possessions  by  his 
brother  Donald.  This  nobleman  was  exas- 
perated to  see  his  eldest  brother,  and  the 
head  of  his  family,  enter  into  an  agreement 

*  War.  de  Archiep.  Ardmach.  Idem.  Annal.  Hi- 
bern. 

t  Baker,  Chron.  of  Engl.  p.  305. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


445 


with  the  king  of  England,  which  were  so 
contrary  to  the  interests  of  his  country  ;  he 
looked  upon  the  title  as  the  seal  of  his  sla- 
very, and  of  the  dishonor  of  a  house  which 
had  been,  till  that  time,  free  and  indepen- 
dent. According  to  Cox,  Donald  had  anoth- 
er motive  for  declaring  against  his  brother  ;* 
i  he  had  cause  to  apprehend  the  loss  of  the 
I  prerogatives  to  which  he  was  entitled  by  the 
!  old  custom  of  Tanistry,  as  the  submission 
I  of  his  brother  to  the  English  government  se- 
cured the  possession  forever  to  his  descend- 
ants. This,  however,  is  mere  conjecture, 
on  the  part  of  Cox,  who  always  puts  a  bad 
construction  upon  the  intentions  of  those  who 
were  opposed  to  the  English.  In  order,  in- 
deed, to  give  an  appearance  of  truth  to  what 
he  advances,  he  says  that  Donald  and  Ter- 
lough  were  uncles  to  the  earl  of  Thuomond, 
while,  according  to  every  other  historian  who 
wrote  on  Irish  affairs,  they  were  his  brothers. 
However  this  may  have  been,  the  deputy,  in 
conjunction  with  some  of  the  members  of  the 
council,  made  use  of  his  authority,  and  set- 
tled the  matter  in  favor  of  the  earl. 

Sir  Nicholas  Bagnall  was  appointed  to  the 
command  of  a  force  which  was  sent  against 
MacMurrough.  Both  armies  having  met, 
they  fought  for  a  long  time  with  doubtful 
success  ;  the  loss  was  heavy  on  both  sides, 
and  the  victory  remained  undecided  :  the 
numbers  of  killed  and  wounded  were  not 
known.  The  English  garrison  of  Athlone 
pillaged,  at  this  time,  the  cathedral  chilrch 
of  Cluan-mac-noisk,  not  sparing  even  the 
books  or  sacred  vessels  of  the  church. 

Some  time  afterwards,  the  deputy  marched 
at  the  head  of  an  army  to  Ulster,  and  fortified 
Belfast,  where  he  left  a  strong  garrison.  In 
the  mean  time,  the  baron  of  Dungannon  hav- 
ing marched  with  his  forces  to  join  the  Eng- 
lish army,  he  was  surprised  in  his  camp  by 
his  brother  Shane  O'Neill,  who  killed  sev- 
eral of  his  men,  and  put  the  rest  to  flight. 
The  deputy  finding  himself  deprived  of  this 
succor,  set  out  for  Dublin,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  returning  to  England.  The  English 
monarch  having  learned  that  Queen  Mary, 
of  Scotland,  had  sent  over  O'Connor  to  Ire- 
land, whose  father  was  a  prisoner  in  England, 
to  influence  the  Irish  to  rebel  against  the  gov- 
ernment, he  gave  orders  to  Sir  Henry  Knolles 
to  repair  thither  without  delay,  and  put  oflf 
the  departure  of  the  deputy  till  he  should 
receive  fresh  instructions  :  but  finding,  soon 
after  this,  that  the  queen  of  Scotland's  plan 
had  failed,  he  proceeded  to  England,  with 
the  king's  permission,  attended  by  Andrew 

*  Page  292. 


Wise,  the  vice-treasurer.  Two  days  after 
his  departure,  the  privy  coimcil  and  nobil- 
ity met  in  the  cathedral  church  of  the  Holy 
Trinity,  in  order  to  appoint  two  justices,  to 
be  intrusted  with  the  government  during  the 
absence  of  the  deputy.  The  choice  fell 
upon  Thomas  Cusack,  the  chancellor,  and 
Gerald  Aylmer,  chief-justice  of  the  king's 
bench,  both  of  whom  were  knights,  as,  at 
that  time,  the  title  was  conferred  both  on 
civil  and  military  officers.  Some  time  after- 
wards, one  of  the  O'Neills,  of  the  house  of 
Tyrone,  was  arrested  in  Dublin  for  having 
circulated  opprobrious  reports  concerning 
the  deputy,  but  was  liberated  on  bail.  About 
this  period,  Hugh  Ogue  O'Neill,  lord  of 
Clanneboy,  submitted  to  the  king,  in  presence 
of  the  lords-justices,  and  took  the  oath  of 
allegiance.  The  king,  in  gratitude,  gave 
him  the  abbey  of  Carrickfergus,  with  the 
castle  of  Belfast,  and  permission  for  three 
secular  priests  to  reside  with  him. 

Ulster  was  desolated  this  year  by  a  civil 
war  between  the  earl  of  Tyrone  and  his 
son  John,  commonly  known  in  history  by  the 
name  of  Shane  O'Neill.  All  Ireland  was 
visited  by  a  dreadful  famine  and  a  scarcity 
of  grain  ;  but  the  year  following  was  a  most 
abundant  one  ;  the  same  measure  which  cost 
twenty-four  shillings  the  preceding  year,  be- 
ing sold  for  five,  a.  d.  1553. 

The  sentence  pronounced  by  the  deputy 
in  favor  of  Donough,  carl  of  Thuomond,  was 
not  sufficient  to  thwart  the  designs  of  his 
brother  Donald  O'Brien  against  him.  Do- 
nald, who  was  seconded  by  his  brother  Ter- 
lough,  and  a  few  other  lords  of  Thuomond, 
with  their  vassals,  attacked  Clonroan,  or 
Cluanroad,  in  the  county  of  Clare,  and  burn- 
ed all  except  the  castle.*  The  earl  defend- 
ed himself  in  it  for  some  time,  but  being  at 
length  obliged  to  yield  to  a  superior  force, 
the  castle  was  taken  by  storm,  and  the  gar- 
rison put  to  the  sword  ;  the  earl  being  found 
among  the  number  of  the  slain.  Connor, 
his  only  son,  whom  he  had  by  Helen,  daugh- 
ter of  Peter  Butler,  earl  of  Ormond,  being 
supported  by  the  English  government,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  title  and  estates  of  his  father.! 
This  was  the  source  of  the  discord  which 
prevailed  for  a  long  time  between  the  houses 
of  Thuomond  and  Inchiquin,  and  the  other 
branches  of  the  O'Briens. 

About  this  time,  Teugue  Roe  O'Melagh- 
lin  evinced  the  same  spirit  of  patriotism 
which  Donald  O'Brien  had  displayed.  Hav- 
ing received  some  insult  from  his  relative, 
Neil  Mac  Phelim,  who  was  in  the  interest 

*  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  7. 
t  Cox,  ibid.  pp.  315,  545. 


446 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


of  the  English,  ho  killed  him  on  the  road  to 
Mullingar  in  Wcstmcath.  O'Mclaghlin him- 
self lost  his  life,  some  time  afterwards,  in  a 
battle  against  the  garrison  of  Athlone,  com- 
manded by  the  baron  of  Delvin,  wherenpon 

I  his  estate  was  confiscated.  The  qnarrels  of 
the  Burkes  also  gave  rise  to  disturbances  in 
Connaught ;  Richard  Burke  having  quarrel- 
led with  the  children  of  Thomas  Burke,  call- 
ed Backagh,  gave  them  battle,  in  which  he 
was  made  prisoner,  leaving  one  hundred 
and  fifty  of  his  men  dead  on  the  field.  Rich- 
ard, earl  of  Clanriccard,  having  had  some 
disputes  with  John  Burke,  he  entered  his 
lands,  sword  in  hand,  and  laid  siege  to  his 
castle  ;  but  on  learning  that  Donald  O'Brien 
was  coming  to  his  assistance,  the  earl  raised 
the  siege,  not  thinking  it  prudent  to  wait  the 
event  of  a  battle. 

King  Edward  sent  three  large  vessels 
this  year  to  discover  a  passage  to  the  East 
Indies  through  the  north  of  Europe  and  Asia, 
at  the  solicitation  of  Sebastian  Gabato,  a  na- 
tive of  Bristol,  the  son  of  a  Genoese,  or,  as 
others  say,  of  a  Venetian,*  and  a  celebrated 
cosmographer.  The  king  appointed  him  pi- 
lot or  director  of  this  little  fleet,  which  was 
under  the  command  of  Sir  Hugh  Willoughby. 
On  reaching  the  latitude  of  74  degrees,  Wil- 
loughby's  ship  was  cast  upon  a  desert  shore, 
where  he  and  his  crew  were  found  frozen  to 
death.  His  lieutenant,  Richard  Cancella- 
rius,  was  more  fortunate,  having  discovered 
a  passage  into  Russia,  which  had  been  till 
then  unknown  to  the  English.  The  third 
vessel,  which  suffered  from  the  storm,  and 
was  separated  from  the  others,  fearing  for 
the  success  of  the  voyage,  returned  to 
England. 

Edward  VI.  died  at  Greenwich,  in  July, 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  of  which  he  had 
reigned  six.  The  reformation  advanced  with 
rapid  strides  during  his  time,  which  cannot 
surprise  us,  since  this  prince,  who  began  his 
reign  at  the  age  of  nine  years,  Avas  wholly 
under  the  control  and  command  of  those  who 
were  intrusted  with  the  administration  dur- 
ing his  minority.  Edward  Seymour,  duke  of 
Somerset,  the  king's  uncle,  governed  during 

i  the  first  years,  as  protector,  till  he  was  sup- 
planted by  John  Dudley,  duke  of  Northum- 
berland. The  former  was  a  Zuinglian,  and 
the  friend  of  Cranmer  ;  the  latter  conformed 
to  the  religion  which  suited  his  own  purposes 
best  ;  so  that  these  two  favorites,  and  the 
other  nobles  belonging  to  the  court,  per- 
verted the  authority  of  an  infant  king,  to 
gratify  their  cupidity  with  sacrilegious  plun- 

*  Baker,  Chron.  of  Engl,  page  309.  War.  de 
Annal.  Hib.  reign  of  Edward  VI.  cap.  7. 


der.  The  supposed  reformation  of  religion, 
was  a  pretext  made  use  of  by  them  to  seize 
upon  the  property  of  the  church.  They 
first  proclaimed  Edward,  as  they  had  done 
Henry,  head  of  the  church  of  England, 
both  in  spiritual  and  temporal  affairs.  The 
maxim  which  had  been  established  in  the 
time  of  Henry  VIII.  was,  that  the  king  held 
the  place  of  the  jwpe  in  England ;  but  they 
granted  prerogatives  to  this  new  papacy,  to 
which  the  pope  had  never  aspired.  The 
bishops  were  newly  appointed  by  Edward, 
and  were  to  continue  in  their  sees  accord- 
ing to  the  king's  will,  as  had  been  settled  by 
Henry,  and  it  was  thought  that,  in  order  to 
accelerate  the  reformation,  the  bishops  should 
be  subject  to  the  yoke  of  an  arbitrary  power. 
The  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  primate  of 
England,  was  the  first  to  submit  to  this  de- 
gradation, which  is  not  surprising,  as  it  was 
through  him  all  these  opinions  were  propa- 
gated ;  the  others  followed  his  pernicious 
example.  This  system  was  afterwards  alter- 
ed, and  the  bishops  were  forced  to  consider 
it  as  a  favor  that  the  king  conferred  the  sees 
for  life.  It  was  clearly  specified  in  their 
commission,  as  had  been  done  under  Henry, 
agreeably  to  the  doctrine  of  Cranmer,  that 
episcopal  authority,  as  well  as  that  of  secular 
magistrates,  emanated  from  royalty,  as  it,') 
source  ;  that  the  bishops  should  exercise  it 
imder  a  precarious  tenure,  and  give  it  up  at 
the  pleasure  of  the  king,  from  whom  they 
derived  it ;  in  short,  every  thing  was  made 
subject  to  royal  power. 

The  bishoprics,  which  had  thus  become 
offices  to  be  filled  by  persons  who  might  be 
recalled  at  the  pleasure  of  the  king,  like  the 
governors  of  provinces,  or  common  clerks, 
frequently  changed  their  bishop.*  The  most 
zealous  suffered  imprisonment,  and  by  their 
perseverance,  lost  their  sees  ;  the  more  poli- 
tic subscribed  to  every  article  of  the  reforma- 
tion, and  were  satisfied  with  a  small  portion  of 
the  revenues  of  their  rich  bishoprics,  scarce- 
ly sufficient,  says  Heylin,  for  the  support  of 
a  parson  ;  the  vacant  ones  were  conferred 
on  men  who  readily  consented  to  the  dismem- 
berment of  the  lands  of  their  churches,which 
were  formed  into  baronies,  to  enrich,  as 
Heylin  observes,  the  pirates  of  the  court, 
who  had  no  right  by  birth  to  such  brilliant 
fortunes.  The  above  is  but  a  feeble  sketch 
of  the  excesses  which  happened  in  the  reign 
of  Edward  ;  but  to  return  to  our  history. 

The  death  of  Edward  VI.  was  followed 
by  a  kind  of  interregnum  of  a  few  days.  The 
duke  of  Northumberland  caused  Jane,  eldest 

*  Heylin,  Hist,  of  tiie  Refoimation,  p.  99,  et  seq. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


447 


daughter  of  the  duke  of  Suffolk,  and  Fran- 
ces, daughter  of  Charles  Brandon,  and  Mary, 
sister  of  Henry  VIII.,  queen  of  France,  and 
widow  of  Charles  the  XII.,  each  to  be  pro- 
claimed queen  of  England.  Jane  was  of 
royal  descent  through  the  female  line,  being 
grand  niece  of  Henry  VIII.  ;  she  was  also 
daughter-in-law  to  the  duke  of  Northumber- 
land, being  married  to  Lord  Guilford  Dudly, 
his  fourth  son.*  Upon  this  was  founded  her 
claim  to  the  crown,  and  the  interest  which 
the  duke  took  to  have  her  proclaimed.  This 
nobleman  was  the  favorite  of  Edward  VI., 
and  finding  that  the  prince's  end  was  ap- 
proaching, represented  to  him  that  his  con- 
science required  that  he  should  look  to  the 
preservation  of  the  new  religion,  not  only 
during  his  life,  but  also  after  his  death  ;  that 
his  sister,  the  Princess  Mary,  was  opposed 
to  it,  but  that  he  could  not  exclude  her  from 
the  succession,  without  also  removing  Eliza- 
beth ;  and  in  short  he  prevailed  so  far  with 
this  weak  prince,  that  he  brought  him  to 
make  a  will,  by  which  he  declared  his  cousin 
Jane  the  lawful  heiress  to  the  crown. 

The  duke  of  Northumberland,  who  was 
determined  to  support  the  cause  of  Jane,  put 
himself  at  the  head  of  an  army  of  ten  thou- 
sand men.  He  was  attended  by  several 
noblemen,  many  of  whom,  however,  deserted 
him  on  their  march.  Mary,  who  was  at 
Framingham,  in  Suffolk,  having  heard  of  her 
brother's  death,had  herself  proclaimed  queen, 
whereon  all  the  nobility  of  Norfolk  and 
Suffolk  flocked  to  her  standard.  The  nobles 
who  were  in  London  met  at  Baynard  castle, 
and  acknowledging  Mary's  incontrovertible 
right  to  the  throne,  had  her  proclaimed  by 
the  lord  mayor  of  London.  The  duke  of 
Northumberland  was  at  Bury  when  he  heard 
of  this  general  defection  in  favor  of  Mary, 
and  deeming  it  a  matter  of  prudence  to  fol- 
low the  torrent,  he  immediately  repaired  to 
Cambridge,  where,  for  want  of  a  herald,  he 
went  attended  by  the  mayor,  and  proclaimed 
Queen  Mary  in  the  market-place,  throwing 
up  his  cap  in  the  air  as  a  token  of  joy.  This 
show  of  loyalty,  however,  availed  him 
nothing  ;  he  was  arrested  the  day  following, 
with  other  noblemen,  by  the  earl  of  Arundel, 
in  the  queen's  name,  and  sent  to  the  tower. 
In  the  mean  time  the  duke  of  Suffolk  entered 
the  apartment  of  his  daughter,  Lady  Jane 
Grey,  the  supposed  queen,  and  informed  her 
that  she  should  lay  aside  the  insignia  of 
royalty,  and  be  content  to  lead  thenceforward 
a  private  life.  She  answered  him  with  mo- 
desty, that  she  resigned  it  as  willingly  as  she 

*  Baker,  Chron.  of  England,  page  309. 


had  assumed  it,  which  she  never  would  have 
done,  but  through  obedience  to  him,  and  to 
her  mother.  Thus  ended  her  reign  of  ten 
days. 


CHAPTER   XXXIX. 

Queen  Mary  having  been  proclaimed  in 
the  principaltowns  in  England,  left  Framing- 
ham  for  London,  a.  d.  1553.  On  arriving  at 
Wanstead,  in  Essex,  on  the  30th  of  July,  she 
was  met  by  her  sister  Elizabeth,  attended  by 
a  cavalcade  of  a  thousand  horsemen.*  On 
the  3d  of  August,  she  made  her  entry  into 
London,  with  a  pomp  and  magnificence  equal 
to  any  of  her  predecessors.!  She  then  took 
possession  of  the  tower,  where  Thomas,  the 
old  duke  of  Norfolk,  Edward  Lord  Courtney, 
Stephen  Gardiner,  the  deposed  bishop  of 
Winchester,  and  the  duke  of  Somerset,  were 
prisoners.  They  received  her  on  their  knees ; 
but  raising  them  she  embraced  them,  saying, 
"  these  are  my  prisoners."  They  were  soon 
afterwards  restored  to  liberty.  Gardiner 
was  reinstated  in  his  see  of  Winchester,  and 
appointed  keeper  of  the  seals  and  chancellor 
of  England  ;  all  the  other  bishops,  who  had 
been  dispossessed  in  the  preceding  reign, 
namely,  Bonner,  bishop  of  London ;  Tunstal, 
of  Durham  ;  Day,  of  Chichester  ;  West,  of 
Exeter  ;  and  Heath,  of  Worcester,  were  also 
restored  to  their  sees.  All  married  men,  who 
possessed  livings  in  the  church,were  removed 
by  Queen  Mary,  and  she  herself  renounced 
the  profane  title  of  head  of  the  church  of 
England. I  This  princess  found  herself 
obliged  to  make  examples  of  some  distin- 
guished personages.  The  duke  of  North- 
umberland, Sir  John  Gates,  and  Sir  Thomas 
Palmer,  were  executed  on  Tower  Hill,  in 
the  month  of  August.  Shortly  afterwards, 
Cranmer,  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  Lady 
Jane  Grey,  her  husband  Lord  Guilford,  and 
the  lords  Ambrosius  and  Henry,  sons  of  the 
duke  of  Northumberland,  shared  the  same 
fate.  Queen  Mary  was  crowned  with  the 
usual  solemnities,  in  St.  Peter's  church,  by 
the  bishop  of  Winchester. 

The  English  council  having  informed  the 
lord-justice  and  privy  council  of  Ireland  of 
all  that  had  taken  place  respecting  Mary's 
succession  to  the  throne,  she  was  proclaimed 

*  Sander,  de  Schis.  Angl.  lib.  2,  p.  244,  et  seq. 
Baker,  Chron.  of  Engl.  p.  314,  et  seq. 

t  War.  de  Annal.  Hib.  reign  of  Mary,  c.  I. 
Heylin,  Hist,  of  the  Reform,  p.  166,  et.  seq. 

t  Prophanum  Priinatus  ecclesiastiei  tltulum  re- 
spuit  et  h  stilo  Regio  sustulit  Sanderus  ibid. 


448 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


in  Dublin,  and  afterwards  in  the  other  towns 
and  burghs  in  the  kingdom,  to  the  great 
satisfaction  of  the  people.  The  queen  after- 
wards sent  over  patents  to  continue  the  U)rds- 
justices  and  other  magistrates  in  odice. 

Donough  O'Connor  made  an  incursion, 
at  this  time,  into  OlTaly,  but  was  put  down 
by  the  superior  force  of  the  lords-justices. 

The  queen,  who  was  already  planning  the 
restoration  of  the  old  religion,  caused  a  de- 
claration in  favor  of  the  mass,  and  the  other 
dogmas  of  the  Catholic  faith,  to  be  published 
in  Ireland,  that  is,  in  the  English  province, 
where  the  heresy  was  beginning  to  take  root. 

About  this  time,  O'Neill  made  some  at- 
tempts in  the  county  of  Louth,  which  drew 
the  attention  of  government  towards  Ulster. 
The  lords-justices  having  collected  their 
forces,  marched  towards  Dundalk,  where 
they  dispersed  his  troops,  after  killing  sev- 
eral of  them. 

Sir  Anthony  St.  Leger  was  appointed  by 
the  queen,  lord-deputy  of  Ireland,  in  Novem- 
ber. Having  landed  at  Dalkey,  he  repaired 
to  Dublin,  where  he  took  the  oath  on  the 
19th  of  the  same  month,  and  received  the 
sword  from  Cusack  and  Aylmer,  his  prede- 
cessors, in  the  Cathedral  of  Christ,  or  the 
Blessed  Trinity ;  the  patent  of  Cusack,  the 
chancellor,  was  renewed  at  the  same  time. 

In  this  month,  Cormac  MacCoghlan  and 
his  allies,  the  O'Ferralls,  having  applied  for 
assistance  to  Richard,baron  of  Delvin, against 
MacCoghlan,  chief  of  the  tribe,  and  superior 
lord  of  Dealna,  the  baron  entered  freely  into 
their  confederacy,  which,  however,  was  pro- 
ductive of  no  other  result  than  the  burning 
of  some  villages  in  the  territory  of  Dealna. 
It  tended  to  perpetuate  the  animosities  and 
destructive  warfare  between  the  tribes  of 
the  MacCoghlans  and  the  O'Ferralls. 

In  the  month  of  December,  Owen  Ma- 
gennis,  chief  of  the  tribe,  and  superior  lord 
of  Iveach,  in  the  county  of  Down,  surren- 
dered ;  in  consequence  of  which,  he  was  ap- 
pointed governor  of  that  district  by  the 
deputy  and  council.  This  rfobleman  paved 
the  way,  by  these  means,  to  the  title  of  lord, 
which  was  subsequently  taken  by  his  de- 
scendants. 

In  the  following  spring,  George  Dowdal, 
archbishop  of  Armagh,  who  had  withdrawn 
to  a  foreign  country,  was  recalled  by  Queen 
Mary,  and  restored  to  his  former  dignities  of 
archbishop  of  Armagh,  and  primate  of  Ire- 
land, A.  D.  1554.*  The  priory  of  Athird,  in 
the  county  of  Louth,  was  added  to  his  reve- 
nues.    The  primate  convened  a  provincial 

*  Wareus,  ibid.  cap.  2. 


synod  in  Drogheda,  in  the  church  of  St. 
Peter,  in  which  several  decrees  were  passed 
fending  to  the  restoration  of  religion,  and 
the  ancient  rights  of  the  church  ;  and  statutes 
enacted  against  married  ecclesiastics.  This 
was  oidy  a  prelude  to  other  things,  more 
important.  In  the  month  of  April,  the  pri- 
mate and  Doctor  Walsh,  who  was  appointed 
bishop  of  Meath,  received  an  order  to  depose 
such  bishops  and  priests  as  had  married. 
This  order  was  put  into  execution,  in  the 
month  of  June  following,  against  Edward 
Staples,  bishop  of  Meath,  who  was  forced  to 
give  up  his  see.  About  the  end  of  the  same 
year.  Brown,  archbishop  of  Dublin,  Lancas- 
ter, bishop  of  Kildare,  and  Travers,  bishop 
of  Leighlin,  shared  the  same  fate.  Bale, 
bishop  of  Ossory,  and  Casey,  of  Limerick, 
avoided  a  similar  punishment  by  leaving  the 
country.  The  bishoprics  were  then  filled  by 
Catholic  prelates.  Walsh  had  been  already 
appointed  to  the  see  of  Meath ;  Hugh  Cur- 
vin  succeeded  Brown  in  the  see  of  Dublin  ; 
Thomas  Levereuse  filled  that  of  Kildare  ; 
Thomas  O'Fihely  was  appointed  by  the  pope 
bishop  of  Leighlin  ;  Hugh  Lacy,  of  Limerick, 
and  Bale  was  replaced  by  John  Thonory, 
in  the  see  of  Ossory.  It  must  be  observed 
that  those  bishops  who  were  dispossessed, 
were  Englishmen,  and  the  first  who  preach- 
ed the  reformation  in  Ireland. 

Bale  and  Brown,  the  principal  of  those 
who  introduced  the  reformation,  were  monks 
that  had  been  stripped  of  their  orders.  Brown 
was  an  Augustinian  monk  in  London.  He 
became  provincial  of  the  order  in  England,* 
and  was  appointed  to  the  archbishopric  of 
Dublin  by  Henry  VIII.;  but  a  desire  to  marry 
made  him  renounce  the  solemn  vow  of  chas- 
tity and  continence  he  had  made  to  God, 
when  he  embraced  the  monastic  state.  He  is 
considered  by  Protestants  as  the  first  who 
endeavored  to  introduce  the  reformation 
into  Ireland.  His  memory  is  held  in  venera- 
tion among  them,  and  they  have  taken  care 
to  write  his  life,  as  a  legend  worthy  of  being 
handed  down  to  posterity.!  Bale  was  a  native 
of  England:  he  began  his  studies  at  Norwich, 
became  a  monk  of  the  Carmelite  order,  and 
afterwards  went  to  Cambridge  to  perfect 
himself.  Having  a  taste  for  preaching,  he 
never  ceased  to  declaim  against  the  Roman 
Catholic  religion  ;  he  was  arrested  twice,  and 
put  into  prison,  first  by  order  of  the  arch- 
bishop of  York,  and  afterwards  by  the  bishop 
of  London ;  but  was  restored  to  liberty 
through  the  influence  of  Cromwell,  the  spi- 
ritual vicar-general  of  Henry  VIII.  He  was 

*  War.  de  Archiepisc.  Dubliiiieus. 
t  War.  de  Episc.  Ossor. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


449 


at  last  forced  to  leave  the  country,  and  with- 
drew to  Germany,  where  he  remained  for 
eight  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  Eng- 
land, in  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.,  who  ap- 
pointed him  to  the  bishopric  of  Ossory.  This 
prince  died  six  weeks  afterwards,  and  Mary 
having  ascended  the  throne.  Bale  left  his 
library  at  Kilkenny,  and  fled  to  Basle  in 
S  witzerlandjwhere  he  remained  till  her  death, 
and  the  accession  of  Elizabeth.  He  then  re- 
turned to  England,  and  was  content  with  a 
canonship  in  the  church  of  Canterbury,  not 
wishing  to  go  back  to  his  diocese.  He  pub- 
lished several  works  both  in  Latin  and  Eng- 
lish, a  catalogue  of  which  he  himself  gives 
in  his  book  on  British  writers. 

In  the  month  of  November,  Gerald,  earl 
of  Kildare,  who  had  been  lately  restored  to 
his  honors,  Thomas  Duff,  or  the  black, 
earl  of  Ormond,  and  Brian  Fitzpatrick, 
baron  of  Upper  Ossory,  having  distinguished 
.themselves  in  the  war  in  England,  against 
Sir  Thomas  Wyat,  returned  to  Ireland.  Fitz- 
patrick was  noticed  on  account  of  the  strict 
and  reciprocal  friendship  that  subsisted  be- 
tween him  and  Edward  VI.  In  the  month 
of  February  following,  Cahir  Mac-Art  Ca- 
vanagh,  an  Irish  lord,  who  was  highly  es- 
teemed in  Leinster,  and  descended  from  the 
kings  of  that  province,  was  created  (for  life 
only)  lord-baron  of  Balian,  in  Idrone, 
(county  of  Carlow.)  He  was  succeeded  in 
this  title  by  his  brother  Dermod. 

The  queen  had  given  orders  at  this  time 
to  reduce  the  troops  in  Ireland  to  the  number 
of  five  hundred  men ;  the  state  of  aflairs, 
however,  prevented  the  deputy  and  council 
from  carrying  that  measure  fully  into  effect. 
They  retained  six  hundred  foot  soldiers,  four 
hundred  horsemen,  and  some  light  troops  ; 
and  were  obliged  soon  afterwards  to  increase 
the  number,  and  to  ask  for  further  reinforce- 
ments from  the  English,  to  repel  the  Scotch 
of  the  Hebrides. 

Before  this,  mention  was  made  of  a  mar- 
riage between  Queen  Mary  and  Philip  II.  of 
Spain,  eldest  son  of  Charles  V.*  When  this 
news  was  spread  in  England,  a  serious  dis- 
turbance broke  out  in  the  province  of  Kent, 
and  other  places,  in  which  Wyat  was  one  of 
the  principal  performers.  Some  dreaded 
that  by  this  marriage,  England  might  be- 
come a  province  of  the  Spanish  monarchy  ; 
while  the  partisans  of  the  reformation  feared 
that  the  alliance  of  the  queen  (who  was 
already  opposed  to  that  object)  with  a  Ca- 
tholic prince,  might  put  an  end  to  the  system 
which  had  made  so  rapid  a  progress  during 

*  Sander,  de  Schis.  Angl.  lib.  2,  part  2,  p.  224, 
et  seq. 


the  two  last  reigns.  The  queen,  however, 
was  so  ably  seconded  by  her  brave  and 
faithful  subjects,  that  the  only  result  which 
attended  this  outbreak  was  the  punishment 
of  the  rebels. 

Charles  V.  would  let  no  opportunity  es- 
cape that  might  contribute  to  the  aggrandize- 
ment of  his  house.*  In  January  he  sent 
ambassadors  to  England,  and  among  others, 
the  earl  of  Egmond,  and  John  de  Montmo- 
rency ;  they  were  honorably  received,  and 
were  successful  in  their  negotiation  concern- 
ing the  marriage.  Philip  landed  at  South- 
ampton, in  England,  on  the  19th  of  July, 
and  proceeded  to  Winchester  on  the  24th, 
where  the  queen  waited  his  arrival,  and  the 
marriage  was  celebrated  the  following  day, 
which  was  the  festival  of  St.  James,  by  the 
bishop  of  that  see.f  Mary  was  then  thirty- 
eight  years  of  age,  and  Philip  but  twenty- 
seven  ;  they  were  immediately  proclaimed 
by  the  Garter  herald  at  arms,  under  the  fol- 
lowing titles  : — 

"  Philip  and  Mary,  by  the  grace  of  God, 
king  and  queen  of  England,  France,  Naples, 
Jerusalem,  and  Ireland,  defenders  of  the 
faith,  prince  and  princess  of  Spain  and 
Sicily,  archduke  and  archduchess  of  Aus- 
tria, duke  and  duchess  of  Milan,  Burgundy, 
and  Brabant,  and  count  and  countess  of 
Hapsburg,  Flanders,  and  the  Tyrol." 

Although  the  queen  had  done  much,  since 
her  coming  to  the  throne,  for  the  re-establish- 
ment of  religion  and  the  Catholic  liturgy  ; 
had  the  mass  and  divine  oflices  celebrated, 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  Roman 
church,  in  the  Latin  language  ;  and  had 
caused  heresy  to  be  proscribed,  and  foreign 
heretics  to  be  driven  out  of  the  country,  (of 
whom,  it  was  said,  that  at  least  30,000  had 
by  various  routes  departed  from  England,) 
still  she  was  unable  to  bring  back  the  people 
to  their  obedience  to  the  see  of  Rome.  The 
parliament  first  made  some  objections  on 
this  head,  lest  the  pope  might  insist  upon  the 
restitution  of  the  property  of  the  church, 
which  had  been  seized  upon  by  the  nobles  ; 
but  all  these  difficulties  being  removed,  they 
repealed  the  laws  which  had  been  enacted 
during  the  preceding  reigns,  against  the 
authority  and  jurisdiction  of  the  popes. 
They  also  repealed  those  respecting  Cardinal 
Pole,  who  had  just  arrived  from  Rome,  as 
legate  a  latere,  from  Julius  III.,  who  was 
sovereign  pontiff"  4  and  finally  submitted  to 
every  thing,  avowing  their  deep  regret  for 

*  Heylin,  Hist,  of  the  Reformation,  on  the  reign 
of  Mary,  p.  209. 

t  Baker,  Chron.  of  Engl.  p.  319. 
t  Heylin,  ibid,  page  21L 


450 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


having  seceded  from  the  obedience  due  to 
his  holiness,  and  for  having  consented  to  the 
enactment  of  laws  against  him.*  They  Xhv.n 
asked  upon  their  knees,  his  absolution  both 
for  themselves  and  the  people,  from  the  cen- 
sures which  they  had  incurred  by  their 
schism  ;  which  was  granted  to  them  by  the 
legate,  who  read  aloud  the  power  delegated 
to  him  by  the  pope.  A  splendid  embassy 
was  then  sent  to  Rome,  to  have  all  things 
confirmed  by  the  sovereign  pontiff;  and  on 
their  being  thus  ratified  by  his  holiness, 
solemn  thanks  to  God  were  offered  through- 
out Italy,  for  the  happy  reconciliation  of 
England  with  the  holy  see.f 

War  broke  out  at  this  time  between  Con- 
nor O'Brien,  son  of  Donough,  earl  of  Thuo- 
mond,  and  his  uncle  Donald  O'Brien.  Con- 
nor had  lost  the  affection  of  the  people  by 
retaining  the  English  title  of  earl,  which  he 
had  assumed  after  his  father,  while  Donald 
became  very  popular  by  taking  the  name  of 
O'Brien  without  any  addition,  which  was 
considered  much  more  honorable  by  his 
countrymen  than  the  title  of  earl.  Donald 
was  very  powerful,  and  took  several  places 
from  the  earl,  who  required  the  aid  of  the 
English  to  maintain  himself  in  his  districts. 
The  same  year  Cahir  O'Carroli,  baron  of 
Ely,  who  had  killed  Teugue  O'Carroli 
perished  by  the  sword  of  William  Odar 
O'Carroli,  of  the  same  family.  The  latter 
made  himself  master  of  the  district  of  Ely 
of  which  he  kept  possession  for  four  years. 
About  the  same  time  the  baron  of  Delvin 
devastated  the  territory  of  Dealna,  the  coun- 
try of  the  MacCoghlans,  and  returned  load- 
ed with  booty. 

An  alliance  and  close  friendship  had  sub- 
sisted for  a  long  time  between  the  houses  of 
Tyrone  and  Kildare,  which  made  them  assist 
each  other  mutually.  John,  or  Shane  Dou- 
lenagh  O'Neill,  son  of  the  earl  of  Tyrone, 
having  had  a  dispute  with  Phelim  Roe 
O'Neill,  a  powerful  nobleman  of  his  family, 
demanded  assistance  from  Kildare.  In  order 
to  justify  the  confidence  of  his  ally,  the  earl 
joined  in  his  expedition.  The  baron  of 
Delvin  thereupon  marched  at  the  head  of  his 
forces  to  Ulster ;  but  his  success  did  not 
equal  his  expectation.  He  carried  away 
some  booty,  but  lost  fifty  of  his  men,  who 
were  killed  in  a  skirmish  against  Phelim 
O'Neill.  Soon  after  this,  a  bloody  battle 
took  place  between  the  earl  of  Tyrone  and 
Hugh  O'Neill  of  Clarmeboy,  respecting  some 
claims  of  the  earl  on  his  territory  ;  the  earl 
was  defeated,  with  the  loss  of  three  hundred 

*  Baker,  ibid,  page  3,^0. 

t  Heylin,  ibid,  pages  212,  213. 


men  killed,  besides  prisoners ;  the  loss  of 
Hugh  was  not  known. 

The  court  of  England  sent  to  Ireland  in 
October,  Sir  William  Fitzwilliam,  Sir  John 
Allen,  and  Valentine  Brown,  as  commis- 
sioners, to  assist  the  deputy  in  the  regulation 
of  the  crown  lands,  by  which  means  they 
were  enabled  to  procure  settlements  for 
themselves  in  the  country.  Valentine  Brown 
was  a  violent  Protestant,  but  his  son  em- 
braced the  Catholic  religion ;  this  noble 
family  were  afterwards  considered  worthy 
of  titles  of  honor,  and  still  live  in  splendor 
in  the  county  of  Kerry.* 

Brien  O'Connor  Faly,  who  had  been  a 
prisoner  in  London  for  four  years,  was  re- 
stored to  liberty  this  year,  by  orders  of  the 
queen,  who  generously  continued  the  pen- 
sion which  had  been  granted  to  him  by  the 
court.  On  his  landing  in  Dublin,  however, 
notwithstanding  the  pardon  he  had  just 
received  from,  the  princess,  he  was  confined 
in  the  castle,  under  pretext  of  preventing  the 
disturbances  he  might  cause  to  the  state ;  but 
in  reality  to  prevent  him  from  reclaiming  his 
property,  of  which  he  had  been  unjustly  de- 
prived. We  witness  in  this  a  surprising 
contrast  between  the  conduct  of  the  queen 
and  that  of  her  subjects  ;  but  their  acts  were 
influenced  by  different  motives.  The  queen 
found  O'Connor  innocent,  and  from  a  motive 
of  justice  gave  him  his  freedom  ;  the  covmcil 
of  Dublin  were  desirous  of  condemning  him 
as  a  criminal,  and  from  a  mere  suspicion  that 
he  might  become  so,  deprived  him  of  the  bene- 
fit of  the  pardon  which  the  queen  had  granted 
him ;  and  then  put  him  in  confinement,  where 
he  remained  till  he  had  given  hostages.  This 
mysterious  affair  must  be  explained.  When- 
ever the  Irish  had  recourse  to  arms,  it  was 
not  so  much  in  opposition  to  the  king  and 
his  government,  as  against  their  English 
neighbors,  who,  always  eager  to  increase 
their  possessions, were  continually  encroach- 
ing upon  the  lands  of  the  Irish  ;  none  but  the 
English  being  hearkened  to  by  the  govern- 
ment, they  construed  the  battle  of  one  indi- 
vidual against  another,  into  rebellion  or  high 
treason,  the  Irish  were  consequently  declared 
rebels,  which  declaration  was  followed  by  the 
confiscation  of  their  estates  in  the  name  of 
the  king,  but  in  reality,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
informers,  who,  alleging  their  pretended  ser- 
vices against  the  rebels,  foimd  means  to  have 
the  possessions  of  the  supposed  criminals 
conferred  upon  themselves.  These  abuses 
continued  to  increase  ;  most  of  the  public 
oflices  were  filled  by  Englishmen ;  the  an- 

*  Cox,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  p.  103. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


451 


cient  Irish  were  altogether  exckided  from 
them,  and  the  English  government  reposed 
no  confidence  in  those  who  had  first  settled 
in  Ireland.  These  were  called  the  degen- 
erate English  ;  and  in  every  succeeding 
reign  fresh  colonies  came  over  from  Eng- 
land, who  were  enriched  at  the  expense  of 
the  old  inhabitants. 

The  cathedral  church  of  St.  Patrick,  in 
Dublin,  which  had  been  suppressed  in  the 
preceding  reign,  was  restored  by  letters 
patent,  dated  the  25th  of  March,  1555.* 
Thomas  Lever,  or  Levereuse,  was  made 
dean,  and  prebendaries  were  appointed  the 
May  following.!  Levereuse,  who  had  been 
appointed  the  preceding  year  to  succeed 
Lancaster  in  the  bishopric  of  Kildare,  was 
confirmed  this  year  by  a  bull  from  the  pope, 
who  granted  him  a  dispensation  to  retain 
both  livings.  He  was  dispossessed  in  the 
succeeding  reign,  for  having  refused  to  take 
the  oath  of  supremacy  to  Queen  Elizabeth, 
and  was  obliged  to  become  a  schoolmaster 
in  Limerick  to  obtain  a  livelihood.  William 
Walsh,  bishop  of  Meath,  suffered  still  more 
severely  :  he  was  not  only  deprived  of  his 
bishopric,  but  confined  in  a  dungeon,  loaded 
with  chains,  and  afterwards  banished  from 
the  kingdom. 

In  June,  Pope  Paul  IV.  issued  a  bull  con- 
firming Ireland  in  the  title  of  kingdom.  We 
can  discover  no  necessity  for  this  new  crea- 
tion of  the  title  of  kingdom  for  Ireland,  since 
it  was  considered  in  that  light  long  before 
the  English  were  known  in  it,  and  even  be- 
fore the  institution  of  the  popedom. 

In  July,  Cusack,  the  chancellor,  received 
orders  from  their  majesties  to  resign  the 
great  seal  to  St.  Leger,  the  lord-lieutenant, 
and  in  the  following  month  Sir  William 
Fitzwilliams  was  appointed  to  this  ofiice, 
and  Hugh  Curvvin,  who  had  just  been  con- 
secrated in  London  archbishop  of  Dublin, 
was  appointed  chancellor  of  Ireland  in 
October.  He  convened  a  provincial  synod 
during  the  same  year,  in  which  several 
regulations  were  made  respecting  religion. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Scotch  of  the  He- 
brides made  an  attempt  on  Carrickfergus,  in 
Ulster  ;  but  the  plan  was  badly  laid  and 
executed.  A  misunderstanding  still  con- 
tinued between  Manus  O'Donnel,  prince  of 
Tyrconnel,  and  his  son  Calouagh,  or  Charles. 
This  young  nobleman  crossed  over  into 
Scotland,  and  having  received  some  assist 
ance  from  Gilaspock  MacAUen,  he  returned 
to  Ulster,  entered  Tyrconnel,  sword  in  hand, 
and   took  his  father  prisoner,  at  Rosrach. 

*  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  3. 

t  War.  de  Episc.  Kildare. 


This  prince  died  soon  afterwards,  in  con- 
finement ;  Calouagh  then  made  himself 
master  of  the  fortress  of  Inis-Owen  and  the 
castle  of  Enagl),  which  he  razed  to  the 
gi'ound,  and  in  the  May  following  dismissed 
his  allies  the  Scotch.  The  proximity  of 
Ireland  to  Scotland,  and  the  frequent  inter- 
course of  the  inhabitants  with  those  of  the 
North,  was  often  productive  of  quarrels  be- 
tween the  two  countries.  Hugh  O'Neill, 
lord  of  Clanneboy,  on  the  confines  of  the 
counties  of  Down  and  Antrim,  was  shot  in  a 
skirmish  with  a  party  of  Scotchmen,  who 
came  to  attack  him  on  his  own  estate.  The 
English  government  availed  themselves  of 
the  opportunity,  to  divide  this  extensive  dis- 
trict into  two,  between  Phelim  Duff  O'Neill, 
and  the  children  of  Phelim  Backagh,  or  the 
Lame,  in  order  to  weaken  this  illustrious 
tribe. 

The  emperor  Charles  V.,  being  desirous 
of  withdrawing  from  the  cares  of  the  world, 
first  gave  up  all  the  low  countries  to  his  son 
Philip,  king  of  England.  He  soon  after  this 
surrendered  to  him  all  his  hereditary  do- 
minions, and  abdicated  the  empire  in  favor 
of  his  son  Ferdinand,  who  was  already  king 
of  the  Romans.  He  withdrew  afterwards 
to  a  convent  in  Estre-Madura,  in  Spain. 

The  Cavenaghs  and  their  allies  made  some 
incursions,  in  May,  1556,  into  the  southern 
parts  of  the  county  of  Dublin  ;  but  they  were 
surprised  and  dispersed  by  the  garrison  of 
the  city,  who  killed  several  of  them.*  A 
troop  of  one  hundred  and  forty  men  with- 
drew to  the  fortress  of  Powerscourt,  where 
they  determined  to  defend  themselves.  They 
were  besieged  by  the  company  of  the  lord- 
marshal,  and  others  from  Dublin,  under  the 
command  of  Sir  George  Stanley  ;  and  being 
unable  to  withstand  the  great  number  of  their 
besiegers,  were  obliged  to  surrender.  They 
were  ungenerously  treated  by  their  enemies, 
and  brought  to  Dublin,  where  seventy-four 
of  their  number  were  put  to  death  for  having 
rebelled. 

St.  Leger,  the  deputy,  had  before  this  been 
recalled,  and  Thomas  Radcliffe,  Viscount 
Fitzwalters,  was  appointed  lord-lieutenant 
in  his  stead.  This  nobleman  landed  in  Dub- 
lin on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and  a  few  days 
afterwards  took  the  usual  oath,  in  Christ's 
Cathedral,  where  St.  Leger  resigned  the 
insignia  of  office  to  him.  The  new  gov- 
ernor was  accompanied  from  England  by 
Sir  Henry  Sidney  as  treasurer,  and  Sir  Wil- 
liam Fitzsymons.  He  also  brought  over 
twenty-five  thousand  pounds,  to  be  applied 
against  the  Scotch  and  the  rebel  Irish. 
*  War.  ibid.  cap.  4. 


452 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Queen  Mary  sent  instructions  to  the  deputy 
and  council  of  Ireland,  to  use  every  means 
for  advancing  the  glory  of  God,  and  the 
Catholic  faith,  and  to  sujiport  the  honor  and 
dignity  of  the  holy  sec.*  Her  majesty  or- 
dered them  to  assist  the  ministers  of  the 
gospel  against  the  heretics,  and  their  erro- 
neous principles  ;  and  also  to  aid  the  com- 
missioners whom  Cardinal  Pole,  the  legate 
from  the  see  of  Rome,  intended  sending  to 
Ireland,  to  visit  the  clergy. 

The  deputy  having  collected  his  forces, 
marched  towards  the  north  of  Ireland,  in  the 
beginning  of  July  ;  on  the  18th  of  the  same 
month,  he  defeated  the  Scotch  islanders  near 
Carrickfergus  ;  two  hundred  were  killed  on 
the  field  of  battle,  and  several  prisoners  taken . 
Thomas,  earl  of  Ormond,  and  Stanley,  lord- 
marshal,  distinguished  themselves  in  this  en- 
gagement. The  deputy  having  provided  for 
the  necessities  of  the  town  of  Carrickfergus, 
and  regulated  the  aflairs  of  Ulster,  where  he 
left  Stanley  as  lieutenant-general,  returned 
to  Kilmainham.  Soon  after  this,  he  went 
to  Munster,  where  he  received  the  submis- 
sion of  several  Irish  and  Englishmen,  to 
whom  he  gi'anted  protections. 

In  September,  Shane  O'Neill,  son  of  the 
earl  of  Tyrone,  having  given  a  promise  of 
submission,  repaired  to  Kilmainham,  where 
he  made  peace  with  the  deputy.  Rory  and 
Donough  O'Connor  did  the  same  at  Dingen  ; 
but  these  arrangements  were  of  short  dura- 
tion, the  occasions  to  rebel  being  too  fre- 
quent. The  O'Connors  soon  fell  into  the 
snares  which  had  been  laid  for  them.  On 
taking  up  arms  they  were  declared  traitors 
and  expelled  from  their  country,  which  was 
laid  waste  by  the  English  troops. 

A  parliament  was  convened  in  Dublin,  in 
June,  1557.  It  was  adjourned  to  Limerick 
the  month  following,  till  November,  and  from 
thence  to  Drogheda,  till  March. f  But  the 
lord-lieutenant,  who  became  earl  of  Sussex 
by  his  father's  death,  having  returned  to 
England  in  December,  the  parliament  ceased 
its  sittings  during  his  absence,  and  was  after- 
wards prorogued.|  Cox  mentions  some  acts 
of  this  parliament,  which  had  not  been  print- 
ed.§  In  them  the  queen's  legitimacy  was 
admitted  ;  she  was  invested  with  royal  autho- 
rity, and  her  posterity  declared  entitled  to 
inherit  the  crown  of  England  and  Ireland; 
heresy  was  made  liable  to  punishment  and 
ordered  to  be  suppressed  ;  all  the  acts  which 

*  Cox,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  p.  .303. 
t  War.  ibid.  cap.  3. 

t  Irish  Statutes  printed  in  Dublin  in  1621,  page 
846. 

§   Hist,  of  Irel.  page  304. 


were  passed  against  the  pope  since  the  twen- 
tieth year  of  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.,  were 
repealed,  and  all  concessions  made  by  arch- 
bishop Brown  were  declared  null  and  void  ; 
the  first-fruits  too  were  restored  to  the 
church  ;  but  all  these  statutes  were  annulled 
in  the  beginning  of  the  succeeding  reign. 
An  act  was  also  passed  for  granting  the 
queen  a  subsidy  of  thirteen  and  four-pence 
on  every  plough-land  ;  and  another,  by  which 
it  was  prohibited,  under  pain  of  felony,  to 
introduce  or  receive  armed  Scotchmen  into 
Ireland,  or  to  intermarry  with  them,  without 
a  license  under  the  great  seal. 

On  his  return  from  England,  the  deputy 
undertook  an  expedition  into  Connaught  in 
July,  aganist  the  O'Maddens  of  Silanchie,  at 
present  the  barony  of  Longford.  This  dis- 
trict had  been  divided  the  preceding  year 
between  Malachi  More  O'Madden,  and 
Brassal  Dabh,  after  the  murder  of  John 
O'Madden,  to  whom  it  belonged.  The  ob- 
ject of  the  expedition  was  to  punish  the 
O'Maddens,  who  protected  Donough  O'Con- 
nor, contrary  to  the  law  by  which  he  had 
been  declared  a  rebel.  The  deputy  laid 
siege  to  the  castle  of  Milick,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Shannon  ;  and  being  unable  to  resist  the 
cannon,  it  surrendered  immediately.  The 
conqueror  placed  a  garrison  in  it,  and  re- 
turned to  Kilmainham  to  prepare  for  an- 
other expedition  against  the  Scotch,  who  had 
invaded  Ulster.  Having  collected  all  his 
forces,  he  set  out  on  his  march  in  August, 
accompanied  by  the  earls  of  Kildare  and 
Ormond,  Viscount  Baltinglass,  and  the  bar- 
ons of  Delvin,  Dunboyne,  and  Dunsany. 
His  preparations  were,  however,  not  very 
successful  ;  the  Scotch  having  intrenched 
themselves  in  woods,  and  other  inaccessible 
places,  the  exploits  of  the  deputy  consisted 
in  taking  booty,  which  was  carried  off  by  his 
soldiers,  and  in  conferring  knighthood  on 
Donald  MacDonnell,  and  Richard  M'Guil- 
lan,  who  made  their  submission  to  him. 

The  deputy  returned  to  Ulster  in  October. 
He  devastated  the  lands  about  Dundalk, 
Newry,  and  Armagh.  This  latter  city  he 
burned,  sparing  only  the  cathedral ;  after 
which  he  returned  triumphant  to  Dublin, 
about  the  end  of  the  month. 

Her  majesty's  service  required  the  pres- 
ence of  the  earl  of  Sussex  in  England,  and 
in  order  to  secure  tranquillity  in  the  English 
province  during  his  absence,  he  exacted  a 
promise  of  peace  from  some  of  the  neigh- 
'boring  nobles  whom  he  thought  likely  to 
disturb  it ;  namely,  O'CarroU  of  Ely,  O'Mol- 
loy  of  Fearcall,  Mageoghegan  of  Kinalyach, 
O'Duinne    of    Hy-Regan,    MacCoghlan  of 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


453 


Dealbna,  and  the  two  O'Maddins  of  Silan 
chie  ;  and  received  hostages  from  them. 

During  the  absence  of  Sussex,  Curwin 
the  chancellor,  and  Sidney  the  secretary  at 
war,  were  appointed,  by  letters  patent,  lords- 
justices  of  Ireland.  Having  taken  the  oath 
in  Christ's  cathedral,  Dublin,  they  received 
the  royal  sword  from  Stanley,  lord-marshal 
of  Ireland,  to  whom  Sussex  had  confided  it 
for  that  purpose.  They  filled  this  commis- 
sion together  till  the  6th  of  February  follow- 
ing, when  the  queen  thought  fit  to  confer  it 
on  Sidney  alone. 

The  new  lord-justice  carried  his  arms  im- 
mediately against  Arthur  O'Molloy,  lord  of 
Fearcall,  under  pretext  of  his  having  pro- 
tected the  rebels  ;  and  having  pillaged  and 
burned  his  district,  he  granted  the  lordship 
to  Theobald,  Arthur's  brother,  on  condition 
that  he  would  give  his  son  as  a  hostage,  to 
serve  as  a  pledge  for  his  fidelity. 

In  the  parliament  we  have  mentioned  as 
having  been  held  this  year,  an  act  was  pass- 
ed by  which  the  districts  of  Leix,  Ofraly,and 
the  adjacent  baronies,  namely,  Slewmarg, 
Irris,  and  Clanmalire,  were  confiscated  for 
the  use  of  their  majesties.  These  territories 
had  belonged,  for  more  than  twelve  centu- 
ries, to  the  O'Morras,  O'Connors  Faly,  and 
the  O'Dempsys.*  By  the  same  statute,  the 
deputy  was  authorized  to  divide  these  exten- 
sive districts  into  fiefs,  and  to  make  prudent 
grants  of  them  to  any  English  subject  whom 
he  might  deem  likely  to  advance  the  English 
interest ;  and  in  order  that  such  concessions 
should  be  rendered  valid  by  law,  he  was 
authorized  to  have  the  great  seal  affixed  to 
them  by  the  chancellor,  or  whoever  had  cus- 
tody of  it.  It  was  thus  that  those  masters 
reformed  the  manners  of  the  Irish  nobility. 
This  was  an  important  privilege  for  the  de- 
puty, since,  by  his  signature,  he  possessed 
the  poAver  of  making  his  valet,  or  any  other 
favorite  servant,  a  rich  and  powerful  noble- 
man .  By  another  act  of  the  same  parliament, 
it  was  decreed  that  these  districts  should  be 
hereafter  called  the  King's  and  Queeri's 
counties  ;  that  the  fort  of  Dingen  should  be 
called  after  the  king's  -name,  Philipstown, 
and  that  Leix,  which  was  called  Protector, 
under  Edward  VI.,  should  bear  the  name  of 
Maryborough.  Sidney,  the  deputy,  having 
terminated  his  expedition  against  O'Molloy, 
applied  the  tax  which  had  been  raised  on  the 
English  province,  in  revictualling  the  gar- 
risons of  Leix  and  Offaly  ;  he  then  returned 
to  Dublin,  where  he  published  a  proclama- 
tion prohibiting  any  one  to  take  provisions 

*  Irish  Statutes,  pages  247,  248. 


out  of  the  English  province,  or  to  furnish 
any  to  the  Irish  who  were  living  without  the 
limits.  About  this  time,  Maurice  Cavanagh 
and  Conall  O'Morra,  two  Irish  noblemen, 
were  tried  for  rebellion,  condemned,  and 
executed  at  Leighlin  bridge. 

In  Ulster,  Shane  O'Neill,  wishing  to  have 
the  tribute  renewed,  which  he  claimed  from 
the  country  of  Tyrconnel,  entered  that  dis- 
trict, sword  in  hand.  Calouagh  O'Donnel, 
the  nobleman  to  whom  it  belonged,  not  find- 
ing himself  able  to  repel  force  by  force,  and 
dreading  to  risk  a  battle,  had  recourse  to 
stratagem  ;  he  surprised  O'Neill  during  the 
night  in  his  camp,  killed  several  of  his  men, 
and  put  the  rest  to  flight. 

The  lands  of  the  monasteries  and  abbeys, 
which  had  been  converted,  under  the  prece- 
ding reign,  into  lay-fiefs,  and  divided  among 
the  courtiers,  remained  in  the  same  state  in 
Mary's  time,  except  the  estates  of  the  priory 
of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem,  near  Dublin,  which 
were  restored  to  their  former  masters,  through 
the  influence  of  Cardinal  Pole.  Oswald  Mes- 
singberd  was,  about  this  time,  appointed  prior 
of  that  house,  and  confirmed  by  letters  patent. 
The  queen  had  conceived  the  project  of  re- 
storing all  things  to  their  former  state,  but 
her  reign  was  too  short  for  the  completion 
of  so  great  an  undertaking. 

In  April,  1558,  O'Reilly,  chief  of  the 
O'Reillys  of  eastern  Brefny,  (Cavan,)  re- 
paired to  the  deputy  at  Kilmainham,  where 
he  surrendered,  and  took  the  oath  of  fidelity 
to  their  majesties.* 

The  earl  of  Sussex  was  again  appointed 
lord -lieutenant  of  Ireland,  and  arrived  in 
Dublin,  towards  the  end  of  April,  with  five 
hundred  armed  men,  who  were  to  be  em- 
ployed both  in  putting  down  the  rebels,  and 
repelling  the  Scotch,  who  were  committing 
piracies  on  the  coasts.  Sussex  having  re- 
ceived the  sword  and  other  ensigns  of  his 
authority,  marched  at  the  head  of  his  army 
towards  Limerick,  whence  he  advanced  in- 
to Thuomond,  in  order  to  reduce  Donald 
O'Brien,  who  had  renewed  the  war  against 
his  nephew,  Connor  O'Brien,  earl  of  Thuo- 
mond. Having  taken  the  castles  of  Bun- 
ratty  and  Clare,  he  quelled  all  disturbances, 
and  restored  those  places,  and  the  territories 
which  had  been  invaded  by  his  enemies,  to 
Thuomond.  He  obliged  those  possessed  of 
freeholds  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance. 

Sussex  having  returned  to  Limerick,  re- 
ceived the  submission  of  the  earl  of  Des- 
mond ;  he  stood  -sponsor,  a  few  days  after- 
wards, to  his  son,  and   had   him  baptized 

*  War.  ibid.  c.  6 


454 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


James  Sussex,  and  gave  him  a  gold  chain ; 
he  conferred  another,  at  the  same  time,  with 
a  pair  of  gilded  spurs,  on  Dcrinod  Mac-Car- 
thy  of  Muskerry,  whom  he  created  a  knight. 

The  earl  of  Sussex  embarked  in  Septem- 
ber with  his  forces  at  Dalkey,  near  Dublin, 
to  go  in  pursuit  of  the  Scotch  islanders,  who 
had  taken  possession  of  the  isle  of  Rachlin, 
in  the  north  of  Ireland,  from  which  they 
made  hicursions,  and  committed  piracies  on 
the  coast  of  Ulster.  On  the  arrival  of  the 
fleet  at  Rachlin,  it  encountered  a  dreadful 
storm,  in  which  one  of  the  vessels  was 
wrecked,  and  the  entire  of  the  crew  perish- 
ed. Sussex  landed  with  the  remainder,  put 
the  inhabitants  to  the  sword,  and  pillaged  the 
islands.  Thence  he  sailed  to  Scotland,  laid 
waste  Cantyre,  and  the  isles  of  Arran  and 
Comber  ;  but  was  at  length  checked  in  the 
course  of  his  conquests  by  the  severity  of 
the  weather,  which  obliged  him  to  put  into 
Carrickfergus.  He  burned  several  villages 
inhabited  by  the  islanders,  and  returned  to 
Dublin  in  November,  where  he  received  new 
patents  and  seals  for  the  chancellor,  for  the 
chief-justices  of  the  other  courts,  and  the 
chief-baron  of  the  exchequer.  In  the  mean 
time,  some  families  of  the  Burkes  of  Con- 
naught,  having  received  cause  of  dissatis- 
faction from  their  chief,  Clanriccard,  called 
the  Scotch  islanders  to  their  assistance,  but 
they  and  their  allies  were  cut  to  pieces  in  an 
engagement  with  the  earl. 

Shane  O'Neill,  son  of  Conn  O'Neill,  earl 
of  Tyrone,  was  indignant  to  see  his  house 
degraded  by  the  title  of  earl,  which  had 
been  disgracefully  taken  by  his  father,  in 
place  of  hereditary  prince  of  Tyrone,  and 
the  illustrious  title  of  O'Neill  given  up.  He 
was  jealous,  too,  of  the  preference  which  his 
father  evinced  for  his  natural  son  Matthew, 
(whom  the  Irish  call  Fardorach,)  in  procur- 
ing for  him  the  title  of  baron  of  Dungannon, 
by  which  he  was  secured  in  the  succession 
to  the  principality,  in  prejudice  to  himself.* 
Shane  was  continually  under  arms,  either 
against  his  father  or  O'Donnel,  who,  as  well 
as  his  rival,  the  baron  of  Dungannon,  was 
supported  by  the  English  ;  the  latter  was 
killed  in  the  beginning  of  this  war.  When 
questioned  upon  his  conduct  in  this  and  the 
other  accusations  made  against  him,  either 
by  the  lord-justice  Sydney,  or  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  queen  in  England,  according  to 
Camden,  Shane  proudly  answered  that  he 
was  son  and  heir  of  Conn  O'Neill  and  his 
wife  Alice  ;  that  Matthew  was  the  son  of  a 
blacksmith  in  Dundalk,t  subsequent  to  the 

»  Hist.  Cathol.  Hib.  tome  2,  lib.  4.  cap.  3. 
t  Camden's  reign  of  Elizabeth,  pp.  69,  70.  Cox, 
page  312. 


marriage  of  Conn  O'Neill  and  Alice,  of 
whom  he,  Shane,  was  the  legitimate  son, 
and  consequently  had  a  right  to  succeed  to 
his  father's  property.  He  added,  that  the 
surrender  which  had  been  made  by  his 
father,  of  the  principality  of  Tyrone  to  the 
king  of  England,  and  the  restitution  he  had 
received  from  the  latter  by  letters  patent, 
were  null,  since  his  father's  right  to  that 
principality  was  confined  to  his  life,  while 
he  himself  had  been  acknowledged  the  real 
O'Neill,  by  a  popular  election,  according  to 
custom,  notwithstanding  that  he  claimed  no 
other  superiority  over  the  lords  of  his  prov- 
ince than  that  which  had  been  exercised  by 
his  ancestors.  It  appears  that  the  prince's 
arguments  prevailed,  as  he  retained  posses- 
sion of  Tyrone  till  his  death,  which  occurred 
a  few  years  afterwards. 

George  Dowdal,  archbishop  of  Armagh, 
and  primate  of  Ireland,  having  gone  to  Eng- 
land on  some  affairs  of  the  church,  died  in 
London,  in  August.*  This  prelate  having 
been  expelled  from  his  see,  under  Edward 
VI.,  withdrew  to  the  Abbey  de  Centre,  where 
he  remained  till  the  death  of  the  king  and 
the  reign  of  Mary,  who  restored  him  to  his 
rights.  Even  his  enemies  acknowledge  him 
to  have  been  a  learned  man  and  an  able 
preacher.  The  successors  of  Dowdal  in  the 
see  of  Armagh  were,  it  is  probable,  princi- 
pally of  the  reformed  religion,  as  the  first 
that  was  appointed  to  it,  after  a  vacancy  of 
a  few  years,  was  Adam  Loftus,  Queen  Eliz- 
abeth's chaplain. 

In  the  month  of  October  of  this  year, 
James,  earl  of  Desmond  and  treasurer  of 
Ireland,  died,t  leaving  three  legitimate  sons. 
After  repudiating  the  daughter  of  the  vis- 
count of  Fermoy,  he  married  the  daughter 
of  O'CarroU,  by  whom  he  had  Gerald,  other- 
wise Garret,  and  John.  His  second  wife 
having  died,  he  married  M'Carty's  daughter, 
who  was  mother  to  James,  his  third  son. 
By  the  daughter  of  the  Viscount  Fermoy  he 
had  a  son  called  Thomas  Ruadh,  (Rufus,) 
who  was  his  eldest ;  but  some  doubt  having 
arisen  of  his  legitimacy,  he  could  not  suc- 
ceed to  his  father  ;  from  which  important 
disputes  arose  between  the  brothers.  Gar- 
ret was  readily  acknowledged  successor  to 
James,  and  heir  to  his  titles  and  extensive 
estates.  Although  young,  this  nobleman 
gave  great  hopes  of  valor  and  of  talent ;  he 
afterwards  became  the  hero  of  Catholicity, 
but  in  the  end  fell  a  sacrifice  to  his  love  of 
religion. 

This  was  the  last  year  of  Mary's  reign  ; 

*  War.  de  Archiepise.  Ardmach. 
t  Helat.  Girald.  cap.  13,  et  seq. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


455 


she  died  at  St.  James's,  near  Westminster, 
in  the  forty-second  year  of  her  age  and  sixth 
of  her  reign,  of  grief,  it  is  said,  for  the  loss 
of  Calais,  as  also  for  her  husband's  absence, 
and  the  death  of  her  father-in-law,  the  Em- 
peror Charles  V.  -  The  bishop  of  Winches- 
ter died  before  her,  and  Cardinal  Pole  sur- 
vived her  but  sixteen  hours.  It  was  an 
unhappy  omen  to  the  Catholics,  and  the  sta- 
bility of  their  religion  which  had  just  been 
re-established,  to  behold  its  three  principal 
supporters  so  suddenly  carried  off.  The 
reason  why  this  princess  has  found  so  few 
panegyrists  among  Protestant  writers  is 
manifest ;  far  from  encouraging  the  new 
religion,  she  labored  to  destroy  it,  and  re- 
store the  old  one.  Their  silence  on  her  other 
qualities  is  at  least  a  proof  that  she  pos- 
sessed no  bad  ones. 

The  short  reign  of  this  princess  only  check- 
ed for  a  time  the  progress  of  heresy,  which 
soon  afterwards  acquired  new  strength,  and 
reascended  the  throne  with  Elizabeth.  It 
is  remarkable,  says  Cox,  that  though  Mary 
was  a  zealous  papist,  the  Irish  were  not 
more  tranquil  under  her  reign  than  imder 
that  of  Edward  ;  on  the  contrary,  their  an- 
tipathy to  the  English  and  their  govern- 
ment hurried  them  to  commit  the  same  ex- 
cesses as  under  the  preceding  reigns.  But 
had  this  author  been  as  honorable  as  he  is 
malicious,  he  would  have  observed  that  the 
antipathy  which  he  advances  as  the  cause  of 
these  disorders,  was  founded  rather  on  the 
injustice  which  the  English  ministry  was 
contiimally  exercising  over  the  Irish,  than 
on  the  religion  of  this  princess.  The  Irish 
people  were  as  tyrannically  ruled  under  her 
as  under  the  preceding  reigns.* 

The  most  celebrated  writers  in  the  two 
last  reigns,  were  the  following. f  Edward 
Walsh,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  went  over 
to  England  about  the  year  1550,  and  was 
received  into  the  household  of  Edward  Sey- 
mour, duke  of  Somerset,  uncle  to  Edward 
VI.,  and  protector  of  the  kingdom  ;  he  com- 
posed two  treatises,  one  entitled  De  officiis 
jmgnantiiim  pro  patria,  or,  the  duties  of 
those  who  fight  for  their  country ;  and  the 
other,  ut  Hibcrnia  per  verhum  Dei  refor- 
metur,  or  the  manner  in  which  Ireland  ought 
to  be  reformed — by  the  word  of  God.  It 
would  appear  by  this  treatise,  and  the  attach- 
ment of  the  author  to  the  duke  of  Somerset, 
that  he  had  embraced  the  new  religion. 

*  "  Although  she  endeavored  to  protect  and  ad- 
vance the  Catholic  religion,  still  her  officers  and 
lawyers  did  not  cease  to  inflict  injuries  upon  the 
Irish." 

t  Ware,  de  Script.  Hib. 


Sir  'rhomas  Cusack,  of  Coffingston,  in 
Meath,  having  filled  the  offices  of  master  of 
the  rolls,  keeper  of  the  seals,  chancellor,  and 
lord-justice  of  Ireland,  wrote  a  long  epistle 
to  the  duke  of  Northumberland,  dated  the 
8th  of  May,  1552,  on  the  state  of  Ireland 
at  the  time.  This  epistle  is  with  the  books 
of  Darcy  and  Finglass,  among  the  manu- 
scripts of  Dr.  Sterne,  in  the  library  of  Trinity 
College,  Dublin. 

Thomas  Waterford,  called  by  others  Wa- 
terfield,  archdeacon  of  Leighlin,  wrote  a 
treatise  on  the  affairs  of  Ireland,  which  is 
quoted  by  Dowling  in  his  annals.  Nicholas 
Stanihurst  wrote  a  small  work  in  Latin, 
entitled,  Dieta  Medicorum,  or  the  regimen 
of  physicians.  Richard  Stanihurst  mentions 
it  in  the  seventh  chapter  of  the  Description 
of  Ireland.  Lastly,  George  Dowdal,  arch- 
bishop of  Armagh,  a  native  of  the  county  of 
Louth,  wrote  some  sermons,  and  also  trans- 
lated the  life  of  the  celebrated  John  de 
Courcy,  the  supposed  conqueror  of  Ulster, 
from  Latin  into  Enaiish. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

Elizabeth,  the  only  surviving  daughter 
of  Henry  VIII.,  was  immediately  after  the 
death  of  Mary,  declared  by  parliament 
heiress  to  the  throne,  a.  d.  1558.  She  was 
crowned  queen  of  England,  according  to  the 
Roman  ritual,  with  the  usual  ceremonies,  in 
Westminster  abbey,  by  Oglethorp,  bishop 
of  Carlisle ;  the  archbishop  of  York  and 
other  bishops  of  the  kingdom,  refused  to 
attend.  This  princess  was  then  in  her 
twenty-fifth  year ;  her  reign  was  long  and 
eventful.  The  contemporary  princes  were 
Ferdinand,  emperor  of  Austria,  Henry  II., 
king  of  France,  Philip  II.,  king  of  Spain, 
and  Paul  IV.,  who  filled  the  see  of  Rome.* 

On  her  accession  to  the  throne,  Elizabeth 
turned  her  thoughts  towards  the  spiritual 
and  temporal  government  of  the  state. 
Though  she  had  previously  determined  to 
make  a  change  in  religion,  still,  in  order  not 
to  excite  the  alarm  of  the  Catholics,  or  de- 
press the  hopes  of  the  Protestant  party,  she 
selected  her  council  from  among  noblemen 
of  both  religions  ;  after  which  ambassadors 
were  sent  to  all  the  princes  of  Europe,  to 
announce  to  them  her  accession  to  the  throne. 

*  Baker's  Chron.  Reign  of  Elizabeth.  Heylin, 
Hist,  of  the  Reform,  p.  173,  et  seq.  Cambd.  An- 
iial.  rerum.  Angl.  regnant,  edit.  Lug.  Batav.  Sal- 
mon, Hist,  of  England,  vol.  7,  page  6. 


456 


HISTORY   OP   IRELAND. 


Ambition  was  the  ruling  passion  of'Eliza- 
beth.  A  desire  of  reigning  alone,  and  of 
being  absolute  mistress  in  all  things,  gave 
her  a  distaste  to  marriage,  though  she  was 
strongly  urged  to  it  by  her  parliament,  and 
solicited  by  many  princes,  the  most  consider- 
able of  whom  was  Philip  II.,  king  of  Spain, 
her  brother-in-law.  Acted  on  by  political 
motives,  this  prince  made  the  proposal  to 
her,  through  his  ambassador,  the  count  de 
Feria,  undertaking,  at  the  same  time,  to 
obtain  a  dispensation  from  the  pope.  Eliza- 
beth received  the  ambassador  with  polite- 
ness, but  gave  him  no  hope  of  succeecling  in 
his  project.  Independently  of  her  dislike  to  a 
master,  she  had  sufficient  penetration  to  feel 
how  strongly  such  a  dispensation  wovdd  tend 
to  affect  her  honor  and  that  of  her  mother, 
Anne  Bullen.*  She  knew  that  by  submitting 
to  the  pope  and  acknowledging  the  necessity 
of  a  dispensation  in  this  instance,  she  would 
approve  of  the  marriage  of  Henry  VIII. 
with  Catherine  of  Aragon,  whereby.  Anne 
Bvdlen  would  be  stigmatized  as  a  concubine, 
and  would  establish  the  right  of  Mary  Stuart, 
queen  of  Scotland,  to  the  crown  of  England. 
This  princess  had  been  just  married  to 
Francis,  son  of  Henry  II. ;  she  was  acknow- 
ledged by  France  as  queen  of  England,  and 
had  the  arms  of  that  kingdom  quartered 
with  her  own.f 

In  the  mean  time,  Elizabeth  had  appointed 
Sir  Edward  Karn  her  agent  at  Rome,  to 
inform  the  pope  of  Mary's  death,  of  her  own 
accession  to  the  throne,  and  her  wish  to  live 
on  amicable  temis  with  his  holiness. |  Karn 
had  many  conferences  with  the  pope,  who  at 
first  appeared  to  be  indignant ;  however, 
judging  that  mildness  would  be  more  bene- 
ficial than  harsh  means,  his  final  answer  to 
the  minister  was,  that  it  was  needless  that 
the  queen  should  have  recourse  to  him  for  a 
kingdom  of  which  she  was  already  in  pos- 
session, but  that  he  supposed  she  would 
cause  no  change  in  religion.  Karn  answered 
that  he  could  give  no  assurance  on  that  head 
from  the  instructions  he  had  received,  till  his 
holiness  would  have  first  pronounced  the 
marriage  of  Henry  VIII.  with  Anne  Bullen 
to  be  valid.  The  pope  and  his  council  were 
astounded  by  this  reply.  He  saw  clearly  that 
the  best  plan  he  could  adopt  would  be,  to 
come  to  no  decision,  rather  than  do  what 
could  be  productive  of  no  good.  According 
to  Baker,  he  went  so  far  as  to  write  in  the 
most  tender  manner  to  the  Princess  Eliza- 
beth ;  he  exlrorted  her  to  return  to  a  union 

*  Camb.  ibid,  page  5. 

t  Heylin,  ibid,  page  288.     Baker,  p.  329. 

t  Heylin,  ibid.  p.  274. 


with  the  Catholic  church,  and  promised  her, 
that  if  she  would  follow  his  counsel,  he  would 
revoke  the  sentence  which  had  been  pro- 
nounced against  the  marriage  of  her  mother  ; 
that  he  would  confirm  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  in  the  English  language,  and  allow 
her  subjects  to  use  the  sacrament  in  both 
kinds.     Elizabeth,  continues  Baker,  with- 
stood the  pope's  flattering  offers,  and  per- 
sisted in    her    determination    to  support  a  [ 
religion  which  she  considered  as  more  con-  j 
formable  to  the  word  of  God,  and  the  primi- 
tive customs  of  the  church.     We  obviously  i 
discover  in  this  negotiation  of  Elizabeth  her 
insincerity  towards  the  pope.    Even  had  the 
holy  father  conceded    the  validity  of    her 
mother's  marriage,  (which  was  so  difficult  to 
be  admitted,)  religion  would  still  have  equally  j 
suffered  under  a  princess  whose  heart  and 
disposition  were  prejudiced  and  corrupt. 

It  is  said  that  Henry  II.,  king  of  France, 
had  used  his  influence  with  the  pope,  both  to 
thwart  Philip  II.,  who  was  soliciting  a  dis- 
pensation for  the  marriage  he  was  desirous 
of  contracting  with  Elizabeth,  and  to  induce 
the  pontiff  to  declare  that  princess  to  be  il- 
legitimate.* However  this  may  have  been, 
Elizabeth  did  not  affect  to  question  her  own 
birthright ;  and  it  is  singular  that  the  parlia- 
ment, which  by  a  solemn  act  acknowledged 
her  right  to  the  throne,  never  passed  one  in 
favor  of  her  legitimacy,  nor  on  the  validity 
of  her  mother's  marriage,  whereon  she  found- 
ed her  claim. 

Elizabeth  never  lost  sight  of  her  intended 
reformation  in  religion,  which  by  degrees 
she  carried  into  effect.  She  first  command- 
ed that  the  Holy  Scriptures  should  be  read 
to  the  people  in  the  English  language  ;  she 
next  published  a  declaration,  prohibiting  all 
disputes  on  the  score  of  religion,  and  order- 
ed every  preacher  to  observe  a,  general  si- 
lence on  the  dogmas  which  had  been  the 
theme  of  controversy.  It  was  then  that  a 
difference  was  discoverable  among  pastors  ; 
the  good  continuing  to  preach  the  truth  to 
the  faithful,  at  the  peril  of  their  liberty  and 
even  of  their  lives,  while  the  mercenary  and 
politic,  in  order  to  preserve  their  livings, 
conformed  to  the  necessity  of  the  times. 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  queen  caused  the 
book  of  common  prayer,  which  had  been 
published  in  English  under  Edward  VI.,  to 
be  corrected  ;j-  for  which  purpose  she  no- 
minated Parker,   Cox,  Sir  Thomas  Smith, 

*  Heylin,  page  279. 

t  The  book  of  common  prayer  is  a  kind  of  Ritual, 
or  Breviary,  containing  the  thirty-nine  articles  of 
the  reformed  religion,  with  the  formula  of  the  pray- 
ers used  in  it 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


457 


an  eminent  lawyer,  and  other  doctors,  who 
were  favorable  to  the  reformation. 

Every  thing  being  thus  prepared,  the  book 
of  Common  Prayer  and  Liturgy  translated 
into  English  were  laid  before,  and  approved 
of  by  the  English  parliament ;  it  was  then 
ordered  to  be  used  by  the  whole  kingdom ; 
the  sacrament  in  both  kinds  was  established ; 
the  mass  was  abolished ;  and  an  act  passed  to 
have  the  tithes,  the  first-fruits,  and  the  reve- 
nues of  the  monasteries  which  had  been  re- 
established under  the  preceding  reign,  trans- 
ferred to  the  crown.  A  warm  debate  arose, 
in  the  parliament,  respecting  the  ecclesias- 
tical supremacy,  some  of  the  members  main- 
taining, that  it  was  both  unnatural  and 
alarming,  to  give  to  a  woman  the  powers  of 
supreme  head  of  the  English  church  ;*  the 
majority,  however,  were  in  the  queen's  favor, 
and  she  was  declared  sovereign  pontiff,  or, 
to  avoid  the  ridiculous  appellation,  supreme 
governess  of  the  church,  by  the  parliament, 
which  had  now  become  an  ecclesiastical  tri- 
bunal. The  same  parliament  reduced  the 
number  of  sacraments  to  two,  namely,  bap- 
tism and  the  holy  eucharist,  and  had  the 
altars  demolished  and  the  images  in  the 
churches  taken  down. 

The  queen  having  been  confirmed  in  the 
ecclesiastical  supremacy,  the  taking  of  the 
oath  became  the  touchstone  of  faith ;  as 
those  who  refused  to  take  it,  were  immedi- 
ately deprived  of  their  livings.!  The  number 
indeed  was  inconsiderable,  and  amounted  to 
not  more  than  two  hundred  in  a  country 
where  there  were  more  than  nine  thousand 
ecclesiastics  in  orders  ;  the  greater  part  of 
whom  acknowledged  the  supremacy,  without 
hesitation,  by  taking  the  oath ;  some,  from 
zeal  for  the  reformation,  others  through  a 
dastardly  and  disgraceful  policy.  It  was  at 
this  time  that  the  bishops  displayed  a  firm- 
ness truly  apostolical.  Many  sees  remained 
vacant,  the  number  of  bishops  amounting  to 
but  fifteen,  among  whom  there  was  but  one 
apostate,  viz.,  Kitchin,  bishop  of  Landaff. 
The  rest,  namely,  Heath,  archbishop  of  York, 
Bonner,  bishop  of  London,  Tunstal  of  Dur- 
ham, White  of  Winchester,  Tirlby  of  Ely, 
Watson  of  Lincoln,  Pool  of  Peterborough, 
Christopherson  of  Chichester,  Brown  of 
Wells,  Turbervil  of  Exeter,  Morgan  of  St. 
David,  Bain  of  Lichfield,  Scot  of  Chester, 
and  Oglethorp  of  Carlisle,  being  determined 
not  to  bend  to  the  idol,  were  thrown  into 
prison  and  deprived  of  their  bishoprics,  which 
were  conferred  on  those  who  were  more 
manageable. 

*  Heylin,  ibid.  280. 

t  Baker,  ibid.  p.  329.     Heylin,  ibid,  page  286. 


The  see  of  Canterbury  having  become 
vacant  by  the  death  of  Cardinal  Pole,  was 
given  to  Parker,  by  letters  patent.  It  is  said 
that  he  was  consecrated  by  Barlow  and  two 
others,  who  were  as  unprincipled  as  himself. 
Parker  consecrated  all  those  who  were  no- 
minated by  the  queen,  to  fill  all  the  sees  of 
the  deposed  bishops.  Debates  on  the  validity 
of  those  ordinations  occupied  many  writers 
of  that  day,  and  even  of  the  present,  who 
undertook  to  refute  the  book  of  the  Pere 
Coroyer ;  namely,  Fennell  dean  of  Laonne, 
in  Ireland,  and  le  Pere  Quin  of  the  order  of 
St.  Dominick.  Such  was  the  reformed  re- 
ligion, Avhich  was  firmly  established  in  Eng- 
land in  the  beginning  of  Elizabeth's  reign. 
That  capricious  nation  which  accuses  its 
neighbors  of  inconsistency,  changed  her  re- 
ligion five  times  within  thirty  years.  The 
English  were  Catholics  inl529 ;  immediately 
after  this  they  became  schismatics  and  formed 
a  religion,  no  part  of  which  they  understood ; 
in  Edward's  reign,  the  heresy  of  Zuingle 
prevailed  ;  under  Mary  the  Catholic  religion 
was  restored  ;  and  on  the  accession  of  Eliza- 
beth, another  was  established,  composed, 
with  some  alterations,  of  the  tenets  of  Luther 
and  Calvin,  to  which  was  given  the  name  of 
the  English  church.  Such  was  the  state  of 
affairs  in  England,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
reign  of  Elizabeth. 

Sidney  governed  the  English  province  in 
Ireland,  as  deputy.  The  privy  council  in- 
formed him  of  what  had  taken  place  in  Eng- 
land, the  news  of  which  was  highly  gratifying 
to  the  partisans  of  the  reformation.  The 
funeral  ceremonies  for  Mary,  and  the  coro- 
nation of  Elizabeth,  were  successively  cele- 
brated in  Dublin.* 

Thomas  earl  of  Sussex,  was  appointed 
lord-deputy  of  Ireland  for  the  second  time, 
in  1559.  He  arrived  in  August,  with  thir- 
teen hundred  and  sixty  foot  soldiers,  and 
three  hundred  horsemen,  accompanied  by  Sir 
William  Fitzwilliam.f  This  governor  re- 
paired to  Christ's  church,  where,  for  want  of 
clergymen,  the  litany  was  recited  in  the 
English  language,  by  Sir  Nicholas  Dardy, 
after  which  the  deputy  took  the  oath,  and 
the  Te  Deum  was  sung  in  the  same  language, 
to  the  sound  of  trumpets.  The  earl  of  Or- 
mond  took  the  oath  also  as  member  of  the 
privy  council.  Soon  afterwards  a  proclama- 
tion was  issued  to  abohsh  the  mass. 

Sidney  convened  a  parliament  in  January, 
in  Christ's  church,  Dublin,  to  repeal  all  the 
acts  that  had  been  passed  two  years  before, 


*  War.  de  Annal.  Hib.  rcg.  Elizab.  C.  1. 
t  War.  ibid.  cap.  2. 

58 


458 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


in  another  parliament,  at  which  that  nobleman 
had  presided ;  such  is  the  inconstancy  of 
man.*  Several  acts  were  passed  in  this  par- 
liament for  the  establishment  of  the  refor- 
mation in  Ireland  ;  all  the  spiritual  and  ec- 
clesiastical authorities  were  annexed  to  the 
crown,  and  all  foreign  influence  (which  im- 
plied that  of  the  pope)  was  prohibited  ;  all 
acts  appertaining  to  appeals  were  renewed  ; 
the  laws  that  had  been  enacted  in  the  reign 
of  Philip  and  Mary,  concerning  religion  or 
heresy,  were  repealed  ;  the  queen  and  her 
successors  were  given  the  power  of  exercising 
clerical  jurisdiction  by  commission ;  every 
individual,  whether  lay  or  ecclesiastic,  in  pos- 
session of  livings  and  offices,  was  obliged  to 
take  the  oath  of  supremacy,  under  pain  of 
losing  their  livings,  or  appointments  ;  who- 
ever would  introduce  or  support  a  foreign 
power  was  to  be  punished  by  having  his 
property  confiscated,  or  by  a  year's  imprison- 
ment, for  the  first  offence  ;  for  the  second, 
he  was  to  undergo  the  penalty  of  the  law  of 
prcBmunirc,  and  for  the  third,  that  of  high 
treason.  It  was  decided,  that  no  opinion 
should  be  considered  heretical,  unless  it  were 
so  according  to  the  scriptures,  or  to  the  four 
first  general  councils,  or  by  an  act  of  parlia- 
ment. Thus  was  the  senate  established  judge 
of  the  faith,  without  any  mission  but  that 
which  was  received  from  a  woman.  In  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  he  who  refused  to 
hear  the  church  was  considered  as  a  heathen 
or  a  publican  :  in  the  new  doctrine,  he  who 
did  not  hearken  to  Elizabeth  and  her  parlia- 
ment, in  matters  of  religion,  was  deprived 
of  his  property,  liberty,  and  under  certain 
circumstances,  of  his  life. 

This  parliament  also  passed  acts  ordaining 
the  uniformity  of  common  prayer,  regulating 
the  sacraments,  particularly  that  of  the  Lord's 
Supper,  and  also  the  consecration  of  prelates 
according  to  the  ritual  of  the  book  of  Com- 
mon Prayer,  as  approved  of  by  Edward  VI., 
under  pain  of  a  fine  to  be  paid  by  the  delin- 
quents. The  first  refusal  led  to  the  confis- 
cation of  a  year's  income  of  the  culprit,  and 
six  months  imprisonment ;  the  second  to  the 
loss  of  his  living,  and  a  year's  imprisonment ; 
and  the  third,  to  imprisohment  for  life.  In 
the  same  statutes  the  restitution  of  the  first- 
fruits  was  decreed,  and  the  payment  of  a 
twentieth  part  of  the  revenues  of  livings  to 
the  crown  ;  lastly,  it  was  enacted  that  the 
queen's  right  to  the  crown  should  be  acknow- 
ledged, and  it  was  prohibited  to  all  persons, 
under  pain  of  prmjnmiire,  or  high  treason, 
to  speak  or  write  against  it.  The  parliament 

*  Irish  Statutes,  under  Elizabeth,  Dublin  edition 
of  the  year  1621,  cap.  1,  p.  259,  et  seq. 


also  decreed  that  the  priory  of  St.  John  of 
Jerusalem  should  be  united  to  the  crown. 

The  English  church,  disfigured  as  it  was, 
still  retained  some  of  the  privileges  of  the 
old  religion.  Every  bishop  had  his  tribunal 
for  the  settlement  of  matters  of  ecclesiastical 
discipline,  or  as  it  is  termed  "officiality;" 
excommunication  retained  its  full  force,  and 
pastors  were  authorized  to  refuse  communion 
to  whomsoever  they  considered  unworthy  of 
it,  without  being  accountable  to  any  but  the 
established  judge,  as  appears  from  the  fol- 
lowing extract,  literally  taken  from  the  book 
of  Common  Prayer,  printed  at  that  time  in 
liOndon. 

"  Those  who  wish  to  partake  of  the  holy 
communion,  shall  send  their  names,  on  the 
preceding  day,  to  the  pastor."* 

"  If  there  be  any  public  or  notorious  sinner 
among  them,  or  such  as  have  injured  their 
neighbor,  by  word  or  deed,  so  as  to  offend 
the  congregation,  the  pastor  shall  send  for 
him,  and  warn  him  on  no  account  to  ap- 
proach the  Lord's  Table  unless  he  publicly 
declare  that  he  repents  sincerely,  and  promise 
to  reform  his  past  life,  in  order  to  satisfy  the 
ofiended  congregation ;  and  that  he  will 
make  restitution  to  those  whom  he  had 
injured,  or  at  least  avow  that  he  will  do  so 
when  he  can  with  convenience." 

"  The  pastor  shall  also  send  to  those  whom 
he  may  observe  to  bear  hatred  or  rancor 
mutually  against  each  other  ;  such  shall  not 
be  allowed  to  approach  the  Lord's  Table 
until  they  declare  themselves  to  be  recon- 
ciled ;  but  if  one  of  the  parties  be  disposed 
to  pardon  him  from  whom  he  may  have  re- 
ceived injuries,  and  repair  the  evil  committed, 
and  that  the  other  will  not  submit,  but  persist 
in  his  obstinacy  and  malice,  the  minister  must 
then  admit  the  penitent  to  the  holy  commu- 
nion, and  not  the  other,  on  condition  that  he 
who  shall  have  rejected  any  one  according  to 
what  is  herein  specified,  or  in  the  preceding 
paragraph  of  this  rubric,  acquaint  the  ordi- 
nary within  a  fortnight  at  farthest,  who  is 
thereupon  to  proceed  against  the  culprit  ac- 
cording to  the  canons."!  The  Protestants 
have  deemed  these  precautions  necessary,  in 
order  to  avoid  the  profanation  of  a  sacra- 
ment, in  which  they  deny  the  real  presence 
of  our  Lord. 

It  appears,  says  Ware,  that  these  decrees 
met  with  resistance  from  the  Irish,  and  that 
many  members  of  the  parliament  were  op- 
posed to  them,  in  consequence  of  which  the 

*  Order  for  the  administration  of  the  holy  sacra- 
ment. 

t  Constit.  and  Canons.  Ecclesiast.  London  edi- 
1  lion  of  1673,  art.  26  edit. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


459 


deputy  was  obliged  to  dissolve  it  in  February, 
and  repair  to  England,  to  inform  the  queen 
of  it,  leaving  Williams  in  Ireland  with  the 
title  of  deputy.  Though  the  Irish  had  been 
deceived  in  religious  matters,  under  Henry 
VIII.,  from  his  quarrel  with  the  pope  being 
represented  to  them  as  a  civil  question, 
merely  relating  to  temporal  government ; 
and  though  they  had  been  confirmed  in  this 
opinion  by  the  example  of  the  king  himself, 
and  his  English  parliament,  who,  though  at 
variance  with  the  pontiff,  still  professed  the 
Catholic  faith,  and  had  in  consequence 
passed  some  acts  against  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  pope  ;  yet  we  discover  that  this  people, 
having  relinquished  their  errors  and  dis- 
played their  zeal  for  the  Catholic  cause,  in 
a  parliament  held  in  the  reign  of  Mary,  re- 
pealed, with  one  voice,  all  their  preceding 
acts. 

As  to  the  parliament  we  now  speak  of,* 
grave  authors  who  flourished  about  this  time 
affirm,  that,  far  from  its  being  an  assembly 
composed  of  persons  from  all  the  states,  those 
alone  were  appointed  who  were  known  to 
be  devoted  to  the  queen,  or  who  were  easily 
bribed.  The  nobles  of  the  country,  who  were 
all  Catholics  at  the  time,t  were  carefully 
excluded  ;  so  that  by  these  and  other  simi- 
lar means,  any  act  could  have  been  passed 
into  a  law.  However,  it  is  well  known  that 
such  acts  were  not  published  during  the  life- 
time of  those  who  sat  in  the  parliament,  nor 
rigorously  enforced  till  after  the  defeat  of 
the  celebrated  Spanish  Armada,  in  1588. 

Elizabeth's  moderation  was  solely  the  re- 
sult of  the  critical  situation  in  which  she  was 
placed  at  this  time.  Her  enemies  were  nu- 
merous ;  Mary  Stuart,  queen  of  Scots,  had 
no  small  claim  on  the  crown  of  England  ; 
Henry  II.,  king  of  France,  instead  of  with- 
drawing his  troops  from  Scotland,  sent  over 
secretly  fresh  reinforcements,  with  the  in- 
tention of  having  Elizabeth  declared  here- 
tical and  illegitimate  by  the  pope  ;  the  em- 
peror and  the  king  of  Spain  joined  in  this 
confederacy,  and  the  Irish  were  waiting  the 
opportunity  to  shake  ofl'  the  yoke. 

By  her  penetration  Elizabeth  foresaw  all 
these  circumstances  and  their  results.  She 
prepared  to  defend  herself  against  foreign 
power,  to  quell  the  disturbances  caused  in 
England  by  the  Reformation,  and  secure 
Ireland  by  sending  over  frequent  succors. 
She  judged  it  prudent,  also,  to  put  off  to  a 

*  It  should  be  remembered  tliat  though  this  was 
called  the  Irish  Parliament,  it  was  composed  of 
Englishmen  either  by  origin  or  by  birth. 

t  Analecta  Sac.  par.  1,  p.  430.  Ireland's  case, 
p.  4,  A.  seq. 


more  favorable  time  the  execution  of  the 
acts  of  the  Irish  parliament,  which  she 
knew  would  tend  to  rouse  the  Irish  to  rebel 
against  her.  Time  proved  that  she  was  not 
mistaken.  Henry  II.  died  ;  the  Huguenots 
having  raised  some  disturbances  in  France, 
she  frequently  sent  them  assistance,  and 
supported  the  rebels  in  the  Netherlands 
against  Philip  II.  She  proposed  to  the 
Protestants  of  Scotland  to  form  a  league 
with  her,  by  which  she  violated  the  laws  of 
nations,  by  encouraging  subjects  to  rebel 
against  their  lawful  princess.  Finally,  she 
reduced  the  Irish  by  a*  long  and  fatal  war- 
fare, notwithstanding  the  efforts  of  the' 
Spaniards  to  assist  them  ;  and  then  found 
herself  able  to  enforce  any  law  which  she 
wished  to  establish  over  them. 

The  severity  which  was  exercised  in  the 
beginning  of  Mary's  reign  against  the  Re- 
formers, forced  many  of  them  to  seek  an 
asylum  in  foreign  climes.*  It  is  said  that, 
between  students  and  others,  they  amounted 
to  eight  hundred.  Embden  was  the  only 
city  in  which  the  religion  of  Luther  pre- 
vailed that  would  receive  them  ;t  these  here- 
tics looked  with  horror  on  the  English  Pro- 
testants, on  account  of  their  having  denied 
the  real  presence,  and  called  those  who  suf- 
fered for  that  religion,  "  the  martyrs  to  the 
Devil."  The  refugees  were,  however,  re- 
ceived at  Zurich,  Geneva,  and  Frankfort,  as 
confessors  of  the  faith.  The  many  privileges 
which  were  granted  them  in  Frankfort,  soon 
drew  them  thither  in  crowds.  They  shared 
the  church,  which  had  been  previously 
granted  to  the  French  Protestants,  on  condi- 
tion of  performing  their  service  alternately  ; 
that  is,  on  different  days  of  the  week,  and 
at  different  hours  on  Sunday. 

The  heads  of  this  congregation  professed 
the  Evangelical  doctrine  of  Zunigle.  Either 
thinking  the  English  Reformation  not  suffi- 
ciently perfect,  or  not  enough  in  unison  with 
their  own  doctrine,  they  at  once  corrected 
and  disfigured  the  English  Liturgy  ;  every 
thing  relative  to  the  Roman  Catholic  faith 
was  .cut  off',  and  their  worship  reduced  to 
the  simple  reading  of  a  (aw  psalms  and 
chapters  taken  from  the  Scriptures. 

The  fame  of  this  new  church  at  Frankfort 
having  spread  itself  abroad,  John  Knox  left 
his  retreat  at  Geneva  to  join  it.|  He  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  promoting  this  new 
Reformation,  and  soon  became  the  head  of 
this  little  church.  He  had  already  pub- 
lished a  seditious  libel,  in  which  he  strongly 

*  Heyliu,  ibid.  p.  196  et  seq. 
t  Heylin,  ibid.  p.  250. 
t  Ibid.  p.  230, 


460 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


inveighed  against  the  government  of  women  ; 
it  was  styled,  The  first  sound  of  the  tnimpct. 
The  three  ^larys — namely,  Mary  queen  of 
England,  Mary  Stuart,  queen  of  Scotland, 
and  Mary  of  Lorraine,  queen-dowager  and 
regent  of  that  kingdom,  were  the  objects  of 
his  calumny.  This  libel  did  not  fail  to  bring 
the  author  into  disgrace  in  his  own  country  ; 
and  not  daring  to  seek  an  asylum  either  in ! 
England  or  France,  he  withdrew  to  Geneva, 
and  from  that  to  Frankfort,  as  we  have  al- 
ready noticed. 

The  arrival  of  Doctor  Richard  Cox,  ano- 
ther English  refugee,  at  Frankfort,  checked 
the  progress  of  the  new  Reformation  in  that 
city.*  Having  been  one  of  the  principal 
composers  of  the  English  Liturgy  under  Ed- 
ward VL,  he  considered  it  a  point  of  honor 
to  support  his  work,  and  prevent  any  change 
being  made  in  it ;  consequently,  on  the 
Sunday  followhig  his  arrival,  he  had  the 
English  Liturgy  published  from  the  pulpit. 
This  contradiction  gave  considerable  un- 
easiness to  Knox,  who  immediately  ascended 
the  pulpit  and  preached  against  the  Liturgy, 
which  he  termed  imperfect  and  supersti- 
tious ;  whereon  Cox  interdicted  his  preach- 
ing, and  had  him  expelled  from  Frankfort. 

Cox  finding  himself  master  of  the  field, 
began  to  reform  his  congregation  according 
to  the  ritual  of  the  Protestant  Church.  He 
appointed  a  chief  pastor,  who  was  assisted 
by  two  ministers  and  four  deacons.  He 
established  professors  of  the  Hebrew  and 
Greek  languages,  and  of  theology.  Cham- 
bers was  appointed  to  manage  the  contribu- 
tions, which  were  liberally  forwarded  to  Cox 
from  England  and  Holland,  for  the  relief  of 
the  persecuted  brethren. 

AVhen  Knox  was  expelled  from  Frankfort, 
by  order  of  the  government,  he  returned  to 
Geneva,  where  he  was  appointed  preacher, 
together  with  Goodman.  They  then  re- 
jected the  English  Reformation,  conformed 
to  the  ritual  of  the  church  of  Geneva,  and 
adopted  the  doctrine  of  Calvin.  This  was 
the  foundation  of  the  Presbyterian  religion, 
and  the  sect  of  Puritans  which  afterwards 
produced  such  ravages  in  Scotland. 

Nothing  can  be  more  destructive  to  that 
order  and  harmony  in  which  the  happiness 
of  nations  consists,  than  a  religion  which 
inculcates  general  democracy  in  church  and 
state.  We  have  had  strong  proofs  of  this 
truth  in  the  different  nations  of  Europe 
where  the  Calvinists  rebelled  against  their 
sovereigns  :  here  we  will  confine  ourselves 
to  the  Scotch,  who  are  more  immediately 


*  Ibid.  pp.  231,  232. 


connected  with  the  history  of  Ireland  than 
any  other  nation.  The  Presbyterian  religion 
took  root  among  the  Scotch  under  the  name 
of  Puritanism,  the  partisans  of  which,  taking 
advantage  of  the  queen's  absence,  who  was 
at  that  time  in  France,  and  of  the  instability 
of  a  government  headed  by  a  queen-regent, 
began  to  form  intrigues.*  They  assembled 
in  a  tumultuous  manner,  headed  by  a  few 
nobles,  and  formed  a  separate  body,  styling 
themselves  a  congregation.  Their  arro- 
gance increasing  with  their  numbers,  they 
presented  a  petition  to  the  queen  and  lords 
of  the  council,  praying  that  the  sacrament 
of  the  Lord's  Supper  might  be  administered 
in  both  kinds,  that  Divine  Service  might  be 
performed  in  the  language  of  the  people,  and 
that  they  might  be  allowed  to  appoint  their 
ministers  according  to  the  custom,  as  they 
said,  of  the  Primitive  Church.  The  court, 
unwilling  to  exasperate  these  fanatics,  re- 
turned them  a  gracious  answer,  rather  with 
a  view  of  gaining  time  than  of  conceding 
their  demands  ;  but  this  conduct  served  only 
to  increase  their  pride.  Knox,  a  turbulent 
preacher  and  seditious  enthusiast,  being  in- 
formed in  Geneva  of  the  progress  of  his 
brethren  in  Scotland,  repaired  thither  in 
1559,  where  he  became  the  preacher  and 
firebrand  of  rebellion.  Finding  the  little 
community  collected  at  Perth,  he  ascended 
the  pulpit,  and  pronounced  such  dreadful 
invectives  against  images,  and  the  idolatry 
and  superstitions  of  the  Roman  Church,  that 
after  his  sermon,  the  infuriated  populace  tore 
down  the  images  and  altars  of  the  church, 
and  destroyed  every  religious  house  in  the 
town.  The  inhabitants  of  Couper,  Craile, 
St.  Andrew,  Scone,  Cambus-Kenneth,  Stir- 
ling, Lithgow,  Glasgow,  and  Edinburgh, 
followed  their  example.  The  fanatics  made 
themselves  masters  of  this  latter  city,  and 
did  not  leave  in  it  a  church  in  which  the 
queen  could  have  divine  service  celebrated. 
In  another  sermon,  Knox  inveighed  bitterly 
against  the  princess,  and  exhorted  the  peo- 
ple to  unite  in  expelling  the  French  troops 
from  the  kingdom.  The  rebels  consequently 
published  a  declaration,  depriving  the  queen 
of  all  power  in  the  government. 

Alarmed  by  this  event,  the  queen  thought 
it  time  to  provide  for  her  own  safety.  Troops 
were  sent  to  her  from  France  ;  the  numbers 
of  which,  though  insufficient  to  put  down 
the  rebels,  still  enabled  her  to  retake  Edin- 
burgh. She  then  fortified  the  port  of  Leith, 
and  forced  the  rebels  to  withdraw  towards  the 
north.    Thus  situated,  they  had  recourse,  by 

*  Heylin,  ibid.  pp.  297,  298. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


461 


the  advice  of  Knox,  to  the  queen  of  Eng- 
land ;  and  though  ^e  laws  of  nations  are 
violated  by  one  prince  supporting  the  rebel- 
lious subjects  of  another,  still  political  mo- 
tives urged  Elizabeth  to  send  assistance  to 
the  Puritans  of  Scotland.*  Independently 
of  the  interest  she  took  in  establishing  the 
reformation  in  Scotland,  she  disliked  the 
vicinity  of  the  French  forces,  at  a  time  that 
Francis  II.  made  pretensions  to  the  crown 
of  England,  in  virtue  of  his  marriage  with 
Mary  Stuart.  The  English,  therefore,  laid 
siege  to  Leith,f  in  which  there  was  a  French 
garrison,  and  after  several  skirmishes,  caused 
by  the  sallies  of  the  besieged  and  the  attacks 
of  the  besiegers,  peace  was  concluded  on 
certain  conditions  between  Francis  II.  and 
Elizabeth ;  the  hostile  forces  were  to  leave 
Scotland  without  delay,  all  differences  in 
religion  were  to  be  adjusted  by  the  parlia- 
ment, and  the  king  and  queen  of  France  and 
Scotland  were  to  renounce  the  title  and  arms 
of  England. 

The  articles  of  this  treaty  were  favorable 
to  the  reformers.  Elizabeth  protected  them 
in  secret ;  the  French  troops  were  withdrawn, 
and  they  calculated  with  confidence  that  the 
decisions  of  parliament  would  be  in  their 
favor.  The  schismatics  of  Frankfort,  and 
the  brethren  of  Geneva,  flocked  to  their 
shores.  The  French  Huguenots  Avere  be- 
ginning to  settle  in  England.  Through  the 
intrigues  of  Peter  Martyr,  and  particularly 
through  letters  from  Calvin  to  Gryndal, 
bishop  of  London,  and  that  prelate's  influ- 
ence, they  obtained  permission  to  establish 
a  church  in  that  capital,  and  to  make  use  of 
a  form  of  prayer  entirely  different  from  the 
English  liturgy.  In  spite  of  the  edict  of 
banishment  that  had  been  published  against 
them  by  the  queen,  many  settled  in  the  sea- 
ports, and  formed  themselves  into  different 
congregations. 

In  conformity  with  the  treaty  of  peace,  a 
parliament  met  in  Scotland  to  settle  the  re- 
ligious disputes.  Three  laws  were  enacted  in 
it  in  favor  of  the  reformation — the  first  was 
to  abolish  the  pope's  authority  and  jurisdic- 
tion in  the  kingdom ;  the  second  to  repeal 
and  annul  all  acts  passed  in  favor  of  the 
Catholic  doctrine  ;  and  the  third  to  suppress 
the  mass,  and  to  impose  penalties  upon  those 
who  should  perform  the  ceremony,  and  those 
who  should  be  present  at  it.  The  leaders  of 
the  Puritans,  not  satisfied  with  these  laws, 
which  were  enough  to  establish  the  Refor- 
mation, next  presented  a  form  of  faith  and 
doctrine,  founded  on  the  principles  of  Calvin, 

*  Baker's  Chron.  page  330. 
t  Heylin,  ibid.  p.  299. 


which  had  been  brought  by  Knox  from  Ge- 
neva, to  be  professed  by  the  reformers  in 
Scotland.  During  the  debates  there  were 
but  three  temporal  lords  found  to  oppose 
this,  namely,  the  earl  of  Athol  and  lords 
Somervil  and  Borthwick,  who  alleged  as  the 
reason  of  their  opposition,  that  they  wished 
to  follow  the  religion  of  their  forefathers.* 
The  disgraceful  silence  of  the  Catholic 
bishops  who  were  present  at  this  assembly, 
having  exasperated  the  lord  marshal,  he  de- 
clared with  warmth,  "  Since  our  lords  the 
bishops,  Avho  must  be  sufficiently  enlightened 
to  know  the  true  doctrine,  and  sufficiently 
zealous  to  defend  it,  are  silent  upon  that 
which  is  now  debated,  I  am  of  opinion  that 
this  must  be  the  true  one,  and  that  every 
other  is  erroneous."  Such  were  the  eff'ects 
of  the  silence  of  the  leading  pastors,  who 
should  have  been  the  sole  judges  in  religious 
aff'airs. 

These  reformers  of  the  reformation  affect- 
ed to  lead  mortified  lives  ;  they  inculcated 
the  most  rigid  morals,  and  looked  upon  all 
who  did  not  belong  to  their  own  sect,  as  pro- 
fligates ;  their  speeches  were  composed  of 
phrases  taken  from  the  Scriptures  ;  predes- 
tination and  special  grace  were  the  subjects 
of  their  discourses ;  they  wrote  and  published 
false  translations  from  the  gospel,  and  epis- 
tles of  St.  Paul,  with  observations  and  notes 
filled  with  the  venom  of  their  doctrine  ;  they 
deceived  the  people,  who  were  both  simple 
and  credulous,  by  an  affected  piety  ;  open 
enemies  to  Hierarchy  in  the  church,  and 
monarchy  in  the  state,  they  opposed  Epis- 
copacy, and  resisted  their  lawful  princes. 
By  such  principles  as  these  their  conduct 
was  regulated ;  they  deposed  the  dowager 
queen  who  held  the  regency,  and  forced  her 
daughter,  queen  Mary  their  legitimate  sove- 
reign, to  seek  an  asylum  in  England,  where 
she  was  put  to  death  after  eighteen  years  im- 
prisonment, and  lest  King  James  VI.  might 
be  any  obstacle  to  their  undertaking,  they 
drove  him  from  Edinburgh,  and  kept  him  in 
confinement  at  Stirling.  All  his  faithful 
servants  were  removed,  andpossession  taken 
of  his  principal  fortresses.!  In  fine,  the 
unhappy  prince  was  mocked  and  insulted  by 
his  own  subjects  to  such  a  degree,  that  he 
frequently  expressed  a  desire  to  leave  the 
kingdom  and  withdraw  to  Venice.  The 
sanguinary  wars  in  England  and  Ireland 
under  Charles  I.,  the  tragical  end  of  that 
prince  on  the  scaffold,  the  exclusion  of  his 
son  Charles  II.  from  his  inheritance  for 
twelve  years,  and  the  expulsion  of  James  II. 

*  Heylin,  ibid.  p.  300. 
t  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  3. 


462 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


of  glorious  memory,*  were  among  the  fatal 
consequences  of  the  fanaticism  of  these  Pu- 
ritans. 

The  earl  of  Sussex  having  spent  some 
months  in  England,  returned  to  Ireland  as 
lord-lieutenant,  a.  d.  1560.  He  was  com- 
missioned by  the  queen  to  prevail  on  the  earl 
of  Kildarc,  who  was  creating  disturbances  in 
the  latter  country,  to  go  to  England,  and  in 
case  he  refused,  to  have  him  arrested. t  He 
also  received  orders  to  have  castles  built  and 
fortified  in  Leix  and  Oflaly  ;  to  people  these 
districts  with  Englishmen,  and  confer  estates 
on  their  chiefs  and  male  children  ;  to  estab- 
lish order  in  the  province  of  Ulster,  and  ad- 
mit Surley  Boy  (M'Donnel)  into  the  posses- 
sion of  the  lands  which  he  claimed  as  fiefs, 
on  condition  that  he  would  contribute  to  the 
public  welfare.  He  was  further  ordered  to 
reduce  Shane  O'Neill,  either  by  force  or 
otherwise  ;  to  invest  the  baron  of  Dungan- 
non  with  the  government  of  the  county  of 
Tyrone  ;  and  to  have  the  O'Briens,  who 
resisted  the  earl  of  Thuomond,  arrested. 

Queen  Elizabeth  was  particularly  desirous 
of  having  the  Protestant  religion  established 
in  Ireland.  She  sent  orders  to  Sussex  to 
call  a  meeting  of  the  clergy  for  that  purpose  ; 
but  the  firmness  of  the  bishops  and  their 
attachment  to  the  ancient  religion,  rendered 
the  attempt  abortive,  notwithstanding  the 
offers  which  were  made  in  order  to  bribe 
them.  After  this  meeting  William  Walsh, 
a  native  of  Waterford,  and  bishop  of  Meath, 
who  was  particularly  zealous  in  the  Catholic 
cause,  having  preached  at  Trim,  in  his  own 
diocese,  against  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 
was  arrested,  thrown  into  prison,  and  deposed 
shortly  afterwards,  by  orders  from  the 
queen. I  This  holy  prelate  was  sent  into 
banishment,  and  died  at  Complute,  in  Spain, 
in  1577,  where  he  was  interred  in  a  monas- 
tery of  the  Cistertian  order,  of  which  he  was 
a  brother.^  The  bishopric  of  Meath  having 
remained  vacant  for  two  years,  Elizabeth  con- 
ferred it  on  Hugh  MacBrady,  Avho  was  more 
accommodating  thanWalsh:  he  died  at  Dun- 
boyne,  the  place  of  his  birth,  having  held 
this  see  for  twenty  years.  Thomas  Leverous, 
bishop  of  Kildare,  was  treated  in  almost  the 
same  manner  as  Walsh.  Having  refused  to 
take  the  oath  of  supremacy,  he  was  de- 
prived of  his  bishopric,  and  of  the  deanery 

*  James  was  a  weak  despot  who  deserved  his 
fate.  lie  tyrannized  over  England,  and  hetrayed 
Ireland,  and  both  countries  hold  his  memory  in  con- 
tempt.—[Note  by  Ed.] 

t  Camd.  ibid,  page  35. 

X  War.  de  Episc.  Mid  ens. 

§  War.  de  Episc.  Kildare. 


of  St.  Patrick.  In  order  to  gain  his  liveli- 
hood, he  was  reduced  to  the  sad  alternative 
of  keeping  a  school  in  lamerick,  and  died 
at  Naas,  in  1577,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 
He  was  succeeded  in  the  bishopric  of  Kil- 
dare by  Alexander  Craike.  The  latter,  not 
content  with  the  revenues  of  the  bishopric 
and  the  deanery  of  St.  Patrick,  which  he 
held  together,  exchanged  most  of  the  estates 
of  that  see,  with  Patrick  Sarsfield,  a  lord  of 
the  country,  for  tithes  of  little  value.  By 
this  means  the  ancient  see  of  Kildare  was 
reduced  to  great  distress. 

The  Irish  Catholics,  particularly  the  an- 
cient inhabitants,  were  much  alarmed  at 
these  symptoms  of  persecution  ;  the.  continu- 
ance of  which  they  foresaw,  by  the  changes 
which  took  place  in  church  and  state.  They 
saw  no  security,  either  for  their  churches  or 
the  preservation  of  their  estates,  but  by  arms. 
Having  received  promises  of  assistance  from 
the  pope  and  the  king  of  Spain,  they  assem- 
bled in  great  numbers,  under  the  command 
of  Shane  O'Neill,  at  that  time  the  bravest 
and  most  powerful  nobleman  in  the  country, 
and  the  first  hero  of  Catholicity  in  Ireland. 

This  resistance  of  the  Irish  differs  from 
that  of  subjects,  who  under  pretext  of  reli- 
gion or  otherwise,  rebel  against  their  lawful 
princes,  conduct  which  Avill  never  receive 
"the  approbation  of  polished  and  well-in- 
formed nations.  Ireland  had  not  yet  been 
subjugated  ;  her  people  acknowledged  only 
the  authority  of  the  English  by  compulsion, 
whatever  their  adversaries  may  advance  to 
the  contrary,  who  always  denominated  them 
rebels,  an  epithet  which  can  only  apply  to 
insurgent  subjects.  They  deemed  it  just  to 
resist  a  foreign  power  which  was  endeavor- 
ing to  direct  their  consciences,  by  intro- 
ducing a  new  religion  among  them. 

O'Neill  finding  his  countrymen  zealous  in 
the  common  cause,  took  the  command  wil- 
lingly, and  marched  into  the  English  pro- 
vince, where  he  carried  on  the  war  with  suc- 
cess. When  the  campaign  was  over,  this 
prudent  general,  not  willing  to  spend  the 
winter  in  a  hostile  country,  which  was  al- 
j  ready  laid  waste,  returned  to  Ulster  with  an 
intention  of  renevvinghostilitiesinthe  spring. 
In  the  mean  time,  Sussex  made  active  prepa- 
rations to  oppose  him.  He  received  from 
England  fresh  troops  to  the  number  of  four 
hundred  men,  four  pieces  of  cannon,  a  mor- 
tar, sixty  barrels  of  gunpowder,  and  other 
'  ammunition  ;  but  not  being  satisfied  with 
I  this  reinforcement,  he  sailed  thither  to  re- 
ceive fresh  instructions  respecting  the  opera- 
jtions  of  the  campaign. 
I      After  stopping  for  about  four  mouths  in 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


463 


England,  Sussex  returned  to  Ireland  in  June, 
1561,  with  the  title  of  lord-lieutenant,  which 
he  had  previously  enjoyed.*  He  now  thought 
seriously  of  an  expedition  against  O'Neill. 
He  therefore  set  out  from  Dublin  for  Ulster 
on  the  1st  of  July,  at  the  head  of  five  hun- 
dred men,  attended  by  John  Bedlow,  one  of 
the  sheriffs  of  the  city,  who  commanded 
eighty  men.  Another  detachment  of  eighty 
archers  and  fusiliers  followed  him  soon  after, 
under  the  command  of  Gough,  another 
sheriff;  all  of  whom  were  supplied  with  pro- 
visions for  six  weeks.  O'Neill's  forces  being 
inferior  both  in  numbers  and  discipline  to 
the  army  of  Sussex,  he  posted  himself  so  as 
not  to  be  surprised  ;  and  the  only  fruit  of 
the  expedition  was  a  suspension  of  hostilities, 
and  a  reconciliation  between  the  chiefs. 
O'Neill  went  over  to  England  in  December, 
where  he  concluded  an  honorable  peace 
with  Elizabeth  ;  and  returned  to  Ireland  in 
May,  much  pleased  with  the  reception  he 
had  niet  with  from  her  majesty.  In  the 
mean  time,  the  earl  of  Sussex  was  recalled, 
and  William  FitzWilliams  appointed  lord- 
justice  of  Ireland  in  his  stead. 

Roland  Baron,  otherwise  Fitzgerald,  arch- 
bishop of  Cashel,  died  about  the  year  1561. 
This  prelate  was  descended  from  the  noble 
family  of  the  Fitzgeralds  of  Burnchurch,  in 
the  county  of  Kilkenny,  who  had  the  title  of 
non-parliamentary  barons. t  This  see  having 
remained  vacant  for  six  years,  Elizabeth 
nominated  James  MacCaghwell  to  it ;  but 
his  successor,  apostolically  appointed,  was 
Maurice  Gibbon,  or  Reagh,  whom  the  Pro- 
testants accuse  of  having  stabbed  MacCagh- 
well. He  was  afterwards  driven  into  exile 
and  died  in  Spain.  The  ancient  see  of  Emly 
was  united  at  this  time  with  that  of  Cashel, 
by  authority  of  parliament.  The  hierarchy 
has  been  always  preserved  in  the  church  of 
Ireland,  in  spite  of  all  heretical  efforts,  and 
every  see  has  two  bishops,  one  a  Catholic 
appointed  by  the  pope,  and  the  other  a  Pro- 
testant, nominated  by  the  king. 

The  earl  of  Sussex  was  again  made  lord 
lieutenant  of  Ireland.  Having  taken  the 
oath  in  July,  1562,  the  first  act  of  his  ad- 
ministration was  to  change  some  of  the  dis- 
tricts into  counties  ;j:  to  the  ancient  territory 
of  Annaly,  on  the  borders  of  Meath,  he  gave 
the  name  of  the  county  of  Longford,  the 
first  baron  of  which  was  Francis  Augier. 
He  then  divided  the  province  of  Connaught 
into  six  counties ;  namely,  Clare,  Galway, 
Sligo,  Mayo,  Roscommon,  and  Leitrim. 

*  War.  de  Anna),  ibid  cap.  4. 
t  War.  de  Arch.  Casseliens. 
t  War.  de  Aiiaal.  ibid.  c.  5. 


The  see  of  Armagh,  which  remained  with- 
out a  pastor  since  the  death  of  George  Dow- 
dal,  was  given  by  Elizabeth  to  Adam  Lof- 
tus,  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  and  bachelor  in 
theology.  We  may  judge  of  his  religion  from 
his  having  been  first  a  chaplain  to  the  duke 
of  Sussex,  and  afterwards  to  the  queen.* 

O'Neill's  enemies  were  continually  endea- 
voring to  have  him  suspected  by  the  govern- 
ment. Loftus,  who  had  just  been  appointed 
archbishop  of  Armagh,  on  the  deposition  of 
a  domestic,  wrote  against  this  prince  to  the 
lord-lieutenant,  a.  d.  1563. j"  The  suspicions 
against  him  having  gained  ground,  the  lord- 
lieutenant  marched  his  troops,  and  O'Neill 
was  forced  to  have  recourse  to  arms.  The 
English  army  set  out  in  the  beginning  of 
April  for  Ulster.  On  the  thirteenth  they  had 
a  skirmish  near  Dundalk,  with  O'Neill's 
troops,  twenty-one  of  whom  fell  on  the  field 
of  battle.  Sussex  crossed  the  Blackwater  on 
the  16th,  at  the  head  of  his  army  ;  but  fear- 
ing that  he  might  be  surprised,  he  returned 
to  Dundalk,  whither  he  carried  great  booty 
in  cattle.  In  the  beginning  of  June  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Dungannon.  The  day  following 
he  endeavored,  but  in  vain,  to  dislodge 
O'Neill,  who  was  advantageously  posted  in 
the  wood  of  Tulloghoge,  after  which  he  re- 
turned with  his  army  to  Drogheda,  plunder- 
ing every  place  on  his  march. 

The  earl  of  Kildare  was  deeply  interested 
for  O'Neill,  who  was  both  his  relative  and 
friend.|  He  entreated  him  to  lay  down  his 
arms  and  submit ;  and  O'Neill  was  so  swayed  I 
by  the  arguments  of  the  earl,  that  he  went 
to  England,  where  he  made  peace  with  the 
queen,  in  presence  of  the  ambassadors  of 
Sweden  and  Savoy.  That  princess  received 
him  honorably,  granted  him  her  friendship, 
and  sent  him  back  with  rich  presents. 

The  earl  of  Sussex  published  an  edict  this 
year  against  the  Catholic  clergy,  by  which 
monks  and  popish  priests  were  interdicted 
either  to  meet  or  sleep  in  Dublin.  The  head 
of  every  family  was  ordered,  under  pain  of 
being  fined,  to  attend  every  Sunday  at  the 
Protestant  service.  Those  who  were  unable 
to  pay  the  fine  went  to  mass  in  the  morning, 
and  to  the  Protestant  sermon  afterwards  ; 
but  in  order  to  prevent  this  pious  fraud,  the 
inhabitants  were  registered,  and  their  names 
called,  during  service,  in  the  Protestant 
churches. 

When  O'Neill  returned  to  Ireland,  he  de- 
clared war  against  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Hebrides,  defeated  them,  and  killed  their 

*  War.  de  Arch.  Ard. 

t  War.  de  Annal.  ibid.  c.  C. 

I  Camb.  ibid.  p.  52. 


464 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


chief,  James  MacDonnel,  his  father-in-law, 
and  his  brother  Aongus,*  a.  d.  156 1.  While 
the  prince  of  Tyrone  was  puttin"-  down  his 
enemies,  and  laboring  to  establish  peace  and 
good  order  in  his  own  district,  he  drew  upon 
himself  the  hatred  of  the  nobility  of  the 
country,  whom  he  looked  upon  as  his  vassals. 
Maguire,  Magennis,  and  others,  presented 
their  complaints  against  O'Neill  to  the  lord- 
lieutenant,  in  consequence  of  which  he  was 
reduced  to  the  alternative  either  of  taking 
up  arms  against  the  government,  or  of  sub- 
milting  to  the  decision  of  the  lord-lieutenant ; 
but,  unwilling  to  acknowledge  the  power  of 
the  governor,  he  adopted  the  former  as  the 
more  honorable  alternative. 

The  lord-lieutenant  took  care  to  inform 
the  queen  of  O'Neill's  movements,  and  to 
explain  how  much  was  to  be  feared  from 
such  an  enemy.  The  princess  sent  him  the 
following  reply :  "  Let  not  your  suspicions 
of  Shane  O'Neill  give  you  imeasiness  ;  tell 
my  troops  to  take  courage,  and  that  his  re- 
bellion may  turn  to  their  advantage,  as  there 
will  be  lands  to  bestow  on  those  who  have 
need  of  them."  This  hope  of  gain  frequently 
caused  the  condemnation  of  the  Irish  nobles. 

O'Neill  on  his  side  was  levying  troops, 
under  pretext  of  defending  his  boundaries 
against  the  Scotch.  The  government  became 
alarmed,  and  the  lord-lieutenant  issued  a  pro- 
clamation, which  declared  that  any  one  en- 
listing under  an  officer  who  had  not  received 
his  commission  from  her  majesty,  or  from 
him,  should  be  considered  a  traitor :  he  there- 
fore enjoined  all  those  who  had  enrolled 
themselves  for  O'Neill's  army  to  come  for- 
ward and  lay  down  their  arms  within  a  limited 
time,  under  pain  of  death  and  confiscation 
of  their  properties.  The  deputy  collected  his 
forces  on  the  borders  of  the  English  province, 
but  nothing  could  check  the  rage  of  O'Neill. 
In  order  to  be  revenged  on  Loftus,  the  Pro- 
testant archbishop  of  Armagh,  who  had 
written  against  him,  he  burned  his  church, 
on  which  account  the  Protestant  prelate 
pronounced  sentence  of  excommunication 
against  him.  O'Neill  then  entered  Ferman- 
agh, sword  in  hand,  from  which  he  expelled 
Maguire.  After  this  he  laid  siege  to  Dun- 
dalk,  which  was  relieved  by  William  Sars- 
field,  mayor  of  Dublin,  at  the  head  of  a 
chosen  body  of  men,  who  forced  him  to  raise 
the  siege,  but  was  not  able  to  prevent  him 
from  devastating  the  country  around. 

A  serious  difference  arose  at  this  time 
between  the  earls  of  Ormond  and  Desmond, 
respecting  the  boundaries  of  their  estates, 

■  *   War.  de  ibid.  cap.  7. 


which  was  followed  by  a  bloody  conflict.  It 
may  be  necessary  to  observe  that  the  earl  of 
Desmond  in  question  was  Garret  Fitzgerald, 
son  of  James,  and  grandson  of  John,  who 
successively  held  that  title.*  This  noble- 
man, though  young,  promised  by  his  early 
exploits  to  be  one  day  a  terror  to  the  ene- 
mies of  the  Catholic  faith.  His  first  expe- 
dition was  against  MacCarty  Riagh,  by 
which  he  acquired  great  honor.  He,  how- 
ever, was  not  so  successful  in  his  battle  with 
Edme  MacTengue,  son  of  MacCarty  of 
Muskerry,  in  which  battle  his  cavalry  being 
routed,  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  confined 
in  the  castle  of  Askeaton  for  six  months,  but 
was  subsequently  restored  to  his  liberty. 

The  several  families  of  the  O'Briens  were 
continually  at  war  against  their  chief,  the 
earl  of  Thuomond  ;  as  they  imagined  that 
his  title  of  earl  authorized  him  to  oppress 
them.  Teugue  MacMorrough  O'Brien  hav- 
ing been  besieged  in  his  castle  of  Inchiquin 
by  this  earl  and  Clanriccard,  sent  to  solicit 
assistance  from  his  friend  Garret,  earl  of 
Desmond.  Garret  sent  him  word  to  keep 
up  his  courage,  promising  to  be  with  him  on 
a  certain  day  :  he  then  crossed  the  Shannon 
at  Castle-Connell,  above  Limerick,  at  the 
head  of  five  hundred  foot  soldiers,  with  about 
sixty  horsemen,  under  the  command  of  his 
brother,  and  marched  directly  for  Inchiquin, 
intending  to  raise  the  siege.  The  earls 
having  received  intelligence  of  the  march  of 
Desmond,  were  determined  to  oppose  him. 
They  therefore  abandoned  the  siege,  and 
advanced  to  give  him  battle.  Desmond's 
only  hope  lay  in  the  bravery  of  his  men  :  he 
exhorted  them  to  follow  his  example,  and 
not  to  fear  an  undisciplined  multitude  ;  after 
which  he  made  so  vigorous  an  attack  on  his 
enemies,  that,  unable  to  withstand  the  shock, 
they  fled,  leaving  Desmond  at  liberty  to 
relieve  his  friend. 

Jealousy  continued  to  prevail  between 
Desmond  and  Ormond. f  Desmond  was  an 
ingenuous  and  upright  character ;  Thomas 
Butler,  surnamed  Dufl",  or  the  Black,  was 
cautious  and  politic.  Being  brought  up  at 
the  English  court,  he  imbibed  Protestant 
opinions,  in  consequence  of  which  he  was 
more  favored  by  the  queen  than  Desmond. 
The  estates  of  these  noblemen  were  adjoin- 
ing ;  they  made  Irequent  incursions  on  each 
other's  lands,  and  their  animosity  ran  so  high 
that  the  ambition  of  power  frequently  drove 
them  to  arms.     A  battle  that  was  to  have 

*  Relat.  Giraldiii.  cap.  13. 
t  O'Sulliv.   Hist.  Cathol.  Iber.  torn.  2,  lib.  4, 
cap.  8. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


465 


been  fought  between  the  two  earls  at  Bo 
harmor,  on  the  borders  of  Limerick  and 
Tipperary,  not  taking  place,  Ormond  was 
continually  watching  to  take  revenge  on  his 
rival.*  Having  heard  that  Desmond  was 
encamped  in  his  neighborhood,  he  collected 
his  forces,  and  marched  to  meet  him  at  Ath- 
mean,  in  the  county  of  Waterford.  Desmond 
had  but  few  men  with  him  ;  refusing,  how- 
ever, to  listen  to  his  friends,  who  advised 
him  to  yield  to  necessity,  he  engaged  in  bat- 
tle, in  which  he  lost  two  hundred  and  eighty 
of  his  men.  He  himself  received  a  pistol- 
shot,  from  Sir  Edme  Butler,  by  which  his 
thigh  was  broken.  Having  fallen  from  his 
horse,  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  brought  to 
Clonmel,  where  he  was  attended  by  a  sur- 
geon, but  ever  after  continued  lame.  As 
soon  as  he  had  recovered  sufficiently  he 
was  sent  prisoner  to  London,  and  confined 
in  the  tow'er. 


CHAPTER  XLL 

The  earl  of  Sussex,  lord-lieutenant  of 
Ireland,  was  recalled  this  year  (1565).  Sir 
Nicholas  Arnold  was  appointed  lord-justice, 
and  sworn  in,  in  the  month  of  May.  This 
new  magistrate  brought  over  a  reinforce- 
ment of  fifteen  hundred  and  ninety-six  men.f 
His  stay  was  of  short  continuance,  since 
some  complaints  being  made  at  court  against 
him,  he  was  recalled  in  the  month  of  Janu- 
ary following. 

Sir  Henry  Sidney  was  next  sent  to  Ire- 
land as  lord-deputy.  He  received  his  in- 
structions under  the  queen's  signature,  which 
enjoined  him  to  form  a  privy  council,  to  be 
sworn,  according  to  custom,  in  his  presence  ; 
which  he  was  to  consult  on  all  public  aff'airs, 
and  which  should  co-operate  with  him  for 
the  general  good  of  the  people. 

The  privy  council  and  deputy  being  as- 
sembled together,  affairs  were  found  to  be 
in  a  very  bad  state.  The  province  was  ha- 
rassed and  oppressed  by  a  licentious  and 
undisciplined  soldiery,  who  became  also 
objects  of  suspicion  to  the  government  on 
account  of  their  intercourse  with  the  Irish. 

In  Leinster,  Kilkenny  was  in  particular 
attacked  by  the  O'Tools,  the  O'Birns, 
O'Kinsellaghs,  O'Morroghs,  the  Cavanaghs, 
and  the  O'Morras. 

In  Munster,  the  counties  of  Tipperary 
and  Kerry  were  brought  to  the  verge  of  ruin 

*  Relat.  Giral.  c.  14.     Hist.  Cathol  Ibem.  ibid, 
t  War.  de  Annal.  ibid.  cap.  8. 


by  the  wars  between  the  partisans  of  Or- 
mond and  Desmond.  The  barony  of  Or- 
mond was  devastated  by  Pierce  Grace  ;  i\vi 
country  of  Thuomond  suffered  greatly  by 
the  warfare  of  Sir  Daniel  O'Brien  and  the 
earl  of  Thuomond. 

Connaught  was  torn  by  the  factions  of 
the  earl  of  Clanriccard  and  other  families  of 
the  Burkes.  Finally,  the  whole  of  Ulster, 
commanded  by  Shane  O'Neill,  who  took  the 
title  of  monarch,  was  in  arms  against  the 
English  government. 

Cox  and  Hooker  remark,  that  in  addition 
to  the  miseries  with  which  Ireland  was  then 
inflicted,  religion  had  become  almost  extinct, 
the  clergy  dispersed,  and  the  churches  strip- 
ped ;  and  that  scarcely  any  vestige  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  true  God  could  be  found 
in  that  ignorant  and  barbarous  nation.* 

The  council,  before  they  separated,  gave 
orders  that  the  English  province  should  be 
put  into  a  state  of  defence  against  O'Neill. 

Mac  Carty  More,  a  powerful  prince  in 
Munster,  went  to  England  about  this  time, 
and  placed  at  the  queen's  disposal  all  his 
possessions,  of  which  she  made  a  regrant 
to  him  by  letters  patent,  together  with  the 
titles  of  earl  of  Glencar  and  baron  of  Va- 
lentia.  This  prince,  the  chief  of  the  illus- 
trious tribe  of  the  Eoganachts,  was  descend- 
ed from  Heber,  eldest  son  of  Milesius,  king 
of  Gallicia,  by  Oilioll-Olum,  and  his  eldest 
son  Eogan-More,  and  Dermod  Mac  Carty, 
king  of  Cork,  in  the  twelfth  century,  who 
was  the  first  that  submitted  to  Henry  II., 


■  An  insinuation  is  thrown  out  by  these  authors, 
that  either  the  pretended  reformed  rehgion  was 
generally  received  at  that  time  in  Ireland,  and  aban- 
doned in  consequence  of  the  dispersion  of  its  min- 
isters, or  that  the  Irish  Catholics  opposed  to  the 
new  doctrine,  after  losing  their  pastors,  had  be- 
come at  one  stroke  ignorant  barbarians.  These  two 
propositions  are  equally  false  and  deceitful.  Some 
Catholic  bishops  had  been  deposed,  and  were  suc- 
ceeded by  Protestant  bishops  ;  but  tlie  number  was 
inconsiderable,  not  amounting  to  more  than  five  or 
six.  The  new  doctrine  which  was  preached  had 
not  made  great  progress  in  so  short  a  time  among 
a  people  strenuously  attached  to  their  ancient  reli- 
gion. The  persecution  which  had  been  commenced 
was  not  directed  against  the  Protestants,  since  they 
were  protected  by  the  very  power  from  which  it 
had  arisen.  All  Ireland  was  still  Catholic  ;  for  it 
may  be  affirmed,  that  among  every  five  hundred 
scarcely  one  Protestant  appeared  ;  consequently  the 
dispersion  of  the  clergy,  to  which  the  above  authors 
allude,  cannot  apply  to  the  Catholic  clergy.  It  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at,  that  a  religion  should  sufl^er 
much  in  a  country  where  it  is  strongly  opposed, 
but  it  is  impossible  that  it  should  be  effaced  in  five 
or  six  years,  so  as  that  no  knowledge  of  God  could 
be  discovered.  They  were,  however,  Englishmen, 
who  put  forward  the  above  statement. 


466 


HISTORY    OF   IRELAND. 


king  of  England.  According  to  the  right 
of  primogeniture,  this  illustrious  house  is 
the  first  in  Ireland.  There  were  several 
branches  of  it,  namely,  the  Mac  Cartys  of 
iMuskerry  and  Carbry,  those  of  Cluan,  Mao- 
lain,  Alia,  and  many  others. 

The  deputy  returned  to  England  in  1566, 
to  receive  fresh  instructions,  and  give  an  ac- 
count to  the  queen  of  the  situation  of  affairs 
in  Ireland.*  During  his  absence  the  troops 
of  O'Neill  threatened  Drogheda.  At  the  re- 
quest, however,  of  Lady  Sidney,  wife  of  the 
deputy,  who  resided  there  at  the  time,  Sars- 
field,  mayor  of  Dublin,  came  with  a  body 
of  troops  and  saved  the  city,  for  which  the 
deputy,  on  his  return,  conferred  on  him  the 
honor  of  knighthood. 

O'Neill  always  maintained  an  army  of 
four  thousand  foot,  and  a  thousand  horse  : 
he  was  a  prince  of  great  skill  and  talents  ; 
he  took  care  to  have  his  vassals  instructed 
in  discipline,  and  inspired  them  with  a  love 
of  war,  but  his  pride  rendered  him  insup- 
portable to  his  neighbors,  and  added  daily 
to  the  number  of  his  enemies.  Besides  the 
English  troops,  he  had  to  contend  with 
O'Donnel,  Maguire,  and  other  powerful  no- 
blemen of  Ulster,  who  complained  of  his 
tyranny.  He  made  frequent  incursions  upon 
the  English  province,  and  laid  siege  to  their 
towns,  by  which,  though  sometimes  unsuc- 
cessful, he  became  formidable  to  the  govern- 
ment. He  defeated  also  a  Scotch  legion 
killed  three  thousand  of  them,  and  took 
their  chief,  Mac  Donnel,  prisoner. t 

O'Neill's  power  engrossed  much  of  the 
attention  of  the  English  government  at 
this  time.  The  queen  dispatched  Knolls 
to  Ireland  to  concert  measures  with  the 
deputy  to  reduce  that  nobleman,  either  by 
kindness  or  by  force.  She  even  offered 
to  him  the  titles  of  earl  of  Tyrone,  and 
baron  of  Dungannon,  with  a  promise  to 
annul  the  patents  of  Henry  VHI.,  which 
secured  to  Matthew  O'Neill,  of  Dungannon, 
the  right  of  succession  to  the  estates  and 
honors  of  Tyrone. J  O'Neill  received  the 
proposal  with  a  haughtiness  expressive  of 
his  contempt  for  titles  of  honor,  which  he 
looked  upon  as  beneath  the  name  of  O'Neill. 
The  commissioners  who  were  intrusted  with 
the  negotiation,  received  from  him  the  fol- 
lowing reply  :  "  If  Elizabeth  your  mistress 
be  queen  of  England,  I  am  O'Neill,  king  of 
Ulster ;  I  never  made  peace  with  her  with- 
out having  been  previously  solicited  to  it  by 
her.     I  am  not  ambitious  of  the  abject  title 

*  War.  de  Annal.  ibid.  cap.  9. 

+  Hist.  Cathol.  Hib.  vol.  2,  lib.  4,  cap.  3. 

t  Camb.  reg.  Elizab.  part  1,  page  127. 


of  earl ;  both  my  family  and  birth  raise  me 
above  it ;  I  will  not  yield  precedence  to  any 
one  ;  my  ancestors  have  been  kings  of  Ul- 
ster ;  I  have  gained  that  kingdom  by  my 
sword,  and  by  the  sword  I  will  preserve 
it."*  He  then  spoke  contemptuously  of 
Mac  Carty  More,  who  had  just  accepted  the 
title  of  earl. 

The  English  government  finding  O'Neill 
fixed  in  his  determination,  thought  neces- 
sary to  use  force  against  him.  For  this  pur- 
pose Colonel  Randulph  was  dispatched  at 
the  head  of  seven  hundred  men,  to  Derry,  a 
small  town  in  the  northern  extremity  of  Ty- 
rone. They  took  possession  of  the  town,  and 
converted  the  ancient  church  of  St.  Columb 
into  a  magazine  for  powder  and  warlike 
stores  ;  the  priests  and  monks  being  driven 
out,  and  other  sacrileges  committed  in  the 
churches. t  The  deputy  repaired  soon  after- 
wards to  Derry,  where  he  continued  a  few 
days.  Having  given  the  necessary  orders 
for  defending  the  town,  and  reinforced  the 
garrison  with  fifty  horsemen,  commanded  by 
Captain  Harvey,  and  seven  hundred  foot, 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Cornwall, 
he  returned  to  Dublin. 

O'Neill  saw  plainly  that  it  was  against  his 
interest  to  suffer  an  enemy  to  establish  a 
garrison  so  near,  and  always  in  readiness  to 
attack  him.  He  marched  therefore  to  Derry 
without  loss  of  time,  with  two  thousand  five 
hundred  infantry,  and  three  hundred  cavalry, 
and  posted  himself  within  two  miles  of  the 
town.  According  to  Cox,  Randulph  made 
a  sally  on  the  Irish,  with  three  hundred  foot 
and  fifty  horse,  and  after  a  vigorous  attack, 
killed  four  hundred  of  them  and  put  the 
rest  to  flight,  without  any  loss  on  the 
side  of  the  English  but  that  of  Randulph 
himself,  who  was  killed  in  the  action  ;  but 
this  account  appears  to  be  a  mere  boast  of 
the  author,  since,  independently  of  the  sally 
alluded  to  not  being  mentioned  by  O'Sulli- 
van  and  other  writers,  it  is  impossible  that 
two  armies  could  have  come  to  so  close  an 
engagement,  with  only  the  loss  of  the  com- 
mander on  one  side,  while  four  hundred 
men  were  killed  on  the  other.  It  is,  on  the 
contrary,  certain,  that  the  powder  magazine 
took  fire,  and  that  the  town  and  fort  of 
Derry  were  blown  up,  by  which  nearly 
seven  hundred  Englishmen,  and  Randulph 
their  chief,  met  a  miserable  end. 

Discord  still  prevailed  between  O'Neill 
and  O'Donnel.  The  latter  was  supported 
by  the  English,  whose  aim  was  to  weaken 
O'Neill,  as  his  power  was  an  obstacle  to  the 

*  An  ancient  Irish  Manus.  Cox,  Hist.  Irel.  p.  221. 
t  Hist.  Cathol.  Ibcrn.  ibid. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


467 


Reformation,  which  they  wished  to  intro- 
duce into  Ireland,  and  to  the  conquest  of 
the  country,  which  was  not  yet  complete. 
These  two  princes  fought  many  battles  with 
unequal  success.  O'Neill,  at  length,  having 
collected  all  his  forces,  gained  over  the 
queen's  troops  that  were  sent  to  assist 
O'Donnel,  the  celebrated  victory  of  the  red 
Sagums,*  called  in  the  Irish  language, 
'■'■Call  na  gassogaes  Deargs."  In  this  battle 
four  hundred  English  soldiers  were  killed, 
besides  several  officers  who  had  lately  ar- 
rived from  England. 

We  have  already  mentioned  that  Garret, 
earl  of  Desmond,  was  kept  prisoner  in  the 
tower  of  London.  During  his  confinement 
the  other  branches  of  his  family  caused  many 
disturbances  in  Munster.  John,  his  brother, 
defeated  in  battle  and  killed  with  his  hand, 
John  Butler,  brother  to  the  earl  of  Ormond. 
James,  son  of  Maurice  Fitzgerald,  under- 
took to  defend  the  right  of  Garret,  and  for 
that  end  strenuously  opposed  the  attempts 
of  Thomas  Rua,  who  had  taken  the  title  of 
earl  of  Desmond.  The  queen,  in  order  to 
allay  the  disturbances  caused  by  these  no- 
blemen, sent  to  Ireland  the  real  earl  of  Des- 
mond, and  after  exhorting  him  to  continue 
loyal  and  attached  to  the  crown  of  England, 
said,  that  he  might  hope  by  his  loyalty  to 
obtain  favors  and  rewards.  The  earl  in 
thanking  her  majesty  declared,  that,  after 
his  duty  to  God,  nothing  would  be  more 
dear  to  him  than  to  observe  faithfully  the 
orders  she  had  given  him. 

The  earl  of  Desmond  was  received  with 
universal  joy  throughout  the  kingdom,  and 
restored  to  his  title  and  the  estates  of  his 
ancestors.  Finding  himself  free,  he  ordered 
his  vassals  to  raise  troops,  and  to  put  on 
foot  an  army  of  two  thousand  men,  conduct 
which  caused  great  uneasiness  to  Sidney, 
the  deputy.  He  endeavored  to  fathom  the 
designs  of  the  earl.  Some  said  that  his 
object  was  to  unite  with  O'Neill,  and  create 
a  diversion  in  Munster  in  his  favor ;  while 
others  fancied  that  his  preparations  were 
intended  to  take  revenge  for  the  insults  he 
had  received  from  the  earl  of  Ormond,  the 
viscount  of  Fermoy,  the  Barrys,  and  other 
noblemen.  Whatever  they  might  have  been, 
he  obeyed  a  summons  that  he  had  received 
from  the  deputy,  and  proceeded  to  Dublin 
with  a  troop  of  a  hundred  horsemen,  accom- 
panied by  Sir  Warham  St.  Leger,  the  pres- 
ident of  Munster,  who  had  been  commis- 
sioned to  guard  the  frontiers  of  the  English 

*  The  Sagum  was  a  warlike  dress  in  use  among 
the  Persians,  Carthaginians,  and  the  Romans,  and 
here  signifies  the  red  uniform  of  the  English. 


province  during  the  absence  of  the  deputy, 
who  had  undertaken  an  expedition  into  Ul- 
ster. 

Accompanied  by  the  earl  of  Kildare  and 
other  noblemen,  the  deputy  set  out  from 
Drogheda,  at  the  head  of  his  troops,  in  the 
month  of  September.  He  marched  through 
a  part  of  Ulster,  and  passed  near  Clogher. 
The  troops  of  O'Neill  harassed  his  rear- 
guard on  their  march.  O'Donnel  on  this 
occasion  paid  him  homage,  and  was  rein- 
stated by  him  in  the  possession  of  his  es- 
tates, particularly  the  castles  of  Ballyshan- 
non  and  Donegal,  for  which  O'Donnel 
agreed  to  pay  to  the  crown  a  revenue  of  two 
hundred  marks  a  year.  Thus  the  prince  of 
Tirconnel  leagued  himself  with  the  enemies 
of  his  country  to  save  himself  from  the  at- 
tacks of  a  powerful  neighbor. 

After  this  the  deputy  marched  into  Con- 
naught,  where  he  retook  the  castle  of  Ros- 
common, and  put  a  garrison  into  it,  the  com- 
mand of  whichhe  gave  to  Thomas  Lestrange. 
Sir  Edward  Fitton  was  appointed  president 
of  the  province :  the  O'Connor  Sligoe,  the 
O'Connor  Don,  O'FIinn,  and  others,  made 
their  submissions  to  the  deputy,  who  obliged 
them  to  pay  an  annual  revenue  to  the  crown. 
He  marched  afterwardstoAthlone,  where  he 
caused  a  bridge  to  be  built,  and  then  sent  his 
troops  into  winter  quarters,  after  placing 
garrisons  along  the  frontiers  of  the  English 
province  ;  but  all  these  precautions  did  not 
prevent  O'Neill  from  devastating  it  with  fire 
and  sword.  The  deputy  then  laid  siege  to 
Dundalk,  in  which  he  failed. 

The  great  exploits  of  the  earl  of  Tyrone 
were  not  sufficient  to  save  him  from  ruin. 
He  wasbrave,and  his  vassals  well  disciplined, 
but  they  fought  better  in  the  field  than  in 
their  attacks  on  towns,  or  in  defending  them. 
The  deputy  was  more  frequently  victorious 
by  stratagem  than  by  force  of  arms  ;  he  was 
in  possession  of  fortifications  and  garrisons 
from  which  he  made  occasional  incursions  on 
the  lands  of  Tyrone,  and  was  artful  enough 
to  foment  discord  between  that  prince  and 
his  neighbors.  He  detached  Maguire  of 
Fermanagh,  a  powerful  nobleman  of  the 
country,  from  his  interest,  and  always  sup- 
ported O'Donnel  againsthim ;  so  that  O'Neill, 
finding  himself  hemmed  in  on  all  sides,  and 
his  forces  weakened,  was  reduced  to  the  sad 
alternative  of  seeking  safety  among  his  ene- 
mies. He  had  twice  defeated  the  Scotch  ;  in 
the  first  battle  he  had  killed  their  chief,  James 
MacDonnel,  and  in  the  second  Surly  Boy 
MacDonnel,  brother  of  the  latter,  was  taken 
prisoner.*     Still  his  misfortunes  forced  him 

'  *  War.  de  Annal.  ibid.  cap.  10. 


468 


HrSTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


to  have  recourse  to  those  whom  he  had  in- 
jured. He  restored  Surly  Boy  to  his  liberty, 
and  set  out  for  Northern  Clanncboy,  where 
the  Scotch  to  the  number  of  six  hundred 
were  encamped,  under  the  command  of 
Alexander  MacDonncI,  called  the  younger, 
brother  to  Surly  Boy,  a.  d.  1567.  O'Neill 
appeared  with  a  few  attendants  in  the  camp, 
where  he  was  received  with  apparent  po- 
liteness ;  but  the  Scotch,  either  through  re- 
venge for  the  injuries  they  had  received 
from  him,  or  hoping  to  obtain  a  considerable 
reward  from  the  English  government,  stab- 
bed him,  with  all  his  followers,  and  sent  his 
head  to  the  deputy,  who  exposed  it  upon  a 
pole  on  the  castle  of  Dublin. 

Such  was  the  end  of  Shane  O'Neill,  who 
had  sacrificed  every  thing  for  his  country. 
Had  his  example  been  followed  by  the 
people  generally,  the  English  would  not  have 
succeeded  so  soon  in  reducing  Ireland.  As 
to  the  other  nobles  of  the  country,  some,  in 
return  for  the  vain  title  of  lord,  which 
bound  them  to  the  English  govermuent,  took 
the  rank  of  subjects  ;  others,  guided  by  dif- 
ferent motives,  paid  homage  to  the  English, 
rather  than  unite  for  the  common  cause,  so 
that  the  interests  of  religion  and  liberty 
were  basely  sacrificed  to  the  ambition  of 
some  and  the  weakness  of  others. 

English  authors  have  drawn  a  barbarous 
picture  of  O'Neill ;  he  possessed  certainly 
some  defects,  but  we  can  place  no  reliance 
on  the  testimony  of  those  authors  against 
him.  He  left  two  legitimate  sons,  Henry 
and  John.  After  his  death,  he  was  accused 
and  convicted  of  the  crime  of  rebellion,  and 
his  estates  confiscated  for  the  queen's  use,  by 
an  act  of  the  parliament  held  in  Dublin  this 
year,  1 567.*  The  estates  of  the  other  nobles 
who  had  been  of  O'Neill's  party  in  the  war, 
were  also  comprised  in  this  act  of  confisca- 
tion ;  namely,  Clanneboy  and  Fews,  the  pat- 
rimonies of  the  two  branches  of  the  O'Neills, 
Kryne,  or  Coleraine,  the  country  of  the 
O'Cahans  ;  Route,  belonging  to  the  Mac 
Quilins  ;  the  territory  of  the  Glinnes,  in  pos- 
session of  the  Scotch,  of  which  James  Mac 
Donnel  styled  himself  the  lord  and  conquer- 
or ;  Iveach,  the  country  of  the  Magennises ; 
Orior,  that  of  the  O'Hanlons  ;  the  district  of 
Ferny,  Uriel,  Loghty,  and  Dartry,  belonging 
to  fourbranchesof  the  MacMahons ;  Truogh, 
the  estate  of  the  MacKennas  ;  and  Clancanny 
or  Clanbressail,  belonging  to  the  MacCanns. 
These  proprietors  were,  however,  conciliated 
in  some  measure.  Turlogh  Lynogh,  one  of 
the  most  powerful  nobles  of  the  family  of 

*  Irish  Statutes,  reign  of  Elizabeth,  p.  309,  ct  seq. 


O'Neill,  was  acknowledged  The  O'Neill, 
with  the  queen's  consent  ;*  but  in  order  to 
check  his  authority,  she  confirmed  Hugh, 
son  of  Matthew  O'Neill,  in  the  title  of  baron 
of  Dungaunon,  and  subsequently  in  that  of 
Tyrone.  The  others  received  part  of  their 
estates  as  a  favor,  to  hold  from  the  queen 
by  letters  patent.  Among  other  absurdities 
in  the  statute  here  alluded  to,  is  the  insufli- 
ciency  of  the  proofs  which  are  advanced  in 
favor  of  the  right  of  the  kings  of  England 
to  the  throne  of  Ireland. 

An  exact  account  of  the  expenditure  of 
this  war  against  Shane  O'Neill,  was  sent  to 
the  queen  ;t  according  to  which  it  amounted 
to  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  thousand 
four  hundred  and  seven  pounds  sterling, 
besides  the  taxes  raised  on  the  country.  Her 
majesty  also  lost  about  three  thousand  five 
hundred  men  of  her  own  troops,  who  were 
killed  by  the  prince  of  Tyrone  and  his  allies, 
with  several  of  the  Irish  and  Scotch  who 
had  taken  up  arms  against  him. 

Peace  having  been  partly  restored  in  Ul- 
ster, war  broke  out  anew  in  Munster,  between 
the  houses  of  Desmond  and  Ormond.|  Their 
animosities  drove  them  to  the  fatal  alterna- 
tive of  a  battle  near  Drumelin,  after  which 
they  both  were  commanded  to  repair  to 
England,  in  order  that  their  quarrels  might 
be  investigated  in  council.  The  subject, 
however,  being  too  intricate  to  be  tried  in 
England,  they  were  sent  back  to  Ireland, 
where  witnesses  might  more  conveniently 
be  examined.  They,  however,  would  not 
submit  to  the  laws  ;  but  again  took  up  arms, 
and  recommenced  hostilities.  Inconsequence 
of  the  complaints  of  Ormond,  the  queen  sent 
orders  to  the  deputy  to  repair  to  Munster 
without  delay, 1^  and  to  put  down  Desmond. 
In  conformity  with  these  orders,  the  deputy 
set  out  with  a  few  troops  for  that  province, 
where  he  remained  three  months.  The  rea- 
sons and  complaints  of  both  parties  being 
heard,  he  decided  against  Desmond,  whom 
he  ordered  to  indemnify  his  enemy  ;  and  on 
his  refusal  to  submit  to  this  decision,  the 
deputy  had  him  arrested  at  Kilmallock,  and 
brought  to  Limerick,  where  he  was  accused 
of  high  treason  for  having  taken  up  arms 
against  the  queen.  While  the  deputy  was 
waiting  the  termination  of  the  trial  he  created 
John  Desmond,  the  earl's  brother,  a  knight, 
and  appointed  him  seneschal  of  Desmond ; 
this  promotion  gave  great  umbrage  to  the 
earl  of    Ormond,  who    represented  to  the 

*  Camb.  reg.  Elizab.  part  1,  p.  131. 
t  War.  deAnnal.  ibid.  cap.  11. 
t  Camb.  reg.  EHzab.  part  1,  130. 
§  Cox,  Hist,  of  Ircl.  pp.  325,  326. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


469 


queen  that  the  deputy  was  partial  to  Des- 
mond, which  excited  her  majesty's  dis- 
pleasure towards  him. 

Sidney  began  to  feel  a  dislike  to  his  office 
of  governor  of  Ireland,  being  thwarted  in  his 
views  by  the  earl  of  Ormond,  to  whom  he 
thought  the  queen  listened  too  attentively.  He 
was  also  importuned  with  the  complaints  of 
Oliver  Sutton,  a  gentleman  of  the  English 
province,  against  the  earl  of  Kildare  ;  and 
accusations  were  brought  against  Sir  Ed- 
raond  Butler  and  his  brother,  by  Lady  Dun- 
boyne,  MacBrian  Ara,  Oliver  Fitzgerald,  and 
others,  so  that  he  begged  of  the  court  to 
appoint  a  chancellor  capable  of  assisting 
him  in  the  administration  of  affairs  ;  and  this 
office  was,  in  consequence,  conferred  on 
Doctor  Weston,  who  landed  in  Dublin  in 
the  July  following.  Sidney  still  continued 
to  request  his  recall,  which  he  obtained  at 
length,  and  was  permitted  to  return  to  Eng- 
land. He  brought  with  him  the  earl  of 
Desmond,  the  baron  of  Dungannon,  O'Con- 
nor Sligo,  O'CarroU,  and  others.  The  earl 
of  Desmond  and  O'Connor  were  confined  in 
the  tower,  and  Sir  John  Desmond  sent  for  to 
Ireland,  to  keep  them  company.  O'Connor 
submitted  to  the  queen  and  was  restored  to 
his  liberty ;  the  same  favor  was  soon  after- 
wards extended  to  the  earl  of  Desmond,  on 
similar  conditions. 

In  the  absence  of  Sidney,  Weston  the 
chancellor,  and  Sir  William  Fitzwilliams  the 
treasurer  of  war,  governed  Ireland  as  lords- 
justices,  by  commission  under  the  great  seal, 
dated  the  14th  of  October.*  During  the 
administration  of  the  latter,  quarrels  arose 
between  some  private  families,  which  subse- 
quently degenerated  into  religious  feuds. 
The  Butlers  were  still  at  variance  with  the 
Fitzgeralds  ;  Sir  Edmond  Butler,  brother  to 
Ormond,  with  Peter  Grace,  lord  of  Cours- 
town,  in  the  county  of  Kilkenny,  made  incur- 
sions on  the  lands  of  Oliver  Fitzgerald.  The 
O'Connors  and  O'Morras  threatened  the 
possessions  of  the  O'Carrolls.  Daniel  Mac 
Carty  More  renounced  the  title  of  earl  of 
Glencar,  and  assumed  that  of  king  of  Mun- 
ster,  and  entering  into  a  league  with  O'Sul- 
livan  More,  MacS weeny,  and  others,  laid 
waste  the  domains  of  Roche,  viscount  of 
Fermoy.  In  Ulster,  Turlough  Lynogh,  who 
had  taken  the  title  of.  O'Neill,  declared  war 
against  O'Donncl  and  his  allies  the  Scotch  ; 
and  killed  Alexander  MacDonnel,  the  mur 
derer  of  Shane  O'Neill.  A  serious  dispute 
arose  in  Connaught,  between  MacWilliam 
Oughter,    (Burke,)    and    O'Connor    Sligo 


*  Cox,  ibid,  pages  326,  327. 


There  were  likewise  differences  between 
the  earl  of  Thuomond  and  O'Seaghnassy. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  on  Sidney's 
return  to  Ireland,  in  1568.  He  landed  at 
Can'ickfergus  about  the  end  of  September, 
and  had  an  interview  with  Turlough  Lynogh 
O'Neill,  respecting  the  hostilities  which  the 
latter  had  committed  against  O'Donnel,  the 
Scotch,  and  others  who  were  under  the 
protection  of  the  court.  O'Neill,  however, 
cleared  himself  with  the  deputy,  and  both 
noblemen  separated  on  good  terms.  The 
deputy  was  sworn  in  on  the  20th  of  October, 
in  Dublin,  and  gave  orders  that  Sir  Edmond 
Butler  should  be  sent  for ;  he  did  not,  how- 
ever, think  fit  to  obey  his  mandate. 

The  deputy  convened  a  parliament  in 
Dublin,  in  January,*  in  which  angry  debates 
took  place  between  the  Catholics  and  the 
Protestants,  respecting  the  elections  of  mem- 
bers for  this  parliament.  The  matter  was 
decided  by  Dillon  and  Plunket,  judges  of 
the  grand  council,  and  by  the  report  which 
was  made  to  parliament  by  Sir  Luke  Dillon, 
who  was  then  attorney-general.  Several  acts 
respecting  religion,  and  other  public  affairs, 
were  passed  by  this  parliament ;  some  of 
them  have  been  already  mentioned  ;  the  rest 
are  to  be  met  with  in  the  collection  of  Irish 
statutes  printed  in  Dublin  in  1621.f 

About  this  time  Sir  Peter  Carew  came 
over  to  Ireland  to  take  possession  of  the  in- 
heritance of  one  of  his  ancestors,  who  enjoy- 
ed the  title  of  marquis  of  Cork,  and  large 
estates  in  the  country.  The  principal  objects 
of  his  claims  were,  the  barony  of  Idrone,  in 
the  county  of  Carlow,  and  the  district  of 
Ballymaclethan,  in  Meath.  Weak  as  his  pre- 
tensions were  to  the  barony  of  Idrone,  the 
ancient  patrimony  of  the  Cavanaghs,  it  was 
adjudged  to  him  by  the  deputy  and  council ; 
but  he  was  not  so  successful  in  the  claim  to 
Ballymaclethan.  This  was  in  possession  of 
Sir  Christopher  Chivers,  a  man  of  English 
origin,  and  consequently  more  indulgence 
was  given  to  him  by  the  council.  The 
trial,  therefore,  ended  in  an  adjustment  with 
the  latter. 

After  the  death  of  Shane  O'Neill,  who  was 
the  support  of  Catholicity  and  the  terror  of 
the  English,  the  reformed  religion  began  to 
take  root  in  Ireland.  Queen  Elizabeth  de- 
sired nothing  more  ardently  than  to  extend 
the  ecclesiasticaljurisdiction,  and  to  rule  over 
the  church  in  this  country,  as  she  did  in  Eng- 
land. The  English  government  adopted 
every  measure  likely  to  advance  her  views. 
For  this  they  took  care  to  send  over  English 

*  Cox,  ibid,  page  328,  et  seq. 
t  Page  309,  et  seq. 


470 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


conformists,  attached  to  the  opinions  of  the 
court ;  on  whom  the  bishoprics  and  other  ec- 
clesiastical dignities  were  conferred  accord- 
ing as  they  expelled  the  Catholic  ministers. 
To  these  bishops  orders  were  given  to  sup- 
press every  Catholic  institution  in  their 
several  dioceses,  and  to  establish  Protestant 
free  schools,  under  the  guidance  of  English 
Protestants,  in  order  that  the  minds  of  youth 
while  most  susceptible  of  strong  impressions, 
might  be  seduced.*  Laws  were  enacted, 
compelling  parents  to  send  their  children  to 
these  schools,  and  to  attend  the  Protestant 
service  themselves  on  Sundays.  These  laws 
also  decreed  pecuniary  fines  against  all  who 
refused,  which  were  changed  afterwards  into 
the  penalties  of  high  treason,  so  that  by  acts 
of  parliament,  the  fidelity  and  attachment  of 
the  Catholics  to  the  religion  of  their  fore- 
fathers, were  construed  into  this  enormous 
crime.  Every  individual,  both  of  the  clergy 
and  laity,  was  commanded  to  acknowledge 
the  ecclesiastical  supremacy  of  Elizabeth, 
and  to  renounce  all  obedience  to  the  pope 
and  church  of  Rome  .f  Many  able  preachers, 
both  English  and  Scotch,  were  sent  to  Ire- 
land. The  principal  were  Goodman,  Cart- 
wright,  Knox,  Janson,Burchley,  and  Brady. 
It  was  hoped  that  their  great  eloquence 
would  win  the  people  to  them  ;  but  the  court 
finding  these  missionaries  unsuccessful,  and 
the  Irish  still  adhering  to  their  own  tenets  in 
religion,  determined  to  change  matters  and 
attack  the  heads  of  the  Catholic  party. 
Richard  Burke,  earl  of  Clanriccard,  a  pow- 
erful nobleman  in  Connaught,  was  arrested 
by  orders  of  the  que  en. |  Ulick  and  John, 
the  earl's  two  sons,  assembled  their  vassals, 
however,  and  took  up  arms  against  the  gov- 
ernment in  revenge  for  the  injury  done  to 
their  father,  and  thus  procured  him  his 
freedom. 

The  tyranny  of  the  English  government 
excited  the  alarm  of  the  Irish.  Finding  the 
thunder  ready  to  burst  and  crush  them,  they 
saw  no  hope  save  in  resistance.  In  Munster 
they  first  signalized  themselves  ;  the  chief  of 
the  confederacy  was  James  Fitzmaurice, 
cousin  to  the  earl  of  Desmond,  MacCarty 
More,  earl  of  Glencar,  MacDonogh,  and 
other  branches  of  the  MacCartys,  and  Fitz- 
gerald of  Imokelly.i^  The  hatred  of  the 
Butlers  against  the  house  of  Desmond,  did 
not  prevent  Edmond,  Edward,  and  Peter 
Butler,  brothers  to  the  earl  of  Ormond,  from 
uniting  with  Fitzmaurice  in  defence  of  their 

*  Irish  Stat,  page  346. 
t  Peter  Lombard,  Comment,  dc  lib.  c.  19. 
t  Hist.  Cathol.  lib.  tom.  2,  lib.  4,  c.  4. 
§  Camd.  Elizab.  1,  p.  172.    War.  ibid. 


religion.  The  earl  of  Desmond,  whose  me- 
mory shoidd  be  for  ever  dear  to  the  Catholics 
of  Ireland,  was  still  a  prisoner  in  the  tower 
of  London.  He  had  intrusted  the  manage- 
ment of  his  estates  to  James  Fitzmaurice, 
his  relative  ;  but  Ormond  and  Thuomond, 
more  politic,  but  less  religious  than  Des- 
mond, had  already  sacrificed  their  religion, 
and  the  freedom  of  their  country,  to  ambi- 
tion, and  a  desire  to  ingratiate  themselves 
with  the  court. 

The  first  step  of  the  confederates  was  to 
depute  the  bishops  of  Cashel  and  Emly, 
and  one  of  the  sons  of  the  earl  of  Desmond, 
to  go  with  letters  to  the  pope  and  the  king 
of  Spain,  to  solicit  their  assistance.  Sidney 
being  informed  of  their  movements,  pro- 
claimed them  all  as  traitors,  and  dispatched 
Sir  Peter  Carew  with  a  body  of  troops 
against  Sir  Edmond  Butler.  Carew  was  so 
expeditious  that  he  took  the  castle  of  Clogh- 
griman  by  surprise,  and  gave  it  up  to  plun- 
der. He  then  marched  to  Kilkenny,  where 
he  defeated  a  body  of  light  troops.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  confederates  lost  no  oppor- 
tunity of  harassing  their  enemies.  James 
Fitzmaurice  intended  to  besiege  Kilkenny, 
but  having  no  artillery,  and  the  garrison 
being  strong,  and  provided  with  every  thing 
necessary  to  make  an  able  defence,  he  aban- 
doned his  design,  and  had  to  content  him- 
self with  ravaging  the  estates  of  the  English 
in  the  neighborhood,  while  his  allies  laid 
waste  the  counties  of  Wexford,  Waterford, 
and  Ossory,  and  proceeded  to  the  very  gates 
of  Dublin.  The  campaign  thus  passed  over 
in  hostile  attacks  on  both  sides. 

The  earl  of  Ormond  was  in  England  when 
he  heard  with  regret  of  the  rebellion  of  his 
brothers  in  Ireland.  He  applied  to  the 
queen  to  be  permitted  to  serve  against  them, 
promising  to  bring  them  back  to  their  duty 
either  by  persuasion  or  by  force — and  set 
out  by  leave  of  the  court,  for  Ireland.  He 
landed  at  Waterford,  or,  according  to  Cox, 
at  Wexford,  the  14th  of  August.*  His  ar- 
rival was  immediately  communicated  to  the 
deputy,  whom  he  soon  after  joined  at  Lime- 
rick. Ormond  sent  for  his  brother  Edmond 
to  come  to  the  camp  of  the  deputy,  who 
received  his  submission,  enjoining  him  to 
appear  before  him  on  his  arrival  in  Dublin. 
He  became  security  for  his  brother,  who 
proved  faithful  to  his  engagement,  by  his 
appearance  at  the  time  appointed.  To  the 
deputy's  questions  on  the  cause  of  his  having 
rebelled,  he  answered  the  representative  of 
majesty  with  so  much  haughtiness,  that  he 

*  Camd.  ibid,  page  173.     Ware,  ibid.  cap.  12. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELiAND. 


471 


was  arrested  and  imprisoned  in  the  castle  of 
Dublin,  from  which,  he  shortly  afterwards 
escaped.  Ormond  himself  continued  faithful 
to  the  queen,  whose  confidence  he  had  gained, 
by  sacrificing  what  he  owed  to  his  God  and 
to  his  country  ;  the  rebellion  of  his  brothers 
he  considered  as  a  stain  upon  his  family. 
They  received  a  second  time,  by  orders  of 
the  queen,  a  general  pardon  from  the  council 
in  Dublin,  without  being  obliged  to  make 
their  appearance  ;  and  by  this  means  were 
detached  from  the  Catholic  party. 

Pope  Pius  V.  pronounced  the  following 
sentence  against  Queen  Elizabeth  in  1569. 

"  Pius,  bishop  and  servant  of  the  servants 
of  God  ;  be  it  remembered  by  posterity,  that 
he  who  is  omnipotent  in  heaven  and  on  earth, 
hath  confided  his  church, which  is  one  Holy, 
Catholic,  and  Apostolical,  and  out  of  which 
there  is  no  salvation,  to  one  man  upon  earth, 
namely,  to  Peter,  prince  of  the  apostles,  and 
to  the  bishops  of  Rome,  his  successors,  with 
full  power  to  rule  over  it.  This  pontifT alone 
hath  been  constituted  head  over  all  nations 
and  kingdoms,  and  invested  with  power  to 
destroy,  to  separate,  to  scatter,  and  subvert ; 
to  plant,  build  up,  and  link  together  by  mu- 
tual charity,  in  order  to  preserve  the  faithful 
in  the  spirit  of  unity,  and  surrender  them 
whole  and  entire  to  their  Saviour.  In  order 
to  fulfil  the  duties  imposed  on  us  by  the 
divine  goodness,  we  labor  incessantly  to 
maintain  the  unity  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
religion  which  God  hath  visited  with  heavy 
conflicts,  to  the  end,  that  His  own  may  be 
tried,  and  for  our  correction  ;  but  the  num- 
bers and  power  of  the  wicked  have  so  far 
prevailed,  that  no  portion  of  the  earth  has 
escaped  their  attempts  to  propagate  their 
infectious  and  detested  dogmas,  being  sup- 
ported, among  others,  by  that  slave  to  every 
species  of  crime,  Elizabeth,  the  supposed 
queen  of  England,  under  whom  the  worst 
enemies  of  the  church  have  found  security. 
This  same  Elizabeth  haA'ing  seized  upon  the 
throne,  and  usurped  the  authority  and  juris- 
diction of  supreme  head  of  the  church  of 
England,  has  again  plunged  that  country 
into  a  state  of  misery,  from  which  it  was 
beginning  to  emerge  and  to  return  to  the 
Catholic  faith.  Having  by  the  violence  of 
her  measures  prevented  the  exercise  of  true 
religion,  which  that  apostate  prince,  Henry 
VHI.  destroyed,  and  which  Mary,  his  legi- 
timate daughter,  of  illustrious  memory,  had 
restored,  in  concert  with  the  holy  see  ;  she 
has  embraced  all  the  errors  of  heresy,  and 
excluded  the  English  nobility  from  the  royal 
council,  which  she  has  filled  with  obscure 
heretics.  The  Catholics  have  been  oppressed, 


and  the  preachers  of  iniquity  established  ; 
the  sacrifice  of  the  mass  has  been  abolished  ; 
prayers,  fasting,  abstinence,  celibacy,  and  all 
the  rites  of  Catholicity  have  been  likewise 
suppressed.  She  has  filled  the  kingdom  with 
books  containing  the  most  flagrant  heresies, 
and  not  content  herself  with  adopting  and 
conforming  to  the  false  and  impious  doc- 
trines of  Calvin,  she  has  forced  her  subjects 
to  embrace  them.  The  whole  of  the  Catholic 
hierarchy  and  priesthood  throughout  Eng- 
land, have  been  driven  from  their  livings, 
vt^hich  have  been  bestowed  on  the  heretics. 
Her  decisions  in  ecclesiastical  causes  have 
been  set  up,  and  the  bishops,  the  clergy,  and 
the  people  forbidden  to  acknowledge  the 
authority  of  the  Roman  church,  or  to  obey 
its  ordinances  and  canonical  decisions.  Thus 
has  Elizabeth  compelled  most  of  the  people 
of  England,  by  oath,  to  subscribe  to  her 
nefarious  laws,  and  renounce  all  authority  of 
the  Roman  pontiff;  to  acknowledge  her  to 
be  head  both  of  church  and  state  ;  condemn- 
ing those  that  have  refused,  to  heavy  fines 
and  punishments,  whereby  those  who  have 
persevered  in  the  faith,  are  overwhelmed 
with  suffering  and  afflictions.  The  Catholic 
bishops  and  clergy  have  been  loaded  with 
chains,  and  many  of  them  have  ended  their 
days  in  misery  and  imprisonment.  This  per- 
secution is  known  to  all  nations,  and  so 
clearly  proved,  that  all  palliation,  argument, 
or  pretext  on  her  part,  is  unavailing.  We 
find,  moreover,  that  impiety  and  crimes  have 
increased,  that  persecution  against  the  re- 
ligion of  Rome  has  been  redoubled  by  orders 
of  Elizabeth,  and  that  her  heart  has  become 
so  perverted  and  obdurate,  that  she  has  re- 
fused to  hearken  to  the  charitable  counsels 
of  Catholic  princes,  and  has  denied  admit- 
tance to  the  legates  of  our  apostolical  see 
into  England,  who  have  been  deputed  thither 
for  the  same  object.  With  deep  sorrow  we 
are  now  constrained  to  have  recourse  to  the 
arms  of  justice,  and  obliged  to  punish  a 
princess  whose  ancestors  have  rendered 
important  services  to  the  church. 

"  In  virtue,  therefore,  of  the  divine  au- 
thority by  which  we  have  been  placed  on 
this  supreme  throne  of  justice,  an  office  so 
superior  to  our  capability,  we  do,  in  the 
plenitude  of  apostolical  power,  declare  that 
the  said  Elizabeth,  who  is  herself  a  heretic, 
and  the  encourager  of  heresy,  together  with 
all  her  adherents,  have  incurred  the  sentence 
of  excommunication,  and  that  they  are  here- 
by cut  off  from  the  unity  of  the  body  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Moreover,  we  proclaim  her 
to  have  forfeited  all  right  to  the  said  throne, 
and  also  all  dominion,  dignity,  and  privileges 


472 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


appertaining  to  it.  We  likewise  declare, 
that  all  subjects  of  every  rank  in  the  said 
kingdom,  and  every  individual  who  has 
taken  any  oath  of  loyalty  to  her  in  any  way 
whatever,  shall  be  for  ever  absolved  from 
said  oath,  as  also  from  all  duty,  fidelity,  or 
obedience,  as  we  hereby  exonerate  them  from 
all  such  engagements,  and  we  do  deprive  the 
said  Elizabeth  of  her  pretended  claim  to  the 
throne  of  England.  The  nobility  and  others 
above  named,  we  prohibit  to  obey  her,  her 
ordinances  and  laws,  under  pain  of  becom- 
ing subject  to  the  same  anathema. 

"  As  the  circulation  of  this  bull,  by  sending 
it  to  all  places,  would  become  a  matter  of 
difficulty,  it  is  commanded  that  copies  of  it 
be  taken  and  signed  by  a  notary,  subscribed 
by  a  bishop,  and  sealed  with  the  seal  of  our 
court ;  they  will  then  have  the  same  power 
and  efficacy  as  these  presents  have. 

"  Given  at  St.  Peter's,  on  the  5th  of  the 
calends  of  January,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
1569,  and  5th  of  our  pontificate." 

A  parliament  was  held  in  Dublin  the  same 
year,  by  which  several  acts  were  passed  ;* 
among  others,  one  giving  to  her  majesty  a 
right  to  estates  and  lands  in  the  county  of 
Kildare,  belonging  to  Christopher  Eustace, 
lord  of  Cotlanston,  who  was  executed,  under 
Henry  VIII.,  for  high  treason.  By  a  similar 
act,  the  estates  of  Thomas  Fitzgerald,  knight 
of  the  Glynn,  in  the  county  of  Limerick,  and 
his  son  Thomas,  were  confiscated,  for  their 
rebellion.!  The  deputy  being  at  Cork,  entered 
the  district  of  Cirricurry,  and  seized  on  the 
castle  of  Carigoline  ;  after  which  he  marched 
to  Orrery,  and  took  possession  of  Buttevant. 
He  intended  to  proceed  to  Kilmallock,  but 
was  prevented  by  James  Fitzmaurice,  who 
scaled  the  walls,  and  made  himself  master  of 
the  town,  but  finding  it  impracticable  to  hold 
it,  he  set  it  on  fire.  The  deputy  had  the 
town  rebuilt,  and  put  a  garrison  into  it,  of 
four  hundred  soldiers,  one  hundred  horsemen, 
and  some  light  troops,  under  the  command 
of  Colonel  Gilbert,  whom  he  appointed  gov- 
ernor of-  the  province.  Having  restored 
peace  to  the  counties  of  Cork  and  Limerick, 
and  received  the  oath  of  allegiance  of  some 
nobles  of  these  districts,  viz.,  Roche,  Courcy, 
Power,  Decye,  and  some  others,  the  deputy 
returned  to  Limerick. 

Soon  after,  Gilbert  was  created  a  knight, 
at  Drogheda,  for  his  services  during  his  ad- 
ministration in  Munster.  He  then  went  to 
England,  where  he  married  a  rich  widow  ; 
but  having  died  suddenly.  Sir  John  Perrott 

*  Irish  Statutes,  page  301. 
t  Ibid,  page  326. 


was  appointed  president  of  Munster  in  his 
stead. 

War  still  raged  in  Leinster  and  Connaught. 
Sir  Peter  Carew  endeavored  to  reduce  the 
Cavanaghs.  The  tyranny  of  Fitton  over 
the  inhabitants  of  Connaught  was  so  great, 
that  Conoghor  O'Brien,  earl  of  Thuomond, 
although  a  loyal  subject  to  England,  was 
obliged  to  take  up  arms,  and  in  spite  of  the 
mediation  of  the  earl  of  Ormond,  who  was 
sent  by  the  deputy  to  quell  the  disturbances, 
they  came  to  an  engagement.  Thuomond 
was  defeated,  and  obliged  to  fly  into  France, 
where  he  met  Norris,  the  English  ambassa- 
dor, who  procured  him  his  pardon  from  Eli- 
zabeth. The  earl  testified  his  gratitude,  by 
the  important  services  he  afterwards  rendered 
to  the  crown  of  England  against  his  country. 

Turlough  Lynogh  O'Neill,  who  had  been 
acknowledged  chief  of  that  illustrious  tribe, 
continued  to  support  the  cause  of  religion  in 
Ulster,  A.  D.  1570.  The  noblemen  of  Ulster 
and  Scotland  made  frequent  alliances  about 
that  time.  O'Neill  married  the  earl  of  Ar- 
gyle's  aunt,  and  kept  Scotch  troops  in  his 
pay.  This  prince  was  planning  an  expedition 
against  the  English  province,  but  was  un- 
happily prevented  from  carrying  it  into  exe- 
cution. His  life  being  endangered  by  a 
musket-shot  he  received,  either  by  accident 
or  by  design,  the  Scotch  began  to  desert 
him,  and  the  tribe  was  about  to  appoint 
another  chief.  Having,  however,  recovered, 
while  preparing  to  accomplish  his  first  pro- 
ject against  the  English,  the  deputy  dis- 
patched two  commissioners,  Judge  Dowdal 
and  the  dean  of  Armagh,  on  the  part  of  the 
queen,  to  his  camp  at  Dungannon  ;  and  a 
treaty  was  entered  into  between  them  in 
January,  which  was  ratified  by  the  deputy 
in  the  month  of  March  following. 

The  O'Ferrals,  ancient  lords  of  Annaly, 
at  present  the  county  of  Longford,  surren- 
dered their  district  to  the  government,  who 
restored  them  part  of  it,  on  condition  of  pay- 
ing one  hundred  marks  a  year.  Lord  chief- 
baron  Bath  died  about  this  time.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Luke  Dilon. 

Perrott  being  appointed  governor  of  Mun- 
ster, George  Bourchier,  son  of  the  earl  of 
Bath,  and  George  Walsh,  were  appointed  his 
colleagues ;  the  former  to  aid  him  in  the 
military,  the  latter  in  the  civil  administration. 
This  president  was  successful  in  a*  war  he 
carried  on  against  the  confederates,  and 
obliged  some  of  their  chiefs,  namely,  Mac 
Carty  More,  Lord  Barry,  MacCarty  Riagh, 
Donough  MacTcigue  of  Muskerry,  Lord 
Courcy,  and  Mac  Donough,  to  defray  the 
expenses  of  the  war,  which  weakened  con- 
siderably the  party  of  James  Fitzmaurice. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


473 


Sidney  the  deputy  obtained  permission 
from  the  queen  to  return  to  England,  with 
orders  to  appoint  in  his  stead  his  brother-in- 
law,  Sir  William  Fitzwilliams,  who  was 
sworn  into  office  in  St.  Patrick's  cathedral, 
Dublin,  in  April.*  The  Irish  characters, 
for  printing,  were  introduced  into  Ireland 
the  same  year,  by  Nicholas  Walsh,  the  chan- 
cellor of  St.  Patrick's,  and  John  Kerne, 
treasurer.  Government  gave  orders  to  have 
prayer-books  printed  in  the  Irish  language, 
in  order  to  seduce  the  people,  but  their  ef- 
forts did  not  succeed. 

Brien  Cavanagh,  son  of  Cahir  MacArt, 
who  was  created  baron  of  Balian  by  Queen 
Mary,  caused  great  disturbance  in  Leinster ; 
he  was  a  brave  and  accomplished  nobleman. f 
He  killed  Robert  Brown,  lord  of  Malrenkam, 
for  having  insulted  him.  Brien's  pride  made 
him  so  formidable  to  his  neighbors,  that  Sir 
Nicholas  Devereux  and  the  principal  inhab- 
itants of  Wexford,  assembled  to  check  his 
progress.  They  came  to  an  engagement, 
which  was  fatal  to  Devereux  ;  he  lost  thir- 
ty gentlemen  on  the  field  of  battle,  besides 
several  soldiers. 

Connaught  was  also  in  a  state  of  rebel- 
lion, at  the  head  of  which  were  the  Burkes 
of  Clanriccard,  who  could  not  bear  the  ty- 
rannical government  of  Fitton.  They  there- 
fore took  up  arms,  and,  together  with  their 
allies,  the  Scotch,  devastated  the  whole 
country.  Tranquillity  was  at  length  restored 
to  the  province,  says  Co'x,  by  a  victory  which 
Captain  Collin,  with  one  company  of  infantry, 
gained  over  the  Scotch,  who  amounted  to  a 
thousand  men.|  Elizabeth  saw  that  the  re- 
bellion in  Connaught  was  caused  by  Fitton's 
severity ;  he  was  consequently  removed  from 
the  government  of  the  province,  and  appoint- 
ed treasurer.  The  O'Morras  and  O'Connors 
of  Leinster  made  attempts  to  create  a  diver- 
sion in  favor  of  the  rebels  in  Connaught ; 
they  burned  Athlone,  and  made  some  incur- 
sions on  the  English  province,  where  they 
committed  terrible  devastation.  In  Ulster, 
Brien  Mac-Felimy  O'Neill  made  himself  mas. 
ter  of  Carrickfergus,  and  then  set  it  on  fire. 

Thomas  Smith,  an  Englishman,  and  coun- 
sellor to  the  queen,  finding  that  his  country- 
men were  making  rapid  fortunes  in  Ireland, 
at  the  expense  of  the  old  inhabitants,  and 
wishing  to  have  a  share  in  the  spoils,  asked 
permission  from  his  royal  mistress  to  send 
over  his  son  to  found  an  English  colony  at 
Ardes,  in  Ulster.  He  had  two  objects  in 
view  ;  first,  to  procure  an  extensive  estate 

*  War.  ibidr  cap.  13. 

t  Cambd.  Elizab.  part  2,  p.  240. 

I  History  of  Ireland,  p.  339. 


for  his  son  where  he  might  become  a  power- 
ful nobleman  ;  secondly,  to  conceal  from 
posterity,  in  a  foreign  land,  the  ignominy  of 
his  birth,  being  illegitimate.  The  queen 
having  given  her  consent,  young  Smith  was 
equipped  for  the  enterprise.  One  Chatter- 
ton  being  appointed  his  governor,  with  a  suit- 
able retinue,  they  sailed  for  Ireland  ;  but  on 
approaching  the  place  of  his  destination, 
unfortunately  for  Smith,  he  met  Brien  Mac- 
Art  O'Neill,  to  whom  Ardes  belonged,  ready 
to  receive  him.  The  pretended  lord  of  Ardes 
was  killed  in  a  skirmish,  and  his  troops  dis- 
persed by  Brien  Mac-Art. 

Cambden  gives  a  different  account  of  the 
above  circumstance.  He  assumes,  first,  that 
the  queen  of  England  had  a  right  to  bestow 
what  did  not  belong  to  her.*  It  is  true  that 
her  predecessors  often  pronounced  sentence 
of  confiscation  against  those  who  never  ac- 
knowledged their  authority,  and  who  were 
always  opposed  to  them.  This  authority  of 
the  kings  of  England,  with  respect  to  the 
greater  part  of  Ireland,  particularly  Ulster, 
was  confined  to  the  permission  which  they 
granted  to  their  subjects,  to  seize  on  the  pos- 
sessions of  others  by  force  ;  which  permis- 
sion being  given,  the  resistance  of  the  pro- 
prietor was  construed  by  the  English  into 
rebellion.  Our  author  emphatically  observes, 
that  Thomas  Smith,  moved  with  compassion 
for  neglected  Ireland,  obtained  leave  from 
the  queen  to  send  over  his  bastard  son  to 
establish  at  Ardes,  on  the  eastern  coast  of 
Ulster,  a  colony  of  Englishmen,  in  order  to 
civilize  the  semi-barbarous  inhabitants  of 
that  country.  We  might  be  induced  to  think 
that  Christian  charity  was  the  motive  of 
Smith's  conduct  on  this  occasion,  but  that  we 
are  told  that  this  Englishman  had  already 
divided  the  lands  of  Ardes  among  his  fol- 
lowers, promising  to  each  foot-soldier  a  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  ;  to  a  horseman  two 
hundred  and  forty ;  and  to  others  in  propor- 
tion to  their  rank,  on  condition  of  paying 
him  an  annual  rent  of  one  penny  an  acre, 
without  mention  of  any  thing  for  the  old 
proprietor.  By  this  it  is  obvious,  that  a  pre- 
tended desire  of  civilizing  the  inhabitants  of 
Ardes  was  a  species  of  pretext  to  invade  their 
lands.  As  to  the  epithet  barbarous,  which 
Cambden  applies  to  the  people  of  Ardes, 
and  the  word  perfidy  to  Brien  Mac-Art,  for 
having  killed  an  en&my  who  came  armed  to 
dispossess  him,  it  is  the  general  style  of 
the  English,  who  believe  that  their  adver- 
saries' obedience  should  be  measured  ac- 
cording to  their  will,  and  who  always  define 

*  Elizabeth,  part  2,  pp.  240,  241. 


4*^4 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


the  self-defence  of  a  people  whom  they  op- 
press by  the  term  barbarity. 

Walter  Dovereux,  viscount  Hereford,  was 
created  by  the  queen  earl  of  Essex  in  1573. 
This  nobleman  was  descended  in  a  direct 
line  from  the  ancient  counts  d'Evreux,  de- 
scendants of  the  dukes  of  Normandy,  by 
Robert,  archbishop  of  Rouen,  and  Count 
d'Evreux.*  In  order  to  gratify  him,  the 
queen,  whose  most  attached  favorite  he  was, 
gave  him  the  half  of  certain  lordships  which 
had  been  confiscated  in  Ulster,  with  the  title 
of  captain-general  of  that  province,  on  con- 
dition of  repairing  thither  with  two  hundred 
horse  and  four  hundred  foot,  whom  he  was 
to  support  for  two  years  at  his  own  expense. f 
To  induce  men  to  join  readily  in  this  expe- 
dition, they  were  flattered  with  the  hope  of 
estates  ;  whoever  should  have  served  with- 
out pay  in  the  cavalry  for  two  years,  was  to 
receive  four  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  those 
who  served  in  the  infantry,  were  to  have 
similar  terms,  viz.,  to  receive  two  hundred 
acres  on  condition  of  their  paying  an  annual 
rent  of  two  pence  per  acre. 

Fitzwilliam,  then  lord-deputy,  was  envious 
of  his  new  rival  ;  and  fearing  that  his  own 
merits  would  be  eclipsed  by  a  nobleman  in- 
vested with  royal  authority,  he  made  use  of 
all  his  influence  to  counteract  this  enterprise  .| 
In  order  to  reconcile  both  parties,  the  queen 
commanded  Essex  to  take  his  patents  for  the 
government  of  Ulster  from  the  deputy.  This 
difiiculty  being  removed,  the  earl,  accompa- 
nied by  several  English  nobles,  who  wished 
to  be  sharers  of  his  fortune,  and  witnesses  of 
his  exploits,  sailed  for  Ireland,  and  landed  at 
Carrickfergus  about  the  end  of  August.  He 
was  waited  upon  and  complimented  by  Brien 
MacFelimy,  O'Neill,  and  other  Irish  nobles, 
who  did  not  suspect  him  in  the  beginning  ; 
but  on  seeing  the  train  that  accompanied  him, 
they  left  him  on  a  sudden,  and  joined  the 
standard  of  Tirlogh  Linogh  O'Neill. 

The  earl  of  Essex  had  scarcely  landed 
in  Ireland,  when  he  wished  to  return  to  Eng- 
land. From  the  many  difficulties  he  met 
with  in  his  undertaking,  and  the  armed  hos- 
tility of  the  inhabitants  of  Ulster,  he  found 

*  Baker,  Chron.  p.  346.  Cambd.  Elizab.  part  2, 
page  255. 

t  War.  ibid.  c.  13.     Cambd.  ibid.  p.  256. 

t  The  earl  of  Leicester  was  honored  with  the  ti- 
tle of  grand  equerry  to  the  queen.  He  was  youngest 
son  to  the  duke  of  Nortliumberland,  who  was  be- 
headed in  the  first  year  of  Mary's  reign.  His  grand- 
father was  Dudley,  who  is  ranked  by  English  his- 
torians with  Empson,  one  of  those  infamous  leeches 
of  the  public  money  during  the  reign  of  Henry  VII., 
and  who  was  put  to  death  in  the  first  year  of  Henry 
the  Eighth's  reign. 


himself  abandoned  by  degrees  by  those  no- 
blemen who  accompanied  him.  The  earl 
of  Leicester,  desirous  of  keeping  him  at  a 
distance,  opposed  his  wish  to  leave  Ireland. 
He  was  at  length,  however,  permitted  to 
return  to  England,  after  an  expedition,  the 
only  result  of  which  was  the  loss  of  large 
simis  of  money. 

James  Fitzrnaurice  continued  to  devastate 
the  lands  of  the  queen's  partisans  iriMunster, 
A.  D.  1574.  He  frequently  fought  against 
John  Perrott,  governor  of  the  province,  and 
was  often  victorious  ;  having  defeated  the 
royal  troops  at  Kilmallock,  Sanid,  Kuille- 
hugie,  and  Cluonie,  where  Captain  Morgan 
was  killed,  and  his  troops  dispersed.* 

The  queen,  alarmed  at  the  successes  of 
Fitzmaurice,  sent  orders  to  her  deputy  to 
ofler  him  terms  of  peace  ;  declaring  that 
she  desired  more  to  preserve  her  authority 
in  Ireland  than  to  persecute  religion.  Fitz- 
maurice agreed  to  lay  down  his  arms,  pro- 
vided that  the  persecution  against  the  Cath- 
olics of  the  province  would  cease  ;  and  that 
the  earl  of  Desmond  and  his  brother  John, 
who  were  prisoners  in  the  Tower,  would  be 
set  at  liberty.  These  conditions  were  wil- 
lingly accepted  by  the  queen,  and  Fitzmau- 
rice put  a  stop  to  hostilities.  Elizabeth 
gave  orders  to  liberate  the  earl  and  his 
brother  :  she  had  them  brought  before  her, 
and  admonished  them  to  ptit  an  end  to  a 
rebellion  which  disturbed  the  public  peace. 
The  earl  replied  that  he  never  wished  to 
rebel,  and  that  his  own  loyalty,  and  that  of 
his  ancestors,  to  the  kings  of  England,  were 
well  known,  but  that  he  could  not  bear  the 
tyranny  practised  by  her  majesty's  ministers 
upon  the  people  for  their  religion.  The 
queen  dismissed  both  with  apparent  kind- 
ness, promising  to  fulfil  the  treaty  she  had 
concluded  with  Fitzmaurice.  The  perfidious 
princess,  however,  sent  orders  secretly  to 
the  captain  of  the  ship  that  was  to  bring 
them  to  Dublin,  to  give  them  up  to  the  de- 
puty who  resided  there.  She  also  dispatch- 
ed a  secret  communication  to  the  latter,  to 
retain  the  earl  with  him  in  Dublin,  and  to 
send  his  brother  John  to  Munster,  in  order 
to  bring  James  Fitzmaurice  with  him  to  that 
city,  that  the  three  might  confirm  and  sign 
the  treaty  that  had  been  made  with  the  queen. 
Such  was  the  plausible  but  treacherous  mo- 
tive assigned  ;  but  the  secret  determination 
was,  to  have  the  three  beheaded  together. 
The  earl,  however,  being  apprized  of  the 
design,  fled  immediately.  He  owed  his  life 
to  the  swiftness  of  his  horse,  by  which  he 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  Hib.  tome  2,  lib.  4,  cap.  8.  Relat. 
Girald.  cap. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


475 


arrived,  after  five  days,  with  his  brother  and 
cousin  James  Fitzniaurice,  in  the  remotest 
part  of  the  county  Kerry.  The  earl  of  Des- 
mond was  so  far  incensed  against  the  Eng- 
Ush  government  by  this  new  act  of  trea- 
chery, that  he  began  the  war  with  more 
vigor  than  before,  whereupon  he  was  pro- 
claimed a  traitot ;  the  government  offered  a 
reward  of  a  thousand  pounds  and  forty 
pounds  a  year,  to  any  that  would  give  him 
up  alive,  or  five  hundred  pounds  and  twenty 
pounds  a  year,  for  his  head. 

The  deputy  marched  his  forces  to  Mun- 
ster,  to  quell  the  disturbances  caused  by  the 
Fitzgeralds,  and  gave,  in  his  absence,  the 
government  of  the  English  province  to  the 
earl  of  Kildare. 

War  was  not  the  only  scourge  with  which 
Ireland  was  afflicted  at  this  time.  The 
plague  carried  away  numbers  in  the  English 
province,  while  the  Irish,  who  were  ani- 
mated by  the  promises  they  received  from 
Rome  and  Spain,  were  everywhere  up  in 
arms.  Fitzwilliam,  the  deputy,  was  recalled 
A.  D.  1575,  after  much  importunity  on  his 
own  part. 

The  queen  again  turned  her  thoughts  to- 
wards Sidney  for  the  government  of  Ireland. 
He  was  better  acquainted  than  any  of  his 
countrymen  with  the  state  of  affairs  there, 
and  consequently  better  calculated  to  gov- 
ern it ;  but  he  knew  well  the  difflculty  of 
subjugating  the  country,  which  made  him 
averse  to  undertake  the  office.  In  order, 
however,  to  fix  his  mind  to  the  attempt,  the 
queen  sent  over  a  fresh  reinforcement  with 
warlike  stoi'es,  and  promised  him  twenty 
thousand  pounds  a  year.  Pleased  with  these 
hopes,  Sidney  sailed  in  September  for  Ire- 
land, and  on  account  of  the  plague  in  Dub- 
lin, landed  at  Skerries,  whence  he  repaired 
to  Drogheda  to  be  sworn  into  office. 

Having  learned  at  Drogheda  that  Surly 
Boy  Mac-Donnel  was  laying  siege  to  Car- 
rickfergus,  and  had   killed  forty  men  and 
their  commander  Captain  Baker,  he  march- 
ed at  the  head  of  six  hundred  men,  and 
forced  Surly  Boy  to  abandon  his  enterprise. 
He  then  pacified  the  O'Neills,  O'Donnels, 
M'Mahons,  Maguires,  and  other  nobles  of 
the  North.     After  this  expedition  to  Ulster, 
Sidney  marched   into  Leinster,   where  he 
found  the  county  of  Kildare,  particularly  the 
I  barony  of  Carbry,  laid  waste  by  the  O'Mor- 
I  ras  and  O'Connors.  The  King's  and  Queen's 
counties  had  shared  the  same  fate  ;  but  Rory 
j  O'Morra  made    peace  with   the  deputy  at 
I  Kilkenny,  through   the   interference  of  Or- 
mond.       After    leaving    Kilkenny,    Sidney 
I  marched  through  the  counties  of  Waterford, 


Cork,  and  Limerick.  He  then  passed  through 
Thuomond  and  Galway,  administering  jus- 
tice in  all  these  places  ;  received  the  sub- 
mission of  the  Burkes  of  Clanriccard,  who 
had  rebelled,  and  left  garrisons  in  the  towns 
on  his  route  to  Dublin. 

The  plague  ceased  in  Dublin  and  in  the 
English  province  in  1576,  but  the  tyranny 
of  the  English  was  a  continual  scourge. 
The  country  appeared  a  desert ;  the  towns 
were  destroyed  by  the  marching  and  coun- 
termarching of  the  troops,  after  whom,  as 
they  passed  along,  nothing  was  to  be  seen 
but  wretchedness  and  desolation,  particu- 
larly in  Louth,  Meath,  Kildare,  Wexford, 
Carlow,  and  the  King  and  Queen's  coun- 
ties, which  were  at  one  time  harassed  by 
the  O'Morras  and  O'Connors,  and  again  by 
the  English  troops. 

In  the  deputy's  letters  to  the  queen  on  this 
subject,  he  complained  that  the  undertakers* 
in  the  two  latter  counties  were  so  poor  and 
so  few  in  number,  that  he  was  obliged  to 
leave  a  garrison  of  two  hundred  soldiers  to 
protect  them,  while  the  produce  of  both 
counties  did  not  amount  to  a  twentieth  part 
of  what  it  cost  the  crown  to  support  them. 
He  also  gave  her  an  account  of  his  services, 
namely,  that  he  had  rebuilt  Kilmallock, 
and  imposed  a  tax  of  two  thousand  pounds 
on  the  inhabitants  of  Connaught  to  rebuild 
Athenry,  which  had  been  burned  by  the 
Mac-an-Earlas,  that  is,  the  children  of  the 
earl  of  Clanriccard  ;  and  that  he  had  taken 
the  castles  of  Ballyclare  and  Ballinasloe 
from  that  nobleman,  and  had  received  the 
submission  of  the  O'Connor  Don  and  O'Flin, 
at  Roscommon,  who  wished  to  be  governed 
by  English  laws.  He  likewise  mentioned 
that  Connaught  was  disturbed  by  the  Scotch, 
allies  of  the  Burkes  of  Clanriccard  ;  that 
Longford  had  agreed  to  pay  all  arrears  which 
were  due  ;  that  Brefny  was  tranquil ;  that 
he  had  appointed  Thomas  Lestrange  and 
Thomas  Dillon,  commissioners  in  Connaught 
for  the  settlement  of  private  quarrels  ;  and 
lastly,  that  he  had  made  Robert  Damport 
high-sheriff"  of  the  province. 

The  affairs  of  religion  were  not  more 
prosperous  than  those  of  government ;  the 
churches  wei'e  abandoned  ;  the  priests  were 
dispersed  ;  the  children  left  without  bap- 
tism, and  brought  up  in  ignorance,  the  na- 
tural consequence  of  one  religion  endeavor- 

*  These  undertakers  were  needy  Englishmen, 
who  were  sent  over  to  establish  a  colony  in  those 
counties,  between  whom  the  estates  of  the  O'Mor- 
ras, O'Connors,  and  other  noblemen,  which  had 
been  confiscated  under  the  pretext  of  their  having 
rebelled,  were  divided. 


476 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


ing  to  establish  itself  on  the  downfall  of 
another.  The  ministers  of  the  old  religion 
were  driven  from  their  sees,  while  those  of 
the  new  were  too  few  to  sujiply  their  places. 
These  last  were  Englishmen,  sent  to  preach 
the  new  doctrine,  but  were  not  attended  to 
by  the  people  ;  they  were  shepherds  without 
flocks.  The  attachment  of  the  Irish  to  the 
Catholic  religion  has  been  unexampled.  Not- 
withstanding the  severe  laws  that  were 
enacted  by  Henry  VIII.,  Edward  VI.,  and 
Elizabeth,  down  to  the  accession  of  James 
I.,  it  is  a  well-established  truth,  that  during 
that  period  the  number  of  Irish  who  em- 
braced the  reformed  religion  did  not  amount 
to  sixty,  in  a  country,  which,  at  the  time, 
contained  about  two  millions  of  souls.  With 
all  her  power,  Elizabeth  could  not  boast  of 
having  established  the  Protestant  church  in 
Ireland.  The  marked  abhorrence  of  this 
nation  to  every  innovation  in  religion,  made 
this  politic  princess  dread  the  consequences 
of  forcing  their  conscience  ;  she  therefore 
waited  a  more  favorable  opportunity,  and 
enjoined  the  archbishops  and  bishops  to 
watch  only  the  interests  of  the  church.  She 
appointed  William  Gerald  chancellor,  and 
Sir  William  Drury  president  of  Munster. 

The  two  latter  having  landed  in  Dublin 
in  June,  the  chancellor  took  possession  of 
his  office.  The  deputy  wished  to  bring 
Drury  to  Wexford,  and  have  him  installed 
in  the  presidency  of  Munster,  but  was  obliged 
to  change  his  plan  ;  having  received  a  letter 
from  the  mayor  of  Galway,  informing  him 
that  the  Burkes  of  Clanriccard  were  again 
in  arms  with  their  vassals  ;  that  they  had 
brought  back  their  allies  the  Scotch,  set  fire 
to  the  gates  of  Athenry,  which  had  been 
lately  rebuilt,  and  pulled  down  the  arms  of 
the  queen ;  and  that  the  inhabitants  were 
plundered  and  their  dwellings  destroyed. 

The  deputy  immediately  set  out  for  Con- 
naught,  where  he  arrived  after  three  days, 
to  the  great  astonishment  of  the  rebels,  who 
quickly  withdrew  to  their  fastnesses.  Find- 
ing no  enemy  to  contend  with,  he  took  pos- 
session of  the  castles  and  fortresses  of  the 
earl  of  Clanriccard,  whom  he  sent  prisoner 
to  Dublin,  to  answer  for  the  conduct  of  his 
sons.  He  then  visited  Galway,  where  he 
remained  for  some  days,  and  from  that  went 
to  Limerick,  where  Drury  was  installed 
president  of  Munster,  after  which  they  both 
proceeded  to  Cork. 

The  new  president  exercised  the  greatest 
severity  in  the  province  of  Munster,  except 
in  the  palatinate  of  Kerry,  which  the  earl 
of  Desmond  considered  to  be  exempt  from 
the  royal  authority.     A  dispute  arose  upon 


this  subject  between  him  and  the  president, 
whom  he  accused  to  the  deputy  of  having 
raised  exorbitant  and  arbitrary  taxes  on  the 
people. 

The  Burkes  of  Clanriccard,  whose  father 
was  kept  a  prisoner  in  the  castle  of  Dublin, 
rebelled  again,  and  called  the  Scotch  to 
their  assistance.  They  laid  siege  to  Bally- 
riagh,  or  Loughreagh,  a  castle  within  the 
possessions  of  the  earl  their  father  ;  but  the 
garrison,  which  consisted  of  veteran  troops 
under  the  command  of  Thomas  Lestrange 
and  Captain  Collier,  experienced  officers, 
found  no  difficulty  in  dispersing  a  body  of 
men  collected  in  a  hurry,  and  without  dis- 
cipline or  arms.  The  deputy  marched 
thither  with  his  army,  and  being  assisted  by 
Mac  William  Oughter,  a  powerful  lord  of 
the  family  of  Burke,  in  Connaught,  he  com- 
pletely quelled  the  disturbance,  restored 
Mac  William  to  his  estates,  and  appointed 
Nicholas  Mally  governor  of  the  province, 
after  conferring  on  him  the  honor  of  knight- 
hood, according  to  his  instructions  from  the 
queen. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  earl  of  Essex  un- 
dertook a  second  expedition  into  Ulster, 
which  proved  fatal  to  him.  He  had  many 
enemies  at  court,  the  principal  and  most 
formidable  of  whom  was  the  earl  of  Leices- 
ter. The  latter  inherited  the  talents  and 
artifices  of  his  father  ;  he  was  well  versed  in 
the  intrigues  of  the  court ;  the  favorite  of 
Elizabeth,  and  a  sworn  enemy  to  Essex,  who 
was  then  sent  back  to  Ireland  with  the  empty 
title  of  lord-marshal,  which  by  its  attrac- 
tions would  necessarily  render  his  fall  more 
sure.  He  was  forced  soon  after,  by  his  ene- 
mies, to  resign  his  command.  The  insult 
being  too  great  to  be  borne,  he  was  seized 
with  a  dysentery,  and  died  in  Dublin,  after 
recommending  his  son,  who  was  about  ten 
years  of  age,  to  the  protection  of  the  deputy. 
The  earl  of  Leicester  was  suspected  of  hav- 
ing caused  Essex  to  be  poisoned,  which  is 
not  improbable,  as  Leicester  married  the 
countess  of  Essex  during  the  lifetime  of  her 
husband,  which  ceremony  was  again  per- 
formed after  his  death. 

The  nobility  of  Leinster  forwarded  com- 
plaints similar  to  those  that  were  brought  by 
the  earl  of  Desmond,  against  Drury,  for  his 
extortions  in  Munster,  a.  d.  1577.*  A  me- 
morial was  laid  before  the  deputy,  represent- 
ing that  their  libei"ties  and  privileges  were 
violated  by  an  exorbitant  and  unreasonable 
tax,  which  exceeded  twelve  pounds  sterling 
for  every  plough-land,  while  the  parliament 

*  Ware,  de  Annal.  lib.  chap.  19.  Cambd.  ibid, 
page  280. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


477 


alone  possessed  the  right  of  levying  taxes. 
Displeased  with  his  reply,  they  forwarded 
an  appeal  to  the  queen,  by  three  deputies, 
Scurlock,  Nettervil,  and  Burnel,  bringing 
also  letters  signed  by  Lords  Baltinglass,  Del- 
vin,  Howth,  Trimleston,  and  others,  in  the 
name  of  the  English  province.  The  queen 
referred  them  to  her  council  for  their  decis- 
ion :  the  Lords  Kildare,  Ormond,  Gormans- 
town,  and  Dunsany,  having  been  examined, 
they  answered,  that  it  had  been  always  cus- 
tomary to  impose  taxes  on  the  queen's  subjects 
in  Ireland  ;  but  at  the  same  time  entreated 
that  they  might  be  raised  with  more  lenity.* 
The  queen  finding  that  the  petitioners  wished 
to  dispute  her  authority,  sent  the  three  com- 
rriissioners  to  prison,  and  dispatched  orders 
to  her  deputy  in  Ireland  to  arrest  the  peti- 
tioners, to  fix  the  tax  at  five  marks  for  each 
plough-land,  and  to  punish  all  abuses  in  the 
collection  of  them.  Matters  being  thus  ar- 
ranged, the  petitioners  submitted,  and  were 
set  at  liberty,  as  well  as  their  commissioners. 
About  this  time  Sir  John  Desmond,  bro- 
ther to  the  earl,  married  the  daughter  of  the 
earl  of  Clanriccard,  who  had  been  divorced 
by  her  first  husband,  O'Rourke.  By  this 
marriage  he  formed  a  close  connection  with 
the  house  of  Clanriccard,  the  object  of  which 
was  to  aid  each  other  against  their  enemies. 
This  alliance  caused  uneasiness  to  the  gov- 
ernment, and  made  them  watchful  of  the 
earl  of  Desmond's  movements,  whose  loyalty 
was  already  doubted. 


CHAPTER  XLII. 


After  Garret  Fitzgerald,  earl  of  Des- 
mond, had  escaped  from  prison  in  Dublin, 
and  from  the  perfidious  design  the  queen  had 
formed  to  exterminate  himself  and  family,  he 
was  extremely  cautious  in  his  conduct  to- 
wards the  court  ;  but  never  lost  sight  of  the 
interests  of  religion,  which  he  secretly  sup- 
ported, and  which  he  considered  as  his  first 
and  most  important  duty.  He  placed  no 
reliance  on  the  repeated  treaties  with  Eliza- 
beth, who  had  so  often  deceived  him.  Deem- 
ing it  prudent  to  take  precautionary  meas- 
ures, he  sent  his  relative,  James  Fitzmau- 
rice,  to  Rome,  to  consult  with  Gregory  XIII. 
about  preserving  the  faith  in  Ireland,  and 
resisting  its  avowed  enemies.  Fitzmaurice 
first  went,  according  to  his  instructions,  'to 
the  court  of  France,  where  he  was  well  re- , 
eeived  by  the  king,  who  seemed  willing  to 

*   Baker's  Cliron.  page  352.  | 


assist  the  earl  of  Desmond  in  his  plans  to 
support  the  Catholic  religion,  but  was  pre- 
vented by  his  council.*  After  this,  Fitz- 
maurice went  to  Spain.  Philip  II.  recom- 
mended him  strongly  to  the  pope,  and  re- 
quested his  holiness  to  take  under  his  pro- 
tection the  persecuted  Catholics  of  Ireland. 

While  James  Fitzmaurice  was  seeking 
the  aid  of  foreign  princes,  Rory  or  Roderick 
O'Morra  and  O'Connor  Faly  were  vindi- 
cating their  country's  freedom  against  the 
queen's  ministers,  who  practised  every  spe- 
cies of  tyranny  against  the  Catholics.  The 
estates  of  these  noblemen  were  confiscated 
in  the  reign  of  Mary.  Rory,  by  his  bravery, 
recovered  the  district  of  Leix,  and  kept  pos- 
session of  it  till  his  death.  He  surprised 
and  burned  many  towns  belonging  to  the 
English  in  Leinster  ;  among  others,  Naas, 
Carlow,  Leighlin,  Rathcoole,  and  Ballymore. 
Being  attacked  by  some  royalist  troops,  he 
took  their  captains,  Harrington  and  Cosby, 
prisoners,  and  brought  them  to  his  usual 
retreat  in  the  middle  of  a  wood.  Here, 
however,  he  was  soon  after  betrayed  by  a 
servant,  and  surprised  in  the  night  by  Robert 
Harpool,  at  the  head  of  two  hundred  English- 
men. His  safety  now  rested  on  his  courage  ; 
his  soldiers  were  at  too  great  a  distance  to 
assist  him  ;  the  only  persons  with  him  were 
his  wife,  his  cousin  John  O'Morra,  and  an 
aged  nobleman  of  the  same  family,  imable 
to  defend  himself.  Followed,  however,  by 
his  cousin,  he  opened  a  passage  through  the 
enemy  with  his  sword,  and  after  wounding 
several  of  them,  escaped.  The  two  officers 
who  had  been  prisoners  were  set  at  liberty 
by  the  English,  who  had  the  baseness  and 
cruelty  to  stab  the  wife  of  O'Morra,  and  the 
old  nobleman,  without  pity  for  her  sex,  or 
for  the  infirmity  of  his  years. 

MacGioUa  Phadruig  Fitzpatrick,  prince 
of  Ossory,  who  became  an  English  subject 
by  accepting  the  title  of  baron  from  that 
government,  made  some  incursions  into  Leix, 
at  the  head  of  five  hundred  of  the  queen's 
troops.  O'Morra  marched  to  meet  him  with 
four  hundred  men  ;  but  unfortunately  wish- 
ing to  reconnoitre  the  enemy  before  the 
action,  he  was  surrounded  by  a  detachment, 
and  was  the  third  that  fell.  Such  was  the 
end  of  this  noble  and  generous  man,  whom 
the  English  term  an  arch  rebel.  Fitzpatrick 
was  not  the  only  Irishman  (of  the  ancient 
race)  who  was  base  enough  to  sacrifice  the 
interests  of  his  religion  and  country,  for 
titles  of  honor  which  were  generally  de- 
spised by  his  countrymen. 

*  Relat.  Girald.  cap.  19. 


478 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Francis  Cosby  being  appointed  governor 
of  Leix,  ruled  that  country  as  a  true  tyrant. 
His  son  Alexander  equalled  him  in  cruelty, 
and  wreaked  his  vengeance  on  inoffensive 
Catholics  tor  the  hard  treatment  he  had  re- 
ceived from  O'Morra.  Having  convened  a 
meeting  of  the  principal  inhabitants  in  the 
castle  of  Mollach,  under  pretence  of  the  pub- 
lic welfare,  he  had  them  all  murdered  by 
assassins  posted  there  for  the  purpose,  vio- 
lating thereby  all  honor  and  public  faith. 
One  hundred  and  eighty  men  of  the  family 
of  O'Morra,  with  many  others,  were  put  to 
death  upon  this  occasion.  This  cruel  and 
bloody  tyrant  took  such  delight  in  putting 
Catholics  to  the  torture,  that  he  hanged  men, 
women,  and  children,  by  dozens,  from  an 
elm  tree  that  grew  before  his  door  at  Strad- 
bally,  where  he  resided. 

Cahal,  or  Charles  O'Connor  Faly,  was  not 
indifferent  to  the  sufferings  of  the  Catholics  ; 
being  joined  by  Conal  Mageoghan,  of  the 
family  of  Moy-Cashel,  he  took  up  arms,  and 
gave  many  a  check  to  the  tyrants.  An  Eng- 
lishman named  Macforty,  expressly  commis- 
sioned by  the  queen  to  assassinate  O'Connor, 
fell  by  the  sword  of  him  whom  he  meant  to 
sacrifice  to  the  hatred  of  that  princess.* 

Sir  Henry  Sidney,  disgusted  with  the 
office  of  governor,  and  finding  that  his  ser- 
vices were  treated  with  contempt,  solicited 
with  eagerness  his  recall,!  which  he  obtained 
at  length  ;  and  having  regulated  all  public 
matters,  he  resigned  the  sword  of  justice  to 
Sir  William  Drury,  president  of  Munster 
Sidney  was  considered  an  upright  man  :  he 
had  filled  high  offices  in  England  with  integ- 
rity ;  and  as  a  proof  of  his  disinterestedness, 
it  is  affirmed  that  he  never,  though  four  times 
lord-justice,  and  three  times  deputy  of  Ire- 
land, appropriated  to  his  own  use  an  inch 
of  land  in  the  country,  which  was  a  rare 
example  among  his  countrymen. 

James  Fitzmaurice  having  arrived  in 
Rome,  was  received  with  distinction  by 
Pope  Gregory  XHI.  In  this  city  he  met 
with  Cornelius  O'AIoel  Ryan,  titular  bishop 
of  Killaloe,  and  Thomas  Stukely.;}:  Noth- 
ing certain  is  known  either  of  the  family  or 
country  of  the  latter  :  some  assert  that  he 
was  natural  sun  of  Henry  VIII.,  others,  that 
he  was  the  son  of  an  English  knight  and  an 
Irish  lady  ;  however,  his  conduct  proves  him 
to  have  been  a  knight  errant  that  was  seek- 
ing to  improve  a  moderate  fortune. 

The  sovereign  pontiff  evinced  great  zeal 
for  the  Irish  Catholics,  to  whom  he   sent 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  cap.  7. 

t  War.  de  Annal.  Hib.  cap.  20. 

t  Camb.  reg.  Elizab.  part  2,  on  the  year  1578. 


several  letters.  He  exhorted  them  to  per- 
severe'in  the  faith,  and  to  support  the  cause 
of  religion  against  the  heretics.  The  earl 
of  Desmond  he  appointed  chief  of  the  holy 
league,  and  made  James  Fitzmaurice,  who 
was  then  at  Rome,  his  lieutenant,  who,  in 
case  of  accident,  was  to  be  replaced  by  Sir 
John  Desmond,  the  earl's  second  brother,  and 
the  latter  by  James,  his  youngest  brother. 

The  pope  gave  a  large  sum  of  money,  and 
had  two  thousand  men  raised  in  the  States 
of  the  church,  for  the  expedition  to  Ireland. 
Hercule  de  Pise,  an  experienced  general, 
was  appointed  to  command  them.  All  things 
being  prepared,  and  the  troops  embarked  on 
board  a  small  fleet,  the  command  of  it  was 
given  to  Thomas  Stukely,  whose  orders 
were  to  sail  for  Lisbon,  and  to  wait  there  for 
James  Fitzmaurice,  who  was  to  go  thither 
by  land.  On  reaching  that  port,  Stukely 
found  that  Sebastian,  king  of  Portugal,  was 
preparing  a  considerable  expedition  for  the 
war  in  Africa.  This  prince  readily  prevailed 
on  him  to  join  his  fleet,  promising  that  he 
would  bestow  on  him  rich  rewards,  and  that 
he  would  assist  him  in  the  w^ar  in  Ireland. 
Stukely  accompanied  Sebastian  to  Africa, 
determined,  at  all  hazards,  to  advance  his 
own  interest.  On  their  arrival,  a  sanguinary 
battle  was  fought,  in  which  three  kings  lost 
their  lives,  namely,  Sebastian,  king  of  Por- 
tugal, Abedelmelic,  king  of  Mauritania,  and 
Mahumet,  who  was  the  promoter  of  this  un- 
lucky expedition.  Stukely,  and  the  greater 
part  of  his  Italians,  shared  their  fate,  a  just 
reward  for  his  disloyalty. 

Fitzmaurice  having  reached  Portugal  by 
land,  was  indignant  at  finding  that  Stukely 
had  betrayed  his  cause.*  Having  no  re- 
source left,  he  collected  the  remnant  of  his 
Italian  force,  which  had  returned  to  Spain, 
with  some  Cantabrians  given  him  by  his 
Catholic  majesty,  amounting  in  the  whole, 
to  about  eight  hundred  men.  He  then  sailed 
for  Ireland  with  six  vessels,  provided  with 
all  kinds  of  amnumition,  and  arms  for  four 
thousand  men.  He  was  accompanied  by 
Cornelius,  bishop  of  Killaloe,  and  Doctor 
Sandus,  an  English  priest,  as  legate  from 
the  pope.  This  little  fleet  arrived,  the  end 
of  July,  1579,  at  Ardnacant,  which  the  Eng- 
lish call  Smerwick,  in  the  western  part  of 
the  county  Kerry,  near  Dingle.  In  this  har- 
bor there  is  an  islet  fortified  by  nature  ;  on 
one  side  it  is  washed  by  the  sea,  and  on  the 
other  defended  by  a  steep  rock,  leaving  a 
passage,  where  it  is  joined  to  the  continent 
by  means  of  a  draw-bridge.     Fitzmaurice 

*  Hist.  (^thol.  ibid. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


479 


knowing  well  the  importance  of  this  place  as 
an  arsenal  for  the  succors  that  he  expected 
from  Spain,  added  other  works  to  render  its 
natural  situation  impregnable.  All  kinds  of 
provisions  were  put  into  it,  and  a  garrison 
of  600  men,  the  command  of  which  was 
given  to  Sebastian  de  Saint  Joseph. 

As  soon  as  the  arrival  of  James  Fitzmau- 
rice  was  known,  he  was  complimented  by  Sir 
John  Desmond,  his  brother  James  Desmond, 
and  several  noblemen  of  Munster,  who  joined 
them  to  prepare  for  the  war  against  the 
heretics.*  While  they  were  raising  troops 
for  this  purpose,  John  Desmond  attacked 
Tralee,  in  which  there  was  an  English  gar- 
rison ;  he  put  Henry  Davells,  Carter,  and 
some  others  of  their  chiefs  to  the  sword,  and 
dispersed  the  remainder.  Fitzmaurice  march- 
ed, at  the  same  time,  towards  Connaught 
with  a  few  followers,  to  prevail  on  his  friends, 
whose  intentions  he  was  aware  of,  to  join  in 
the  common  cause  ;  but  on  his  way  he  was 
attacked  by  Theobald  Burke,  eldest  son  of 
Sir  William  Burke,  of  Castle  Connel,  who, 
from  a  desire  to  please  Elizabeth,  sacrificed 
the  interests  of  religion  and  of  his  country. 
Finding  it  impossible  to  avoid  an  engage- 
ment, Fitzmaurice  resolved  to  conquer  or  die. 
Being  wounded  in  the  breast  by  a  musket 
ball,  and  roused  to  a  last  effort,  he  cleared  a 
passage  through  the  enemy,  and  cut  off  the 
head  of  Theobald  Burke  with  a  single  blow. 
The  brothers  of  that  captain  fell  also,  and 
their  entire  force  was  routed.  The  victory, 
however,  proved  a  dear  one  to  Fitzmaurice. 
His  wound  being  mortal,  he  died  in  six  hours 
after  the  action,  after  makin'g  his  confession 
and  receiving  the  last  sacrament  from  an 
English  priest  called  Alan,  who  always  ac- 
companied him.  Although  the  death  of  this 
illustrious  chief  fdled  the  Catholics  with 
alarm,  still  their  courage  was  not  broken 
down  ;  and  the  command  of  the  forces  was 
given  to  John  Desmond,  whose  zeal  was 
equal  to  his  bravery. 

Elizabeth,  grateful  for  the  services  received 
from  the  Burkes  of  Castle  Connel,  who  had 
rid  her  of  an  enemy  so  formidable  as  James 
Fitzmaurice,  wrote  a  letter  to  their  father 
William  Burke,  and  to  console  him  for  the 
loss  of  his  children,  settled  a  yearly  pension 
on  him,  of  two  hundred  marks,  to  be  paid 
from  the  exchequer  ;  she  also  created  him  a 
peer  of  the  realm,  under  the  title  of  lord-baron 
of  Castle  Connel.  The  old  man  died  through 
excess  of  joy  for  the  new  title. f 

Sir  John  Desmond  took  the  command  of 

*  Cambd.  ibid,  ad  an.  1579.  Relat.  Girald.  cap. 
22.     Baker,  page  355. 

t  Cambd.  ibid.    Baker,  ibid. 


the  Catholic  army,  andjustified,by  his  heroic 
actions,  the  choice  which  James  Fitzmaurice, 
when  dying,  had  made  of  hmi.  In  order  to 
check  the  career  of  Desmond,  Drury  the 
deputy  marched  towards  Munster  at  the  head 
of  four  hundred  infantry  and  two  hundred 
cavalry,  attended  by  marshal  Bagnal,  Malby, 
Wingfield,  Waterhouse,  Fitton,  Masterson, 
and  other  subaltern  officers.  He  was  also 
joined  by  the  lords  Kildare,  Mountgarret, 
Upper  Ossory,  and  Dunboyne,  with  two 
hundred  horsemen,  and  a  few  foot-soldiers. 
On  arriving  at  Kilmallock,  the  deputy  sent 
word  to  the  earl  of  Desmond,  and  a  few 
other  lords  of  the  province  whose  loyalty  he 
suspected,  to  appear  before  him,  in  his  camp, 
at  Kilmallock.  After  some  hesitation,  the 
earl  repaired  to  the  deputy,  who  gave  him 
up  to  the  lord-marshal ;  but  policy  soon  in- 
duced him  to  set  him  at  liberty,  as  he  knew 
that  Sir  John  Desmond,  the  earl's  brother, 
was  encamped,  with  the  Catholic  army,  at 
Sleavelogher. 

Sir  John  Desmond  having  received  intel- 
ligence through  his  spies,  that  the  deputy 
was  marching  to  attack  him,  left  his  camp 
at  Sleavelogher,  and  went  to  influence  the 
barony  of  Connillo  in  the  county  Limerick, 
in  his  favor.  He  posted  himself  advan- 
tageously in  the  castle  of  Gortantiburudi, 
near  a  forest  called  Blackwood  ;*  whither  the 
deputy  sent  a  strong  detachment  imder  Cap- 
tains Herbert  and  Price,  with  orders  to  force 
his  camp.  On  the  appearance  of  the  Eng- 
lish, both  armies  drew  up  in  order  of  battle  ; 
the  first  shock  was  favorable  to  the  heretics, 
but  they  were  afterwards  cut  to  pieces  by  a 
body  of  men  which  Desmond  had  concealed 
in  the  wood ;  and  which  attacking  them  in 
flank,  soon  put  them  to  flight.  A  great  num- 
ber was  killed,  and  among  them  Herbert 
and  Price. 

The  loss  of  this  battle  caused  great  afflic- 
tion to  the  deputy,  but  he  was  relieved  by 
the  arrival  of  six  hundred  English,  under 
Captains  Bourchier,Carew,  and  Dowdal,sent 
by  the  queen  to  Waterford,  to  reinforce  the 
army.  Sir  John  Perrot  arrived  in  Cork, 
with  six  vessels  to  protect  the  coast.  Being 
joined  by  this  reinforcement,  the  deputy 
went  on  another  equally  unsuccessful  expe- 
dition to  Connillo.  Having  fallen  sick  from 
excess  of  fatigue,  he  sent  for  Malby,  the  gov- 
ernor of  Connaught,  to  command  the  troops, 
and  after  conferring  the  honor  of  knight- 
hood on  Bourchier,  Stanly,  Carew,  Moore, 
Pelham,  and'  some  others,  he  withdrew  to 
Waterford. 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  Relat.  Girald.  cap.  23. 
War.de  Annal.  Hib.  cap.  21,  Cambd.  Elizabeth. 


480 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Malby  now  assuming  the  command  of  the 
army,  he  left  three  hundred  infantry,  and 
about  fifty  horse  at  Kihnallock,  under  the 
orders  of  Captain  Bourchier,  and  marched 
with  the  remainder  to  Limerick.  After  re- 
freshinghis  troops,  he  led  them  to  Eanaghbeg 
in  the  district  of  Connillo,  and  encamped 
near  an  abbey  called  Monaster  Nenay,  where 
some  auxiliaries  arrived  from  the  Burkes  of 
Clanriccard  and  the  Lacys, who  joined  them. 
Determined  to  drive  away  the  enemy,  John 
Desmond  assembled  all  his  force  to  give 
them  battle  ;  but  the  ardor  of  some  of  the 
troops,  who  began  the  engagement  by  pur- 
suing the  English  (who  were  flying)  to  too 
great  a  distance,  nearly  proved  fatal.  Being 
surrounded  by  these  fugitives,  who  were  su- 
perior in  numbers,  they  would  have  been 
cut  to  pieces,  but  for  the  prompt  relief 
brought  by  Desmond.  The  action  now  be- 
coming general,  both  sides  fought  with  equal 
bravery,  till  the  right  wing  of  the  enemy  be- 
ginning to  give  way,  and  one  of  their  prin- 
cipal officers  being  killed,  they  were  entirely 
routed,  after  a  combat  of  an  hour  and  a  half. 
Desmond  remained  master  of  the  field  of 
battle,  with  all  the  cannon  and  baggage  ;  he 
lost  only  Thomas  son  of  John  Fitzgerald  his 
paternal  uncle,  and  Sir  Thomas  Brown,  with 
some  foot-soldiers. 

The  troops  of  Desmond  having  refreshed 
themselves  after  the  victory,  marched  from 
Connillo  to  Atharlam.*  The  garrison  of 
Kilmallock  being  apprized  of  this  movement, 
sallied  forth  to  dispute  their  passing.  An  en- 
gagement ensued,  in  which  both  sides  fought 
with  equal  bravery  and  success  ;  but  after  a 
terrible  slaughter,  victory  declared  in  favor 
of  Desmond,  and  the  remainder  of  the  enemy 
withdrew  into  the  town.  This  victory  was 
followed  by  another  at  Gort  Na-Pissi,  where 
ten  battalions  of  English  were  cut  to  pieces. 


*  Cambdeu,  and  other  English  authors  after  him, 
do  differ  from  the  Irish  writers  respecting  the  above 
battles.  The  presumption  of  the  Englishman  makes 
him  suppose  that  every  thing  belongs  to  him,  and 
that  he  ought  to  be  victorious  though  he  be  defeated. 
\Vc  here  quote  two  authors  who  are  equally  worthy 
of  belief  with  the  English.  One  is  Philip  O'SuUivan, 
whose  father  was  one  of  the  principal  actors  in  this 
war,  and  who  scaled  the  walls  of  Youghal,  when  it 
was  taken  by  Desmond.  The  other  is  Daniel,  or 
Dominick  O'Daly,  archbishop  of  Conimbcd,  whose 
father.CorneliusO'Daly,  had  for  some  time  the  com- 
mand of  the  forces  under  the  earl  of  Desmond. 
These  authors  may  be  considered  as  eye-witnesses 
of  the  facts  that  are  given  ;  they  ought  not  to  be 
suspected  of  partiality  or  inaccuracy  in  their  ac- 
counts, more  than  Cambden,  who  wrote  on  what 
he  had  never  seen,  according  to  the  prejudices  of 
his  countrymen.  The  impartial  reader  will  judge 
and  decide. 


Desmond  after  this  made  incursions  upon 
Ormond,  and  carried  off  great  booty.  The 
Butlers  then  collected  their  forces,  under  the 
following  chiefs  :  Edward  and  Peter  Butler, 
brothers  to  the  earl  of  Ormond,  MacPieris 
Butler,  baron  of  Dunboyne,  and  Purcel, 
baron  of  Luochne,  and  went  in  pursuit  of 
Desmond  as  far  as  Knock  Grafuin,  or  Mount 
Grafuin,  where  a  bloody  battle  was  fought, 
which  terminated  in  the  total  defeat  of  the 
Butlers. 

The  earl  of  Desmond,  who  had  till  now 
kept  an  appearance  of  peace  with  the  queen, 
began  to  remove  the  mask,  and  to  act  with 
his  brother  John  Desmond.  He  carried  off 
considerable  booty  from  the  plains  of  Cashel, 
after  putting  the  garrison  of  that  city  to  flight, 
which  was  connnanded  by  Robert,  an  Eng- 
lishman. At  the  same  time,  Daniel  O'Sul- 
livan,  prince  of  Beare,  defeated  a  body  of 
English  near  the  monastery  of  Bantry. 

Sir  William  Drury,  deputy  of  Ireland, 
whom  we  left  sick  at  Waterford,  died  in 
September — Malby's  authority  was  now  at 
an  end  in  Munster  ;  however,  previous  to  his 
return  to  Connaught,  he  placed  garrisons  in 
the  towns  of  Rakele  and  Adare,  in  the  county 
of  Limerick.  The  privy  council  appointed 
Sir  William  Pelham  lord-justice  ad  interim. 
He  was  sworn  into  office  in  October,  in 
Christ's  church,  Dublin,  till  the  court  should 
nominate  a  deputy.  After  this  ceremony, 
the  new  lord-justice  conferred  the  honor  of 
knighthood  on  Gerard  the  chancellor,  and 
Edward  Fitton.  He  also  sent  letters  patent 
to  the  earl  of  Ormond,  appointing  him  gov- 
ernor of  Munster,  and  nominated  Sir  War- 
ham  St.  Leger,  high  sheriff  for  the  same 
province.  The  chancellor  was  dispatched 
to  England  to  inform  the  queen  of  the  state 
of  affairs  in  Ireland  ;  the  seals  being  given, 
during  his  absence,  to  Adam  Loftus,  arch- 
bishop of  Dublin . 

All  things  being  thus  arranged,  the  lord- 
justice  proceeded  on  his  route  to  Munster, 
attended  by  three  bodies  of  troops,  lately 
come  from  Berwick,  called  "red  coats," 
from  the  color  of  their  uniform.  On  his 
arrival  at  Kilkenny,  he  held  assizes,  at  which 
he  presided  in  person,  and  condemned  Ed- 
mond  MacNeill,  and  a  few  others,  to  death 
for  high  treason.  He  reconciled  the  earl  of 
Ormond  to  the  baron  of  Upper  Ossory, 
obliging  them  to  give  bail  for  mutually  re- 
pairing the  damages  which  had  been  caused 
by  their  dissensions.  He  went  to  Cashel  in 
October,  where  he  was  joined  by  the  earl  of 
Ormond  at  the  head  of  two  hundred  and 
thirty  men.  From  that  city  he  wrote  a  flat- 
tering letter  to  the  earl  of  Desmond,  to  in- 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


481 


duce  him  to  repair  thither  under  pretext  of 
wishing  to  reconcile  him  to  Malby,  but  the 
earl  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  trust  him. 
Pelham  afterwards  went  to  Limerick,  where 
he  was  honorably  received  by  Malby  at  the 
head  of  the  army,  and  by  the  mayor  and  a 
thousand  citizens  underarms.  From  Limer- 
ick he  proceeded  to  the  village  of  Fannings, 
which  was  the  rendezvous  of  the  army.  Here 
he  was  visited  by  the  countess  of  Desmond, 
who  brought  him  letters  from  her  husband, 
with  an  apology  for  not  obeying  his  orders. 
The  lord-justice  was  not  satisfied  with  this, 
and  sent  Ormond  to  the  earl  of  Desmond  to 
know  his  final  intentions,  but  on  his  returning 
an  evasive  answer,  it  was  decreed  that  he 
should  be  publicly  proclaimed  in  the  camp 
as  a  traitor,  unless  he  submitted  within  twen- 
ty days  ;  and  the  troops  were  ordered  to  lay 
waste  his  lands  at  the  expiration  of  that  time. 
Viscount  Gormanstown  and  the  baron  of 
Delvin  signalized  their  zeal  in  the  cause  of 
Desmond  on  this  occasion.  These  noblemen 
were  Catholics,  and  though  members  of  the 
council,  and  companions  of  the  lord-justice 
in  his  expedition,  they  generously  refused 
to  sign  the  sentence  which  was  pronounced 
against  Desmond,  whereupon  they  were  re- 
primanded by  the  council  in  England. 

The  earl  of  Desmond,  finding  himself  con- 
demned, marched  towards  Cork,  hoping  to 
create  thereby  a  diversion  which  might  check 
the  ravages  that  the  enemy  were  committing 
in  the  territory  of  Connillo.  Following  the  ad- 
vice of  his  relative  Fitzgerald,  seneschal  of 
ImokiUy,he  attacked  Youghal, which  he  took 
and  gave  up  to  plunder.  Dermod  O'SuUivan, 
of  the  noble  family  of  Beare,  contributed 
greatly  to  the  taking  of  this  town,  by  his  in- 
trepidity in  scaling  the  walls  at  the  head  of 
a  body  of  infantry  which  he  commanded, 
notwithstanding  the  obstinate  defence  of  the 
besieged.*  He  destroyed  a  body  of  troops 
under  Captain  White,  which  had  been  sent 
by  sea  from  Waterford,  by  the  earl  of  Or- 
mond, to  relieve  Youghal.  By  way  of  retal- 
iation for  the  taking  of  this  place,  Ormond 
made  an  inroad  into  Connillo,  where  he  was 
bravely  opposed  by  the  seneschal,  and 
though  he  remained  master  of  the  field  of 
battle,  he  sustained  a  heavy  loss  in  killed. 
After  pillaging  and  burning  the  whole  coun- 
try, and  treating  the  inhabitants  with  cruelty, 
he  marched  towards  Cork,  plundering  every 
place  as  he  passed.  He  was,  however,  greatly 
harassed  by  John  Fitzmaurice,  the  seneschal, 
who  gained  an  important  advantage  over  the 
red  coats  near  Lismore.f 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  Hib.  ibid, 
t  Hist.  Cathol.  Hib.  ibid. 


When  Ormond  arrived  in  Cork,  finding 
the  season  far  advanced,  he  ordered  the 
troops  into  winter  quarters.  He  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Cashel,  through  Youghal,  where, 
to  appease  the  queen's  anger  for  the  taking 
of  this  town,  he  had  the  mayor  hanged,  un- 
der pretence  of  his  not  having  defended  it 
against  Desmond.  He  gave  orders  to  have 
the  walls  rebuilt,  and  left  a  garrison  in  it  of 
three  hundred  men,  under  Captains  Pierce 
and  Morgan. 

The  earl  of  Desmond,  who  saw  his  forces 
diminishing,  while  those  of  the  enemy  were 
increasing  every  day  by  reinforcements  sent 
from  England,  wrote  letters  to  the  principal 
noblemen  in  Leinster,  whom  he  knew  to  be 
well  disposed  towards  them,  begging  their 
aid  in  defence  of  their  religion  and  country, 
against  the  common  enemy.  Whether  these 
letters  made  any  impression  or  not  on  the 
lords  of  Leinster,  they  took  up  arms  the  fol- 
lowing year  in  the  cause  which  Desmond 
so  nobly  defended. 

The  lord-justice,  who  had  remained  in 
Limerick,  set  out  for  Galway,  attended  by 
the  earl  of  Thuomond,  and  renewed  the 
privileges  of  that  city.*  From  thence  he 
proceeded  to  Athlone,  and  afterwards  to 
Dublin,  where  he  continued  for  some  time. 
William  Norris  arrived  at  the  same  time 
from  England,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty 
horsemen.  They  were  sent  by  the  lord- 
justice  to  garrison  Newry,  where  Norris 
died  on  Christmas-day. 

Towards  the  end  of  January,  Pelham  left 
Dublin  for  Wexford,  where  he  presided  at 
the  assizes,  held  for  civil  and  criminal  cases. 
Thence  he  repaired  to  Waterford,  where  he 
was  honorably  received.  The  earl  of  Or- 
mond joined  him  in  that  city,  and  having 
intelligence  that  a  detachment  of  the  ene- 
my was  marching  towards  Dungarvan  and 
Youghal,  they  dispatched  Captain  Zouch, 
with  four  hundred  infantry  and  one  hundred 
horse,  to  defend  those  towns. 

After  remaining  three  weeks  at  Water- 
ford, Pelham  went  to  Clonmel,  where  he 
was  again  joined  by  Ormond.  He  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Limerick.  The  chancellor  of  the 
church  in  that  city  was  arrested  on  suspi- 
cion of  holding  a  correspondence  with  the 
earl  of  Desmond  ;  and  the  bishop  was  con- 
fined to  his  palace  for  the  same  cause. 

The  lord-justice  and  Ormond  having  re- 
moved to  Rathkeale  in  March,  to  consult 
together  on  the  operations  of  the  campaign, 
they  resolved  in  council  to  divide  the  army 
and  act  separately.     Ormond  marched  his 

*  Cox,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  p.  362. 


482 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


division  towards  SleA^elogher,  burning  and 
destroying  the  country  as  he  passed.  Pel- 
ham  took  the  route  towards  Sleveniish,  near 
Tralee.  Finding  it  impossible  to  proceed 
further,  he  fell  back  to  besiege  the  fortress 
of  Carrikifoyl,  which  belonged  to  Desmond. 
The  commander  of  a  detachment  of  his  ar- 
my, when  passing  through  the  territory  of 
Clanmorris,  obliged  Fitzmaurice,  the  lord  of 
the  country  and  baron  of  Lixnaw,  to  give 
him  hostages  as  a  pledge  of  his  loyalty.  This 
inhuman  officer  had  the  hostages  hanged, 
violating  thereby  the  rights  of  war.*  His 
crime,  however,  met  with  a  due  chastise- 
ment ;  he  was  attacked  at  Ardfert  by  the 
troops  of  Fitzmaurice,  and  his  men  cut  to 
pieces.  Pelham  having  reached  Carriki- 
foyl, laid  siege  to  the  castle  ;  the  garrison 
of  which  consisted  of  nineteen  Spaniards  and 
fifty  Irish,  commanded  by  an  Italian  engineer 
called  Julio.  Having  effected  a  breach. 
Captain  Macworlh  entered  at  the  head  of  a 
strong  force,  put  part  of  the  little  garrison 
to  the  sword,t  and  caused  the  remainder, 
together  with  their  chief,  to  be  hanged.  As- 
keaton  and  Ballyloghan,  the  last  fortresses 
belonging  to  Desmond,  shared  the  same  fate. 

The  lord-justice  left  four  companies  in 
garrison  at  Askeaton,  and  returned  to  Lim- 
erick in  the  beginning  of  April,  1580.  Af- 
ter giving  his  troops  some  repose,  he  recom- 
menced hostilities,  devastating  the  lands  of 
the  Mac  Auliffs  as  far  as  Slevelogher  :  he 
then  penetrated  into  the  county  of  Kerry, 
towards  Castlemaine,  whence  he  carried  off 
large  herds  of  cattle,  but  the  army,  being 
badly  paid,  began  to  mutiny,  which  checked 
his  further  operations  for  a  while. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  in  Ireland, 
when  Pope  Gregory  XIII.  addressed  the 
following  letter  to  the  Irish  clergy  and  peo- 
ple : — 

"  Gregory  XIII.  to  all  and  every  of  the 
archbishops,  bishops,  prelates,  princes,  earls, 
barons,  and  all  the  inhabitants  of  Ireland, 
greeting,  health,  and  apostolical  benedic- 
tion. 

"  Whereas  we  have  exhorted  you  by  our 
letters,  during  these  last  years,  to  recover 
your  freedom,  to  defend  and  preserve  it 
against  the  heretics  ;  to  aid  also  and  sup- 
port, with  all  your  strength,  James  Geral- 
dine,  of  happy  memory,  who  had  ardently 
undertaken  to  break  the  yoke  of  slavery 
which  the  English,  who  have  deserted  the 
holy  Roman  church,  have  imposed  upon 
you. 

"  It  was  our  will  that  you  would  speedily 

*   VVareus.  ibid.  cap.  22. 
t  Hist.  Cathol.  Hib.  ibid. 


and  courageously  have  assisted  the  said 
James,  who  fought  against  the  enemies  of 
God  and  of  your  country.  In  order  to  sup- 
port you  in  your  zeal,  we  have  granted  to 
all  who  will  repent  and  confess  their  sins, 
and  who  have  followed  the  said  James,  the 
defender  and  protector  of  the  Catholic  faith, 
and  his  army,  and  to  those  who  will  join 
and  assist,  either  by  their  counsel,  arms,  or 
warlike  stores  ;  a  full  and  general  pardon  of 
all  their  sins,  the  same  as  the  sovereign  pon- 
tiffs have  been  accustomed  to  grant  to  those 
who  were  engaged  in  war  against  the  Turks, 
or  for  the  recovery  of  the  Holy  Land.  Hav- 
ing learned  with  grief  that  the  said  James 
has  (as  it  hath  pleased  the  Lord)  lately  fallen 
in  fighting  valiantly  against  the  enemies  of 
his  country,  and  that  our  dear  son  John 
Geraldine,  his  cousin,  has  with  equal  piety 
and  greatness  of  soul,  by  the  assistance  of 
God,  in  whose  cause  he  is  engaged,  suc- 
ceeded him  in  the  command,  and  has  already 
performed  acts  of  heroism,  for  which  the 
Catholic  faith  is  deeply  indebted  to  him  ; 
we  therefore  exhort  you  all  in  general,  and 
each  one  in  particular,  with  all  the  affection 
of  our  soul,  and  urge  and  require  of  you, 
in  the  Lord,  to  assist  the  said  John,  your 
leader  against  the  heretics,  with  all  your  re- 
sources, as  you  have  assisted  James  when 
living.  Confiding  in  the  mercies  of  the  om- 
nipotent God,  and  supported  by  the  author- 
ity of  the  blessed  apostles  Peter  and  Paul, 
we  give  and  grant  to  all  and  each  of  you, 
who  are  engaged  with  and  assist  the  said 
John  and  his  army,  a  plenary  indulgence 
and  remission  of  your  sins,  by  a  due  ob- 
servance, on  your  part,  of  the  conditions 
contained  herein,  viz.,  to  confess  your  sins 
and  receive  worthily.  The  same  privileges 
are  granted  to  you,  as  have  been  granted  to 
those  who  have  fought  against  the  Turks 
for  the  recovery  of  the  Holy  Land. 

"  Given  at  Rome  at  St.  Peter's,  under 
the  Fisherman's  ring,  the  13th  day  of  May, 
1580,  and  in  the  eighth  year  of  our  pontifi- 
cate." 

Thus  did  Gregory  XIII.  endeavor  to  re- 
medy the  evils  which  had  been  inflicted  on 
Ireland  by  Adrian  IV.,  one  of  his  prede- 
cessors. He  wished,  by  separating  that 
country  from  England,  to  repair  the  im- 
prudence committed  in  bestowing  it  upon 
Henry  II.,  under  the  specious  pretext  of 
establishing  the  faith  in  it,  and  reforming 
the  morals  of  its  people.  Gregory's  plan, 
however,  was  too  weak,  and  the  evil  too 
deeply  rooted.  Desmond  and  his  adhe- 
rents were  betrayed  by  some  of  their  coun- 
trymen, and   Elizabeth,  having  no  impor- 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


483 


tant  wars  to  maintain  against  the  neigh- 
boring powers,  turned  all  her  thoughts  to 
Ireland. 

Some  Catholic  lords  in  Munster,  who  were 
suspected  of  holding  a  correspondence  with 
the  rebels,  were  summoned  to  appear  be- 
fore the  lord-justice  at  Limerick  and  ac- 
count for  their  conduct.*  They  all,  with 
the  exception  of  Lord  Barry,  submitted. 
Cormac,  son  of  Teague  Mac  Carthy  of  Mus- 
kerry,  having  displayed  particular  zeal  in 
the  royal  cause,  had  his  share  in  the  re- 
wards ;  and  soon  after  found  an  opportunity 
of  signalizing  himself.  James  Desmond,! 
the  earl's  youngest  brother,  either  to  chas- 
tise him  for  his  perfidy  or  to  revenge  some 
private  wrongs,  made  incursions  on  his  lands 
at  the  head  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
and  carried  off  considerable  booty.  Domnal, 
the  brother  of  Cormac,  collected  all  the 
forces  he  could  muster,  and  having  pursued 
Desmond,  they  came  to  an  engagement, 
which  was  fatal  to  the  latter.  After  seeing 
all  his  men  fall  by  his  side,  and  being  him- 
self mortally  wounded,  he  had  the  misfor- 
tune to  be  made  prisoner,  and  given  up  to 
Warham  St.  Leger,  the  high-sheriff  of  the 
province,  and  Captain  Rawleigh,  who  had 
him  put  to  death  in  Cork  for  high  treason. 
His  head  was  cut  off,  and  exposed  on  the 
gate  of  the  city,  to  serve  as  a  warning  to 
others.  In  order  to  reward  his  services, 
Cormac  Mac  Teague  was  created  a  knight 
by  the  lord -justice,  and  appointed  high- 
sheriff  of  the  county  of  Cork. 

The  earl  of  Ormond,  who  commanded  a 
body  of  troops  at  Adare,  marched  towards 
Buttevant,  where  the  whole  army  suffered 
from  an  extraordinary  malady,  which  they 
termed  the  "  mild  correction."  It  was  a 
kind  of  violent  headache,  which  lasted  for 
two  or  three  days,  and  deprived  those  who 
were  attacked  by  it  of  their  understanding  ; 
it  was  not,  however,  fatal  to  many. 

After  the  contagion  had  ceased,  Ormond 
divided  his  army  into  two  parts  ;|  one  he 
led  to  Castle  Island,  in  the  county  of  Kerry, 
and  sent  the  other  to  Tralee,  the  place  of 
rendezvous.  He  then  marched,  with  his 
army  in  three  divisions,  towards  Dingle, 
plundering  the  country  as  he  marched,  and 
shedding  the  blood  of  the  Catholics  without 
mercy,  so  that  not  one  would  have  escaped, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  protection  granted 
to  several  by  Sir  William  Winter,  the  Eng- 
lish vice-admiral,  who  commanded  a  squad- 
ron in  the  port  of  Bantry,  to  prevent  the 

*  Cox,  Hist,  of  Irel.  page  365. 

t  Cariibd.  Reign  of  Elizabeth,  part  2,  ad  an.  1580. 

t  Cox,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  page  365. 


Spaniards  from  making  a  descent.  From  this 
time  we  may  date  the  decline  of  the  cause 
of  Desmond.  He  had  lost  his  cousin  James 
Fitzmaurice,  and  his  brother  James  Des- 
mond, the  country  was  laid  waste,  and  pro- 
visions became  so  scarce,  that  many  who 
were  attached  to  his  cause,  were  forced,  for 
want  of  subsistence,  to  abandon  him. 

The  Reformation  in  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land was  disturbed  at  this  time  by  the  ar- 
rival of  a  body  of  Dutch  fanatics,*  who  call- 
ed themselves  the  fatnili/  of  love.  They 
preached  in  public  their  wild  doctrine,  "  that 
none  but  those  who  belonged  to  their  family 
would  be  saved,"  and  maintained,  that  per- 
jury before  a  magistrate  who  was  not  of  their 
family  was  no  crime.  They  had  several 
volumes  containing  their  dogmas  translated 
into  English,  and  published  under  the  af- 
fecting titles  of  Gospel  of  the  kingdom,  Do- 
minical Sentences,  Prophecy  of  the  Spirit  of 
Love,  and  others  of  a  similar  import,  all 
of  which  were  burned  by  orders  of  the 
government,  and  the  authors  expelled  the 
kingdom. 

At  this  period,  the  court  appointed  Arthur 
Grey,  lord-baron  of  Wilton,  and  knight  of 
the  order  of  the  garter,  deputy  for  Ireland  ; 
he  landed  at  Dublin  in  August.  Some  noble- 
men of  Leinster  and  Meath  beheld  with  in- 
dignation the  Catholic  clergy  persecuted  ; 
the  holy  sacrifice  of  the  mass  abolished  ; 
their  churches  profaned  by  the  new  ceremo- 
nies of  the  reformers,  and  dreading  fresh  in- 
novations, united  to  defend  their  religion. f 
The  chiefs  of  this  confederacy  were  James 
Eustace,  viscount  of  Baltinglass,  Fiach  Mac- 
Hugh,  chief  of  the  O'Byrnes  of  Wicklow, 
and  Captain  Fitzgerald,  who  withdrew  from 
the  queen's  service  for  the  purpose  of  joining 
in  it.  The  plot,  however,  having  been  dis- 
covered before  it  was  ripe  for  execution, 
some  of  the  leaders  were  arrested  and  put 
to  death. 

The  new  deputy  having  learned,  previous 
to  his  receiving  the  sword,  that  Baltinglass 
and  Fiach  MacHugh,  with  their  confeder- 
ates, were  posted  in  the  defiles  of  Gleanda- 
loch,  determined  to  dislodge  them  ;  for  which 
purpose  he  collected  all  the  English  troops 
in  Leinster,  both  foot  and  horse,  and  march- 
ed to  Gleandaloch,  where  he  found  the  Irish 
ready  to  receive  him.  The  battle  began  in 
a  wood  which  was  lined  with  cavalry,  under 
the  command  of  Lord  Grey.  The  combat  was 
long  and  obstinate,  but  victory  having  at 
length  declared  in    favor  of    the    Irish,  a 

*  Baker,  Chron.  of  Engl,  on  the  reign  of  Eliza- 
beth.    Canibd.  Elizabeth,  ad  an.  1580. 
t  Hist.  Cathol.  Hib.  ibid.  cap.  14. 


484 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


dreadful  carnage  was  made  of  the  English 
troops,  and  the  deputy,  with  his  cavalry,  was 
forced  to  fly.  The  English  lost  eight  hundred 
soldiers,  besides  Sir  Peter  Carew,  Colonel 
Moor,  and  Captains  Aiulely  and  Cosby.  This 
last  commander  was  particularly  cruel,  as 
has  been  already  observed.  His  greatest 
pleasure  consisted  in  putting  the  inoffensive 
Catholics,  and  even  their  infants,  to  death 
before  his  door.  This  blood-thirsty  tyrant, 
however,  met  with  his  reward  at  last.* 

Pelham  having  regulated  the  aflairs  of 
Muuster,  "where  he  left  two  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  twenty  foot-soldiers,  and  three 
hundred  and  ninety-five  horse,  under  the 
command  of  Sir  George  Bourchier,  passed 
through  Connaught,  and  confirmed  Malby 
in  the  government  of  that  province.  He 
proceeded  to  Dublin  in  September,  and  gave 
up  the  sword  of  justice  to  the  new  deputy 
in  the  cathedral  of  St.  Patrick. 

According  to  some  writers,  James  Fitz- 
maurice  had  brought  to  Ireland  eight  hun- 
dred Italians  and  Spaniards,  and  had  fortified 
Smerwick  as  a  garrison  and  arsenal  for  the 
rest  of  the  Spaniards  who  were  expected. 
It  is  also  stated,  that  he  left  six  hundred  men 
in  it,  under  the  command  of  Sebastian  de 
Saint  Joseph  ;  but  Cambden  and  Ware  fix 
the  arrival  of  these  troops  in  Ireland  in 
1580.  However  this  may  be,  the  new  de- 
puty, in  order  to  clear  his  reputation,  which 
was  sullied  by  his  defeat  at  Gleandaloch,  de- 
termined to  besiege  Smerwick,  and  drive 
away  these  foreigners.  The  earl  of  Ormond 
had  already  failed  in  the  same  plan.  Having 
marched  from  Tralee  to  lay  siege  to  this  for- 
tress, a  sally  of  the  besieged  prevented  his 
continuing  it,  and  he  was  obliged  to  join  the 
deputy,  who  had  already  arrived  at  Rathkeal. 

Every  thing  being  prepared,  the  deputy, 
accompanied  by  the  earl  of  Ormond,  Captains 
Zouch,  Rawleigh,  Denny,  Mackworth,  and 
others,  marched  towards  Smerwick  at  the 
head  of  eight  hundred,  or  according  to  others, 
of  fifteen  hundred  men,  to  besiege  that  for- 
tress, while  Sir  William  Winter  blockaded 
it  with  his  squadron  by  sea.f  The  siege 
lasted  for  forty  days,  the  place  being  well 
provided,  and  obstinately  defended  ;  so  that 
the  deputy  finding  the  winter  draw  near,  and 
knowing  the  inconvenience  of  being  en- 
camped in  bad  weather,  was  resolved  to  ac- 
complish by  treachery,  what  he  could  not 
effect  by  force.  For  this  end  he  displayed  a 
flag  of  truce,  and  demanded  a  parley.  An 
Irish  nobleman  named  Plunket,  belonging  to 
the  garrison,  was  very  zealous  in  the  cause 

*   Hist.  Cathol.  Ibern.  ibid.  cap.  6. 

t  Hist.  Catliol.  ibid.  c.  15.     Relat.  Gerald,  i;.  13. 


of  the  Catholics,  and  strongly  averse  to  any 
truce  with  the  reformers,  alleging  that  they 
possessed  neither  probity  nor  honor,  and 
could  not  therefore  be  relied  on.  Sebas- 
tian, the  governor,  was  opposed  to  Plunket's 
advice.  He  was  desirous  of  capitulating, 
and  went  forth  from  the  castle,  attended  by 
Plunket,  who  was  to  act  as  interpreter. 
The  deputy  received  him  with  politeness, 
and  proposed  to  them  to  capitulate,  and  that 
he  would  allow  the  garrison  to  march  out 
with  all  the  honors  of  war.  Plunket  used 
every  eflbrt  to  prevent  the  treaty  from  being 
concluded,  by  giving  false  versions  of  the 
proposals  of  both  parties.  It  appeared, 
however,  by  his  countenance  and  mode  of 
speaking,  that  Plunket  was  not  a  true  inter- 
preter, upon  which  they  had  him  arrested. 
They  then  entered  into  a  treaty  ;  an  English- 
man, who  was  acquainted  with  the  Spanish 
language,  being  the  interpreter.  Sebastian 
returned  joyfully  to  the  fortress,  saying  that 
he  was  surrendering  the  place  to  the  English 
upon  honorable  terms,  and  that  seeing 
matters  so  desperate,  he  thought  it  prudent 
to  save  the  garrison.  The  captain  of  the 
Cantabrians,  and  Hercule  de  Pise,  inveighed 
loudly  against  the  treaty,  saying,  that  so  far 
from  fearing  for  the  place,  they  would  be 
able,  if  necessary,  to  oppose  the  enemy  in 
the  field  ;  but  the  soldiers,  who  preferred  life 
to  glory,  declared  for  the  governor,  and  lost 
both.  Though  they  surrendered  on  condi- 
tions which  were  sworn  to  by  the  deputy, 
they  were  immediately  ordered  to  lay  down 
their  arms,  and  were  cruelly  slaughtered  by 
the  barbarous  English.  The  governor  alone 
escaped,  but  was  banished  from  the  kingdom. 
Plunket  was  reserved  for  a  worse  fate — his 
arms  and  thighs  being  dislocated  with  ham- 
mers. It  is  from  this  event  that  fdes  GreicB, 
or  the  faith  of  Grey,  became  a  proverb  in 
the  country,  whenever  mention  was  made 
of  any  signal  act  of  treachery  being  com- 
mitted. The  fortress  of  Smerwick  being 
evacuated,  a  strong  garrison  and  governor 
were  placed  in  it  by  the  deputy.  The  gov- 
ernment of  Munster  was  then  consigned  to 
the  earl  of  Ormond.  Four  hundred  and  fifty 
men  were  left  under  Captain  Zouch,  whom 
the  deputy  appointed  commander  of  Kerry 
and  Desmond.  He  placed  troops  in  the 
other  cities,  towns,  and  villages  of  the  pro- 
vince, and  gave  orders  to  the  principal  offi- 
cers to  destroy  with  fire  and  sword  every 
place  that  continued  faithful  to  the  earl,  and 
to  bring  the  war  to  a  speedy  termination. 
He  then  returned  to  Dublin. 

The  deputy  received  intelligence  in  Dub- 
lin, that  the  earl  of  Desmond  had  passed  into 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


485 


Connauglit  witli  two  hundred  men,  to  join 
the  earl  of  Clanriccard's  two  sons  who  had 
taken  up  arms  ;  that  Viscount  BaUinglass, 
with  the  O'Byrnes,  O'Morras,  Cavanaghs, 
and  Keatings,  were  collecting  a  great  force  ; 
and  that  Munster,  Connaught,  and  a  part  of 
Leinster,  were  under  arms.  He  Avas  great- 
ly alarmed  at  the  news  ;  but  the  arrival  of 
a  hundred  and  fifty  horsemen,  and  six  com- 
panies of  infantry  from  England,  gave  him 
fresh  confidence.  With  this  reinforcement, 
and  his  other  troops,  he  scoured  the  territo- 
ries of  O'Faly,  Fearcall,  Kinalyagh,  and  Ely. 
He  condemned  O'Molloy,  lord  of  Fearcall, 
to  death  as  a  rebel  ;  the  O'Connors  Faly, 
MacGeoghegans  of  Kinalyagh,  and  O'Car- 
rols  of  Ely,  he  appeased,  and  thus  crushed 
the  conspiracy  in  its  cradle.*  The  earl  of 
Kildare,  and  his  son-in-law,  the  baron  of 
Delvin,  who  were  suspected  of  holding  cor- 
respondence with  Baltinglass  and  the  other 
Catholics,  were  arrested  and  given  in  custody 
to  Wingfield,  master  of  the  ordnance.  At 
the  same  time,  the  earl's  friends  persuaded 
his  son,  Henry  Fitzgerald,  to  withdraw  for  a 
while  to  the  country  of  Offaly,  from  which 
he  derived  the  title  of  baron.  He  there  fell 
into  the  power  of  the  O'Connors,  who,  for 
his  own  safety,  detained  him  against  his  will 
till  the  fate  of  his  father  should  be  known. 
The  deputy  sent  the  earl  of  Ormond  to  de- 
mand him.  The  O'Connors  at  first  refused 
to  give  him  up  ;  but  fearing  that  by  detain- 
ing the  young  nobleman  they  might  injure 
the  father,  they  sent  him  to  Ormond,  who 
brought  him  to  Dublin.  He  was  then,  to- 
gether with  his  father  the  earl,  and  the 
baron  -of  Delvin,  sent  to  England,  where  all 
three  were  committed  to  the  tower. 

A  report  was  spread  at  this  time  of  a 
conspiracy  to  surprise  and  seize  the  deputy 
in  the  castle  of  Dublin.  Though  this  was 
never  clearly  proved,  the  persons  suspected 
were  capitally  punished  ;  John  Nugent,  one 
of  the  barons  of  the  exchequer,  and  several 
others,  being  put  to  death. 

Captain  Rawleigh  repaired  to  Dublin  to 
complain  of  the  Barrys  and  Condons  in  the 
county  of  Cork,  and  obtained  a  warrant  to 
seize  on  Barryscourt,  and  other  estates  be- 
longing to  Barry,  lord  of  that  castle.  Raw- 
leigh received  a  fresh  reinforcement,  and  set 
out  from  Dublin  to  execute  his  commission. 
Barry  being  apprized  of  Rawleigh's  design, 
set  .fire  to  his  castle,  and  the  seneschal  of 
Imokilly  lay  in  ambush  to  intercept  his 
march,  so  that  Rawleigh  was  obliged  to  effect 
his  escape  to  Cork,  sword  in  hand.  Viscount 

*  War.  ibid.  Cambd.  Elizab.part  2,  ad  an.  15S0. 


Baltinglass,  who  had  taken  up  arms  in  the 
cause  of  religion,  against  the  queen,  wishing 
to  detach  his  neighbor  the  earl  of  Ormond 
from  the  interests  of  Elizabeth,  wrote  him  a 
strong  and  interesting  letter  upon  the  sub- 
ject. Among  other  things,  he  said,  that  if 
holy  Thomas  of  Canterbury  had  not  died  for 
the  Roman  Church,  he  never  would  have 
been  earl  of  Ormond.*  Cambden  adds,  that 
this  nobleman  was  descended  from  a  sister 
of  Thomas  a  Becket,  and  that  to  expiate  the 
murder  of  the  holy  prelate,  Henry  H.  had 
bestowed  large  estates  in  the  district  of  Or- 
mond on  the  ancestors  of  the  earl. 

The  deputy  having  gone  to  visit  Munster, 
gave  the  government  of  the  English  province 
during  his  absence  to  Loftus,  archbishop  of 
Dublin,  and  to  the  earl  of  Kildare. f  These 
governors  having  met  at  Tara  in  July,  1581, 
the  earl  set  out,  by  orders  of  the  council,  at 
the  head  of  two  hundred  horse  and  seven 
hundred  foot,  to  propose  terms  to  Viscount 
Baltinglass  ;  but  having  failed  in  this,  he 
withdrew.  The  enemy  taking  advantage  of 
his  retreat,  burned  the  town  of  Newcastle, 
in  the  county  of  Wicklow.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  deputy  on  his  way  through  Mun- 
ster, appointed  Captain  Zouch  governor  of 
that  province,  and  returned  to  Dublin  through 
Contiaught. 

Nicholas  Nugent,  chief-justice  of  the  com- 
mon pleas,  having  given  some  displeasure 
to  the  queen,  was  removed,  and  Sir  Robert 
Dillon  appointed  in  his  stead.  It  was  de- 
creed at  this  time  that  the  cavalry  should  be 
placed  in  garrison,  to  prevent  their  being  a 
burden  to  the  public,  and  the  prices  of  forage 
were  regulated. 

Zouch,  governor  of  Munster,  was  in  gar- 
rison at  Dingle,  where  several  of  his  men 
died  of  sickness.  Having  learned  that  the 
earl  of  Desmond  and  David  Barry  were  col- 
lecting their  forces  near  Achadoe,  in  the 
county  of  Kerry,  he  marched  with  his  army 
towards  Castlemaine,  and  surprised  the  earl, 
who  was  obliged  to  withdraw  to  a  wood 
called  Harlow  wood.  At  the  same  time, 
Fitzgerald,  commonly  called  the  seneschal 
of  Imokilly,  made  incursions  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Lismore,  and  being  attacked  by 
a  detachment  from  that  garrison,  he  killed 
twenty-five  of  them,  and  put  the  rest  to  flight. 
While  Zouch  was  at  head-quarters  in  Cork, 
an  occurrence  took  place,  disastrous  both  to 
religion,  and  to  the  earl  of  Desmond,  who 
defended  it  so  gloriously.    David  Barry,  and 

*  Cambd.  reign  of  Elizab.  part  3,  ad  an.  1583. 
Baker,  Chron.  of  England,  page  361.  Cox,  Hist. 
of  Ireland,  page  367. 

t  Ware,  de  Annal.  ibid.  cap.  23. 


486 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Fitzgerald,  seneschal  of  Imokilly,  thoughin 
arms  for  the  comnioa  cause,  had  a  dispute 
which  broke  out  into  an  opeu  rupture  at  this 
time,  and  destroyed  the  harmony  and  union 
which  ought  to  subsist  between  the  sup- 
porters of  the  same  cause. 

Barry  and  Fitzgerald  were  encamped  near 
Mount  Dromphinin,  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Blackwatcr,  which  falls  into  the  sea  at 
Youghal.  Desmond  and  his  brother  John, 
who  were  posted  on  the  opposite  bank,  were 
particularly  interested  for  the  reconciliation 
of  these  noblemen,  who  were  to  share  in  the 
perils  of  the  war;  and  John  Desmond  having 
undertaken  to  bring  it  about,  repaired  to  the 
camp  for  that  purpose.  Zouch  and  Dowdal 
having  learned,  through  a  spy,  that  John 
Desmond  was  to  cross  the  river  the  day  fol- 
lowing, on  his  way  to  the  camp  at  Drom- 
phinin, set  out,  during  the  night,  from  Cork, 
with  a  strong  force.  They  arrived  at  break 
of  day  at  Castlelyons,  and  posted  themselves 
near  a  wood  through  which  Desmond  had  to 
pass.  This  nobleman,  not  suspecting  that 
an  enemy  was  so  near,  had  the  misfortune  to 
fall  into  their  hands,  with  James,  son  of  John 
Fitzgerald,  lord  of  Stonacally,  who  accom- 
panied him.  Having  refused  to  surrender, 
they  were  surrounded  and  taken  by  the 
enemy,  and  brought  to  Cork  ;  but  Desmond, 
who  was  mortally  wounded,  died  on  the  way. 
His  head  was  cut  off  and  sent  to  Dublin, 
where  it  was  fastened  to  a  pole  and  put  upon 
the  top  of  the  castle  ;  and  his  body  tied  to  a 
gibbet  on  the  gates  of  Cork,  where  it  re- 
mained for  three  or  four  years,  till  it  was 
at  length  carried  into  the  sea  by  the  wind. 
James  Fitzgerald  was  put  to  death. 

After  this  expedition,  Zouch  surprised  the 
camp  of  David  Barry,  and  dispersed  his 
troops,  avenging  thereby  the  garrison  of 
Bantry,  which  was  put  to  the  sword  some 
time  before  by  Barry  and  MacSweeny. 
Tranquillity  being  restored  to  Munster,  the 
troops  in  this  province  were  reduced  to  four 
hundred  foot,  and  fifty  horse.  They  were 
however,  soon  obliged  to  increase  them.* 
Fitzmaurice,  baron  of  Lixnaw,  with  his  sons 
took  up  arms  again  to  revenge  some  injuries 
he  had  received  from  the  government,  and 
made  himself  master  of  Ardfert,  putting  the 
garrison,  under  Captain  Achin,  to  the  sword. 
He  also  took  the  castle  of  Lisconnel,  and 
forced  the  troops  who  defended  it  to  leap 
over  the  walls,  and  afterwards  devastated 
the  districts  of  Ormond,  Tipperary,  and 
Waterford,  without  meeting  any  opposition. 

Zouch,  governor  of  Munster,  having  re 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid. 


ceived  a  reinforcement  of  two  hundred  men, 
under  Sir  Henry  Wallopps  and  Captain 
Norris,  marched  towards  Kerry,  to  check  the 
progress  of  the  baron  of  Lixnaw,  a.  d.  1582.* 
He  retook  Ardfert,  Lisconnel,  and  other 
places  which  were  abandoned  by  the  baron  ; 
and  having  defeated  a  body  of  the  enemy 
near  Lisconnel,  he  proceeded  to  Limerick, 
from  whence  he  dispatched  Captain  Dowdal 
in  pursuit  of  that  nobleman.  On  coming  to 
an  engagement,  the  latter  having  lost  a  hun- 
dred and  forty  men  upon  the  spot,  was  forced 
to  retreat.  Dowdal  revictualled  his  garri- 
sons with  the  booty  he  took,  and  placing  a 
strong  fence  in  Ardfert,  returned  to  Cork. 

Notwithstanding  his  misfortunes,  Des- 
mond again  appeared  near  Athdare,  at  the 
head  of  a  few  troops,  and  attacked  the  gar- 
rison of  that  town,  in  a  sally  which  they 
made.  He  killed  several  of  their  men,  with 
two  of  their  officers,  and  obliged  the  rest  to 
take  refuge  within  the  fortress. 

Thomas  Butler,  lord  of  Cahir,  was  at  this 
time  created  a  peer  of  the  realm,  with  the 
title  of  lord-baron  of  Cahir. f  He  was  de- 
scended from  James,  fourth  earl  of  Ormond, 
and  his  second  wife  Catherine,  daughter  of 
Garret  Fitzgerald,  earl  of  Desmond.  Lord 
Arthur  Grey,  deputy  of  Ireland,  was  recalled 
to  England  in  August  ;  Adam  Loftus,  arch- 
bishop of  Dublin,  and  chancellor  of  Ireland, 
and  Sir  Henry  Wallopps,  treasurer  of  war, 
being  sworn  in  lords-justices  in  his  stead. 
About  this  time  Doctor  Sanders,  or  Sanderus, 
a  native  of  England,  and  apostolical  legate 
in  Ireland,  died.  He  led  an  exemplary  life, 
and  was  particularly  zealous  in  the  Catholic 
cause. I  He  is  styled  a  traitor  and  arch- 
rebel,  by  Protestant  writers.  This  holy 
man,  broken  down  by  fatigue,  and  disap- 
pointment at  seeing  impiety  triumphant,  died 
of  a  dysentery  in  a  wood,  where  he  lay  des- 
titute of  all  relief.  He  received  the  sacra- 
ments from  Cornelius,  bishop  of  Killaloe, 
who  continued  with  him  to  his  last  moments. 

The  earl  of  Ormond  landed  at  Waterford 
in  January,  with  a  reinforcement  of  four 
hundred  Englishmen,  who  were  placedunder 
the  command  of  Captains  Bourchier,  Stan- 
ley, Barkly,  and  Roberts.  This  nobleman 
was  also  intrusted  with  the  government  of 
Munster,  by  a  commission  from  the  queen. 
He  obtained  an  increase  to  the  soldiers'  pay, 
of  two  pence  a  day,  by  which  he  gained  the 
love  and  confidence  of  the  army.  His  first 
expedition  was  against  the  earl  of  Desmond. 
Not  satisfied  with  having  renounced  the  re- 

*  War.  ibid.  cap.  24.     Cox,  ibid,  page  371. 
t  Nichol's  Rudiments  of  Honor. 
X  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  cap.  16. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


487 


ligion  of  his  ancestors,  lie  also  wished  to  de- 
stroy him  by  whom  it  was  supported  ;  apos- 
tacy  which  was  but  too  faithfully  imitated  by 
his  descendants.  Having  received  intelli- 
gence that  that  earl,  and  a  few  of  his  follow 
ers,  were  in  Harlow  wood,  he  surprised  and 
cut  off  several  of  them,  dispersing  the  rest. 
and  forcing  them  to  abandon  their  chief. 

We  have  now  come  to  the  last  year  of  the 
lifeof  Desmond,  A.  D.  1583.  Finding  himself 
unassisted  by  the  Spaniards,  and  deserted  by 
his  adherents,  he  became  a  fugitive  through 
the  country.  On  arriving  in  the  county  of 
Kerry,  with  a  few  followers,  he  took  refuge 
in  a  small  house  in  the  middle  of  a  wood, 
called  Gleam-a-Ginkie,  four  miles  from  Tra- 
lee,  where  he  was  subsisted  by  plunder,  and 
whatever  Goron  or  Goffred  Mac-Sweeny, 
who  was  faithfully  attached  to  him,  could 
procure  by  hunting.*  Being  surprised  at 
length  by  his  enemies,  his  head  was  cut  off, 
and  sent  to  Cork,  whence  it  was  brought 
soon  after  to  England,  fastened  on  a  pole, 
and  thus  exposed  to  public  view  on  the 
bridge  of  London.  Such  was  the  end  of  the 
illustrious  house  of  the  Fitzgeralds  of  Des- 
mond ;  the  Maccabees  of  our  day,  who  sacri- 
ficed their  lives  and  properties  in  defence  of 
the  Catholic  cause.  Their  tragical  fate  was 
brought  about  by  the  treachery  and  wicked- 
ness of  their  countrymen.  James  Fitzmaurice 
was  the  victim  of  the  Burkes  of  Castleconnel ; 
James  Desmond  was  betrayed  by  the  lords 
of  Muskerry ;  John  Desmond  fell  into  the 
snares  of  the  reformers  ;  and  Ormond  had 
the  honor  of  ending  the  scene  by  the  death 
of  this  chieftain,  the  fifteenth  earl  of  his 
family. t  His  extensive  estates,  whose  rev- 
enue exceeded,  at  that  time,  four  hundred 
thousand  crowns,  having  been  surveyed  by 
Sir  Valentine  Brown,  Viscount  Kenmare's 
ancestor,  who  was  sent  to  Ireland  for  the 
purpose,  were  divided  among  the  English 
who  supported  the  war  against  him,  and 
particularly  the  earl  of  Ormond,  who  had  a 
large  share  in  the  spoils. 

The  Catholic  lords  who  were  engaged  in 
the  same  cause  with  Desmond,  seeing  the 
unhappy  state  of  affairs,  thought  of  providing 
for  their  safety.  James  Fitzmaurice,  viscount 
Bauinglass,chief  of  the  Catholics  in  Leinster, 
withdrew  to  Spain,  where  he  died  soon  after- 
wards. Some  were  won  over  by  the  queen's 
promises,  and  others  submitted  till  a  more 
favorable  opportunity  might  arise. 

Tranquillity  being  in  a  manner  restored 
to  Ireland,  government  turned  their  thoughts 

*  Relat.  Gerald,  cap.  24.     Hist.  Cathol.  cap.  15. 
War.  ibid.  cap.  26. 
t  Relat.  Gerald,  ibid. 


towards  the  business  of  the  state.  Sir  Nich- 
olas Bagnal,  Sir  Lucas  Dillon,  and  James 
Dowdal,  were  sent  to  Ulster,  Avith  a  commis- 
sion to  settle  the  affairs  of  that  province  with 
the  baron  of  Dungannon,  and  the  deputies 
of  Turlogh  Lynagh  and  O'Donnel. 


CHAPTER  XLHI. 

PERSECUTiON,whichhad  somewhat  abated 
during  the  war,  began  anew  with  increased 
severity  after  the  death  of  the  earl  of  Des- 
mond, and  the  other  defenders  of  the  Catholic 
cause.  It  was  enough  to  be  an  Irishman  to 
be  persecuted,  and  a  Catholic  to  be  crucified. 
Their  neighbors,  the  English  Catholics,* 
were  not  exempt  from  the  persecution.  In 
order  to  form  a  rampart  against  heresy,  es- 
tablishments were  founded  in  the  Catholic 
countries,  for  the  education  of  youth,  whose 
parents  had  not  renounced  the  religion  of 
their  ancestors.  These  were  called  semina- 
ries. William  Alan,  educated  at  Oxford, 
and  a  learned  man,  founded  one  at  Douay  in 
1568,  which  was  made  a  college.  This  house 
was  protected  by  the  pope,  who  increased  its 
revenue  by  an  annual  pension.  The  duke  De 
Guise  founded  a  similar  establishment  at 
Rheims,  and  Gregory  XIII.  instituted  one 
in  Rome  for  the  same  purpose. 

The  Catholics  of  Ireland  were  as  zealous 
in  the  preservation  of  their  faith  as  those  of 
England.  Protected  by  Philip  II.,  king  of 
Spain,  they  founded  in  the  Catholic  countries 
seminaries  for  the  education  of  their  youth, 
in  order  to  save  themselves,  and  others,  from 
the  contagion  of  heresy.  The  college  of 
Douay,  in  Flanders,  was  the  first  of  these 
establishments.  It  was  founded  in  1 596,  by 
the  efforts  of  Christopher  Cusack,  a  priest  of 
the  county  of  Meath,  who  applied  his  own 
patrimony  and  the  contributions  of  his  friends 
to  this  pious  undertaking.!  He  assisted  also 
in  founding  similar  houses  at  Lille,  Antwerp, 
Tournay,  and  St.  Omer  ;  and  was  president- 
general  of  all.  St.  Omer  is  the  only  one 
that  does  not  exist  at  present. 

France  generously  afforded  an  asylum  to 
these  voluntary  exiles,;}:  and  gave  them  a 
house  on  the  hill  of  St.  Genevieve.  They 
were  kindly  received  by  the  people  of  Paris, 
who  in  this  imitated  their  illustrious  fellow- 
citizen,  John  Lescalopier,  baron  de  St.  Just, 

*  Cambd.  ibid,  ad  an.  1580,  p.  315,  et  seq. 
t  Harris,  Hist,  of  Irel.  vol.  2,  p.  252,  et  seq. 
I  Messingham,  Florileg.  Insulae.  55,  Epistol.  de- 
dlcat. 


488 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


1 1  and  president  of  the  parliament.  This  vir- 
Ij  tuous  nobleman  and  true  Christian  was 
i!  deeply  affected  for  the  state  of  religion  in 
'  Ireland,  and  much  interested  for  the  fate  of 
the  Irish  priests  who  were  banished  from 
their  country  on  account  of  their  religion. 
These  were  looked  upon  as  martyrs  for 
Christ,  and  laborers  destined  to  cultivate  his 
doctrine.  They  were  brought  by  this  illus- 
trious Frenchman  from  an  obscure  dwelling, 
and  settled  in  a  more  commodious  place, 
while  he  was  providing  a  regular  seminary, 
and  funds  necessary  for  its  support.  Retire- 
ment was  a  favorite  virtue  of  this  pious  and 
good  man.  Every  day  that  could  be  spared 
from  public  business,  he  passed  with  the  Irish 
exiles.  Devotion  to  God  and  his  saints,  the 
conversion  of  heretics,  the  propagation  of  the 
faith,  and  salvation  of  souls,  were  always 
favorite  subjects  of  conversation  between 
him  and  these  novitiates.  He  was  frequently 
with  them  in  the  refectory,  where  his  humility 
was  such,  that,  forgetful  of  his  rank  as  first 
magistrate  of  France,  and  as  a  proof  of  his 
respect  for  the  exiled  clergymen,  he  always 
chose  the  last  place  at  table.  According  as 
they  had  completed  their  studies,  and  were 
prepared  to  return  to  their  country,  their 
illustrious  patron,  in  order  to  prove  their 
capability,  had  them  examined  by  Pure  Binet, 
a  learned  Jesuit  of  the  time  ;  he  then  himself 
presented  them  to  Cardinal  Retz,  bishop  of 
Paris,  to  receive  their  mission  from  him  ; 
after  which  they  were  furnished  with  clothes 
and  every  thing  necessary  for  the  voyage,  at 
his  expense.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the 
establishment  of  the  Irish  house  in  Paris. 

The  college  of  the  Lombards  being  de- 
serted by  the  Italians,  the  trustees  conferred 
it  upon  the  Irish  students  in  Paris,  by  an  act 
dated  9th  July,  1676,  which  was  confirmed 
and  ratified  by  letters  patent  in  August,  1677, 
and  registered  in  the  parliament  of  February, 
1680.  This  college,  which  was  in  a  state  of 
ruin,  was  rebuilt  by  the  united  care  of  two 
Irish  ecclesiastics,  Maginn  and  O'Kelly ;  the 
former  abbot  de  Tulles,  the  latter,  prior  of 
St.  Nicholas  de  Chapouin.  In  memory  of 
this  service  they  are  acknowledged  by  the 
agents  of  the  college  as  its  restorers.  These 
two  benefactors  were  authorized  to  rebuild 
it,  and  obtained,  for  that  purpose,  letters 
patent,  dated  March,  1681,  and  registered 
the  19th  August  of  the  same  year. 

Seminaries  were  also  established  in  Bour- 
deaux,  Toulouse,  and  Nantes,  for  the  Irish  ;* 
the  two  former  under  the  patronage  of  Queen 
Anne  of  Austria.     The  seminary  of  Bour- 

*  Harris,  ibid. 


deaux  was  first  founded  in  1603,  by  Francis 
de  Sourdis,  cardinal  and  archbishop  of  that 
city.  Louis  XIV.  granted  an  annual  pension 
to  this  house,  and  to  that  of  Toulouse,  at  the 
solicitation  of  the  queen  his  mother. 

Other  nations  were  equally  zealous  to 
contribute  their  support  to  the  religion  in 
Ireland.  Cardinal  Ludovisius  founded  a 
college  for  Irish  students  in  Rome,  in  1628, 
and  endowed  it  with  a  yearly  income  of  six 
hundred  Roman  crowns  ;  and,  in  order  to 
enable  the  establishment  to  support  a  greater 
number  of  students,  he  bequeathed  to  it  a 
vineyard  fifteen  miles  from  Rome,  aYid  an 
annual  pension  of  one  thousand  crowns. 

Baron  George  Sylveria  founded,  at  Alcala 
de  Henares,  a  college  for  Irish  priests,  to- 
wards the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century .  This 
nobleman  was  a  native  of  Portugal,  but  an 
Irishman  at  heart ;  his  mother  was  a  Mac- 
Donnel,  and  of  Irish  parents.  He  endowed 
this  establishment  with  two  thousand  pounds 
sterling  a  year,  and  one  thousand  pounds  for 
the  support  of  the  chapel,  which  was  dedi- 
cated to  St.  George  the  martyr. 

At  Seville  there  are  two  colleges  :  one  a 
royal  establishment  for  the  Irish,  and  dedi- 
cated to  the  immaculate  conception  of  the 
blessed  Virgin.  Sarapater,a  canon  of  Seville, 
was  one  of  its  benefactors.  The  second,  call- 
ed St.  Gregory's  college,  being  dedicated  to 
Pope  Gregory  the  Great,  who  sent  Augustin 
as  apostle  to  England,  was  founded  for  the 
English,  who  have  since  abandoned  it.  It 
belongs  at  present  to  the  Irish. 

In  1582,  there  was  a  college  founded  at 
Salamanca  for  Irish  priests,  by  the  states  of 
the  kingdoms  of  Castile  and  Leon.  Its  rev- 
enues having  decreased,  Philip  III.  took  it 
under  his  protection  in  1610,  and  restored  it. 

The  Irish  priests  have  a  seminary  in  Lis- 
bon, founded  in  1595,  by  Ximenes,  who  was 
interred  there.  Mass  is  offered  every  week 
for  the  repose  of  his  soul.  Cardinal  Henri- 
ques  founded,  about  the  same  time,  a  college 
for  Irish  priests  at  Evora,  dedicated  to  St. 
Bridget.  It  afterwards  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Jesuits. 

These  seminaries  were  filled  with  learned 
ecclesiastics,  who,  after  they  had  completed 
their  studies,  returned  to  their  own  country 
to  console  the  faithful,  and  administer  to 
them  spiritual  assistance,  in  which  they  were 
seconded  by  the  truly  apostolical  zeal  of  the 
Jesuits.  These  establishments  did  not  fail  to 
attract  the  attention  of  the  English  court ; 
they  were  considered  as  very  dangerous  to  the 
government,  and  opposed  to  the  reformation 
of  the  church.  In  order  to  remedy  this,  an 
edict  was  published,  commanding  all  who  had 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


489 


children,  wards,  or  relations  in  foreign  coun- 
tries, to  send,  within  ten  days,  their  names  to 
the  judge  of  the  district,  to  recall  them  within 
four  months,  and  present  them  immediately 
on  their  return,  to  the  said  judge.  By  the 
same  edict,  it  was  prohibited  to  send  them 
money  ;  and  every  one  was  strictly  forbidden 
to  receive  these  seminarians  or  Jesuits  into 
his  house,  or  to  support,  nourish,  or  relieve 
them  in  any  manner,  under  pain  of  being 
considered  rebels,  and  punished  according 
to  the  laws.  In  consequence  of  this  pro- 
clamation, several  priests,Jesuits,  and  monks, 
suffered  martyrdom  with  Christian  fortitude, 
among  whom  were  the  two  celebrated  Jesuits, 
Personius  and  Campianus. 

Dermod  O'Hurly,  archbishop  of  Cashel, 
was  the  first  martyr  this  year  in  Ireland.* 
He  studied  at  Louvain  and  in  Paris  with 
celebrity ;  and  was  the  professor  of  law  in 
the  former  of  these  universities ;  he  went 
-afterwards  to  Rome,  where  he  was  kindly 
received  by  Gregory  XIII.,  who  appointed 
him  archbishop  of  Cashel.  Full  of  zeal  for 
the  salvation  of  his  brethren,  he  set  out,  after 
his  consecration,  for  Ireland,  where  he  found 
all  things  in  a  state  of  anarchy.  The  see  of 
Cashel  was  held  by  Miler  Magrath,  an  apos- 
tate monk  of  St.  Francis  :t  the  altars  were 
overthrown,  the  Catholic  clergy  left  with- 
out an  asylum,  and  were  forced  to  assume 
women's  apparel.  All,  however,  did  not  di- 
minish the  zeal  of  the  new  bishop  of  Cashel. 
He  taught  in  the  Catholic  houses,  and  con- 
firmed the  faithful  in  their  religion,  making 
no  distinction  of  province  or  diocese.:}:  Being 
with  Thomas,  lord-baron  of  Slane,  in  the 
county  of  Meath,  he  was  recognised  by  the 
chief-justice  of  the  King's  Bench,  who  sent 
intelligence  of  his  discovery  to  Adam  Lof- 
tus,  the  chancellor,  and  Henry  Loftus,  the 
treasurer,  who  were  at  the  head  of  the  gov- 
ernment.^ They  immediately  gave  orders 
to  the  baron  to  send  them  the  prelate  in 
chains.  He  had,  however,  escaped,  but  the 
baron,  dreading  the  rigor  of  the  laws  en- 
acted against  those  who  harbored  priests, 
pursued  him  as  far  as  Carrick-on-Suir,  where 
he  was  arrested  in  September  at  the  earl  of 
Ormond's,  and  brought  a  prisoner  to  Dub- 
lin. He  was  loaded  with  chains  and  con- 
fined in  a  dungeon  till  Holy  Thursday  of 
the  following  year,  when  he  was  brought 
before  the  chancellor  and  treasurer.  They 
tried  every  means  to  make  him  renounce  the 
pope's  authority   and  acknowledge  that  of 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  cap.  19. 

t  War.  de  Arch.  Casseliens. 

t  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid. 

§  Aualccta  Sacra,  part  3,  page  48,  et.  seq. 


the  queen,  who  would  appoint  him  to  the 
see  of  Cashel ;  but  the  holy  prelate's  perse- 
verance in  the  ancient  religion,  and  firm 
adherence  to  the  authority  of  the  vicar  of 
Jesus  Christ,  caused  the  most  cruel  tortures 
to  be  inflicted  upon  him.  He  was  hanged 
on  the  seventh  of  June,  without  the  city, 
before  daybreak,  in  order  to  avoid  any  tu- 
mult which  so  inhuman  a  spectacle  might 
produce  among  the  people. 

About  this  same  period  we  discover  two 
celebrated  martyrs,  Gelasius  O'Culennan, 
abbot  of  the  monastery  of  Boyle,  of  the  or- 
der of  St.  Bernard,  in  the  county  of  Ros- 
common, and  Owen  O'Melkeren,  a  priest. 
These  ministers  of  Christ,  after  long  and 
cruel  sufferings,  were  hung  in  Dublin,  on 
the  1st  of  November,  for  that  cause  which 
the  archbishop  of  Cashel  had  supported  to 
his  death.  In  order  to  avoid  a  tedious  di- 
gression, we  must  here  refrain  from  giving 
a  circumstantial  account  of  all  those  who 
suffered  martyrdom  in  Ireland  from  the 
commencement  of  the  Reformation.  In  the 
course,  however,  of  this  history,  we  will 
meet  many,  both  in  this  and  the  succeeding 
reigns,  although  certain  English  writers 
affirm,  with  their  usual  effrontery,  that  Eliza- 
beth never  interfered  with  the  religion  of 
her  subjects.* 

Sir  John  Perrot  was  sent  deputy  to  Ire- 
land, in  June,  1584.  His  commission,  which 
he  was  to  retain  according  to  the  queen's 
pleasure,  authorized  him  to  make  peace  or 
war  ;  to  punish  or  pardon  any  crime,  except 
that  of  high  treason  against  her  majesty  and 
that  of  forgery  ;  to  issue  proclamations,  im- 
pose fines,  dispose  of  the  estates  of  the  re- 
bels, exercise  martial  law,  and  convene  par- 
liaments with  the  queen's  consent.  He  had 
the  appointment  of  all  officers,  except  the 
chancellor,  treasurer,  the  three  principal 
judges,  and  the  master  of  the  rolls.  He 
had  also  the  right  of  conferring  livings,  ex- 
cept archbishoprics  and  bishoprics  ;  and,  in 
fine,  he  possessed  power  over  every  thing 
relative  to  government,  and  the  administra- 
tion of  justice.! 

In  order  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
affairs  of  Ireland,  the  deputy  spent  eighteen 
days  in  consultation  with  the  privy  council, 
which  was  composed  of  the  archbishop  of 
Dublin,  the  chancellor,  the  earl  of  Ormond, 
treasurer,  the  bishops  of  Armagh,  Meath, 
and  Kilmore,  Sir  John  Norris,  president  of 
Munster,  Sir  Henry  Wallopp,  treasurer  of 
war.  Sir  Nicholas  Bagnal,  knight-marshal, 

*  Baker,  Chron.  p.  359. 
t  War.  ibid.  cap.  26. 


490 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Robert  Gardiner,  chief-justice,  Robert  Dil- 
lon, chief-justice  of  the  common  pleas,  Lu- 
cas Dillon,  chief-baron,  Nichohis  White, 
master  of  the  rolls,  Richard  Bingham,  chief 
commissioner  of  Connaught,  and  Sirs  Henry 
Cowley,  Edward  Watcrhouse,  Thomas  Le- 
strange,  Edward  Brabazon,  JeofTrey  Fen- 
ton,  secretary  of  state,  Warham  St.  Leger, 
and  Valentine  Brown.  The  deputy  having 
made  himself  fully  acquainted  with  the  state 
of  Ireland,  laid  down  his  plan  of  govern- 
ment, and  sent  OA^er  James  Fitzgerald,  son 
of  the  earl  of  Desmond,  to  England.  The 
countess,  his  mother,  had  given  him  Jis  a 
hostage  to  Drury,  the  deputy,  who  confined 
him  in  the  castle  of  Dublin. 

Perrot  set  out  from  Dublin  in  July,  to 
visit  the  provinces  of  Connaught  and  Mun- 
ster.  On  his  arrival  in  Galway,  he  en- 
deavored to  reconcile  the  lords  of  that  pro- 
vince, and  settle  their  disputes.  Thence  he 
proceeded  to  Limerick,  where  he  learned 
that  the  Scotch  allies  of  Surly  Boy  Mac- 
Donnel,  amounting  to  a  thousand  men,  had 
made  a  descent  on  Ulster.  He  also  discov- 
ered a  rebellion  to  be  hatching  in  Munster 
by  O'Neill,  and  obliged  those  whom  he  sus- 
pected most  to  give  hostages.  He  confided 
the  government  of  the  county  of  Cork  to 
Judges  Walsh  and  Miagh,  the  sheriff.  Sir 
William  Stanley,  and  the  Lords  Barry  and 
Roche.  He  placed  the  provost-marshal  over 
Limerick,  and  appointed  the  earl  of  Clan- 
carty.  Sir  Owen  O'Sullivan,  and  O'Sullivan 
More,  to  the  government  of  Desmond.  He 
left  Kerry  to  the  care  of  the  sheriff,  Lord 
Lixnaw,  and  the  president  of  the  province, 
and  returned  to  Dublin  in  August. 

The  deputy  was  now  preparing  for  an 
expedition  into  Ulster.  Having  collected  a 
thousand  infantry,  and  some  light  troops, 
with  the  militia  of  the  provinca,  he  marched 
to  Newry,  in  the  county  of  Down,  attended 
by  a  great  number  of  officers  and  noblemen. 
He  confirmed  the  truce  which  had  been  pre- 
viously agreed  upon  between  the  govern- 
ment and  Turlogh  Lynogh,  Magennis,  Mac- 
Mahon,  Turlogh  Brasilogh,  and  other  Irish 
lords  of  that  province,  from  whom  he  re- 
ceived hostages.  The  deputy  having  learned 
that  the  Scotch  islanders  Avere  at  Lough 
Foyle,  in  the  northern  extremity  of  the  pro- 
vince, sent  a  fleet  to  disperse  them  ;  but  the 
Scotch,  being  informed  of  his  intentions,  set 
sail,  and  gained  their  own  coasts  in  spite  of 
the  English  admiral.  The  deputy,  accom- 
panied by  Ormond  and  other  nobles,  pro- 
ceeded on  the  right  bank  of  the  river  Bann, 
where  he  laid  waste  the  lands  of  Brian  Car- 
rows,  and  forced  him  and  Surly  Boy  to  re- 


tire with  their  troops  to  Glancomkeane,  dur- 
ing which  time  General  Norris  and  the  baron 
of  Dungannon  plundered,  without  mercy, 
the  estates  of  Ocahane,  and  carried  off  a 
booty  of  two  hundred  oxen.  About  one 
Inmdred,  however,  of  his  army  were  cut  to 
pieces  by  Brian  Carrow's  men,  and  subse- 
quently about  the  same  number,  who  had 
been  sent  to  succor  the  first  body.  Norris 
himself  was  wounded,  and  Oliver  Lambert 
made  prisoner  on  the  lands  of  Ocahane. 

The  time  passed  in  mutual  skirmishes  be- 
tween the  Ulstermen  and  the  English  ;  vic- 
tory being  sometimes  in  favor  of  one  party, 
sometimes  of  the  other.  Meriman,  an  Eng- 
lish captain,  made  great  booty :  while  Norris 
surrounded  the  wood  of  Glancomkeane, 
plundering  at  the  same  time  the  estates  of 
Brian  Carrows.  The  deputy  marched  north- 
wards to  besiege  Dunluce,  and  sent  his  ar- 
tillery by  sea  for  that  purpose,  to  Portrush, 
an  island  near  the  coast :  whence  it  was 
brought  to  the  camp  before  Dunluce.  It 
may  be  easily  inferred,  that  a  place  not 
provided  with  cannon,  could  make  but  a 
feeble  resistance.  Donfert  soon  afterwards 
shared  the  same  fate,  which  obliged  Surly 
Boy  to  surrender  and  give  hostages. 

The  deputy  having  left  two  hundred  in- 
fantry and  fifty  cavalry  in  garrison  at  Cole- 
raine,  returned  to  Newry  about  the  end  of 
September.  Turlogh  Lynogh  gave  him  up 
the  son  of  Shane  O'Neill,  as  a  prisoner. 
Conn,  son  of  Neil  Ogue,  or  the  young,  lord 
of  Clanneboy,  was  forced,  by  orders  of  the 
deputy,  to  surrender  half  of  his  estates.  The 
government  of  Ulster  was  divided  between 
Turlogh  Lynogh,  baron  of  Dungannon,  and 
Sir  Henry  Bagnal,  after  which  the  deputy 
returned  to  Dublin  in  the  month  of  October. 

In  April  the  parliament  was  convened  in 
Dublin.  The  deputy  was  desirous  to  intro- 
duce the  English  dress  among  the  Irish 
nobles.  To  this  they  were  opposed,  as  they 
deemed  a  conformity  in  apparel  as  a  mark 
of  their  subjection.  To  induce  them  to  com- 
ply, the  deputy  presented  English  costumes 
to  Turlogh  Lynogh,  and  other  Irish  noble- 
men. One  among  them  jocosely  observed 
to  the  deputy,  "  you  will  then  give  my  chap- 
lain permission  to  walk  the  streets  with  me 
in  petticoats,  and  the  rabble  will  laugh  at 
him  as  well  as  at  me  ;"  to  which  the  deputy 
gravely  replied,  that  order  and  decency  re- 
quired that  conformity  in  dress. 

Eastern  Brefny  was  divided  into  a  barony  ; 
it  has  since  been  called  the  county  of  Cavan.* 
The  parliament  which  assembled  in  Dublin 

*  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  27 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


491 


had  among  those  who  composed  it,  four 
archbishops,  and  twenty  bishops,  Protestants 
of  course.  The  other  members  were,  the 
earls  of  Ormond,  Kiklare,  Tyrone,  Thuo- 
mond,  Clanriccard,  and  Glencar  ;  the  vis- 
counts Buttevant,  Gormanstown,  Fermoy, 
and  Mountgarret  ;  the  barons  Athenry, 
Kinsale,  Slane,  Delvin,  Killeen,  Howth, 
Trimleston,  Dunsany,  Upper  Ossory,  Louth, 
Curraghmore,  Inchiquin,  Castleconnel,  and 
Cahir.  The  lower  house  was  but  thinly  at- 
tended, as  not  more  than  twenty-six  towns 
had  returned  their  representatives.  Several 
laws  were  enacted,  among  which  was  the 
Baltingiass  act,  by  which  James  Eustace, 
viscount  Baltingiass,  and  his  brothers  Ed- 
mond,  Thomas,  Walter,  and  Richard,  were 
accusedandconvictedof  high  treason.  Their 
properties  were  consequently  confiscated.* 
An  act  was  also  passed  to  enable  Laurence 
de  la  Hide  of  Moyglare,  in  the  county  of 
Meath,  to  succeed  to  the  estates  of  his  grand- 
father. Sir  Walter  de  la  Hide,  which  were 
confiscated  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VHI. 
After  this  the  parliament  was  prorogued  to 
the  29th  of  May. 

Previous  to  the  meeting  of  this  parliament 
it  was  discovered,  by  an  investigation  held 
in  Cork,  that  several  lordships  belonging  to 
the  crown  were  usurped  by  different  indi- 
viduals :t  thus,  the  estate  of  Cloghroe  was 
taken  possession  of  by  one  Lombard,  con- 
stable of  the  castle  of  Dublin ;  and  Callen, 
or  Glynn,  between  Cork  and  Kinsale,  was 
usurped  by  Richard  Roach  of  Kinsale.  It 
appeared  also  that  the  lordship  of  Kinel- 
meaky,  which  Barry  Ogue  then  farmed,  for- 
merly belonged  to  the  crown,  and  paid  rent  to 
the  exchequer,  and  that  O'Mahown  Carbry 
had  seized  on  it  in  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  under  the  protection  of  MacCarty 
Riagh,  to  whom  he  surrendered  half,  and 
that  Canogher  O'Mahony  was  in  possession 
of  it  when  he  lost  his  life  in  the  rebellion 
of  Desmond. 

The  great  severity  which  was  practised 
in  Connaught  by  Sir  Richard  Bingham,  the 
governor,  gave  great  displeasure  to  the  nobles 
of  that  province. J  Many  of  the  Catholic 
clergy  and  laity  were  put  to  death  :  O'Con- 
nor Roe,  aged  eighty  years,  was  hanged, 
notwithstanding  the  nobility  of  his  birth  ; 
several  of  the  O'Connors,  Burkes,  O'Kellys, 
and  other  noblemen,  shared  the  same  fate. 
This  mode  of  acting  was  called  by  the  Eng- 
lish, '■'■good  government."  The  tyranny  of 
the  governor  prevented  many  of  high  rank 

*  Irish  Stat.  27th  of  Elizab.  reg.  p.  373,  et  seq. 
1   Cox,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  pages  382,  383. 
t  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  cap.  21. 


from  attending  the  assizes  held  by  him  in 
Sept.,  at  Doneymoney,  in  the  county  of  Mayo. 
Among  this  number  were  two  of  the  Burkes, 
who  withdrew  with  their  families  to  a  castle 
situate  in  an  island  in  lake  Mask.  With  the 
design  of  surprising  them,  Bingham  crossed 
the  lake  in  boats,  with  a  troop  of  armed  men ; 
they  were,  however,  vigorously  repulsed  by 
the  Burkes,  who  forced  them  to  retreat  pre- 
cipitately to  their  boats  ;  and  so  great  was 
the  confusion,  that  Bingham  threw  himself 
into  the  water,  and  escaped  with  difficulty. 
His  treatment  of  Feargus  O'Kelly  was 
equally  cruel.  To  avoid  his  persecution,  this 
nobleman  was  forced  to  seek  an  asylum  in 
the  woods,  with  his  followers,  from  whence 
he  made  frequent  incursions  upon  the  re- 
formers. The  treacherous  governor,  deceiv- 
ing him  with  false  promises,  received  him 
into  favor.  O'Kelly  was  not,  however,  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  peace  long.  Bingham  sent 
a  force  to  besiege  him  in  his  house  on  Christ- 
mas-day, while  he  was  at  supper.  O'Kelly 
being  alarmed,  got  his  family  safe  through  a 
subterranean  passage  that  led  to  a  consider- 
able distance  from  the  house  ;  he  then  ask- 
ed to  speak  with  the  commander  through  a 
window,  where,  after  reproaching  him  for 
his  perfidy,  he  shot  him,  and  a  soldier  who 
stood  by  him.  After  this  the  enemy  set  fire 
to  his  house,  but  O'Kelly  had  the  good  for- 
tune to  escape  through  the  passage  also. 

The  persecution  was  equally  severe  in  the 
other  provinces.  Norris,  president  of  Mun- 
ster,  did  not  yield  to  the  governor  of  Con- 
naught  in  cruelty.*  The  Catholics  were 
hunted  in  all  directions.  It  may  be  observed, 
that  whatever  might  have  been  Elizabeth's 
hatred  towards  them,  she  was  ably  seconded 
by  her  ministers  in  Ireland,  who  laid  their 
snares  to  make  the  most  innocent  appear 
guilty.  The  two  MacSweeneys,  Gelasius 
and  Bernard  Fitzgerald,  of  the  house  of 
Desmond,  and  Donald  Macrah,  all  noble- 
men of  Munster,  were  inhumanly  put  to 
death.  Daniel  MacCarty,  son  of  the  prince 
Muskerry,  Dermod  O'Sullevan,  of  the  house 
of  Beare,  and  many  other  nobles,  were 
obliged  to  be  continually  under  arms,  to  de- 
fend themselves  against  those  sanguinary 
men,  or  to  wander  in  the  mountains  and 
woods  to  escape  their  pursuit. 

The  parliament  which  had  been  convened 
the  preceding  year,  met  again  in  April,  1586, 
and  was  dissolved  in  the  month  of  May  fol- 
lowing, after  having  passed  several  acts.f 
Those  mentioned  in  the  eighth  and  ninth 
chapters  of  this  sitting  are  most  interesting. 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  c.  22. 
I  t  Book  of  Irish  Statutes,  p.  403,  et  seq. 


492 


HISTORY   OP    IRELAND. 


The  first  gives  an  account  of  the  suits  against 
the  late  earl  of  Desmond  and  his  adherents, 
j  in  the  war  he  had  carried  on  against  Eliza- 
beth, with -the  confiscation  of  their  estates, 
and  contains  the  names  of  many  nobles  and 
gentlemen  who  had  lost  large  possessions  for 
their  attachment  to  the  Catholic  faith.  In 
them  is  to  be  found  a  list  of  about  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  proprietors  stripped  of  their 
possessions  in  JMunster  alone  ;  a  thing  un- 
precedented in  the  history  of  Europe,  if  we 
regard  the  extent  of  the  province,  but  still 
inconsiderable  when  compared  to  the  numer- 
ous confiscations  under  James  I.,  the  tyrant 
Cromwell,  and  the  prince  of  Orange,  through- 
out the  several  provinces  of  the  kingdom,  on 
account  of  their  faith.  It  is  this,  perhaps, 
that  has  merited  for  the  Irish  the  character 
of  "  gens  flecti  nescia  ;"  a  nation  that  will 
not  bend,  which,  indeed,  is  their  true  charac- 
teristic with  respect  to  religion.  The  ninth 
chapter  of  the  above  statutes  contains  the 
act  of  confiscation  against  John  Browne  of 
Knockmonhie,  and  of  several  of  the  nobility, 
for  the  same  cause. 

Numbers  of  Englishmen,  invested  with 
commissions  either  in  the  armies  or  magis- 
tracy, came  at  this  time  to  glut  their  avarice, 
and  seek  their  fortunes  in  Ireland.  Without 
mentioning  any  other,  the  estates  of  the  earl 
of  Desmond  were  equal  to  satisfy  many  of 
these  adventurers.  These  estates  lay  in  the 
counties  of  Limerick,  Cork,  Kerry,  Water- 
ford,  Tipperary,  and  Dublin,  and  the  yearly 
income  from  them  amounted  to  upwards  of 
seven  thousand  pounds — an  immense  sum 
at  that  time.  The  queen  wishing  to  colonize 
Munster  with  EngUshmen,  ordered  a  certain 
number  of  acres  in  the  following  counties  to 
be  distributed  among  them.  Sir  Christopher 
Hatton  received  estates  in  the  county  of 
Waterford  ;  Sir  WaUer  Raleigh,  in  the  coun- 
ties of  Cork  and  Waterford  ;  Sir  Edw.  Den- 
ny, Sir  William  Harbart,  Charles  Harbart, 
John  Holly,  Captain  Jenkin  Conwey,  and 
John  Campion,  in  the  county  Kerry.  Estates 
were  likewise  given  in  the  county  of  Cork 
to  Sir  Warham  St.  Leger,  Hugh  Cuff'e,  Sii 
Thomas  Norris,  Arthur  Robins,  Arthur  Hyde 
Edmond  Spencer,  Fane  Beecher,  Hugl 
Worth,  and  Thomas  Say  ;  in  the  counties  of 
Cork  and  Waterford,  to  Richard  Bacon  ;  in 
the  county  of  Limerick,  to  SirWilliam  Court- 
ney, Francis  Barkley,  Robert  Anslow,  Rich- 
ard and  Alexander  Fitton,  and  Edmond  Man 
v/aring  ;  Sir  Edward  Fhton  received  estates 
in  the  counties  of  Limerick,  Waterford,  and 
Tipperary  ;  William  Trenchard,  George 
Thorton,  Sir  George  Bourchier,  and  Henry 
BoUingsly  in  the  county  of  Limerick.  Lastly, 


Thomas  Dufl'  Butler,  earl  of  Ormond,  had 
a  considerable  portion  of  Desmond's  estates 
in  the  county  Tipperary  bestowed  on  him  ; 
a  recompense  but  too  well  merited  for  his 
services  against,  and  his  cruel  persecution 
of  that  nobleman. 

The  estates  of  Desmond  being  thus  dis- 
posed of,  circulars  were  sent  into  the  counties 
of  England  to  invite  the  younger  sons  of 
families  to  come  and  take  possession  of  other 
estates  that  were  confiscated.  One  of  the 
conditions  was,  that  they  should  hold  them 
in  fief,  at  three  pence  per  acre,  in  the  coun- 
ties of  Limerick,  Connillo,  and  Kerry,  and 
at  two  pence  in  those  of  Cork  and  Water- 
ford, and  that  no  Irishman  should  be  sufl^er- 
ed  to  reside  on  them. 

The  tyranny  of  Bingham,  governor  of 
Connaught,  forced  the  Burkes  to  act  again 
on  the  defensive.  For  this  purpose  the  Clan- 
Donnells,  the  Joices,  and  other  tribes  of  the 
province,  were  gained  over  to  their  party, 
and  the  castle  of  lake  Mask,  generally  called 
the  castle  of  Necally,  or  of  Thomas  Roe, 
was  fortified.  Bingham  was  at  the  time 
laying  siege  to  the  castle  of  Clan-Owen,  in 
Thuomond,  which  Mahown  O'Brien,  the  lord 
of  the  district,  who  was  more  attached  to  the 
Catholic  cause  than  his  namesake  the  earl, 
was  commander  of.  The  castle  of  Clan- 
Owen  was  not  sufficiently  strong  to  maintain 
a  siege  against  so  powerful  an  enemy,  but 
O'Brien  would  not  surrender,  and  died  in 
defending  it.  The  castle  was  then  razed  to 
the  ground.  Bingham  after  this  marched 
to  besiege  the  castle  of  Necally,  where  he 
was  checked  in  his  career.  Having  arrived 
at  the  borders  of  the  lake,  he  summoned  the 
garrison  to  surrender,  and  offered  them  a 
general  pardon  for  the  past.  The  besieged, 
however,  replied,  that  they  looked  upon  the 
castle  as  their  best  security,  and  would  not 
trust  to  the  promises  of  an  Englishman. 
Bingham,  incensed  with  their  reply,  embark- 
ed his  troops  in  boats,  and  approached  the 
island  where  the  castle  stood,which  was  diffi- 
cult of  access.  The  soldiers,  on  their  landing, 
were  thrown  by  the  besieged  into  the  sea,  so 
that  Bingham,  after  witnessing  the  loss  of  his 
boats,  and  seeing  several  of  his  men  killed, 
considered  himself  fortunate  to  escape  with 
a  part  of  his  forces.  The  besieged,  dreading 
a  secoiul  attack,  which  might  prove  more 
successful  than  the  first,  abandoned  the  lake, 
and  got  safe  to  shore,  where  they  were  joined 
by  many  of  their  friends.  We  discover  at 
this  time  a  striking  instance  of  the  treachery 
and  dishonorable  conduct  of  Bingham  ; 
Richard  Burke, oneof  the  chief  confederates, 
or  as  the  English  term  them,  rebels,  being 


CHRISTIAN     IRELAND. 


493 


desirous  of  making  peace  with  the  govern- 
ment, submitted  to  Bingham,  with  a  promise 
to  be  loyal  to  her  majesty.  Bingham  re- 
ceived his  submission  ;  but  under  a  pretence 
that  Burke  would  betray  him,  he  liad  him 
arrested  and  condemned  to  death. 

Complaints  of  the  tyranny  of  Bingham  in 
Connaught  having  been  sent  to  Perrott,  the 
deputy,  orders  were  given  to  grant  protection 
to  the  Burkes  and  other  rebels  of  the  pro- 
vince. Bingham,  incensed  at  this  order,  re- 
paired to  Dublin  to  have  an  interview  with 
the  council,  at  which  mutual  recriminations 
took  place  between  the  deputy  and  himself; 
but  on  hearing  that  the  rebels  in  Connaught 
had  recommenced  hostilities,  he  returned. 
He  found  the  province  in  a  state  of  confusion; 
the  Clandonnells  and  Clangibbons  having 
joined  the  Burkes,  whose  courage  was  raised 
by  the  arrival  of  two  thousand  Scotch.  His 
first  step  was  to  send  commissioners  to  the 
rebels,  to  propose  terms  of  peace,  and  to 
learn  the  cause  of  their  disturbing  the  coun- 
try. They  answered.  What  have  loe  to  do  with 
this  Calliagh  (bastard) — meaning  Elizabeth 
— we  have  been  very  silly  to  have  so  long  sub- 
mitted to  a  woma?i,  6fC.  The  governor  im- 
mediately collected  his  forces  at  Ballinrobe, 
where  he  was  joined  by  the  earl  of  Clan- 
riccard,  Bermingham,  O'Kelly,  and  others. 
His  measures  were  guided  by  the  movements 
of  his  enemy,  who,  after  many  marches  and 
countermarches,  encamped  at  Arnare,  on 
the  River  Moy,  in  Sligo,  where  they  were 
surprised  and  cut  to  pieces  by  the  English. 
The  deputy  was  alarmed  at  the  intelligence 
he  had  received,  that  the  Scotch  islanders 
had  made  a  descent  in  the  north  ;  and  sent 
orders  to  the  baron  of  Dungannon  to  oppose 
them,  till  he  would  repair  thither  in  person. 
Tirlogh  Lynogh  O'Neill  was  now  too  old  for 
I  service.  Perrott,  in  the  mean  time,  collected 
I  his  troops,  and  set  out  from  Dublin  for  Ul- 
ster, in  June.  On  arriving  at  Dungannon, 
he  was  received  by  the  nobles,  who  came  to 
offer  him  their  services.  He  found  that  a 
body  of  four  hundred  Scotch  islanders  had 
arrived,  under  the  command  of  Alexander, 
son  ofSurly  Boy  MacDonnel,  and  were  joined 
by  some  of  the  natives,  commanded  by  Ogue 
and  Hugh  Mac-Felim,  sons  of  Conn  Mac- 
Neill,  O'Kelly,  Mac-Cartan,  and  other  no- 
blemen of  the  province.  They  intended  to 
assemble  in  the  county  of  Antrim,  but  were 
harassed  by  Captain  Stafford,  who  forced 
them  to  cross  the  River  Bann  to  Tyrone. 
They,  however,  recrossed  the  river,  and 
withdrew  towards  Dunluce,  and  from  thence 
to  Inisowen,  where  they  were  joined  by  a 
fresh  reinforcement  of  Scotch.    Hugh  Duffe 


O'Donnel,  and  an  English  captain  named 
Merriman,  having  learned  that  the  Scotch 
intended  to  surprise  Strabane,  marched  the 
whole  night  in  order  to  prevent  an  attack. 
The  following  morning  they  arrived  in  pre- 
sence of  each  other  ;  but  the  Scotch  general, 
by  his  imprudence,  lost  the  victory, .with  his 
life.  He  sent  a  proposal  to  xMerriman,  who 
commanded  the  English,  to  decide  the  battle 
by  single  combat.  The  latter  accepted  the 
challenge  ;  but  to  secure  the  victory,  a  gladi- 
ator who  took  the  name  of  Merriman,  was 
chosen  to  fight  Alexander.  The  combat 
having  begun  with  equal  animosity,  the 
Scotch  general  was  first  wounded  ;  but 
Merriman  was  the  victim  of  his  master's 
dishonor,  being  killed  upon  the  spot.  The 
English  captain  perceiving  his  adversary 
exhausted  from  his  encounter  with  the  gla- 
diator, entered  the  lists,  sword  in  hand,  to 
the  great  astonishment  of  Alexander,  who 
thought  his  enemy  had  been  defeated.  They 
fought  for  some  time  ;  but  Alexander  having 
received  a  dangerous  wound  in  the  leg,  was 
obliged  to  yield  to  the  Englishman,  who  had 
his  head  cut  off,  and  sent  to  Dublin  to  be 
exposed  to  the  public  view.  The  Scotch 
being  left  without  a  leader,  lost  their  courage 
and  abandoned  the  field  to  the  enemy. 

The  success  of  Sir  John  Perrott  in  the 
government  of  Ireland,  did  not  secure  him 
against  his  enemies.  Loftus,  archbishop  of 
Dublin,  and  chancellor,  manifested  much 
resentment  towards  him,  on  account  of  his 
wish  to  apply  the  revenues  of  St.  Patrick's 
church  to  the  support  of  the  university  :  he 
was  also  constantly  opposed  in  council  by 
Marshal  Sir  Nicholas  Bagnal,  Fenton  the 
secretary,  Bingham,  governor  of  Connaught, 
and  others,  so  that  his  best  acts  were  un- 
dervalued by  the  court. 

The  deputy  still  dreading  a  revolt  of 
O'Donnel,  and  other  noblemen  of  Ulster  who 
refused  to  give  him  hostages,  in  order  to 
allay  his  apprehensions,  bethought  of  an  ex- 
pedient worthy  of  a  pirate  or  a  robber,  des- 
titute of  all  honor  or  good  faith.*  He  sent 
to  Dublin  for  a  merchant,  called  John  Bing- 
ham, whom  he  ordered  to  freight  a  vessel 
with  wine  and  other  merchandise,  on  board 
of  which  were  fifty  armed  men.  He  then 
sent  Avord  to  the  captain  to  sail  towards  the 
coasts  of  Tyrconnel,  and  to  stop  in  some  of 
its  ports,  as  if  to  sell  his  cargo,  but  to  en- 
deavor to  decoy  young  O'Donnel  on  board, 
and  bring  him  to  Dublin.  This  plan  suc- 
ceeded according  to  the  deputy's  wishes. 
The  vessel  cast  anchor  in   Lough  Svvilley, 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  cap.  24.  Pet.  Lombard,  de 
regno  Hibern.  comment,  c.  24.    War.  ibid.  cap.  31. 


494 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


on  the  borders  of  Tyrconnel.  The  report 
was  soon  spread,  and  every  one,  either  to 
purchase  goods  or  through  curiosity,  repaired 
on  board.  Among  the  number  was  Hugh,  son 
of  Magnus  O'Donncl,  prince  of  Tyrconnel, 
aged  fourteen  years,  accompanied  by  Eugene 
MacSwoenv,  lord  ofTueth,  MacSweeny  of 
Fanid,  and '.Sir  Eugene  O'Gallachuir.  The 
captain  of  the  vessel,  delighted  with  their 
visit,  received  them  with  attention  ;  but  what 
was  their  surprise  on  finding  themselves  con- 
ducted bv  armed  men  into  the  hold  of  the 
vessel,  while  they  were  weighing  anchor. 
The  nobles  who  belonged  to  O'Donnel's  suite 
obtained  their  liberty  by  giving  hostages ;  and 
the  captain,  content  with  his  spoil,  sailed  for 
Dublin,  where  he  gave  up  the  young  prince 
of  Tyrconnel,  and  the  hostages,  to  the  dep- 
uty, who  had  them  confined  in  the  castle. 
Though  the  news  of  the  taking  of  young 
O'Donnel  was  pleasing  to  the  English  in 
general,  it  was  looked  upon  by  all  honorable 
men  as  a  trait  of  black  perfidy  and  punic 
faith.* 

Perrott  applied,  long  before  this,  for  his 
recall.  Finding  a  powerful  faction  raised 
against  him,  who  labored  to  blacken  him  in 
the  eyes  of  the  court,  he  wrote  an  urgent 
letter  to  the  queen,  begging  that  she  would 
exonerate  him  from  the  commission  of  the 
lord-lieutenancy.  The  princess  paid  atten- 
tion to  his  request,  and  appointed  Sir  Wil- 
liam Fitz-William  to  succeed  him.  Perrott, 
on  his  return  to  England,  was  imprisoned 
for  some  offence,  in  the  tower,  where  he 
died  suddenly. 

Some  Irish  authors  flourished  at  this  time. 
According  to  Stanihurst,  Thomas  Long,  pro- 
fessor of  canon  and  civil  law  in  the  univer- 
sity of  Paris,  wrote  some  tracts  in  Latin. 
One  was  entitled,  "  De  speciebus  contra  men- 
dacem  Monachum  ;"  the  others,  a  Disserta- 
tion on  Aristotle  ;  and  a  Select  Thesis  on 
some  points  of  law,  dedicated  to  Charles 
cardinal  de  Bourbon. 

Richard  Creagh,  a  native  of  Limerick, 
also  lived  at  this  time.  He  studied  at  Lou- 
vain  with  applause,  and  received  the  order 
of  priesthood.  He  went  afterwards  to  Rome, 
where  he  was  consecrated  by  the  pope  arch- 
bishop of  Armagh.  He  was  author  of  some 
works,  viz  :  a  Treatise  on  the  Lish  Lan- 
guage, an  Ecclesiastical  History,  a  Book 
of  Controversy,  a  Chronicle  of  Ireland,  the 
Lives  of  some  Irish  Saints,  and  a  Catechism 
in  the  Irish  language.  By  orders  of  the 
English  government,  this  holy  prelate  was 
at  length  arrested  on  account  of  his  religion, 

*  Timeo  Danaos  et  dona  ferentes. 


and  imprisoned  in  the  tower.  It  was  then 
that  the  pretended  ordination  occurred  at  the 
Nag's  Head  tavern,  so  called  from  the  head 
of  a  horse  being  the  sign  of  the  house.  The 
Irish  prelate  was  offered  his  liberty  and  a 
great  reward,  to  ordain  the  false  bishops  of 
the  reformation  ;  but  this  he  firmly  refused.* 
He  died  after  a  long  imprisonment  in  the 
tower  of  London,  a.  d.  1585.  Edmond  Tan- 
ner, a  native  of  Ireland,  doctor  in  theology, 
and  contemporary  of  Richard  Creagh,  wrote 
commentaries  on  a  work  of  St.  Thomas. 

Other  authors  were  also  born  in  Ireland 
about  this  time.  Among  them  we  find  John 
Usher,  mayor  of  Dublin  ;  Nicholas  Walsh, 
bishop  of  Ossory  ;  and  John  O'Kearney, 
treasurer  of  St.  Patrick's  Church,  Dublin. 
Richard  Stanihurst,  already  mentioned,  was 
the  author  of  many  works.  After  studying 
for  some  time  at  Oxford,  he  returned  to 
Dublin,  his  native  city.  Although  deeply 
connected  with  the  Protestants,  being  the 
maternal  uncle  of  the  celebrated  Usher,  he 
belonged  to  the  Catholic  church,  and,  to 
practise  his  religion  with  more  freedom,  left 
his  native  country  and  retired  to  the  Nether- 
lands. There  he  lost  his  wife,  after  which  he 
embraced  holy  orders  and  became  a  priest. 
Being  well  known  for  his  great  learning,  he 
was  appointed  chaplain  to  Albert,  archduke 
of  Austria,  at  that  time  governor  of  the  low 
countries.  Besides  his  Essay  on  the  affairs 
of  Ireland,  which  has  been  already  alluded' 
to,  and  which  is  the  least  considerable  of  his 
works,  he  wrote,  in  his  youth,  a  work  entitled, 
"  Harmonia  sen  catena  dialectica  in  Por- 
phirium."  This  was  first  printed  in  folio  in 
London,  in  1570,  and  1579,  and  subsequently 
at  Lyons  and  Paris.  He  wrote  two  books 
on  the  life  of  St.  Patrick,  printed  at  Ant- 
werp in  1587.  He  also  composed  a  work, 
which  was  printed  at  Antwerp  in  1609,  and 
was  called  "  Hebdomada  Mariana,''''  which 
signifies,  the  week  of  Mary,  taken  from  the 
orthodox  fathers  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church,  in  memory  of  the  seven  festivals  of 
the  blessed  Virgin  Mary,  and  arranged  for 
each  day  in  the  week.  After  this  he  wrote 
a  work  entitled,  '■'■Hebdomada  Eucharistica," 
which  was  printed  at  Douay  in  1614.  He 
wrote  also  a  description  of  Ireland,  which  he 
dedicated  to  Sir  Henry  Sidney,  who  was  de- 

*  "  They  importuned,  with  vehemence,  a  certain 
Irish  archbishop,  whom  they  Jiad  in  prison  in  Lon- 
don,  to  assist  them  in  their  difficulty,  and  oflered 
him  rewards  and  his  liberty,  if  he  would  preside 
over  the  ordination  of  these  men.  But  the  good 
archbishop  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  lay  his 
sacred  hands  on  the  heretics,  or  to  be  au  accessory 
to  the  sins  of  others." — Sanders  on  the  English 
Schistn,  b.  3,  p.  297. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


495 


puty  of  the  kingdom ;  it  was  published  by 
Hollingshed.  He  translated  the  first  four 
books  of  Virgil's  ^neid  into  heroic  verse  ; 
this  work  was  printed  in  London  in  1583, 
with  some  of  David's  Psalms,  and  other  cur- 
sory pieces  in  Latin  and  English.  He  com- 
posed a  tract  on  the  principles  of  the  Catho- 
lic faith.  In  1615  he  published,  at  Douay, 
a  Latin  work  entitled  "  Brevis  PrcRmunitio^^ 
&c. ;  or  short  premunition,  on  a  book  written 
by  his  nephew  Usher,  called  an  Historical 
Explanation,  &c.  Richard  had  a  son  named 
William  Stanihurst,  born  at  Brussels  in 
1601 ;  he  entered  into  the  order  of  the  Jesuits 
at  the  age  of  sixteen.  The  great  number 
of  works  which  he  published  made  him 
very  celebrated.  A  catalogue  of  them  by 
Sotvellus  is  to  be  met  with  in  the  library 
belonging  to  the  society  of  writers. 

Daniel  O'Malone,  a  friar  of  the  order  of 
St.  Jerome,  and  professor  of  theology  in  the 
college  of  Bologna  in  Italy,  published  some 
Latin  works  which  were  printed  at  Venice, 
and  afterwards  at  Douay  and  Antwerp. 

Thadeus  O'Dowling,  a  learned  doctor  in 
theology,  and  chancellor  of  the  church  of 
Leighlin,  has  given  his  "  Annales  breves  Hi- 
bernicB,^''  and  an  Irish  grammar,  which  may 
be  found  in  the  library  of  Trinity  College, 
Dublin. 

Thadeus  Dunn  appears,  says  Harris,  in 
his  13th  chapter  of  writers,  to  be  a  native  of 
Ireland.  He  was  a  physican  of  Locarno  in 
Switzerland,  where  he  lived  in  exile  for  his 
religion.  A  work  on  medicine,  and  a  chro- 
nological treatise  on  the  sojourn  of  the 
Israelites  in  Egypt,  have  been  written  by 
him.  These  works  were  printed  at  Tiguri 
in  Switzerland. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 


In  1 588,  the  last  war  which  the  Catholics  of 
Ireland  had  to  maintain  against  Elizabeth 
and  the  whole  array  of  English  sectarians, 
commenced.  This  was  called  the  war  of 
Tyrone,  because  the  earl  of  that  name  was 
the  chief  leader ;  it  was  long  and  bloody. 
Philip  O'Sullevan,  in  his  Catholic  history, 
calls  it  Bellum  quindeccm  annontm — the 
fifteen  years  war.  It  began  in  the  thirty- 
first,  and  ended  in  the  forty-fifth  year  of 
Elizabeth's  reign,  which  was  also  that  of  her 
death.  This  war  raged  with  all  the  fury 
that  national  enmity,  and  an  ardent  zeal  for 
religion  could  excite.  From  the  plans  that 
were  adopted,  it  promised  to  be  more  favor- 
able to  the  cause  of  religion  and  liberty  than 


any  of  the  preceding  wars  undertaken  for 
the  same  end.  Before  we  enter  upon  a  cir- 
cumstantial detail  of  this  war,  it  will  be  ne- 
cessary to  make  known  the  state  of  affairs 
in  Ireland,  and  the  character  of  the  inhabit- 
ants at  that  time. 

The  Irish  Catholics  foimded  strong  hopes 
on  the  promises  of  the  Spaniards.  The 
latter  indeed  sent  them  some  assistance,  but 
it  was  inconsiderable,  and  disproportioned 
to  the  undertaking.  They  were  better  sup- 
ported by  James  VI.  of  Scotland,  who,  either 
to  revenge  the  death  of  his  mother,  Mary 
Stuart,  who  was  executed  after  a  captivity 
of  nineteen  years,  or  to  secure  to  himself  the 
right  of  succeeding  to  the  thrones  of  Eng- 
land and  Ireland,  secretly  afforded  help  to 
the  Irish,  who  were  opposed  to  the  court. 
As  the  want  of  union  is  generally  fatal  to  the 
best  cause,  so  the  ambition  of  some  of  the 
Irish  chiefs  induced  them  to  prefer  their  own 
interest  to  the  general  good.  Some  were 
seduced  by  titles  of  honor ;  others  were 
attached  to  the  English  court  through  polit- 
ical views,  while  others,  fearful  of  success, 
continued  neutral.*  The  house  of  Desmond 
was  now  extinct.  Orniond  and  Thuomond, 
two  of  the  most  powerful  in  Munster,  had 
embraced  the  reformed  religion.  They  re- 
ceived many  favors  for  their  attachment  to 
the  court,  and  knew  how  to  turn  the  mis- 
fortunes of  their  neighbors  to  their  own  ad- 
vantage. Daniel  MacCarrha,  prince  of  Clan- 
carrha  and  earl  of  Valentia,  was  more  devoted 
to  pleasure  than  to  war.  Being  advanced  in 
years,  he  cultivated  the  friendship  of  the 
English,  and  wasted  his  patrimony  in  enter- 
taining them.  His  sole  desire  was  to  be  per- 
mitted to  live  a  Catholic.  Dermod  and 
Donogh  MacCarthy  were  at  variance  about 
the  sovereignty  of  Alia  ;  O'Sullevan,  prince 
of  Beare,  was  contending  with  Owen  his 
paternal  uncle  ;  Ulick  Burke,  earl  of  Clan- 
riccard,  after  he  had  killed  his  brother  John, 
became  devoted  to  the  English  court,  which 
he  strove  to  conciliate  towards  him ;  the 
other  branches  of  the  Burkes  of  Connaught 
were  disputing  about  the  lordship  of  Clan- 
williams.  Tegue  O'Rorke  quarrelled  for  the 
possession  of  the  principality  of  Brefny  with 
his  elder  brother.  Many  of  the  nobility  of 
Leinster  who  were  well  disposed  to  oppose 
heresy  and  usurpation,  were  already  broken 
down  by  repeated  wars  in  their  own  districts, 
and  bereft  of  all  power  to  aid  the  common 
cause  ;  Viscount  Baltinglass,  who  had  sacri- 
ficed all  for  his  religion,  had  died  in  Spain. 
No  confidence  was  placed  in  the  earl  of  Kil- 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  Ibern.  torn.  .3,  lib.  1,  cap.  6. 


496 


IHSTORV    OF    IRELAND. 


dare,  on  account  of  his  being  brought  up  in 
the  principles  of  the  reformed  religion.  From 
these  causes  have  arisen  the  disunion  among 
the  Irish,  and  the  consequent  misfortunes  of 
that  unhappy  country. 

The  Catholic  History  of  Ireland  furnishes 
a  list  of  all  the  principal  Irish,  ancient  and 
modern,  who  abetted  or  opposed  this  war. 
The  author  calls  them  princes,  and  introduces 
the  provinces  in  order,  commencing  with 
jVIunster.  Those  who,  in  opposition  to  re- 
ligion and  their  country,  espoused  the  cause 
of  the  queen,  are  first  given. 

The  modern  Irish  princes  loho  supported  the 
interests  of  the  queen. 

In  Munster. — .Thomas  Butler,  surnamed 
DufT,  or  the  Black,  earl  of  Ormond ;  Barry 
the  great,  Viscount  Buttevant ;  Mac-Pieris 
Butler,  baron  of  Dunboyne  ;  Courcy,  baron 
de  Courcy ;  Burke,  baron  of  Castleconel, 
and  his  son  Richard  ;  Theobald  Burke,  son 
of  Richard,  surnamed  Naval,  a  claimant  to 
I  the  principality  of  Clanwilliam;  MacPheoris, 

or  Bermingham,  baron  of  Dunmoris. 
I       In  Leinster. — Henry,William,  and  Gerald 
I  Fitzgerald,  earls  of  Kildare  ;  St.  Lawrence, 
baron  of  Howth. 

In  Meath. — Preston,  Viscount  Gormans- 
town  ;  Nugent,  baron  of  Delvin  ;  Fleming, 
baron  of  Slane  ;  Barnewal,  baron  of  Tri- 
melstown  ;  Plunket,  baron  of  Louth  ;  Plun- 
ket,  baron  of  Dunsaney  ;  Plunket,  baron  of 
Killeen. 

The  ancient  Irish  princes  who  supported  the 
cause  of  the  queen. 

In  Munster. — Donagh  O'Brien,  prince  of 
Limerick,  earl  of  Thuomond  ;  MacCarty 
Riagh,  prince  of  Carbry ;  Charles  MacCarty, 
son  of  Desmond,  baron  of  Muskerry  ;  Mor- 
rough  O'Brien,  baron  of  Inchiquin. 

In  Connaught. — O'Connor  Don,  prince  of 
Magherry  Connaught. 

In  Meath. — O'Melachlin,  a  prince. 

Our  author,  in  giving  the  names  of  the 
ancient  and  modern  Irish  who  espoused  the 
cause  of  Elizabeth,  adds  the  Anglo-Irish  who 
were  settled  in  Ulster,  which  he  calls  the 
royal,  or  English  faction.  He  next  enume- 
rates those  that  fought  against  the  enemies 
of  religion,  whom  he  names  the  Irish  and 
Catholic  party.  He  begins  with  Ulster,  be- 
cause the  inhabitants  of  that  province  were 
the  chief  actors  in  the  war.  The  men  of 
Ulster  were,in  fact,  more  zealous  in  the  cause 
of  religion  and  liberty  than  any  of  the  other 
provinces.     If  their  example  had  been  fol- 


lowed, the  sway  of  the  English  would  have 
been  inevitably  destroyed  iji  Ireland.  The 
Ultonians  are  to  this  day  the  victims  of  their 
own  zeal,  through  the  degeneracy  of  those 
whose  ideas  were  less  generous  than  their 
own. 

The  ancient  Irish,  who  fought  for  the  Catho- 
lic faith. 

In  Ulster. — Hugh  O'Neill,  prince  and  earl 
of  Tyrone,  and  his  adherents,  namely,  Ma- 
gennis,  prince  of  I  veach,  Mac-Mahon,  prince 
of  Uriel,  Mac-Guire,  prince  of  Fermanagh, 
O'Cahane,  prince  of  Arachty,  James  and 
Ranald  Mac-Donnel,  princes  of  Glyim,  and 
O'Hanlon,  prince  of  Orior.  O'Donnel, 
prince  of  Tyrconnel,  and  his  adherents,  viz., 
Mac-Sweeny,  prince  of  Tueth, Mac-Sweeny, 
prince  of  Fanid,  Mac-Sweeny,  prince  of  Ba- 
nach,  O'Dogherty,  prince  of  Inisowen,  and 
the  O'Buills,  or  13oyles. 

In  Munster. — O'SuUevan,  prince  of  Bere 
and  Bantry  ;  Daniel  O'Sullivan  More,  or  the 
Great,  whose  father,  prince  of  Dunkeran, 
was  exonerated  from  any  share  in  the  war, 
on  account  of  his  great  age  ;  O'Connor  Ker- 
ry, prince  of  Arachty ;  Donogh  Mac-Carty 
Mac-Donogh,  son  of  Cormac,  and  Dermod 
Mac-Carty  Mac-Donogh,  son  of  Owen, 
both  claimants  for  the  principality  of  Alia ; 
O'Driscol,  prince  of  Cothlie  ;  O'Mahony  of 
Carbry,  O'Donovan,  O'Donoghoe  of  Onach- 
te,  O'Donoghoe  of  the  Glynn. 

In  Connaught. — O'Rourke,  prince  of 
Brefny;  Mac-Dermod,  prince  of  Moy-Lurg; 
O'Kelly,  prince  of  Mainech. 

In  Leinster. — Though  the  principal  men 
in  this  province  were  attached  to  the  queen's 
cause,  several  of  the  ancient  nobles  took  up 
arms  in  defence  of  the  faith,  particularly 
the  Cavanaghs,  O'Connors  Faley,  O'Mord- 
has,  or  O'Morras  of  Leix,  and  the  O'Byrnes. 

In  Meath. — Mageoghegan,  a  prince. 

The  example  of  the  latter  was  followed  by 
some  other  nobles  in  Munster,  of  English 
origin,*  viz.,  Roche,  viscount  of  Fermoy ; 
Richard  Butler,  viscount  of  Mountgarret ; 
Mac-Moris,  or  Fitzmaurice,  baron  of  Lix- 
naw  ;  Thomas  Butler,  baron  of  Cahir  ;  Pat- 
rick Condon,  a  prince ;  Richard  Purcel, 
baron  of  Luochne ;  William  Fitzgerald, 
knight  of  Kerry  and  lord  of  Rafinnan  ;  Ed- 
mond  Fitzgerald,  called  the  White  Knight. 
All  these  we  have  already  mentioned  were 
in  possession  of  their  estates  when  they 
took  up  arms  in  defence  of  the  faith.  Some 
estranged  themselves  from  the  court  party, 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


497 


at  the  cost  of  their  properties,  and  espoused 
the  Catholic  cause  ;  namely,  Florence  and 
Daniel  Mac-Carty,  to  whom  the  principality 
of  Clancarrha  belonged  for  some  time  ; 
O'Connor,  prince  of  Sligo  ;  James  Fitzger- 
ald, earl  of  Desmond;  Mac- William  Burke; 
Raymond  Burke,  baron  of  Leitrim  ;  and 
Owen  O'Morra. 

Several  nobles,  equal  both  in  birth  and 
virtue  to  those  already  named,  though  not 
chiefs  of  tribes,  espoused  the  Catholic 
cause,*  namely,  Niallgarve  O'Donnel,  Cor- 
nelius O'Driscol,  Dermod  O'SuUevan,  Fiach 
O'Birne,  Cormac  O'Neill.  Cornelius  O'Reil- 
ly, Dermod  Mac-Carty  Riagh,  William 
Burke,  Bernard  O'Kelly,  Richard  Tirell, 
Bernard  O'Morra,  Walter  Fitzgerald,  Der- 
mod O'Connor,  Peter  Lacy,  Edmond  O'Mor- 
ra, James  Butler,  Morrough  Mac-Sweeny, 
Ulick  Burke,  Daniel  Mac-Sweeny,  Richard 
Mageoghegan,  Manus  Mac-Sweeny,  Mau- 
rice O'SuUevan,  Thadeus  O'Mahony  of 
Carbry,  and  many  other  powerful  lords. 

It  is  strange,  however,  that  all  the  ancient 
and  modern  Irish,  who  abetted  the  cause  of 
heresy,  were  Catholics,  with  the  exception 
of  three  or  four  who  had  embraced  the  re- 
formed religion. f  The  latter  were  guided 
by  their  principles,  the  former  by  a  blind 
respect  for  the  shadow  of  legal  authority. 

As  soon  as  Fitzwilliam  had  received  the 
sword  of  justice,  as  deputy  of  Ireland,  care 
was  taken  to  make  him  doubt  the  sincerity 
of  Tyrone.  This  prince,  called  Hugh  O'Neill, 
was  son  of  Fardorach,  baron  of  Dungannon, 
whom  English  writers  call  Matthew,  and 
grandson  of  Conn  O'Neill,  on  whom  Henry 
VIII.  conferred  the  title  of  earl  of  TjTone. 

Both  in  respect  to  birth  and  fortune,  Hugh 
O'Neill  was  undoubtedly  one  of  the  first  no- 
blemen in  Ireland. I  If  to  these  advantages 
we  add  that  of  his  having  been  a  good  citi- 
zen, he  surpassed  them  all.  He  was  descend- 
ed, by  uninterrupted  succession,  from  sev- 
eral monarchs  of  Ireland.  St.  Patrick,  the 
apostle  of  this  island,  found  the  supreme 
sceptre  in  the  tribe  of  the  Hy-Nialls,  in  the 
beginning  of  the  fifth  century,  in  which  it 
continued  to  the  usurpation  of  the  provincial 
kings  in  the  beginning  of  the  eleventh. 
O'Neill  was  also  the  most  powerful  prince 
in  landed  property,  money,  men,  and  arms, 
not  only  in  his  own  province  but  in  all  Ire- 
land. His  mind  was  just,  and  had  been 
carefully  formed  in  the  best  schools  in  Ire- 
land, and  subsequently  in  England,  where 
he  frequented  the  court  for  some  time,  and 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  Ibern.  ibid. 

t  Hist.  Cathol.  Ibern.  ibid.  cap.  3. 

I  Pet.  Lombard,  de  Hib.  Comment,  cap.  24. 


became  a  general  favorite.  The  queen,  who 
considered  him  as  a  useful  instrument  to  re- 
duce Ireland,  loaded  him  with  honors.  He 
was,  by  birth,  baron  of  Dungannon  ;  but  in 
order  to  abolish  the  title  of  O'Neill,  which 
was  considered  so  superior  to  every  other, 
she  conferred  that  of  earl  of  Tyrone  on  him, 
and  ordered  him  to  take  his  seat  in  parlia- 
ment. With  a  design  of  serving  his  country, 
the  earl  acted  cautiously  towards  the  queen 
by  seeming  to  embrace  her  views. 

Tyrone  had  a  strong  relish  for  war.  Dur- 
ing his  stay  in  England,  he  studied  the  mili- 
tary science  with  considerable  success.* 
On  his  return  to  Ireland  he  received  the 
command  of  two  regiments,  consisting  of 
six  companies,  whom  he  trained  to  the  art 
of  war,  and  according  as  they  became  well 
disciplined,  sent  them  home  with  rewards. 
Those  dismissed  were  replaced  by  others, 
who  were  instructed  in  like  manner.  He 
gave  fire-arms  to  the  country  people  also,  to 
induce  them  to  hunt,  and  thereby  made 
them  expert  in  the  use  of  them  ;  so  that,  in 
a  short  time,  almost  the  whole  province  was 
trained  to  arms.  He  obtained  the  consent 
of  the  council  to  bring  over  plates  of  lead 
from  England,  under  pretext  of  roofing  a 
castle  he  was  building  at  Dungannon  ;  and 
the  merchants,  who  were  desirous  of  making 
a  profit  by  the  transaction,  exceeded  the 
privilege  which  had  been  granted,  by  send- 
ing over  larger  quantities.  Tyrone  had  the 
lead  converted  into  bullets.  Besides  the 
private  depots  which  were  to  furnish  the 
wants  of  the  troops  under  his  orders,  he  had 
others,  into  which  he  secretly  collected  pro- 
visions and  warlike  stores.  Such  were  the 
measures  adopted  by  him,  while  he  waited 
for  a  favorable  opportunity  to  raise  the 
standard  of  revolt — measures  which  proved 
his  skill  as  a  general. 

The  first  cause  of  Tyrone's  quarrel  with 
Elizabeth,  was  the  hospitality  with  which 
he  received  some  Spaniards  that  were  cast 
by  a  storm  upon  the  coasts  of  Ulster.  A 
misunderstanding  prevailed  for  a  long  time 
between  Philip  II.,  king  of  Spain,  and  the 
queen  of  England.  Treaties  of  peace  were 
often  entered  into  between  them,  and  as  fre- 
quently broken  off*.  The  sovereignty  of  the 
Low  Countries  had  already  been  wrested 
from  Philip  by  the  States  of  Holland,  under 
the  advice  of  William,  prince  of  Orange, 
and  transferred  to  the  duke  d'Anjou.  Queen 
Elizabeth  assisted  Philip's  rebellious  sub- 
jects, of  whom  Alexander  Farnese,  prince 

*  Petrus  Lombard,  ibid.  War.  de  Annal.  Hib. 
cap.  36. 


498 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


of  Parma,  was  named  govprnor,  and,  on 
the  other  hand,  Philip  sent  aid  to  the  Cath- 
olics of  Irehmd  against  Elizabeth. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs,  when  a 
treaty  of  peace  was  proposed,  this  year, 
between  Spain  and  England.  A  certain 
number  of  coininissii)n(>rs,  appointed  on  both 
sides,  assembled  with  this  object  at  Ostend, 
but  came  to  no  conclusion.  Philip,  finding 
these  negotiations  unavailing,  turned  his 
thoughts  to  war,  and  determined  to  make  a 
descent  upon  England.  For  this  purpose 
he  equipped  the  most  formidable  fleet  that 
had  been  ever  known,  from  whence  it  was 
called  the  invincible  armada.*  This  fleet 
consisted  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  vessels 
of  various  sizes,  having  on  board  nineteen 
thousand  two  hundred  and  ninety  troops, eight 
thousand  and  fifty  sailors,  two  thousand  and 
eighty  men  from  the  galleys,  and  two  thou- 
sand six  hundred  and  thirty  pieces  of  can- 
non. The  prince  of  Parma,  governor  of 
the  Low  Countries,  received  orders  to  hold 
himself  in  readiness,  with  the  fifty  thousand 
men  he  commanded,  and  to  have  boats  of  a 
crooked  form,  and  deep  in  the  centre,  (each 
of  which  was  to  contain  thirty  horses,)  con- 
structed. With  these  boats  he  intended  to 
convey  his  army  to  the  mouth  of  the  Thames, 
at  the  time  of  the  intended  arrival  of  the 
fleet  from  Spain. 

On  the  other  hand,  all  the  measures  ne- 
cessary to  oppose  the  designs  of  the  Span- 
iards, were  adopted.  Admiral  Lord  Charles 
Howard,  and  vice-admiral  Sir  Francis  Drake 
had  orders  to  repair  on  board  the  fleet  at 
Plymouth.  Lord  Henry  Seymour,  at  the 
head  of  forty  English  and  Dutch  ships,  was 
appointed  to  guard  the  coasts  of  the  Low 
Countries,  to  prevent  the  prince  of  Parma 
from  sailing.  The  land  forces  were  sta- 
tioned along  the  southern  coast,  under  the 
command  of  the  earl  of  Leicester,  who 
established  his  head  quarters  at  Tilbury, 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Thames.  The  ports 
of  Milford,  Falmouth,  Plymouth,  Portland, 
the  Isle  of  Wight,  Portsmouth,  the  mouth 
of  the  Thames,  Harwich,  Yarmouth,  and 
Hull,  were  fortified,  and  strongly  garrisoned. 
Matters  being  thus  prepared  on  both  sides, 
the  Spanish  fleet,  commanded  by  Don  Al- 
phonso,  duke  of  Medina  Sidonia,  and  Jean 
j  Martin  Recalde,  vice-admiral,  sailed  from  the 
■  Tagus  on  the  20th  May.  Soon  after  sail- 
ing the  fleet  was  dispersed  in  a  violent  gale. 
Having,  however,  collected  the  vessels  again 
with   difficulty,  they  appeared   in  July  on 

*  Cainbd.  Elizab.  part  3,  ad  an.  1588.  Baker, 
Chroii.  of  Eng.  reign  of  Elizabeth,  p.  374. 


the  coast  of  England.  The  fleet  stationed 
at  Plymouth  set  sail  immediately,  and  in 
the  course  of  six  days  three  battles  were 
fought  with  unequal  success.  The  Span- 
iards, hoping  to  receive  assistance  from  the 
prince  of  Parma,  cast  anchor  opposite  Ca- 
lais. The  Spanish  admiral  dispatched  a 
courier  to  the  prince,  with  orders  to  join  the 
fleet  with  his  troops,  and,  in  the  mean  time, 
to  send  him  some  cannon  balls,  of  which 
he  was  in  extreme  need.  This  the  prince 
could  not  accomplish,  being  blockaded  in 
his  own  ports  by  Seymour,  who  was,  at  the 
same  time,  about  to  join  Admiral  Howard's 
squadron. 

Besides  this,  the  boats  which  were  built 
being  in  a  leaky  condition,  were  not  in  a  state 
to  put  to  sea.  The  expedition  was  fatal  to 
the  Spaniards,  but  the  English,  according 
to  their  national  characteristic,  boast  too 
highly  of  their  success.  The  vSpanish  fleet 
was  in  the  beginning  shattered  by  a  violent 
storm,  and  on  the  coast  of  Britain  it  was 
disappointed  of  the  succors  that  were  ex- 
pected from  the  Low  Countries,  with  which 
hope  the  expedition  had  been  principally 
undertaken.  In  their  battles  with  the  Eng- 
lish, the  Spaniards  were  in  want  of  ammu- 
nition ;  their  fleet,  too,  consisted  of  large 
ships  hard  to  be  managed,  without  frigates 
or  small  vessels,  so  necessary  in  an  engage- 
ment. The  advantage  was  entirely  in  fa- 
vor of  the  English.  Their  vessels  were 
superior  in  number,  and  their  force  of  every 
variety  ;  besides  which  they  were  on  their 
own  coasts,  and  had  every  thing  requisite 
for  their  fleets. 

All  hopes  of  succeeding  on  the  shores  of 
England  being  destroyed,  the  Spanish  ad- 
miral sailed  for  Spain  through  the  Orkneys. 
When  coasting  round  the  north  of  Ireland, 
his  fleet  was  wrecked,  whereby  he  lost  more 
men  and  ships  than  in  his  battles  with  the 
English.  The  disappointment  evinced  by 
Philip  when  informed  of  this  circumstance, 
and  of  the  defeat  of  his  fleet,  was  mildly 
expressed  with  these  words,  "  I  sent  them  to 
fight  against  men,  not  with  the  elements." 

The  Spaniards  who  escaped  the  fury  of 
the  waves  were  hospitably  sheltered  by  the 
Irish  nobles,  and  among  others,  by  O'Neill  of 
Tyrone,  O'Rorke,  MacSweeny,  &c.  Camb- 
den  incorrectly  and  maliciously  says,  that 
many  of  the  Spaniards  were  put  to  death  on 
this  occasion  by  the  Irish.  His  account  in 
this  accords  with  the  atrocious  murders  that 
the  queen's  minister  in  Ireland  committed 
at  the  time,  who  sought  out  the  Spaniards 
everywhere,  and  had  about  two  hundred  of 
them  put  to  death.     His  cruelty  in  this  was 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


499 


not,  it  is  said,  approved  of  by  the  queen. 
The  same  minister  persecuted  likewise 
many  of  the  Irish  who  afforded  an  asylum 
to  the  Spaniards. 

A  remnant  of  the  Spaniards  who  were 
cast  upon  the  north  coast  of  Ireland,  divided 
themselves  and  proceeded  into  the  country 
parts  to  seek  relief.  Some  of  them,  with 
thei;:  captain,  presented  themselves  to  Hugh 
O'Neill  ;  this  prince  received  them  with  so 
much  kindness,  that  the  soldiers  expressed 
an  eagerness  to  continue  in  his  service.  The 
captain  being  recovered  from  his  fatigues, 
took  his  leave  of  O'Neill  and  set  out  for 
Scotland,  from  whence  he  might  pass  with 
greater  security  to  the  Low  Countries,  and 
from  thence  to  Spain.  Being  in  company 
one  day,  he  boasted  of  the  goodness,  the 
humanity,  and  liberal  disposition  of  Prince 
O'Neill.  One  of  the  company,  jealous  of 
the  praises  that  were  lavished  by  this  officer 
upon  O'Neill,  formed  a  slight  intimacy  with 
him,  and  gaining  his  confidence,  observed, 
that  if  he  had  any  letters  to  send  to  O'Neill, 
he  would,  with  pleasure,  undertake  to  de- 
liver them,  as  he  was  going  to  Ireland.  The 
Spaniard,  not  suspecting  his  wicked  design, 
gave  him  a  letter  wherein  he  avowed  his 
gratitude  and  remembrance  of  his  kindness- 
es ;  offering  him,  at  the  same  time,  his  ser- 
vices with  the  king  and  the  court  of  Spain. 
This  faithless  messenger,  whom  Cambden 
calls  Hugh  Gavalerc,  and  others  Conn  Mac- 
Shane,  natural  son  of  Shane'O'Neill,  instead 
of  going  to  Ireland,  proceeded  straight  to  Lon- 
don, where  he  gave  up  the  Spaniard's  letter 
for  O'Neill,  to  the  council.  He  added,  that 
O'Neill  was  secretly  plotting  against  the 
queen,  and  had  given  letters  to  the  Spanish 
officer  for  the  king  of  Spain,  in  which  he 
sought  assistance  against  her  ;  and  that  the 
offers  of  service  which  this  Spaniard  had 
made  to  him,  appertained  to  the  same  end. 

When  the  above  information  was  given 
against  O'Neill,  an  order  was  sent  to  him,  in 
the  name  of  the  queen  and  council,  to  appear 
at  court  in  order  to  clear  himself.  O'Neill, 
desirous  of  retaining  the  confidence  of  the 
court  for  some  time  longer,  repaired  to  Lon- 
don in  May,  1590,  attended  by  a  retinue 
sjiited  to  his  rank,  and  pleaded  his  cause  so 
ably  that  he  was  judged  to  be  innocent,  in 
spite  of  the  treasurer,  William  Cecil,  who 
possessed  great  influence,  and  was  equally 
hostile  to  the  Catholics  and  the  Irish  nation. 
The  prince  of  Tyrone  being  reconciled  to 
the  queen  and  council,  returned  to  Ireland. 

O'Rourke,  prince  of  Brefny,  was  not  so 
fortunate  as  the  prince  of  Tyrone.  He  had 
afforded  shelter  to  three  hundred  men  be- 


longing to  the  crew  of  a  Spanish  vessel 
which  had  foundered  on  the  coast  of  Sligo  ; 
and  being  summoned  by  the  deputy  to  deliver 
them  up  to  her  majesty's  ministers,  he  replied, 
that  neither  his  honor  nor  religion  allowed 
him  to  surrender  Catholics  who  had  implored 
his  protection,  to  be  put  to  death.  In  the 
mean  time,  to  secure  them  against  the  fur- 
ther pursuits  of  their  enemy,  he  sent  them  to 
Tyrconnel,  to  Mac-Sweeny  of  Tueth,  who 
had  already  hospitably  entertained  Antonio 
de  Leva,  and  nearly  a  thousand  men,  who 
put  to  sea  soon  afterwards,  but  were  unhap- 
pily lost  within  view  of  the  shore.* 

In  order  to  punish  the  supposed  disobe- 
dience of  O'Rourke,  Bingham,  governor  of 
Connaught,  marched  against  him  with  a 
strong  force,  both  English  and  Irish.  Among 
the  latter  was  Ulick  Burke,  earl  of  Clanric- 
card.  O'Rourke,  who  had  but  two  hundred 
men  commanded  by  Mac-Sweeny,  surnamed 
Muracha  Na-Mart,  who  had  come  from  Mun- 
ster,  and  about  the  same  number  of  vassals, 
who  were  hastily  armed,  was  attacked  at 
Droumdhathic.  Unable  to  resist  so  superior 
a  force,  especially  as  Muracha  was  wound- 
ed, by  which  he  lost  an  eye,  he  was  forced 
to  retreat.  Being  thus  driven  from  his  dis- 
trict, he  was  forced  to  resort  to  the  goodness 
of  Mac-Sweeny  Tueth,  who  received  him 
with  generosity.  After  this  he  proceeded  to 
Scotland,  with  the  hope  of  obtaining  succor 
to  enable  him  to  recover  his  possessions  ; 
but  James  VI.,  king  of  Scotland,  having 
previously  made  peace  with  Elizabeth,  not- 
withstanding her  barbarous  treatment  of  his 
mother.  Queen  Mary,  had  O'Rourke  arrested, 
in  violation  of  all  the  sacred  rights  of  hospi- 
tality towards  a  man  whose  only  crime  was 
his  having  exercised  that  virtue  to  men  in 
distress,  whom  the  most  inhuman  could  not 
view  in  the  light  of  enemies.  This  monarch 
sent  him  in  chains  to  Elizabeth,. who  ordered 
him  to  be  hanged  at  Tyburn,  without  even 
the  form  of  a  trial.  AVhen  O'Rourke's  last 
hour  was  approaching,  he  w^p  visited  by  a 
Protestant  bishop,  who  exhorted  him  to  con- 
form to  the  religion  of  the  queen  and  of  the 
state  ;  but  all  his  imporf.unity  could  not  shake 
the  faith  of  that  illustrious  man,  who  firmly 
replied  :  Remember  from  lohat  you  yourself 
have  fallen  ;  think  of  returning  to  the  church, 
that  you  may  regain  the  grace  of  God  :  as  for 
me,  I  shall  die  in  the  religion  which  you  have 
deserted.^ 

Rossa  Boy  MacMahon,  chief  of  the  noble 
tribe  of  the  MacMahons  of  Monaghan,  hav- 
ing died  without  issue,  Aodha  Rua,  or  Red 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid. 

t  Petr.  Lombard,  ibid.  p.  344. 


500 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Hugh  MacMahon,  his  brother,  succeeded  to 
his  title  and  estates  ;*  but  having  cause  to 
dread  the  otlier  branches  of  that  tribe,  name- 
ly, Patrick,  son  of  Art  Moil  MacMahon, 
Ebhir,  or  Ibcr,  lord  of  Fame,  and  Bricn,  son 
ofHughOgue,lord  of  Dartry,  who  were  pow- 
erful and  aspired  to  the  succession,  he  ap- 
pli(Hl  toWilliam  Fitzwilliams,the  lord-deputy, 
and  promised  him  seven  hundred  oxen  if  he 
would  interpose  his  authority,  and  secure  to 
him  the  right  of  his  ancestors.  This  iniqui- 
tous judge,  wishing  to  benefit  by  the  division 
that  prevailed  between  the  MacMahons,  be- 
gan by  taking  possession  of  Monaghan,  the 
chief  town  of  their  principality.  He  put  a 
sheriff,  or  judge,  with  a  strong  garrison,  into 
it.  He  then  divided  some  of  the  lands  be- 
tween Hugh  the  Red  and  Patrick  MacMahon, 
leaving  to  the  former  the  title  of  MacMahon  ; 
and  lastly,  he  adjudged  to  Iber  and  Brien  the 
lordships  of  Fame  and  Dartry,  with  which 
they  were  to  be  content.  Such  was  the  de- 
cision of  an  English  minister,  who,  like  the 
monkey  with  the  oyster  in  the  fable,  took 
care  to  reserve  the  better  part  of  the  spoils 
for  himself.  All  further  complaints  were 
interdicted.  MacMahon,  however,  having 
expressed  some  dissatisfaction,  and  having 
refused  to  pay  to  the  deputy  what  he  had 
already  promised,  the  latter  accused  him  of 
some  pretended  crime  ;  and  in  order  to  give 
an  appearance  of  justice  to  his  proceedings, 
he  appointed  twelve  jurors  to  try  him,  with 
orders,  however,  to  find  him  guilty. f  The 
jurors,  with  some  idea  of  honesty,  exclaimed 
against  an  order  so  unjust,  the  result  of 
which  must  be  to  sway  their  opinion,  and 
make  them  to  condemn,  contrary  to  their 
conscience,  an  innocent  man.  Twelve  oth- 
ers, who  proved  to  be  less  scrupulous,  were 
then  appointed,  by  whom  MacMahon  was 
condemned  to  death.  The  inhuman  sentence 
was  carried  into  execution  at  Monaghan. 
His  estates  were  confiscated,  and  a  great  part 
of  them  given  to  Sir  Henry  Bagnall  and  Cap- 
tain Henslow ;  the  remainder  was  divided  be- 
tween some  branches  of  the  MacMahons,  on 
condition  of  their  paying  an  annual  tribute, 
and  a  vessel  of  wine  to  the  deputy.  This 
matter  was  subsequently  made  the  subject 
of  complaint  against  him  to  the  council  of 
England,  from  which  he  had  some  difficulty 
to  clear  himself.  Brien,  lord  of  Dartry,  re- 
covered all  those  estates  afterwards,  and 
was  acknowledged  chief  of  the  MacMahons. 
According  to  the  best  authors,  Ireland  was 
celebrated  in  former  ages  for  her  schools, 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  vol.  2,  lib.  4,  c.  23.     Petr 
Lombard,  ibid,  pages  341,  342. 
t  Petr.  Lombard,  ibid,  page  342 


which  were  frequented  by  foreigners.  They 
produced  many  persons  who  were  celebrated 
ibr  their  sanctity  and  profound  erudition,  and 
supplied  several  universities  in  Europe  with 
the  best  professors  ;  but  much  of  this  celeb- 
rity was  lost  by  the  invasion  of  the  English 
in  the  twelfth  century.*  These  new-comers, 
intent  upon  amassing  wealth,  no  longer 
thought  of  the  engagements  which  had  been 
entered  into  between  their  sovereign  and 
Adrian  IV. — viz.,  to  restore  religion  in  Ire- 
land, and  reform  the  morals  of  the  inhabit- 
ants ;  an  engagement  which,  though  ground- 
less and  absurd,  was  the  only  plea  for  their 
usurpation.  On  the  contrary,  they  labored 
to  abolish  all  learning,  whereby  the  minds  of 
the  people  would  be  enlightened  and  their 
morals  cultivated,  by  forcing  the  inhabitants 
to  exchange  science  for  war,  in  order  to  de- 
fend their  patrimonies.  A  proposal  being 
once  made  to  the  council  of  England,  to 
found  a  university  in  Ireland  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  youth,  one  of  the  principal  members, 
who  was  also  a  bishop,  opposed  it  strongly. t 
One  of  his  friends  expressing  his  surprise 
on  seeing  a  Catholic  bishop  frustrate  so  holy 
and  salutary  a  measure,  the  prelate  answered 
that  he  had  not  decided  as  a  bishop  of  the 
Catholic  church,  but  as  a  senator  of  England. 
It  was  the  policy  of  England  to  deprive  the 
Irish  of  every  opportunity  to  polish  and  im- 
prove the  people,  and  in  order  to  render 
them  contemptible,  to  suffer  them  to  fall  into 
the  grossest  ignorance.  This  cruel  policy 
forced  the  nobility  of  the  country  to  send 
their  children  to  foreign  countries  to  learn 
a  knowledge  of  the  sciences  which  were 
denied  them  at  home. 

Queen  Elizabeth  was  the  first  to  infringe 
upon  this  policy,  which  had  been  observed 
during  four  centuries.  She  founded  a  col- 
lege in  Dublin  for  the  encouragement  of 
Protestantism,  which  it  was  intended  should 
be  introduced  into  Ireland,  a.  d.  1591.|  In 
order  to  anticipate  her  majesty's  intention, 
Adam  Loftus,  Protestant  archbishop  of  Dub- 
lin and  chancellor  of  Ireland,  called  a  meet- 
ing of  the  mayor,  aldermen,  and  citizens,  at 
the  exchange,  where  he  delivered  an  impres- 
sive discourse  on  the  necessity  of  restoring 
the  sciences  ;  and  represented  to  them,  that, 
if  they  would  promote  so  valuable  an  under- 
taking, and  give,  for  that  purpose,  the  old 
monastery  called  All  Saints,  which  had  been 
granted  to  them  by  Henry  VIII.,  on  the 
suppression  of  religious  houses,  it  would  be 

*  Venerab.  Bed.  Hist.  Eccles.  Passim.  Cambd. 
Brit.  p.  730.     Usser.  Prim.  Eccles. 

t  Pet.  Lombard,  Comment,  de  Req.  Hlb.  cap.  18. 
t  War.  do  Annal.  cap.  33,  34,  35. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


501 


pleasing  to  the  queen.  This  proposal  was 
unanimously  approved  of,  and  Henry  Usher 
deputed  to  obtain  from  the  queen  the  patents 
necessary  for  its  fouudation,  which  were  im- 
mediately granted.  Loftus  repaired  to  the 
exchange  to  thank  the  magistrates,  on  the 
part  of  her  majesty,  whose  letter  he  showed 
them.  Workmen  were  employed  to  pull 
down  the  monastery,  on  the  site  of  which  a 
handsome  college  was  erected,  and  dedicated 
to  the  blessed  Trinity.  Thomas  Smith,  then 
mayor  of  Dublin,  laid  the  first  stone.  This 
college  was  erected  into  a  university  by  a 
charter,  dated  30th  of  March,  1592.  William 
Cecil,  baron  of  Burleigh,  grand-treasurer  of 
England,  a  knight  of  the  order  of  the  garter, 
and  secretary  of  state,  was  the  first  chancellor 
of  Trinity  College  ;  Adam  Loftus  first  pro- 
vost ;  Luke  Challoner, William  Daniel,  James 
FuUerton,  and  James  Hamilton,  were'the  first 
fellows  ;  and  the  celebrated  James  Usher, 
or  Usserius,  Abel  Walsh,  and  James  Lee, 
the  first  bursars.  This  foundation  was  con- 
firmed in  1638,  by  a  charter  from  Charles  I., 
who  caused  regulations  to  be  drawn  up  for 
the  government  of  the  college,  and  the  disci- 
pline to  be  observed  in  it.  Michael  Morus, 
or  More,  of  the  celebrated  tribe  of  the 
O'Morras  of  Leix,  was  the  last  Catholic  pro- 
vost of  this  college.  In  the  time  of  James 
H.,  he  was  forced  to  surrender  that  dignity 
on  account  of  liis  religion,  and  share  the  same 
fate  with  his  king.  He  went  to  Rome,  where 
he  became  acquainted  with  Cardinal '  de 
Noailles,  who  became  so  attached  to  him, 
on  account  of  his  erudition,  that  he  brought 
him  to  Paris.  He  became  rector  of  the 
university  in  that  city,  and  president  of  the 
college  of  Navarre,  where  he  died. 

This  year  was  remarkable  for  the  cele- 
brated declaration  or  edict  which  Elizabeth 
issued  against  the  ministers  of  the  Catholic 
religion.*  It  is  filled  with  invectives  against 
the  king  of  Spain,  and  the  pope,  the  priests, 

1  seminarians,  and  Jesuits.  Ecclesiastics,  and 
all  who  received  them  into  their  houses,  were 

I  condemned  to  pay  heavy  fines,  under  an 
Ij  absurd  pretext  of  high  treason,  which  con- 
sisted in  their  refusal  to  embrace  the  re- 
formed religion,  and  acknowledge  Elizabeth 
supreme  head  of  the  church.  Tlie  follow- 
ing is  a  copy  of  her  etlict : 

"  Although  we  have  had  for  thirty-three 
years,  during  which  God  hath  secured  to  us 
a  peaceful  reign,  sufficient  cause  to  hope  that 
the  strong  and  wicked  malice  of  our  enemies, 
particularly  the  king  of  Spain,  (who  has 
without  provocation  disturbed  our  kingdom,) 

*  Relat.  Girald.  cap.  26,  page  171,  et  seq. 


woidd  at  length  have  subsided  on  his  part, 
and  that  of  his  allies  ;  and  that  he,  with  other 
Christian  princes,  would  unite  with  us  after 
the  war  which  he  had  kindled  would  end,  to 
establish  a  general  peace.  But  we  now  find 
that  the  contrary  has  arisen,  and  that  the 
warlike  preparations  which  he,  the  king  of 
Spain,  hath  made,  are  of  the  most  extensive 
and  formidable  character.  The  God  of  ar- 
mies, however,  has  been  pleased  to  permit, 
that  those  who  cannot  live  content  with  their 
condition,  and  in  peace,  fall  by  their  own  im- 
prudence into  disasters  and  distress  ;  and  we 
therefore  discover  that  this  king,  who  has 
possessed  dominions  and  wealth  of  greater 
magnitude  than  any  of  his  predecessors,  or 
any  other  monarch  in  the  world,  and  who 
has  declared  an  unjust  war  against  France 
and  us,  by  plotting  during  two  years,  the 
destruction  of  our  realms,  has  fallen,  together 
with  his  army,  into  disappointment  and  ruin. 

"  It  is  now  obvious  to  us,  that  the  king  of 
Spain,  in  order  to  add  a  new  appearance  to 
his  rash  and  extraordinary  measures,  has 
lately  caused  a  Milanese,  his  own  subject,  to 
be  raised  to  the  popedom,  and  has  influenced 
him  to  apply  the  treasures  of  the  church  to 
the  raising  of  troops  in  Italy  and  other 
countries,  (which  are  free  from  war,)  for  the 
purpose  of  sending  them  under  the  command 
of  his  nephew  into  France,  to  take  possession 
of  that  kingdom,  which  has  always  assisted 
the  church  in  her  necessities.  This  war, 
which  has  been  undertaken  with  so  much 
care  and  splendor  both  by  sea  and  land, 
must  necessai'ily  affect  our  kingdoms  and 
our  crown. 

"  We  are  likewise  convinced  that  this  king 
has,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  his  de- 
signs through  the  influence  of  the  pope,  so 
disposed  to  favor  him,  entered  into  treaty 
with  some  chiefs  who  have  been  our  ungrate- 
ful subjects,  and  linked  in  rebellion  with  the 
people,  who,  influenced  and  paid  by  the  king 
of  Spain,  enrolled  themselves  in  great  num- 
bers ;  some  from  necessity,  and  some  to  es- 
cape the  punishment  due  to  their  crimes  and 
perfidy.  To  maintain  and  support  them  in 
their  pursuits,  certain  places  called  semina- 
ries have  been  established  in  Spain  and  at 
Rome,  where  they  become  instructed,  and 
after  they  are  made  conversant  in  the  arts 
of  sedition,  arc  secretly  sent  back  into  our 
kingdom,  well  supplied  with  money  from  the 
pope,  to  influence  all  with  whom  they  treat, 
to  renounce  their  allegiance  to  us,  under  a 
hope  of  being  assisted  by  the  Spaniards, 
who  would  load  them  with  the  riches  and 
spoils  of  our  faithful  subjects. 

''  For  these  objects  the  priests  oblige,  by 


502 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


an  oath,  our  people  with  whom  they  hold 
intercourse,  to  renounce  their  allegiance  to 
us  and  transfer  it  to  the  king  of  Spain  ;  like- 
wise, to  aid  his  army  on  tlioir  landing,  and 
the  more  efl'ectually  to  accomplish  their  pur- 
pose, they  impose  on  a  credulous  people,  by 
saving  that  bulls  have  been  obtained  from 
the  pope,  whereby  indulgences  and  a  promise 
of  heaven  are  held  out  to  those  who  will 
range  themselves  under  their  standard,  and 
that  those  who  will  act  in  opposition,  are 
loaded  with  curses,  with  threats  of  hell,  and 
condemnation. 

"  And  although  such  attempts  of  the  pope 
have  been  long  practised  in  some  countries, 
we  have  saved  our  kingdoms  from  their  in- 
fluence by  the  efficacy  of  the  laws  enacted 
against  rebels  and  those  guilty  of  high  trea- 
son, and  not  against  religion,  as  has  been 
falsely  advanced  by  the  favorers  of  these 
base  views  ;  which  is  the  more  flagrant  from 
criminal  suits  having  been  instituted,  in 
which  none  were  condemned  or  put  to  death 
except  for  treason,  and  for  their  avowal, 
that  they  would  aid  and  assist  the  pope  and 
his  army  if  sent  to  invade  our  realms. 

"  It  is  a  matter  also  of  notoriety,  that 
none  of  our  subjects  have  been  put  to  death 
for  their  religion,  inasmuch  as  many  pos- 
sessed of  riches,  and  possessing  a  contrary 
belief  to  ours,  are  punished  neither  in  their 
properties,  their  lives,  nor  their  freedom, 
and  are  subject  only  to  pay  a  certain  fine  for 
their  refusal  to  frequent  our  churches ; 
which  is  on  our  part  a  clear  refutation  of 
the  aspersions  and  calumnies  that  have 
been  propagated  in  foreign  countries,  by 
those  who  have  fled  from  their  own. 

"  Notwithstanding  all  this,  we  know  for 
truth,  that  some  leaders  in  these  receptacles 
called  seminaries,  or  Jesuitical  colleges,  have 
again  endeavored  to  influence  the  king  of 
Spain  to  make  new  attempts  upon  Ireland, 
by  promising  to  assist  his  army  on  their  land- 
ing, with  many  thousand  men,  although  his 
fleet  had  met  with  signal  disasters  in  its 
first  attempts  at  invasion.  Though  prudence 
and  experience  of  the  past  should  show  this 
king  how  inefficient  his  plans  against  Eng- 
land must  ever  be  ;  still  he  has  been  solicited 
to  renew  his  eflx)rts,  under  similar  false 
promises  and  misrepresentations. 

"  The  king  of  Spain's  particular  adviser  is 
a  theologian  named  Person,  who  endeavors 
by  such  means  to  gain  the  Catholic  king's 
favor,  and  succeed  in  becoming  his  confes- 
sor ;  similar  information  has  been  conveyed 
to  the  pope  through  another  theologian 
called  Alan,  the  reward  of  whose  trea- 
chery towards  us  has  been  a  cardinal's  hat : 


these  men  have  provided  their  patrons  with 
a  list  of  names  of  those  who  have  espoused, 
or  would  espouse  their  cause,  particularly  in 
the  maritime  parts  of  our  kingdom,  and 
would  join  the  standard  of  the  Spaniards  on 
their  landing.  Although  the  pope  and  king 
of  Spain  must  be  aware  that  the  advices  and 
opinions  of  these  men  are  frivolous  and 
false,  still  they  are  looked  upon  as  fit  instru- 
ments to  keep  the  people  attached  to  their 
wicked  designs,  and  many  of  them  have 
been,  within  the  last  ten  or  twelve  months, 
secretly  dispatched  into  England,  to  assure 
their  adherents,  (as  has  been  made  known 
to  us  through  some  wlio  have  been  lately 
arrested,)  that  in  the  ensuing  year,  the  entire 
forces  of  Spain  will  be  directed  against  Eng- 
land. Some,  however,  of  the  Spanish  coun- 
cil, more  prudent  than  the  rest,  seeing  that 
no  important  advantages  would  attend  such 
an  enterprise,  think  that  France  or  the  Low 
Countries,  Scotland  or  Ireland,  whither  some 
seminarians  have  been  sent  for  this  object, 
would  afl'ord  better  hopes  and  prospects  of 
success  to  the  Spanish  arms. 

"  Though  convinced  now  of  the  inten- 
tions and  designs  of  Spain  against  us,  still 
we  doubt  not  but  God,  who  is  the  pro- 
tector of  the  just  cause,  will,  as  he  has 
already  done,  defeat  them.  It  is  the  duty 
of  us,  therefore,  who  have  received  the  throne 
from  the  hands  of  the  Almighty,  to  use  all 
the  means  within  our  power,  under  the  di- 
vine protection,  and  with  the  help  of  our 
faithful  subjects,  to  make  the  laws  available 
against  rebels,  so  that  by  increasing  our 
forces,  we  may  crush  the  power  of  our  ene- 
mies. 

"  First,  we  require  that  the  clergy  of  our 
church  take  care,  by  their  doctrine  and  ex- 
ample, to  instruct  the  people  in  the  gospel, 
and  in  their  duties  to  God  and  to  us,  particu- 
larly as  some  rebels,  with  their  chiefs,  are 
continually  endeavoring,  by  means  of  their 
seminaries,  to  seduce  the  simple  and  unsus- 
pecting. 

"  Secondly,  with  respect  to  our  armies  by 
sea  and  land,  intended  to  suppress  those  ex- 
traordinary forces  which  are  to  come  from 
Spain,  we  hope,  that  by  the  good  orders  we 
have  given,  we  shall  resist  our  enemies  more 
efl'ectually  than  we  ttave  yet  done  :  still  we 
earnestly  entreat  our  subjects  to  assist  us 
with  their  resources  in  men  and  money,  and 
with  their  advice,  and  to  pray  that  God  will 
protect  our  cause,  which  is  that  of  nature, 
honor,  and  necessity,  and  which  we  have 
undertaken  for  the  safety  of  our  country,  for 
the  safety  of  your  wives  and  children,  your 
properties  and  freedom,  against  those  cruel 
and  avaricious  despoilers. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


503 


"  Thirdly,  in  order  to  defeat  the  secret 
machinations  of  these  seminarians,  Jesuits, 
and  other  traitors,  who  are  m-ging  the  king 
of  Spain  to  his  present  designs,  and  under  a 
garb  of  sanctity,  insinuate  themselves  into 
the  minds  of  our  subjects,  and  encourage 
them  to  rebel ;  we  have  determined  to  send 
commissioners  immediately  to  all  the  coun- 
ties, provinces,  towns,  villages,  and  seaports 
of  our  kingdom,  with  orders  to  make  every 
necessary  effort  for  the  discovery  of  such 
characters  as  think  that  any  obedience  what- 
soever is  due  to  the  pope  or  to  the  king  of 
Spain. 

"  Being  aware  that  several  of  these  semi- 
narians, disguised  in  female  attire,  enter  our 
kingdom,  and  by  assuming  the  name  of  for- 
eigners, gain  admittance  into  the  universi- 
ties, courts  of  princes,  and  the  families  of 
noblemen,  we  expressly  command  each  and 
every  one,  of  what  rank,  sex,  condition,  or 
dignity  soever  they  be,  even  the  officers  of 
ourhousehold,  the  ministers  and  magistrates, 
the  heads  of  families,  and  pastors,  to  search 
carefully  for  all  who,  within  the  last  fourteen 
months,  have  frequented  their  houses,  and 
have  lived,  slept,  eaten  wdth,  or  labored  for 
them,  or  may  labor  for  them  in  future  ; 
also  to  give  a  return  of  their  names,  rank, 
and  quality,  their  birthplace,  and  where 
they  have  lived  for  a  whole  year  before  they 
came  to  their  houses,  on  what  they  subsist, 
how  they  have  been  employed,  what  places 
they  frequented,  and  those  with  whom  they 
keep  intercourse,  and  if,  at  the  periods  pre- 
scribed by  law,  they  have  attended  divine 
service  in  our  churches. 

"  We  likewise  command  that  these  inqui- 
ries, with  the  answers  given  them,  be  com- 
mitted to  writing  by  the  heads  of  each  family, 
and  that  they  be  carefully  preserved,  in  order 
that  they  may  be  resorted  to  by  our  commis- 
sioners as  they  may  think  proper,  both  for 
the  discovery  of  doubtful  characters,  and  to 
convince  them  of  the  correctness  and  loyalty 
of  the  fathers  of  families. 

"  Should  any  hesitate  to  answer,  or  appear 
to  waver  in  their  testimony,  it  is  our  will  that 
they  be  forthwith  arrested,  and  brought 
under  a  strong  guard  to  the  nearest  com- 
missioner ;  and,  that  the  same  measure  be 
enforced  against  the  heads  of  families,  who 
will  manifest  omission  or  lenity  in  their  in- 
vestigations :  and  that  our  commissioners 
shall  punish,  according  to  the  degree  of  their 
offences,  such  as  may  be  known  to  have 
favored  suspected  persons,  or  to  have  neg- 
lected giving  them  up  within  twenty  days 
after  the  publication  of  this  decree.  They 
shall  be  subject  to  the  same  penalty  as  trai- 


tors and  rebels,  and  likewise  will  be  deemed 
their  abettors  and  accomplices,  in  faith  of 
which  we  ordain,  expressly  and  firmly,  that 
no  favor  or  respect  be  shovvn  to  either  rank 
or  dignity  ;  and  finally,  that  no  neglect  be 
tolerated  in  those  who  have  not  discovered 
traitors,  or  used  their  exertions  for  the  dis- 
covery of  them ;  which  so  far  from  being 
contrary  to  law,  are  in  accordance  with  the 
most  ancient  laws  and  customs  of  our  king- 
dom, for  the  maintenance  of  that  obedience 
which  is  due  to  us  and  to  the  stability  of  our 
government.  Given  at  our  palace  of  Rich- 
mond, on  the  18th  of  October,  1591,  in  the 
thirty-third  year  of  our  reign." 

The  above  declaration  is  founded  on  false 
reasoning.  Elizabeth  alleges  that  high  trea- 
son alone  was  punishable  by  death  :  still,  she 
condemned  those  who  refused  to  take  the 
oath  of  supremacy,  to  death,  and  deprived 
them  of  their  estates,  their  refusal  being 
considered  as  an  act  of  high  treason.  She 
conceals  her  venom  and  bad  faith  under  an 
appearance  of  justice,  resting  the  proofs  of 
her  innocence  on  the  cases  of  some  of  her 
rich  Catholic  subjects,  who  were  condemned 
to  pay  a  fine  only  when  they  omitted  attend- 
ing the  churches  of  the  reformers  ;  but  she 
has  neverbeen  accused  of  having  condemned 
all  her  Catholic  subjects  to  death  on  account 
of  their  religion.  Her  fury  was  levelled  in 
particular  against  the  clergy  who  were  op- 
posed to  the  reformation,  while  the  rich 
compounded  matters  by  suffering  in  secret, 
and  escaping  her  tyranny,  by  paying  a  sum 
of  money. 

About  the  year  1592,  eleven  priests  and 
Jesuits  were  arrested  in  Connaught  and 
Munster,  among  whom  was  Michael  Fitz- 
simon,  a  priest,  and  son  of  an  alderman  of 
Dublin.*  They  were  brought  to  Dublin, 
and  accused,  in  presence  of  the  deputy,  of 
having  been  concerned  in  the  rebellion  of 
Baltinglass.  This  was  the  pretext  made 
use  of,  but  their  real  crime  was,  that  they 
preached  against  the  reformation,  and  the 
supposed  supremacy  of  Elizabeth,  which  was 
then  high  treason.  Michael  Fitzsimon  was 
hanged  in  the  public  market-place. 

The  horrid  fate  of  Hugh  MacMahon,  chief 
of  the  ancient  tribe  of  the  MacMahons  of 
Monaghan,  which  has  been  already  men- 
tioned, alarmed  the  neighboring  noblemen, 
who,  each  in  turn,  expected  the  same  treat- 
ment.f  Hugh  MacGuire,  prince  of  Ferma- 
nagh, was  particularly  affected  by  Mac- 
Mahon's  untimely  end.  The  deputy  having 
sent  a  sheriff  to  his  district  without  his  con- 

*  Ware,  ibid. 

t  Peter  Lombard,  ibid.  cap.  24,  pages  243,  244. 


504 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


sent,  he  collected  his  forces  and  prepared  to 
defend  himself.  This  English  magistrate 
was  called  Willis,  and  was  followed  by  two 
Imndred  men,  women,  and  children  ;*  and 
instead  of  discharging  the  duties  of  his  of- 
fice, he  pillaged  the  country,  and  raised  con- 
tributions everywhere.  Maguire  marched 
against  him,  and  forced  him  and  his  follow- 
ers to  seek  safety  in  a  church,  where  he 
would  have  put  them  all  to  the  sword,  had 
it  not  been  for  the  interference  of  Tyrone, 
who  saved  their  lives,  on  condition  that 
they  would  quit  the  province. 

ThomasJones,  Protestant  bishop  of  Meath, 
sent  a  minister  of  his  church,  about  this  time, 
to  the  abbey  of  Cluaincois,  or  Clunes,  in  the 
territory  of  Monaghan,  to  preach  the  refor- 
mation.! The  zeal  of  this  minister  was  not 
confined  to  the  people  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  abbey.  He  proceeded  to  the  districts 
of  Fermanagh,  where  he  gave  the  Catholics 
considerable  uneasiness  about  their  religion, 
by  endeavoring  to  force  them  to  embrace 
the  reformation.  He  intimidated  those  who 
persevered  in  their  faith,  by  accusing  them 
of  high  treason,  and  thus  became  master  of 
their  estates.  However,  his  tyranny  was  of 
short  duration,  as  he  was  burned  in  his  house, 
with  all  his  retinue.  The  suspicion  of  the 
government  immediately  fell  on  Maguire. 
He  was  summoned  to  appear  before  the 
English  judges,  but  as  he  would  not  acknow- 
ledge their  authority,  he  refused  to  obey, 
and  had  recourse  to  arms,  whereon  he  was 
proclaimed  a  traitor. 

In  the  mean  time,  Hugh  O'Donnel,  Daniel 
MacS^veeny,  surnamed  Gorm,  and  Fluan 
O'Gallachur,  were  arrested  by  stratagem,  as 
we  have  already  observed,  and  imprisoned 
in  the  castle  of  Dublin,  a.  d.  1594.|  After 
a  close  confinement  of  nearly  seven  years, 
they  found  means  to  escape  with  Henry  and 
Art,  sons  of  Shane  O'Neill,  and  Philip 
O'Reilly.  Fiach  O'Birne,  the  implacable 
enemy  of  the  English,  and  young  Edward 
Eustace,  of  the  illustrious  house  of  Baltin- 
glass,  contributed  greatly  to  their  escape. 
These  noblemen  having  gained  over  the 
jailers,  sent  the  illustrious  captives  a  piece 
of  linen,  as  if  for  clothing.  O'Donnel  cut  it 
into  strips,  which  he  tied  together,  by  means 
of  which  they  all  descended  at  midnight, 
safely  into  the  trench,  except  Art  O'Neill, 
who  was  dangerously  wounded  by  a  stone 
that  fell  from  the  wall,  and  of  which  he 
shortly  afterwards  died.  Thus  delivered 
from  prison,  they  left  the  city  before  day- 

*  AVare,  ibid.  cap.  36. 

t  Hisl.  Cathol.  Ibern.  vol.  3,  lib.  2,  cap.  6. 

t  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  cap.  4. 


break.  It  was  then  the  depth  of  winter,  the 
roads  were  bad,  and  they  were  obliged  to 
take  by-paths,  in  order  to  escape  the  pur- 
suit of  their  enemies,  so  that  they  suffered 
great  fatigue  and  hardships  before  they  ar- 
rived in  Ulster. 

Hugh  O'Donnel,  prince  of  Tyrconnel, 
called  by  the  Irish  Bal  Deargue  O'DonnaiU,  j 
from  a  red  spot  on  his  body,  was  next  to  | 
O'Neill  in  point  of  power.  Though  not 
twenty  years  of  age,  he  was  remarkable  for 
his  prudence  and  other  virtues,  particularly 
for  his  zeal  in  the  Catholic  cause.  On  his 
arrival  in  Tyrconnel,  his  father  being  far 
advanced  in  years,  gave  him  up  his  own 
right ;  whereupon  he  was  unanimously 
elected,  and  crowned  prince  of  Tyrconnel, 
by  O'Pheile,  who  was  the  minister  of  that 
ceremony  in  the  family  of  O'Donnel. 

As  soon  as  O'Donnel  was  in  possession  of 
the  principality,  he  generously  determined  to 
use  all  his  power  against  the  enemies  of  his 
religion  and  country.*  The  first  time  he 
signalized  himself  in  their  cause  was  when 
Captain  Willis  made  some  inroads  on  the 
estates  of  Tyrconnel.  This  officer  having 
entered  the  district  with  a  few  troops,  en- 
deavored to  raise  contributions.  The  prince, 
however,  marched  against  him,  and  forced 
him  to  seek  safety  in  an  old  monastery,  where 
he  was  immediately  surrounded  by  the  troops 
of  Tyrconnel.  The  Englishman  finding  him- 
self hemmed  in,  and  without  any  hope  of 
succor,  implored  the  clemency  of  the  prince ; 
who  generously  gave  him  his  freedom, 
on  condition  of  his  telling  those  who  had 
sent  him  that  the  queen  and  her  lieutenants 
treated  the  Irish  unworthily  ;  that  they  im- 
piously profaned  the  Catholic  religion,  and 
were  cruelly  persecuting  the  ministers  of 
Jesus  Christ ;  that  they  were  degrading  the 
Catholic  nobility,  and  that,  instead  of  admin- 
istering justice,  they  were  continually  com- 
mitting abuses,  and  usurping  the  estates  of 
others ;  and  lastly,  that  he  would  not  allow 
his  people  to  pay  tribute  any  longer  to  the 
English.  O'Donnel  having  dismissed  the 
j  English  captain  and  his  men,  thought  of  se- 
I  curing  allies  to  defend  the  common  cause. 
j  He  took  care  to  conciliate  the  principal  no- 
blemen of  the  country  towards  him,  all  of 
whom  were  branches  of  the  house  of  Tyr- 
connel ;t  namely,  Eugenius  MacSweenyof 
Tueth,  Donat  MacS  weeny  of  Banach,  Daniel 
MacSweeny  of  Fanid,  John  O'Dogherty  of 
Inisowen,  the  0'J5Mi7fZA«76',or  Boyles,  of  Boy- 
lagh,  and  many  others.  O'Rourke  of  Brefny, 

*  Pet.  Lombard,  ibid.  p.  348.     Ibid.  p.  351. 
+  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  cap.  6.    Pet.  Lombard,  ibid, 
page  345,  et  seq. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


505 


who  sought  an  opportunity  to  revenge  the 
death  of  his  father  who  had  been  executed  in 
London,  was  among  the  allies  of  Tyrconnel. 

Maguire,  prince  of  Fermanagh,was  already 
in  arms  against  the  English,  when  Edmond 
MacGowran,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  and 
primate  of  all  Ireland,  arrived.  He  was  sent 
by  the  pope  to  encourage  the  Catholic  no- 
bility of  Ireland  to  defend  their  religion : 
and  also  brought  promises  of  assistance  from 
Philip  II.,  king  of  Spain.  In  order  to  fulfil 
his  commission,  the  archbishop  visited  the 
princes  and  lords  of  Ulster,  but  generally 
resided  with  the  prince  of  Fermanagh. 

Maguire,  accompanied  by  the  primate, 
entered  Connaught  sword  in  hand.  Bingham, 
governor  of  that  province,  sent  a  detachment 
against  him,  under  William  Guelfert.  Both 
armies  having  met  in  a  place  called  Skiethna- 
Fheart,  a  brisk  engagement  ensued  between 
the  cavalry,  but  Maguire  having  forced  his 
way  through  the  ranks,  killed  Guelfert  with 
his  lance ;  and  the  English  seeing  their  chief 
fallen,  took  to  flight,  leaving  the  field  of 
battle  to  Maguire.  This  nobleman's  joy  for 
his  victory,  was,  however,  changed  into  sor- 
row by  the  death  of  the  primate,  who  was 
killed  by  some  English  that  were  retreating. 
The  Irish  of  the  Catholic  party,  determined 
to  treat  not  only  the  English  Protestants  as 
enemies,  but  also  the  Irish  Catholics  who 
assisted  them.  On  this  principle,  O'Rourke 
and  Maguire  marched  together  to  Annaly, 
at  present  the  county  of  Longford,  belonging 
to  the  O'Ferrals ;  where  they  destroyed  every 
thing  by  fire  and  sword,  and  carried  away 
immense  booty.  William  O'Ferral,  lord  of 
that  country,advancing  with  a  body  of  cavalry 
to  wrest  the  spoils  from  his  enemy,  was 
killed  by  Maguire,  and  his  men  put  to  flight. 

Fitzwilliam,  lord-deputy  of  Ireland,  was 
recalled  in  August,  and  succeeded  by  Sir 
William  Russel,  youngest  son  of  the  earl  of 
Bedford  ;  who,  on  his  arrival  in  Dublin,  was 
sworn  into  office,  and  was  informed  by  the 
council,  of  the  state  of  aflairs  in  Ireland. 

The  disturbances  continued  in  Ulster, 
where  the  Catholic  party  were  gaining 
strength  by  the  union  of  the  lords  of  the 
province.*  The  English  governmentbecame 
alarmed,  and  dispatched  an  army  against 
Maguire,  who  kept  the  field.  The  earl  of 
Tyrone  and  the  marshal  B agnail  were  ap- 
pointed to  head  this  expedition.  The  policy 
of  Tyrone  still  prevented  him  from  declaring 
against  the  queen,  or  even  remaining  neutral. 
Maguire  seeing  the  preparations  that  were 
making  against  him,  and  the  danger  with 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  cap.  7. 


which  he  was  threatened,  sent  to  O'Donnel 
for  assistance,  who  granted  him  a  small  body 
of  Irish  and  Scotch,  the  former  being  armed 
with  axes,  and  the  latter  with  arrows  ;  but  j 
even  with  this  reinforcement,  the  prince 
of  Fermanagh's  army  was  inferior  in  num- 
bers to  the  enemy.  The  English  having 
reached  the  banks  of  the  river  Earne,  began 
to  cannonade  the  Catholic  army,  which  was 
posted  on  the  opposite  side,  from  which  the 
latter  suffered  severely,  having  but  their  ar- 
rows to  oppose  the  enemy's  artillery — at 
length,  Tyrone  having  discovered  a  ford, 
crossed  the  river  at  the  head  of  his  cavalry, 
and  broke  Maguire's  infantry ;  but  this  ad- 
vantage was  not  important,  in  consequence 
of  his  being  wounded  by  the  arrow  of  an 
Irish  archer  in  the  thigh.  Maguire  having 
then  rallied  his  cavalry  and  infantry,  forced 
the  enemy  to  cross  the  river.  The  old  ani- 
mosities between  Tyrone  and  Bagnall  broke 
out  anew  on  this  occasion.  Bagnall,  as  com- 
mander-in-chief, claimed  the  glory  of  the 
action,  while  the  only  advantage  that  was 
gained  over  the  Catholics,  was  chiefly  due  to 
the  bravery  of  the  earl.  O'Donnel  having 
arrived  in  Maguire's  camp  with  a  fresh  rein- 
forcement, the  night  after  the  battle,  was 
desirous  of  attacking  the  English  ;  but  was 
prevented  by  a  secret  express  from  Tyrone, 
who  begged  of  him  not  to  undertake  any 
thing  against  the  English  army  while  he 
remained  among  them,  as  his  liberty  would 
be  endangered.  Tyrone  left  the  camp  shortly 
afterwards,  and  went  to  Dungannon  to  get 
cured  of  his  wounds. 

In  the  mean  time,  Richard  Bingham,  gov- 
ernor of  Connaught,  laid  siege  to  Inniskil- 
len,  a  fortress  belonging  to  Maguire.*  He 
took  possession  of  it  much  less  by  his  valor, 
than  by  the  treachery  of  one  MacCraine, 
which  implies  films  scrophm — who  was  an 
officer  of  the  garrison,  and  a  favorite  with 
Maguire.  The  disposition  of  this  man  cor- 
responded with  his  face,  which  was  hideous. 
Being  bribed  by  Bingham,  he  opened  the 
gates  of  the  castle  to  him,  and  was  the  only 
person  that  was  spared  by  this  general,  who 
had  every  man,  woman,  and  child  (except 
the  traitor)  put  to  the  sword.  After  this 
expedition,  Bingham  garrisoned  the  castle  of 
Enniskillen,  and  returned  immediately  to  his 
province,  to  avoid  meeting  with  O'Donnel 
and  Maguire  who  were  superior  to  him  in 
strength. 

The  Catholics  of  Leinster  having  been 
already  persecuted  under  the  government  of 
John  Perrott,  the  deputy,  many  of  them  were 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid. 


506 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


forced  to  abandon  llicir  dwellings  and  take 
up  arms  to  defend  themselves  against  the 
rigor  of  the  laws  that  were  enacted  against 
them.*  Sir  Walter  Fitzgerald,  of  the  house 
of  Kildare,  was  among  the  number.  This 
knight  was  called  Vater  Kiach,  or  the  Brown, 
from  the  darkness  of  his  complexion.  He 
withdrew  to  Gloran,  in  the  county  of  Wick- 
low,  to  Fiach  Mac-Hugh  O'Birne,  whose 
daughter  he  had  married.  Fiach  was  a 
powerful  nobleman,  and  always  opposed  to 
the  English.  He  was  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant allies  of  the  celebrated  Viscount  Bal- 
tinglass,  when  that  nobleman  took  up  arms 
against  Elizabeth  ;  but  after  the  fall  of  the 
viscount,  he  was  restored  to  favor  with  the 
government,  and  his  house  was  an  asylum 
for  the  persecuted  Catholics.  Several  young 
gentlemen  followed  the  fortune  of  Walter 
Fitzgerald,  with  whom  he  made  war  against 
the  English.  He  defeated  Dudley  Bagnall, 
brother  to  the  lord-marshal,  who  attacked 
him  with  the  troops  of  the  garrison  at  lieigh- 
lin,  Dudley  himself  being  found  among  the 
slain.  He  also  made  incursions  into  Ormond, 
where  he  defeated  the  Butlers  and  their 
chief,  Peter  Butler,  nephew  to  the  earl  Or- 
mond ;  and  afterwards  made  inroads  on  Lein- 
ster  and  Meath,  and  became  the  terror  of  the 
English  Protestants.  In  order  to  prevent  the 
consequences  of  his  rapid  victories,  the  dep- 
uty proposed  terms  of  peace,  and  a  general 
amnesty, wliich  he  thought  prudent  to  accept. 

Walter  Fitzgerald  lived  in  peace  for  some 
years ;  but  the  war  in  Ulster  giving  rise  to 
fresh  persecution  in  Leinster,  he  again  flew 
to  arms,with  Fiach  0'Byrne,Terence  Feilim, 
and  his  son  Raymond,  George  O'Morra,  and 
others.  These  confederates  had  many  skir- 
mishes with  the  Protestants,  in  which  they 
were  sometimes  the  conquerors,  and  were 
sometimes  defeated ;  but  being  at  length 
overcome  by  the  superior  number  of  their 
enemies,  some  of  their  chiefs,  among  whom 
was  Walter  Fitzgerald,  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  English,  and  gave  a  glorious  testimony 
of  faith,  by  shedding  their  blood  in  its  de- 
fence. 

The  war  still  continued  to  rage  in  Ulster. 
O'Donnel  surrounded  the  castle  of  Enniskil- 
len  which  had  been  surprised  some  time  be- 
fore by  the  English  ;  but  had  not  the  artillery 
necessary  for  carrying  on  the  siege  in  form. 
The  deputy  received  intelligence  of  this,  and 
marching  to  the  assistance  of  the  town,  had 
provisions  conveyed  to  the  besieged,  and 
after  losing  a  great  number  of  his  men,  re- 
turned to  Dublin.     In  the  mean  time  the 

*  HLst.  Cathol.  Ibern.  ibid.  cap.  2. 


prince  of  Tyrconnel  deputed  James  OTIealy, 
rchbishop  of  Tuam,  to  Philip  IL,  king  of 
Spain,  to  inform  that  prince  of  the  state  of 
aflairs  in  Ireland,  and  remind  him  of  the 
promises  he  made  to  the  primate  MacGau- 
ran,  of  assisting  the  Catholics  in  Ireland.* 
The  prelate  was  kindly  received  by  his 
Catholic  majesty,  who  gave  fresh  assu- 
rances of  aid,  and  dismissed  him  with 
presents  ;  but  he  had  not  the  happiness  to 
bring  back  the  answer  to  O'Donnel,  as  he 
was  lost  on  his  passage  to  Ireland. 

O'Donnel  still  kept  up  the  blockade  of  the 
castle  of  Enniskillen  ;t  his  design  being  to 
reduce  the  place  by  famine.  The  garrison 
seeing  themselves  hard  pressed,  dispatched 
MacCraine,  who  had  lately  betrayed  the 
place,  with  five  others,  to  apprize  the  Eng- 
lish of  their  distressing  situation.  These 
emissaries  having  crossed  the  river  in  a  small 
boat,  fell  into  the  hands  of  a  party  of  the 
Irish,  and  were  cut  to  pieces.  The  English 
government  was  well  acquainted  with  the 
state  of  the  garrison  of  Enniskillen,  and  re- 
solved to  relieve  it.  Stores  of  biscuit,  salt 
meatjcheese,  and  every  thing  necessary, were 
provided ;  the  number  of  the  troops  raised 
for  its  relief  amounted  to  two  thousand  five 
hundred  infantry,  and  four  hundred  cavalry, 
coiximanded  by  Sir  Henry  Duke,  governor 
and  lord-marshal  of  O'Faly,  who  received 
orders  to  force  the  prince  of  Tyrconnel  from 
his  intrenchments.  O'Donnel  received  in- 
telligence of  the  preparations  that  were  ma- 
king against  him,  and  being  determined  to 
meet  the  enemy,  he  dispatched  a  courier  to 
the  earl  of  Tyrone,  with  a  letter,  informing 
him  of  the  danger  to  which  he  was  exposed, 
and  that  he  was  resolved  to  shed  the  last 
drop  of  his  blood  in  defence  of  his  country's 
cause,  against  the  English,  adding,  that  he 
would  consider  him  as  his  enemy,  if  he  re- 
fused to  assist  him  in  so  pressing  an  emer- 
gency. 

O'Neill  convened  his  council,  in  order  to 
examine  the  dispatches  of  the  courier.  He 
hesitated  at  first,  from  fear  that  O'Donnel 
had  engaged  too  hastily  in  this  war,  and  that 
he  calculated  on  doubtful  aid  from  the  king 
of  Spain ;  on  the  other  hand,  he  thought  it 
wrong  to  forsake  the  prince  of  Tyrconnel  in 
his  dilemma,  who  was  his  ally,  relative,  and 
friend ;  though  he  dreaded  that  if  he  were  de- 
feated it  would  prove  fatal  to  the  cause  of 
religion,  in  favor  of  which  he  intended  im- 
mediately to  declare  himself.  Tyrone  there- 
fore dispatched  Cormac  O'Neill,  his  brother, 
at  the  head  of  one  hundred  horse,  and  three 

*  War.  ibid.  c.  37.     Hist.  Cathol.  c.  8. 
t  Hist.  Cathol.  cap.  11. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


507 


hundred  foot,  to  Tyrconnel.  The  latter  im- 
mediately sent  a  detachment  of  a  thousand 
foot,  under  the  command  of  Maguire  and 
Cormac  O'Neill,  to  meet  the  English,  who 
were  approaching  his  camp  with  rapid 
strides.  Maguire  and  O'Neill  set  out  on 
their  march,  and  arrived  in  the  evening  on 
the  banks  of  the  river  Farna,  where  they 
saw  the  English  army  under  Sir  Duke,  posted 
on  the  opposite  side.  Both  armies  passed 
the  night  in  firing  on  each  other.  At  break 
of  day,  the  English  general  having  discovered 
a  ford,  made  his.  army  cross  the  river,  and 
marched  towards  the  enemy  in  battle  array. 
The  battle  began  at  eleven  in  the  morning, 
and  lasted  till  night,  with  great  slaughter  on 
both  sides  ;  but  the  English  were  at  length 
completely  routed  by  the  superior  skill  of 
the  Irish  generals,  and  the  bravery  of  the 
soldiers  under  their  command.  Those  who 
escaped  the  carnage,  endeavored  to  repass 
the  river,  but  being  pursued  by  the  Irish,  sev- 
eral were  drowned  in  endeavoring  to  escape. 
According  even  to  their  authors,  the  loss  of 
the  English  was  immense,  which  avowal 
from  Englishmen  is  worthy  of  remark.* 
From  O'Sullivan  we  learn  that  they  lost  four 
hundred  men.  He  even  mentions  the  place 
where  the  battle  was  fought — vadiim  biscoc- 
torum  paniun,  or  the  ford  of  biscuits  ;  the 
confusion  of  the  English  being  so  great,  that 
they  were  obliged  to  throw  the  biscuit  which 
had  been  intended  for  the  garrison  of  Innis- 
killen,  into  the  river.  This  garrison  having 
now  lost  all  hopes  of  succor,  from  the  defeat 
of  their  countrymen,  opened  the  gates  to 
O'Donnel.  That  prince  restored  it  to  Ma- 
guire, to  whom  it  belonged. 

After  the  reduction  of  Enniskillen,  Tyr- 
connel marched  to  Connaught  to  revenge 
the  tyranny  which  had  been  practised  in 
that  province  by  Bingham,  the  governor. 
He  carried  terror  wherever  he  passed,  put- 
ting every  English  Protestant,  from  the  age 
of  fifteen  to  sixty,  who  could  not  speak  Irish, 
to  the  sword.  Tyrconnel  afterwards  entered 
Annaly,  and  burned  the  district  of  Longford, 
which  belonged  to  the  O'Ferrals.  It  had 
been  usurped  by  an  English  Protestant 
named  Brown  ;  so  that  the  English  in  Con- 
naught  who  escaped  the  sword  of  the  con- 
queror, being  deprived  of  all  they  had 
amassed,  except  those  who  were  under  the 
protection  of  the  garrisons  and  fortresses, 
were  obliged  to  return  to  England,  highly 
indignant  with  those  who  had  induced  them 
to  seek  their  fortunes  in  Ireland. 

Theobald  Burke,  a  powerful  lord  of  Con- 

*  Cambd.  Elizab.  ad  an.  1594,  page  658. 


CHAPTER  XLIV 

The  frequent  victories  which  the  Catho- 
lics of  Ireland  gained  over  the  English,  alarm- 
ed the  court  of  England.    The  queen  was  so 

*  Pet.  Lombard,  ibid,  page  352. 


naught,  of  the  house  of  Mac  William,  was 
deprived  about  this  time  by  the  Engli-sh,  of 
the  estates  of  his  ancestors,  and  confined  in  ' 
a  dungeon  at  Athlone.  Being  rescued  from 
his  captivity,  he  had  recourse  to  O'Donnel, 
who  gave  him  a  body  of  men  to  assist  him 
in  recovering  his  patrimony.  Burke  thereon 
returned  to  his  province,  laid  siege  to  Beal- 
like,  one  of  his  fortresses,  which  was  in  pos- 
session of  the  English,  and  defeated  George 
Bingham  and  other  chiefs,  who  were  ad- 
vancing, at  the  head  of  an  English  army,  to 
the  relief  of  the  besieged.  Such  was  the 
state  of  affairs  in  Ulster.  War  was  raging 
between  the  principal  nobles  of  the  province 
and  the  English.  Disturbances  also  began 
to  break  out  in  the  provinces  of  Leinster  | 
and  Connaught. 

Hugh  O'Neill,  earl  of  Tyrone,  had  acted 
his  part  ably.  He  had  spent  seven  years  in 
organizing  his  forces,  and  in  providing  pro- 
visions and  all  sorts  of  warlike  stores.  He 
always  appeared  to  act  in  the  queen's  inter- 
ests ;  still  the  English  distrusted  him,  while 
the  Irish  blamed  his  inactivity.  He  only 
waited  a  favorable  moment  to  avow  himself. 
Until  this  year,  (a.  d.  1595,)  he  had  been 
thwarted  by  Tirlogh  Linogh,  cousin  to  Corm 
O'Neill,  first  earl  of  the  name,  and  son  of 
the  brother  of  Con  More  O'Neill,  who  was 
father  of  the  earl.  Tirlogh  assumed  the 
name  of  O'Neill  ;  disputed  the  principality 
of  Tyrone  with  Hugh,  and  was  supported 
by  the  greater  part  of  the  tribe,  who  despised 
English  titles,  and  considered  the  name  alone 
to  be  much  more  honorable.  On  the  death 
of  his  rival,  he  was  acknowledged  as  the 
0''Neill.  He  then  renounced  the  title  of  earl, 
removed  the  mask,  and  declared  against  the 
queen.  He  was  afterwards  nominated  com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  league,  which  con- 
sisted of  several  branches  of  the  O'Neills, 
Maguires,  MacMahons,  Magennises,  Mac 
Doimels,  0'Cahans,0'Flannagans,  and  many 
other  powerful  nobles  of  the  province,  with 
their  vassals.*  O'Donnel,  on  his  side,  com- 
manded the  Tyrconnel  faction.  These 
princes  sometimes  acted  separately,  but  al- 
ways for  the  good  of  the  common  cause,  which 
was  that  of  their  religion  and  their  country. 


508 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


alllicted  by  these  disasters,  that  she  deter- 
mined to  put  an  end  to  them  by  subduing  the 
Catholics.  For  tliis  purpose,  she  sent  for  the 
oUl  troops  wlio  were  serving  in  the  Nether- 
hmds  against  Philip  II.,  and  dispatched 
three  thousand  of  them  over  to  Ireland,  un- 
der the  orders  of  Sir  John  Norris,  with  the 
title  of  captain-general.*  This  diversion  was 
highly  favorable  to  Spain.  Philip  II.  had 
given^  the  command  of  the  Netherlands  to 
Cardinal  Albert,  archduke  of  Austria  ;  he 
collected  the  Spanish  forces,  under  the  pre- 
tence of  raising  the  siege  of  Fere,  in  Picardy, 
by  which  means  he  took  the  towns  of  Calais 
and  Ardres,  leaving  to  Henry  IV.  the  oppor- 
tunity of  taking  the  town  of  Fere.f 

Norris  having  landed  with  his  forces  in 
Ireland,  was  joined  by  the  deputy,  and  the 
troops  under  his  command,  in  all  amounting 
to  about  ten  thousand  men.  The  deputy 
requested  that  Baskervile  should  have  the 
command  of  this  reinforcement ;  but  the  court 
thought  proper  to  confer  it  on  Norris,  as 
being  more  experienced.  He  had  already 
served  in  Ireland,  as  governor  of  Munster ; 
and  having  afterwards  commanded  the  Eng- 
lish army  in  Brittany  and  the  Low  Countries, 
against  the  king  of  Spain,  he  was  considered 
to  be  the  ablest  captain  in  England,  and  ca- 
pable of  opposing  Tyrone. J  He  was  so 
fully  persuaded  of  this  himself,  that,  in  taking 
leave  of  the  queen,  he  said  he  would  reduce 
O'Neill  to  obey  her  majesty,  or  force  him  to 
leave  Ireland.  He  did  not,  however,  accom- 
plish his  promise. 

O'Neill  having  heard  that  Norris  was 
marching  towards  Ulster,  collected  his 
forces,  and  began  hostilities,  by  taking  a 
fort  called  Portmor,  on  the  Blackwater,  near 
the  district  of  Tyrone,  where  there  was  an 
English  garrison,  the  fortifications  of  which 
he  destroyed.  He  then  marched  to  lay  siege 
to  Monaghan.  In  the  mean  time,  in  order 
to  vindicate  his  conduct,  O'Neill  wrote  let- 
ters in  the  form  of  manifestoes,  to  the  earl 
of  Ormond,  Wallop,  and  Russel  the  deputy, 
declaring  to  them  that  it  was  not  his  wish 
to  make  war,  but  to  live  in  peace  with  the 
I  queen,  provided  he  and  his  followers  were 
allowed  to  profess  the  religion  of  their  ances- 
tors, on  which  condition  he  was  ready  to  lay 
down  his  arms.§  He  wrote  in  the  same 
terms  to  the  queen  and  Captain  Norris  ;  but 
the  two  last  letters  were  intercepted  and 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  vol.  3,  lib.  3,  c.  1.  Pet.  Lombard, 
p.  389,  et  seq.     Baker's  Chron.  cap.  383. 

t  Abridg.  Chron.  of  the  Hist.  France,  by  Presid. 
Hayn.  on  the  year  1596. 

t  Cambd.  Elizab.  part  4,  ad  an.  1597,  pawe  701 

§  Cambd.  Elizabeth,  ad  an.  1595. 


suppressed  by  Marshal  Bagnal,  who,  though 
O'Neill's  brother-in-law,  was  his  avowed 
enemy.  However,  instead  of  receiving  fa- 
vorable answers  to  his  letters,  he  was  pro- 
claimed a  rebel  and  a  traitor  to  his  country, 
with  O'Donnel,  O'Rourke,  Maguire,  and 
MacMahon. 

English  writers,  who  turn  every  thing  to 
the  advantage  of  their  own  nation,  allege  that 
O'Neill  became  alarmed  at  the  preparations 
that  w^ere  getting  up  against  him,  and  also 
at  Norris's  marching  towards  Ulster  at  the 
head  of  a  veteran  army.  According  to  them, 
he  wrote  respectful  and  submissive  letters  to 
the  English  commander,  and  to  other  English 
chiefs,  imploring  their  intercession  with  the 
queen,  to  procure  him  a  general  pardon  for 
the  past.  The  English  policy  required  that 
this  falsehood  should  be  made  public,  in  order 
to  break  ofl'  the  treaty  of  alliance  which  the 
prince  of  Tyrone  had  concluded  with  the 
king  of  Spain,  and  to  prevent  him  sending 
over  the  succors  he  had  promised.*  The 
plan  was  well  laid.  A  messenger  was  sent 
to  Brussels  to  publish  the  pretended  letters 
patent  of  the  queen  of  England,  containing 
O'Neill's  pardon,  in  order  that  the  governor 
of  the  Low  Countries  might  make  known  to 
his  master,  the  king  of  Spain,  the  supposed 
peace  between  Elizabeth  and  Tyrone  ;  but 
the  imposture  was  soon  afterwards  discov- 
ered, by  the  seal  of  England  being  affixed 
to  them  instead  of  Ireland,  which  was  al- 
ways used  to  authenticate  any  act  respecting 
that  nation.  It  is  probable  that  the  report 
of  O'Neill's  reconciliation  made  some  im- 
pression on  the  court  of  Spain,  as  they  put 
off  sending  the  succors  which  had  been 
promised  to  O'Neill,  and  as  the  latter  sus- 
pended for  a  while  his  warlike  operations, 
and  kept  himself  on  the  defensive. 

The  English  government  was  still  desi- 
rous of  treating  with  O'Neill  and  the  other 
Catholic  confederates  ;  for  which  purpose 
they  agreed  upon  a  truce  of  two  months, 
from  the  27th  October  till  the  beginning  of 
January.  In  the  mean  time,  the  castle  of 
Monaghan  surrendered  to  the  besiegers, 
commanded  by  Conn  son  of  O'Neill,  O'Don- 
nel, and  MacMahon.  The  truce  ended  on 
the  1st  January.  On  the  8th,  the  govern- 
ment sent  a  commission  to  Sir  Robert  Gar- 
diner and  Sir  Henry  Wallop,  with  full  power 
to  conclude  a  treaty  with  the  Catholics  of 
Ulster.  The  commissioners  repaired  to 
Dundalk  ;  but  the  Irish,  through  distrust  of 
the  English,  refused  to  meet  them,  so  that 
they  Avere  obliged  to  hold  the  conference  in 

*  Peter  Lombard,  ibid,  page  391,  et  seq. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


509 


a  plain,  in  presence  of  the  two  armies.  The 
CathoUcs  demanded  three  things  to  be  grant- 
ed :  1st,  a  general  liberty  of  conscience; 
2d,  a  full  pardon  for  the  past  ;  and  lastly, 
the  entire  removal  of  their  garrisons,  their 
sheriffs,  and  other  officers  of  justice  from  the 
province,  except  the  towns  of  Newry  and 
Carrickfergus.  The  English  commissioners 
not  approving  of  these  articles,  the  confer- 
ence ended  without  coming  to  any  decision, 
except  that  of  renewing  the  truce  till  the 
first  of  April. 

At  the  expiration  of  this,  Russel  the  dep- 
uty, and  General  Norris,  led  their  army  to 
Dundalk.  The  jealousy  between  these  two 
noblemen  about  the  command,  was  the  cause 
of  much  disunion.  The  deputy  left  Dundalk 
with  his  army,  to  possess  himself  of  Ar- 
magh ;  but  O'Neill,  accompanied  by  Ma- 
guire,  O'Cahan,  the  two  sons  of  O'Hanlon, 
and  other  nobles,  met  him  on  his  march.  The 
action  began  at  Killcluona  Avith  great  fury 
on  both  sides,  but  the  English  were  forced 
to  retreat  to  Newry,  leaving  six  hundred 
men  dead  on  the  field  of  battle.  O'Neill's 
loss  did  not  exceed  two  hundred  men.* 

The  ill  success  of  the  deputy  in  Ulster 
made  him  quit  the  province  and  return  to 
Dublin.  He  gave  up  his  command  of  the 
troops  to  Norris.  The  Catholics  of  Leinster 
were  in  arms  ;  Fiach,  son  of  Hugh,  chief 
of  the  O'Byrnes  of  Wicklow,  and  Donal 
Spaniagh,  or  the  Spaniard,  chief  of  the  Ca- 
vanaghs,  having  united  their  forces,  ravaged 
the  whole  country  from  Dublin  to  Wexford. 
The  O'Connors  acted  in  the  same  manner 
in  Offaly.  Connaught  was  disturbed,  and 
the  inhabitants  being  joined  by  a  body  of 
Scotch,  carried  terror  wherever  they  march- 
ed. The  deputy  led  his  army  to  this  pro- 
vince, and  besieged  Losmage  castle,  belong- 
ing to  O'Madden.  He  summoned  the  gar- 
rison to  surrender  ;  but  was  answered  by 
the  besieged,  that  were  his  army  composed 
of  deputies,  they  would  hold  out  to  the  last. 
However,  as  it  was  not  fortified,  he  made 
himself  master  of  it,  the  besieged  having 
lost  about  forty-six  men. 

The  deputy  left  the  affairs  of  Ulster  to 
Norris,  who  marched  towards  Monaghan,  in 
which  there  had  been  a  garrison  since  it  was 
abandoned  by  the  Irish.  O'Neill,  on  receiv- 
ing intelligence  of  the  march  of  Norris,  in- 
tercepted him  at  Cluoin  Tiburuid,  in  a  plain 
at  a  short  distance  from  Monaghan.  Both 
armies  were  divided  by  a  rivulet.  The 
English  general  endeavored  to  force  his 
passage,  but  was  twice  repulsed  by  the  Irish 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  cap.  4.  Peter  Lombard, 
ibid,  page  393. 


fusiliers  ;  he  had  a  horse  killed  under  him, 
and  he,  with  his  brother  Thomas  Norris, 
was  wounded  ;  after  which  the  action  of  an 
individual  decided  the  victory.  An  officer 
called  Segrave,  belonging  to  the  army  of 
Norris,  and  a  native  of  the  county  Meath, 
led  on  a  detachment  of  cavalry  to  attack  the 
quarter  where  O'Neill  fought.  In  the  midst 
of  the  engagement,  Segrave  forced  his  way 
to  the  earl  of  Tyrone,  and  engaged  him  in  ' 
single  combat.  The  two  heroes  having  bro- 
ken two  lances  each  on  the  shield  of  his 
adversary,  fell.  At  this  moment,  O'Neill 
attacking  his  adversary  with  his  sword,  slew 
him,  and  by  his  defeat  completed  the  defeat 
of  the  English,  who  left  seven  hundred  men 
dead  upon  the  field  of  battle.  The  loss  of 
the  Catholics  was  inconsiderable.  The  day 
following,  Norris  wishing  to  return  to  the 
charge,  was  repulsed  with  some  loss  at  Bea- 
lach-Finnuis  ;  Monaghan  surrendered  to  the 
Catholics,  and  the  garrison  marched  out 
with  the  honors  of  war. 

While  O'Neill  was  supporting  the  cause 
of  religion  so  gloriously  in  Ulster,  O'Don- 
nel  marched  to  the  relief  of  the  Catholics  in 
Connaught.  Young  George  Bingham  oc- 
cupied the  castle  of  Sligo  at  that  time,  with 
a  garrison  of  two  hundred  men,  both  Eng- 
lish and  Irish.  Bingham,  who  had  an  in- 
satiable thirst  for  wealth,  left  the  command 
of  the  castle  of  Sligo  to  Ulick  Burke,  and 
sailed,  with  part  of  the  garrison  on  board 
two  boats,  for  Tyrconnel.  After  coasting 
for  some  days,  he  landed  at  RathmuUin,  a 
municipal  town  belonging  to  MacSweeny 
Fanid,  in  the  territory  of  Kilmacrenan  ;  this 
English  pirate  taking  advantage  of  Mac- 
Sweeny's  absence,  who  was  in  O'Donnel's  j 
army,  pillaged  the  town,  and  the  Carmelite 
convent,*  and  carried  off  considerable  booty. 
On  his  return  to  Sligo,  he  divided  part  of 
these  sacred  spoils  among  his  soldiers  who 
had  assisted  him  in  the  sacrilege.  Ulick 
Burke  observing  this  Englishman's  partiali- 
ty, from  his  having  withheld  from  the  Irish 
any  share  in  these  favors,  determined  to  be 
revenged.  Having  formed  his  plan,  he  ap- 
pointed a  day  for  carrying  it  into  execution  ; 
the  Irish  belonging  to  the  garrison  attacked 
the  English,  slew  Bingham,  and  gave  up  the 
castle  to  O'Donnel,  who  appointed  Burke  to 
the  government  of  it.    About  the  same  time 

*  Tills  mention  of  the  convent  of  RathmuUin  is 
not  an  anachronism,  though  the  suppression  of 
monasteries  is  considered  to  have  been  completed 
in  the  time  of  Elizabeth.  As  the  English  had  at 
that  time  no  power  in  Ulster,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  a  few  of  its  convents  escaped  the  rage  of  the 
reformers. 


510 


HISTORY   OP    IRELAND. 


the  castle  of  Baile-an-Mliota,  or  Balliinot, 
in  the  same  coiiiity,  (Slijio,)  was  torn  from 
the  eUler  Binoluun  by  Tunuiltacli  and  Cahal 
Mac-Donagh,  to  whom  it  belonged.  After 
the  taking  of  these  two  places,  the  affairs  of 
the  English  in  Connaught  were  in  a  very 
unprontising  state.  The  army  of  O'Donnel 
kept  them  in  check.  In  order  to  remedy 
this,  the  depntyscnt  a  reinforcement  of  men 
to  Sir  George  Bingham,  governor  of  the  pro- 
vince, to  enable  him  to  act.*  Bingham's 
first  care  was  to  surround  the  castle  of  Sligo, 
both  on  account  of  the  importance  of  the 
place,  and  to  revenge  the  death  of  his  rela- 
tives and  friends,  whom  Ulick  Burke  had 
caused  to  be  massacred.  The  garrison  was 
in  want  of  provisions,  and  Burke  was  fre- 
quently obliged  to  sally  forth  to  procure 
them,  which  caused  frequent  skirmishes  be- 
tween him  and  the  besiegers  ;  but  the  arrival 
of  O'Donnel  at  the  head  of  sixteen  hundred 
men,  forced  them  to  raise  the  siege.  This 
prince  encamped  within  view  of  the  enemy, 
and  sent  his  brother  Roderick,  Felim  Mac- 
Davet,  and  another  officer,  to  reconnoitre 
their  strength.  They  were  pursued  by  an 
Englishman  called  Martin,  at  the  head  of  a 
detachment  of  cavalry  ;  MacDavct  stopped 
in  the  middle  of  a  stream  which  they  were 
crossing,  and  struck  Captain  Martin  dead 
with  a  blow  of  his  lance.  This  action  was 
followed  by  the  raising  of  the  siege  of  Sligo, 
and  the  retreat  of  the  English  army. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 


As  the  queen  and  her  council  were  par- 
ticularly desirous  of  making  peace  with 
O'Neill,  commissioners  were  frequently  ap- 
pointed to  propose  terms  to  him.  General 
Norris  and  Geoffrey  Fenton,  secretary  of 
state,  were  appointed  to  make  overtures  in 
1596.  They  repaired  to  Dundalk,  where 
they  had  an  interview  with  O'Neill.  He  had 
not  confidence  enough  in  the  English  to  treat 
with  them  ;  besides,  the  principal  condition 
he  required  was  a  freedom  of  religion,  so 
that  this  conference  was  not  more  successful 
than  the  preceding  ones.  Sir  Edward  Moor 
was  soon  afterwards  intrusted  to  carry  the 
queen's  pardon  to  Tyrone,  which  he'  per- 
emptorily refused. 

Three  small  vessels,  laden  with  powder, 
arrived  about  this  time  from  Spain,  for 
O'Donnel.  They  brought  two  hundred  men 
also,  and  promises  of   more  efficient    aid. 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid. 


O'Neill  wrote  letters  on  the  common  cause 
to  Fiach,  chief  of  the  O'Byrncs,  and  other 
noblemen  of  Leinster,  his  allies,  to  which  he 
received  favorable  answers.  He  kept  up  a 
correspondence,  also,  with  the  best-disposed 
characters  in  Munster,  by  means  of  the  i;lan 
Shyhyes,  whom  he  sent  thither  for  that  pur- 
pose with  confidential  letters  from  himself.    Ij 

His  letters  to  many  of  the  lords  of  Lein-  ! 
ster  had  the  desired  effect.  Fiach  O'Byrne 
renewed  hostilities,  by  taking  the  fort  of 
Balli-ne-cor,  the  fortifications  of  which  he  de- 
stroyed. The  O'Morras,  O'Connors,  O'Tools,  j 
Cavanaghs,  and  Butlers,  took  up  arms  like- 
wise, and  demanded  the  restoration  of  their 
confiscated  estates.  The  deputy  marched 
against  O'Byrne  ;  the  Butlers  were  pursued 
by  the  earl  of  Ormond,  who,  after  renouncing 
his  religion,  persecuted  his  relatives ;  the 
O'Morras  and  O'Coimors  were  exposed  to 
the  attacks  of  Sir  Anthony  St.  Leger.  Con- 
naught  was  in  as  great  a  ferment  as  Lein- 
ster ;  Richard  Bingham,  governor  of  that 
province,  having  taken  up  arms  against  the 
Burkes  and  O'Rourkes. 

The  king  of  Spain  was  aware  that  Eliza-  [ 
beth  had  made  frequent  proposals  of  peace  j 
to  O'Neill,  O'Donnel,  and  the  other  Irish 
lords  who  were  fighting  for  their  religion.* 
His  Catholic  Majesty  sent  an  agent  to  en- 
courage these  princes  to  persevere,  and  to 
renew  the  promises  he  had  already  made  to 
them.  In  the  mean  time,  the  English  took 
Armagh  by  surprise,  and  placed  a  garrison 
in  it.  O'Neill  beheld  with  sorrow  this  holy 
city,  that  was  founded  by  St.  Patrick,  pro- 
faned by  the  reformers,  to  whom  nothing 
was  sacred.  The  garri.son  was  strong,  and 
protected  by  the  army  which  was  encamped 
near  it,  under  General  Norris.  Tyrone  not 
deeming  it  prudent  to  undertake  a  siege, 
brought  Norris  to  an  engagement  near  the 
church  of  Killoter.  The  English  being  con- 
fident in  their  strength,  were  eager  to  en- 
gage, but  were  vigorously  repulsed  and  put 
to  fiight  by  O'Neill's  forces,  who  pursued 
them  as  far  as  Armagh,  and  killed  several 
of  their  men.  After  this,  Norris  left  five 
hundred  troops  in  the  garrison,  under  the 
command  of  Francis  Stafibrd,  and  withdrew 
with  the  remainder  of  his  army  towards  Dun- 
dalk. O'Neill  being  master  of  the  field,  was 
enabled  to  intercept  the  provisions  that  were 
intended  for  Armagh,  so  that  famine  was 
the  consequence.  This  was  succeeded  by 
a  plague,  which  carried  off  their  men  in  great 
numbers.  The  English  of  Dundalk  hearing 
of  the  sad  condition  of  their  garrison  in  Ar- 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  cap.  5,  6,  7. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


511 


magh,  sent  a  supply  of  provisions,  under  an 
escort  of  three  companies  of  infantry  and  a 
troop  of  horse.  O'Neill  surprised  the  convoy, 
and  put  the  troops  that  were  guarding  it  to 
the  sword.  The  penetrating  mind  of  Tyrone 
guided  him  in  turning  everything  to  advan- 
tage. He  now  bethought  of  a  stratagem  in 
which  he  was  most  successful :  he  got  some 
of  his  men,  both  foot  and  horse,  to  assume 
the  uniform  of  the  English  who  were  killed, 
and  ordered  them  to  march  with  English 
banners  towards  a  ruined  monastery  that  was 
within  a  gunshot  of  Armagh.  The  prince 
pursued  these  supposed  English  with  the 
rest  of  his  troops,  within  view  of  the  garri- 
son ;  both  parties  began  a  discharge  of  their 
musketry,  loaded  only  with  powder,  where- 
upon the  men,  as  instructed,  fell  on  every 
side,  without  sustaining  any  injury.  This 
sham  battle  soon  drew  the  attention  of  the 
garrison  of  Armagh  ;  Stafford,  the  comman- 
der, gave  orders  that  half  of  the  garrison 
should  take  up  arms  and  advance  rapidly  to 
the  field  of  battle,  to  the  relief  of  their  sup- 
posed countrymen.  The  English  found  not 
only  O'Neill's  troops,  but  those  to  whose 
succor  they  came,  drawn  up  in  order  of  bat- 
tle, and  ready  to  charge  them  ;  while  Conn, 
son  of  O'Neill,  who  lay  in  ambush  with  some 
infantry  in  the  neighboring  monastery,  at- 
tacked them  in  the  rear.  The  English  being 
now  between  two  fires,  were  cut  to  pieces, 
within  view  of  the  garrison.  Stafford,  who 
was  in  Armagh,  finding  himself  without  any 
resource,  submitted  to  Tyrone,  who  permit- 
ted him  to  join,  with  the  rest  of  the  garrison, 
the  English  army  at  Dundalk.  O'Neill  after 
this  made  an  attempt  on  the  castle  of  Car- 
lingford,  in  which  he  was  unsuccessful  ; 
however,  he  sent  his  son-in-law,  Henry 
Ogue,  with  some  troops,  to  make  incursions 
on  the  English  province,  and  to  create  a  di- 
version in  favor  of  the  Catholics  of  Leinster, 
Avho  had  taken  up  arms. 

The  continued  complaints  that  were  made 
against  Sir  Richard  Bingham,  governor  of 
Connaught,  for  his  cruelty  and  tyranny,  hav- 
ing reached  the  throne,  that  infamous  minis- 
ter was  recalled,  and  replaced  by  Sir  Conyers 
Clifford.*  The  Irish  were  but  little  skilled 
in  the  art  of  defending  towns  and  fortifica- 
tions, and  were  obliged  to  remedy  their  un- 
skilfulness  by  a  greater  number  of  men.  For 
this  purpose  O'Neill  evacuated  Armagh  and 
PorUnore,  which  were  immediately  taken 
possession  of  by  Norris,  who  garrisoned 
them,  and  gave  the  command  of  the  former 
to  Sir  Henry  Davers.     The  English  general 

»   War.  ibid.  cap.  39. 


endeavoring  to  extend  his  conquests  further 
was  stopped  by  O'Neill,  who  lay  encamped 
on  his  way.  Norris  then  set  his  men  to 
build  a  fort  or  intrenchment,  since  called 
Mount  Norris,  in  the  barony  of  Fews,  between 
Armagh  and  Newry.  They  were  frequently 
interrupted  by  the  attacks  of  O'Neill's  men  ; 
but  having  at  length  completed  it,  Norris 
placed  a  garrison  in  it,  under  the  command 
of  Williams.  He  then  returned  to  Dundalk 
with  his  army  ;  and  Mount  Norris,  Armagh, 
and  Portmore,  which  had  been  taken  but 
lately  by  the  English,  surrendered  to  O'Neill, 
who  sent  the  garrisons  home.  In  vain  did 
Norris  return  to  attack  him  with  his  whole 
force  ;  he  was  completely  defeated  atMolach 
Breac  by  O'Neill,  in  the  district  of  Orior, 
after  having  rallied  his  men  three  times. 
Maguire,  the  general  of  O'Neill's  cavalry, 
contributed  to  the  gaining  of  this  battle. 
Norris  himself  was  dangerously  wounded 
in  the  action,  which  was  his  last  against 
O'Neill. 

O'Donnel,  accompanied  by  the  Mac- 
Sweenys,  O'Dogharty,  the  brave  Maguire, 
O'Rourke,  Mac  William,  O'Kelly,  MacDer- 
mot,  O'Connor  Roe,  and  O'Dowd,  entered 
Connaught  with  their  troops.*  He  was  also 
joined  by  Murrogh  MacSweeny  at  the  head 
of  three  hundred  men,  whom  he  assisted  in 
a  petty  war  with  the  English  during  two 
years  in  Munster.  Clifford,  who  was  ap- 
pointed the  new  governor  of  Connaught,  had 
not  yet  arrived.  General  Norris  was  weary 
of  serving  in  Ulster,  where,  instead  of  gather- 
ing fresh  laurels,  he  was  losing  those  which 
he  had  gained  in  foreign  countries.  Being 
desirous  of  trying  his  fortune  in  other  parts, 
he  undertook  an  expedition  against  O'Donnel 
into  Connaught,  either  to  make  terms  with 
him,  or  reduce  him  by  force.  For  this  pur- 
pose he  repaired  to  Athlone,  where  he  was 
joined  by  the  earls  of  Thuomond  and  Clan- 
riccard,  Theobald  Burke,  surnamed  Na- 
Ltiing,  or  the  Naval,  from  the  trade  he  carried 
on  by  sea,  and  several  lords  of  the  English 
faction,  with  the  Anglo-Irish  of  Munster, 
Leinster,  and  Meath.  He  also  received  a  re- 
inforcement from  England,  which  increased 
his  army  to  ten  thousand  men.  Norris  knew 
that  O'Donnel  was  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Ballinroab,  near  lake  Mask,  at  the  head  of 
five  hundred  men  ;  and  having  set  out  upon 
his  march,  he  soon  found  himself  in  view 
of  the  enemy,  from  whom  he  was  divided 
by  a  small  river.  The  night  was  spent  in 
firing,  and  at  break  of  day  Norris  demanded 
a  conference  with  O'Donnel,  in  which  peace 


Hist,  Cathol.  ibid. 


cap. 


512 


HISTORy    OF    IRELAND. 


was  proposed  between  the  general  of  the 
queen  and  the  Catholic  chiefs.  The  terms 
ottered  to  O'Donncl  were  advantageous,  but 
were  not  accepted.  The  conference  lasted 
for  some  days,  during  which  both  armies 
kept  up  hostilities,  and  fought  in  detached 
bodies,  without  coming  to  a  general  engage- 
ment. Theobald  the  Naval,  having  attacked 
the  right  wing  of  the  Catholic  army  at  the 
head  of  a  heavy  detachment,  was  repulsed 
with  the  loss  of  three  hundred  men.  The 
negotiation  lasted  for  a  month  between  the 
prince  of  Tyrconnel  and  Norris,  without  any 
thing  being  settled  upon.  The  latter  suf- 
fered heavy  losses,  both  in  skirmishing,  and 
by  the  desertion  of  some  nobles  who  joined 
the  standard  of  the  Catholics.  After  being 
harassed  in  his  retreat  by  the  troops  of 
O'Donnel,  he  lost  several  of  his  men,  and 
was  forced  to  quit  the  province  in  disgrace.* 

The  deputy  undertook  an  expedition  in 
May,  into  the  county  of  Wicklow,  where  he 
surprised  and  killed  Fiach  MacHugh,  chief 
of  the  illustrious  tribe  of  the  O'Byrnes,  and 
the  champion  of  the  Catholic  cause  in  Lein- 
ster.f  Fiach  left  two  sons,  Felim  and  Ray- 
mond, who  inherited  his  bravery  and  zeal 
for  religion.  Felim  left  the  command  to  his 
brother,  and  w^ent  to  visit  O'Neill  in  Ulster, 
to  ask  him  for  assistance.  The  prince  of 
Tyrone  expressed  great  friendship  for  the 
young  nobleman,  and  having  condoled  with 
him  on  the  death  of  his  father,  gave  him 
about  three  hundred  and  fifty  men,  under  the 
command  of  Brian  Riach  6'Morra,  a  noble- 
man of  Leinster.  On  returning  with  this 
reinforcement,  Felim  fought  some  skirmishes 
with  the  English,  and  took  possession  of  his 
father's  patrimony,  which  had  been  seized 
upon  by  these  foreigners.  After  this  expe- 
dition, Brian  O'Morra  marched  with  the  same 
troops  towards  Loughgarme,  (Wexford,)  pil- 
laged all  the  English  he  met  with  on  his 
march,  and  cut  a  large  body  of  them  to 
pieces,  besides  four  hundred  Irish  auxilia- 
ries. 

After  the  death  of  the  celebrated  Rory 
O'Morra,  who  was  killed  in  a  battle  against 
the  English,  as  we  have  already  observed, 
his  sons  Uoine,  or  Owen,  and  Edmond,  were 
placed  under  the  protection  of  Fiach  O'Byrne, 
from  whom  they  received  an  education  suit- 
able to  their  rank.  When  Owen  attained 
the  age  of  manhood,  Felim,  son  of  Fiach, 
gave  him  a  suitable  retinue,  and  sent  him  to 
lay  claim  to  his  patrimony.  This  young 
nobleman  having  made  himself  known,  was 


*  Peter  Lombard,  ibid,  page  395 
t  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  6,  10. 


acknowledged  and  proclaimed  by  his  father's 
vassals  the  O'Morra,  or  lawful  heir  to  the 
principality  of  Leix.  Warham  St.  Leger, 
the  English  governor  of  that  district,  alarmed 
at  these  occurrences,  marched  his  army  to 
put  them  down  ;  but  the  inhabitants  of  Leix 
ranging  themselves  under  the  banners  of 
their  chief,  O'Morra,  gave  battle  to  St.  Leger, 
who,  after  an  obstinate  resistance,  was  forced 
to  retreat,  leaving  five  hundred  men  dead  on 
the  field. 

Some  step  was  necessary  to  be  taken,  in 
order  torestore  the  English  power  in  Ireland. 
The  queen  recalled  Russel,the  deputy,  and 
appointed  Lord  Burrough  to  succeed  him. 
This  new  deputy  received  the  sword  in  May, 
in  St.  Patrick's  cathedral,  and  was  invested 
with  the  supreme  authority  both  in  civil  and 
military  affairs.*  He  first  exercised  his 
power  over  General  Norris,  whom  he  sent 
back  to  his  office  of  governor  in  Munster, 
forbidding  him  to  leave  it  without  his  per- 
mission. Norris  was  too  proud  to  brook  this 
insult  ;  he  had  been  already  disgraced  by 
O'Neill,  who  had  deprived  him  of  the  high 
military  reputation  he  had  acquired  abroad, 
and  at  length  died,  loaded  with  ignominy,  in 
the  country  which  had  given  birth  to  St. 
Rumold,  first  bishop  and  patron  of  Malines, 
whose  relics  he  had  profaned  when  com- 
manding the  English  army  in  the  Nether- 
lands. 

Burrough  was  haughty  and  determined  ; 
he  commanded  for  a  long  time  in  Holland, 
against  Philip  II.,  whereby  he  became  ex- 
pert in  the  art  of  war.  A  truce  was  made 
by  this  deputy,  for  one  month,  with  O'Don- 
nel, O'Neill,  and  other  Catholic  chiefs,  and 
terms  of  peace  were  offered  to  them,  but  in 
vain.  The  month  being  expired,  the  Eng- 
lish general  marched  to  IJlster  at  the  head  of 
a  powerful  army.  Besides  the  troops  which 
served  under  Russel  and  Norris,  a  large  re- 
inforcement was  sent  to  him  from  England. 

The  x\nglo-Irish  of  Meath  were  zealous  to 
signalize  themselves  in  the  cause  of  Eliza- 
beth :  they  assembled  at  Mullingar  to  the 
number  of  a  thousand  men,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Barnewall,  baron  of  Trimlestown, 
and  marched  after  the  deputy.  In  their  route, 
however,  they  met  with  a  signal  defeat. 

Richard  Tirrell,  who  was  of  English  de- 
scent, and  lord  of  Fertullagh,  in  West  Meath, 
served  at  that  time  in  the  army  of  O'Neill. 
He  was  a  nobleman  by  birth,  and  strongly 
attached  to  the  Catholic  religion.  His  talents 
peculiarly  fitted  him  to  command  a  flying 
camp.    From  the  rapidity  of  his  expeditions, 

*  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  40 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


513 


and  capability  of  sustaining  fatigue,  he  had 
already  become  formidable  to  the  English, 
and  his  memory  is  still  respected  by  the 
true  Irish. 

The  prince  of  Tyrone  saw  with  calm  re- 
flection the  preparations  that  were  in  pro- 
gress against  him  ;  the  march  of  the  deputy 
was  known  to  him  ;  he  therefore  prepared  to 
oppose  him,  and  to  cause  a  diversion.  Cap- 
tain Tirrell  was  dispatched  at  the  head  of 
four  hundred  infantry,  with  orders  to  act  in 
either  Meath  or  Leinster,  according  to  emer- 
gencies. Tirrell  marched  through  the  Avhole 
of  Meath  without  meeting  an  enemy,  and 
having  reached  Fertullagh,  he  encamped,  in 
order  to  give  his  army  some  repose.  The 
troops  which  had  been  assembled  at  Mullin- 
gar,  as  has  been  already  observed,  being  ap- 
prized of  Tirrell's  march,  determined  to  take 
him  by  surprise.  The  baron  who  command- 
ed them  looked  upon  this  expedition  as  un- 
worthy of  himself,  on  account  of  the  small 
number  of  the  enemy  he  had  to  fight,  and 
therefore  commissioned  his  son  to  undertake 
it,  thinking  it  a  good  opportunity  for  him  to 
signalize  himself,  and  thereby  to  make  his 
court  to  the  deputy.  At  the  dawn  of  day 
Tirrell  received  information,  through  his 
spies,  that  the  enemy  were  in  full  march  to 
surprise  him.  Without  losing  a  moment,  he 
put  himself  in  a  state  of  defence,  but  made 
a  feint  of  flying  before  them  as  they  ap- 
proached ;  by  which  movement  he  gained  a 
defile  covered  with  trees,  which  has  been 
since  called  Tirrell's  pass.  He  then  de- 
tached half  of  his  little  army,  and  posted 
them  in  a  hollow  adjoining  the  road,  giving 
the  command  to  his  lieutenant,  O'Connor,  a 
brave  and  intrepid  man  like  himself.  He 
then,  in  order  to  influence  his  enemy  to 
pursue  him,  marched  on  with  his  division. 
While  the  English  were  passing  the  place 
where  O'Connor  lay  in  ambuscade,  this 
oflicer  sallied  forth  with  his  troops,  and 
caused  the  drums  and  fifes  to  play  Captain 
Tirrell's  march.  This  was  the  signal  agreed 
upon  for  an  attack  ;  the  English  army  hav- 
ing got  between  two  fires,  were  cut  to 
pieces  ;  and  so  general  was  the  slaughter, 
that  one  soldier  only  escaped,  through  a 
neighboring  bog,  to  carry  the  news  to  Mul- 
lingar,  from  whence  the  army  had  set  out 
three  days  before.  Tirrell  had  suflicient 
generosity  to  spare  the  life  of  the  young 
nobleman  who  commanded  his  enemy,  but 
brought  him  a  prisoner  to  O'Neill.  During 
the  action,  O'Connor's  hand  became  so  swol- 
len, that  it  became  necessary  to  cut  ofl'  the 
handle  of  his  sword  with  a  file,  before  it 
could  be  disen 


Burrough,  the  deputy,  having  reached 
Ulster  with  all  his  forces,  his  first  step  was 
to  take  possession  of  Armagh  and  Portmor, 
which  O'Neill  had  abandoned  after  destroy- 
ing the  fortifications.*  The  English  gene- 
ral being  afraid  to  proceed  further,  repaired 
Portmor,  where  he  left  a  garrison  of  five 
hundred  men,  and  drew  off"  the  remainder 
of  his  army.  He  boasted  highly  of  this  act 
of  prowess,  proclaiming  everywhere  that  he 
held  the  key  of  Ulster,  which  he  could  enter 
at  his  pleasure.  This  boast  was  truly  cha- 
racteristic of  his  countrymen,  who  considered 
the  most  trifling  advantage  a  complete  vic- 
tory. It  was  carefully  circulated  in  foreign 
countries,  where  it  was  reported  that  the 
Irish  had  lost  all  their  towns,  and  that  they 
were  obliged  to  escape  into  the  woods  and 
inaccessible  places.  A  similar  falsehood  had 
been  already  published  at  Brussels,  on  the 
supposed  reduction  of  O'Neill,  the  folly  of 
which  we  will  discover  in  the  sequel. 

The  deputy  was  on  his  way  to  Dublin, 
when  he  learned  that  Tirrell  was  besieging 
Portmor  ;  so  he  immediately  returned,  col- 
lected his  forces,  and  crossed  the  Black- 
water,  but  was  prevented  from  advancing  by 
O'Neill,  who  divided  his  army  and  formed 
two  camps,  sufficiently  near  to  assist  each 
other. t  The  command  of  the  first  division 
he  gave  to  his  brothers  Cormac  and  Art 
O'Neill,  and  MacMahon,  at  Droum-Fluich, 
on  the  road  to  Beaun-Bhoruib,  at  present 
Binburb,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river.  The 
prince  himself  commanded  the  second  camp 
at  Tobuir-Masain,  and  was  assisted  by 
James  Mac-Donnel,  prince  of  the  Glynns. 
The  deputy  endeavored,  in  spite  of  Tyrone's 
position,  to  force  a  passage  ;  but  O'Neill's 
two  divisions  having  united,  they  made  a 
desperate  attack.  In  the  onset,  Burrough 
was  mortally  wounded,  and  was  carried  to 
Newry,  where  he  died  in  a  few  days.  This 
battle  was  renewed  several  times.  The  earl 
of  Kildare,  on  whom  the  command  of  the 
English  army  devolved  after  Burrough's  re- 
treat, suffered  the  same  fate  :  having  been 
wounded,  and  twice  thrown  from  his  horse, 
his  two  foster-brothers  were  killed  in  endea- 
voring to  put  him  again  on  horseback ;  he 
fled  from  the  field  of  battle,  and  died  of  his 
wounds  a  few  days  after.  The  carnage  was 
dreadful  ;  numbers  of  the  English  lay  dead 
upon  the  field  ;  many  were  drowned  in  the 
river,  and  very  many  wounded.  The  per- 
sons of  note  who  fell  upon  this  occasion, 
besides  the  deputy  and  the  earl  of  Kildare, 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  Pet.  Lombard,  ibid,  pages 
398,  399. 

t  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.     Pet.  Lombard,  ibid. 


514 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


were  Francis  Waghan,  tTie  deputy's  brother- 
in-law,  Thomas  Walcn,  and  Turner. 

Clifford,  governor  of  Connaught,  received 
orders  to  niarcli  with  liis  troops-tothe  relief 
of  the  deputy  in  Ulster.  lie  accordingly  set 
out  at  the  head  of  seven  hundred  men,  but 
having  the  misfortune  to  meet  with  O'Don- 
nel,  he  was  completely  defeated.  Clifford 
lost  several  men  of  rank  on  this  occasion, 
among  whom  was  the  baron  of  Ineschete.* 

The  queen  saw  her  forces  greatly  dimin- 
ished in  Ireland  by  the  frequent  advantages 
gained  over  them  by  the  Catholics,  and 
could  not  find  persons  qualified  to  succeed 
Burrough  and  Norris.  She,  however,  nomi- 
nated provisional  magistrates  and  officers 
for  the  administration  of  affairs.  Sir  Thomas 
Norris,  president  of  Munster,  was  appointed 
lord-justice  ;  but  his  grief  ior  the  death  of 
his  brother  caused  him  to  resign  in  a  month. 
The  government  then  conferred  that  office 
jointly  on  Loftus,  archbishop  of  Dublin  and 
chancellor  of  Ireland,  and  chief-justice  Sir 
Robert  Gardiner,  who  were  sworn  in  on  the 
15th  of  November.  On  the  same  day  they 
received  an  account  of  the  state  of  affairs 
from  the  council,  who  infonned  them  that 
the  war  was  a  general  revolt  of  the  Irish, 
with  an  intent  to  shake  off  the  English  yoke. 
Thomas  Duff'  Butler,  earl  of  Ormond,  ac- 
cepted the  commission  of  lieutenant-general. 
Ambition  being  the  guide  of  this  nobleman's 
acts,  he  was  drawn  into  a  faction  that  was 
opposed  to  religion  and  his  country,  but  he 
never  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being  a  great 
captain.  Among  other  instructions  which  the 
earl  of  Ormond  received  from  the  court  of 
England,  he  was  enjoined  to  endeavor  to 
bring  about  a  peace  with  O'Neill,  for  which 
purpose  a  truce  for  two  months  was  agreed 
upon.  They  met  at  Dundalk,  and  O'Neill 
proposed  the  terms  ;  the  first  and  principal 
one  being  the  free  exercise  of  the  Catholic 
religion  throughout  the  kingdom.  The  other 
conditions  proposed  by  this  prince,  regarded 
the  grievances  of  the  Irish,  and  the  repara- 
tion of  the  injustice  which  was  practised 
towards  them.  These  overtures  were  sub- 
mitted to  the  English  coui\cil,  and  acceded 
to  in  every  thing  except  the  free  exercise 
of  reHgion  ;  whereon  the  truce  was  broken 
off  and  hostilities  resumed. 

About  the  end  of  the  summer,  1598, 
O'Neill  collected  all  his  troops  and  laid 
siege  to  the  fort  of  Blackwater,  called  also 
Portmor.  At  the  same  time  he  sent  fifteen 
hundred  chosen  men  to  assist  his  ally, 
O'Moore  of  Leix,  who  was  then  besien-int^ 

*  Pet.  Lombard,  ibid.  p.  400. 


Porteloise,  at  present  Maryborough,  where 
there  was  an  English  garrison.*  These 
movements  produced  a  diversion,  and  com- 
pelled the  earl  of  Ormond  to  divide  his  forces. 
He  first  dispatched  three  thousand  men 
against  O'Morra,  commanded  by  James  But- 
ler, nephew  to  the  earl.  Five  thousand 
men  were  then  sent  against  O'Neill  of  Ul- 
ster, commanded  by  Bagnal  the  marshal. 
The  earl's  object  was  the  relief  of  Portmor 
and  Porteloise,  by  throwing  provisions  and 
warlike  stores  into  them  ;  but  the  result  was 
not  equal  to  his  hopes.  Brian  Riach  O'Morra 
defeated  the  three  thousand  English  that 
were  sent  against  him  ,  fifteen  hundred,  be- 
sides the  commander,  being  slain,  and  Por- 
teloise was  taken.  O'Morra  died  in  a  few 
days  after  from  his  wounds,  and  the  com- 
mand devolved  upon  Owen  O'Morra. 

During  these  transactions  in  Leinster, 
Marshal  Bagnal,  having  the  command  of  the 
army  in  Ulster,  repaired  to  Newry,  which 
was  a  general  place  of  meeting  for  the  Eng- 
lish.! Tyrone  Avas  then  encamped  with  his 
army  at  Mollach-Ban,  on  the  road  to  Ar- 
magh, and  wishing  to  cut  off  all  communi- 
cation between  that  place  and  the  enemy,  he 
sent  his  brother  Cormac,  with  a  body  of  five 
hundred  men,  to  defend  the  passes.  Bagnal 
was  considered  an  able  general ;  he  knew 
that  O'Neill  was  waiting  to  give  him  battle, 
on  his  march  to  Armagh,  which  city  he 
wished  to  relieve,but  he  deceived  the  prince. 
In  order  to  avoid  an  engagement,  which 
would  probably  have  deranged  his  plans,  he 
marched  circuitously  from  Newry  to  Ar- 
magh, and  supplied  the  garrison  with  pro- 
visions, in  spite  of  the  brave  resistance  of 
Cormac  O'Neill,  who  maintained  his  ground 
for  some  time,  but  was  at  length  forced  to 
yield  to  superior  numbers.  Flushed  a't  this 
trifling  advantage,  Bagnal  determined  to  take 
O'Neill's  camp  by  surprise  ;  and  setting  out 
by  night,  he  put  the  enemy's  advance-guard, 
consisting  of  twenty-four  horsemen,  to  the 
sword.  They  then  surrounded  O'Neill's  tent, 
who  had  escaped  in  his  shirt,  with  some  of 
his  attendants  ;  but  some  servants  that  were  ! 
left  to  guard  it  and  the  baggage,  were  killed. 
As  soon  as  day  appeared,  O'Neill  collected  i 
the  forces  that  were  near  him,  and  having 
forced  the  English  to  abandon  their  booty, 
he  then  put  them  to  flight.  Both  sides  lost  ] 
some  men  in  this  action. 

The  English  were  masters  of  some  towns 
in  Ulster,  which  were  favorable  for  their 
depredations,  and  afforded  them  a  secure 

«  Pet.  Lomb.  p.  402.     Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  vol.  3, 
lib.  4,  cap.'],  et  seq. 
t  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


515 


retreat ;  the  principal  of  them  were  Newry, 
Dundrura,  and  Carrickfergus.  Sir  John 
Chichester,  the  governor,  marched  about  the 
same  time,  at  the  head  of  live  hundred  in- 
fantry and  a  troop  of  horse,  to  plunder  the 
neighborhood.  Coming  up  at  Alfracha 
with  James  Mac-Donnel,  prince  of  Antrim, 
who  had  with  him  about  four  hundred  foot 
and  sixty  horse,  to  oppose  those  robbers,  they 
came  to  an  engagement  which  was  fatal  to 
the  English.  Their  captain  having  fallen, 
they  were  cut  to  pieces,  so  that  scarcely  one 
remained  to  bring  the  intelligence  to  Car- 
rickfergus. About  the  same  time,  the  baron 
of  Trimlestown  made  some  inroads  on  Mo- 
naghan,  with  the  Anglo-Irish  of  Meath,  and 
a  few  English  troops,  but  was  defeated  by 
the  Mac-Mahons.* 

The  vanity  and  bad  faith  of  the  English 
will  not  suffer  them  to  admit  the  victories  the 
Irish  Catholics  gained  over  them.  Their 
historians  either  pass  them  over  in  silence, 
or  obscure  them  so  as  that  the  advantage 
may  appear  to  be  in  favor  of  their  country- 
men. Invectives  are  poured  out  against  a 
generous  people  who  fought  for  their  reli- 
gion and  their  freedom,  and  the  epithets  of 
traitor,  rebel,  and  barbarian,  are  heaped  upon 
the  Irish  for  not  calmly  yielding  to  a  hate- 
ful yoke.  An  Englishman  must  be  well 
beaten  before  he  will  admit  of  it.  A  bril- 
liant victory  was  gained  this  year  over  those 
foreigners,  by  O'lNeill.  The  truth  of  this 
is  not  questioned  even  by  the  English  them- 
selves, since  they  acknowledge  that  it  was 
the  bloodiest  defeat  they  met  with  since 
their  arrival  in  the  island. 

O'Neill  endeavored  to  bring  the  English 
marshal  to  an  engagement,  and  being  joined 
by  O'Donnel,  Maguire,  the  general  of  the 
cavalry,  and  other  noblemen  of  the  province, 
he  laid  siege  to  Portmor,  having  in  this  a 
double  object  in  view  ;  first,  to  reduce  the 
place  by  famine,  by  cutting  off  the  supplies  ; 
and  secondly,  to  compel  the  English  to  fight, 
by  forcing  them  to  relieve  it.  The  hopes  of 
the  prince  of  Tyrone  were  equalled  by  his 
success.  In  the  beginning  of  August,  Bagnal 
marched  with  the  flower  of  his  army  to  the 
relief  of  Portmor,  and  when  arrived  within 
a  mile  of  Ardmach,  he  met  with  O'Neill,  at 
a  place  called  Beal-an-ath-a-buidh,  between 
two  plains,  bordered  by  a  bog  on  one  side, 
and  on  the  other  by  a  thick  wood.  The 
battle  commenced,  and  the  rout  was  terrible. 
Marshal  Bagnal, with  twenty-four  of  his  prin- 
cipal officers,  and  two  thousand  of  his  army, 
were  killed  upon  the  spot ;  and  the  remain- 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  cap.  2. 


der  of  his  forces  put  to  flight.  The  loss  of 
the  English  was  heightened  by  an  accident 
that  happened  in  the  beginning  of  the  action, 
in  the  quarter  where  the  reserve  forces  lay. 
The  powder  magazine  having  taken  fire,  five 
hundx'ed  men  at  least,  who  were  guarding  the 
baggage,  were  blown  up.  The  spoils  that 
were  wrested  from  them  also  were  very  con- 
siderable. Twelve  thousand  pieces  of  gold 
— their  warlike  stores — thirty-four  stand  of 
colors — all  their  instruments  of  war — all 
their  artillery,  and  provisions  of  every  kind, 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Irish.  In  the  army 
of  Bagnal  there  were  several  Irishmen  who 
ranged  themselves  under  him  from  motives 
of  self-interest ;  among  the  number  of  whom 
was  Maolmora,  surnamed  the  Fair,  a  son  of 
O'Reilly.  This  young  nobleman  had  lately 
returned  from  England, where  he  surrendered 
into  the  hands  of  the  queen  all  his  estates, 
which  she  restored  to  him  by  letters  patent. 
Through  gratitude,  he  unhappily  espoused 
her  cause  against  O'Neill,  and  lost  his  life 
at  the  head  of  a  troop,  while  he  endeavored 
to  rally  them  again  to  the  charge.  The  Eng- 
lish who  had  the  good  fortune  to  escape, 
took  the  road  to  Ardmach.  Several  were 
slain  in  the  pursuit,  and  both  horsemen,  and 
about  fifteen  hundred  foot-soldiers,  sought 
safety  in  the  churches  of  that  city.  This 
victory  cost  O'Neill  about  two  hundred  men 
killed,  and  six  hundred  wounded,  and  was 
followed  by  the  surrender  of  Portmor. 

These  brilliant  campaigns  of  Tyrone,  and 
of  the  other  princes  and  noblemen  of  Ulster, 
had  opposite  influences  on  the  English  and 
Irish  Catholics  ;  the  alarm  of  the  former  was 
great,  while  the  joy  of  the  latter  was  univer- 
sal. They  looked  upon  O'Neill  as  the  liber- 
ator of  his  country,  the  avenger  of  their 
freedom,  and  the  protector  of  the  Irish  nobles 
who  were  persecuted  by  the  English,  or  op- 
pressed by  their  own  chiefs.  In  fact,  Ray- 
mond, son  of  John  Burke,  baron  of  Leitrim, 
whose  property  the  earl  of  Clanriccard  in- 
vaded after  he  had  put  him  to  death,  threw 
himself  on  the  protection  of  O'Neill :  and 
Dermod  O'Connor,  and  his  brothers  Cairbre 
and  Conn,  having  been  dispossessed  by  the 
English,  sought  an  asylum  with  him  also ; 
but  Tyrone  being  busily  employed  in  de- 
fending his  own  province,  and  unable  there- 
fore to  afford  them  effectual  aid,  sent  them 
to  Owen  O'Morra  in  Leinster,  to  assist  in 
the  war  of  that  province. 

The  queen's  officers  sent  letters  to  her 
majesty,  complaining  of  the  sad  state  of 
things  in  Ireland,  and  saying,  that  so  far  from 
being  able  to  maintain  an  offensive  war  in 
that  country,  they  could  not  defend  them- 


516 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


selves  against  the  enemy  withont  speedy  as- 
sistance, and  more  powerful  resources  than 
any  that  had  been  previously  sent.  The 
queen  was  averse  to  abandoning  the  cause  of 
her  English  province  in  Ireland.  She  attached 
heavy  blame  to  the  earl  of  Ormond  for  not 
having  gone  in  person  against  O'Neill ;  and 
conunandcd  Bingham,  who  had  been  lately 
removed  from  the  government  of  Connaught 
for  his  cruelty,  to  repair  to  Ireland,  and  suc- 
ceed Bagnal  in  the  office  of  marshal.  Two 
thousand  foot,  and  a  hundred  horse  were,  at 
the  same  time,  dispatched  thither,  under  the 
!  orders  of  Sir  Samuel  Bagnal.  These  troops 
landed  at  Wexford,  and  were  harassed  in 
their  march  to  Dublin  by  the  Catholics,  who 
killed  a  great  number  of  them.  Bingham 
arrived  in  Dublin  with  great  difficulty,  where 
he  died  soon  after. 

The  example  of  the  men  of  Ulster  roused 
the  fallen  courage  of  the  Catholics  in  other 
provinces  of  Ireland,  particularly  in  Munster, 
where  the  bravery  of  the  celebrated  earl  of 
Desmond  was  still  fresh  among  his  illustrious 
allies.  ■  This  feeling  it  was  necessary  to  en- 
courage, and  to  effijct  that  object,  Sir  Peter 
de  Lacy,  a  powerful  nobleman  in  the  county 
of  Limerick,  wrote  to  Owen,  or  Owny  Mac- 
Kory-Ogue  O'Morra,  who  had  5n  army  on 
foot ;  and  invited  him,  in  the  name  of  the 
Irish  Catholics  in  Munster,  to  come  to  their 
relief.  O'Morra,  having  consulted  with 
O'Neill,  undertook  the  expedition.  He  com- 
mitted the  government  of  Leix  to  his  brother 
Edmond,  and,  at  the  head  of  eight  hundred 
infantry  and  some  horsemen,  set  out  on  his 
march  for  Munster.  Raymond  Burke,  baron 
of  Leitrim,  and  his  brother  William,  as  also 
Dermod  O'Connor,  and  his  brothers  Cairbre 
and  Conn,  with  Richard  Tirrel  of  Fertullagh, 
accompanied  O'Morra  in  this  expedition. 
The  earl  of  Ormond,  who  had  still  the  title 
of  general  of  the  English  army,  made  a  show 
of  interceptnig  O'Morra,  but  whether  by  the 
rapidity  of  that  chieftain's  march,  or  the  earl's 
fear  for  the  result  of  a  battle,  he  and  his 
army  arrived  without  interruption  in  the 
county  of  Limerick.  Thomas  Norris,  who 
was  then  governor  of  Munster,  was  greatly 
alarmed  by  this  invasion.  His  duty  impelled 
him  to  attempt  driving  the  enemy  out  of  his 
province,  and  for  that  object  he  collected  his 
forces  and  marched  to  "Kilmallock,  with  a 
design  of  fighting  O'xMorra ;  but  dreading 
the  result  of  an  engagement  with  him,  he 
placed  a  strong  garrison  there,  after  which 
he  marched  for  Cork .  He,  however,  hud  the 
mortification  to  witness  his  rearguard  pur- 
sued by  the  light  troops  of  O'Morra,  through 
the  whole  of  his  march. 


The  success  of  O'Morra  produced  an  al- 
most universal  rising  of  the  noblemen  in 
Munster  against  the  queen.  MacCarty  More, 
the  head  of  his  illustrious  tribe,  was  pre  vented 
by  death  from  being  of  the  mmiber  of  the 
confederates.  He  left  a  legitimate  daughter, 
named  Helena,  that  was  married  to  MacCarty 
Riagh,  and  a  natural  son  called  Daniel,  who 
aspired  to  inherit  the  title  and  estates  of  his 
father.  The  earls  of  Thuomond  and  Ormond, 
and  the  baron  of  Inchiquin,  inclined  always 
to  the  side  that  gave  hopes  to  their  ambition ; 
and  the  desire  of  titles  of  honor  and  court 
favors  prevented  them  from  joining  in  any 
league  against  Elizabeth.  The  extensive  in- 
fluence of  these  noblemen  marred  the  good 
intentions  of  the  MacMahons,  MacNamaras, 
O'Connors,  O'Loghlins  of  Thomond,  O'D  wy- 
ers,0'Fogartys,0'Meaghers,0'Moel-Ryans, 
O'Kennedys,  and  other  noblemen  of  Tippe- 
rary,  and  withheld  them  from  uniting  against 
the  queen  of  England. 

The  other  great  men  of  the  province  being 
more  liberally  disposed,  looked  with  con- 
tempt upon  dignities  which  interfered  with 
their  religion  and  freedom,  and  took  up  arms 
in  defence  of  both.  The  chief  men  that 
formed  a  league  against  the  queen,  were 
Fitzmaurice, baron  of  Lixnaw ;  William  Fitz- 
gerald, knight  of  Kerry  and  lord  of  Kafinnin  ; 
Edmond  Fitzgerald,  knight  of  the  Glinn  ; 
Sir  Edmond  Fitzgerald,  called  the  white 
knight,  with  many  other  branches  of  that 
illustrious  house ;  Dermod  and  Donogh  Mac 
Carty,  rival  candidates  for  the  principality 
of  Alia  ;  Daniel,  son  of  MacCarty  More  ; 
Patrick  Condon  ;  O'Donohoe  More  of  On- 
achte  ;  O'Donoghoe  of  the  Glinn  ;  Roche, 
viscount  Fermoy ;  Richard  Butler,  viscount 
of  INIontgarret,  who  had  married  the  daughter 
of  O'Neill ;  and  Thomas  Butler,  baron  of 
Cahir.  The  same  disposition  animated  the 
several  tribes  of  the  O'SuUivans,  the  O'Dris- 
cols,  the  O'Donnevans,  and  the  O'Mahonys 
of  Carbry,who  signalized  themselves  in  the 
common  cause  of  their  country.  The  con- 
federates appointed  for  their  leader,  James, 
son  of  Thomas  Fitzgerald,  surnamedthe  Red, 
and  acknowledged  him  as  earl  of  Desmond. 
Thomas  the  Red  was  brother  to  Garret,  last 
count-palatine  of  that  illustrious  family.  He 
left  a  son  named  James,  who  had  been  given 
by  the  countess  his  mother  as  a  hostage  to 
the  English,  and  who  had  been  kept  prisoner 
in  the  tower  of  London  for  seventeen  years. 
James  was  lawful  heir  of  the  earl,  and  to  his 
title  of  Desmond  ;  but  so  long  an  absence 
rendered  him  forgotten,  and  caused  the  title 
to  be  conferred  upon  James,  son  of  his  cousin 
Thomas ;  who  was  therefore  chosen  as  the 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


517 


leader  of  the  Catholics  in  that  province, 
where  the  memory  of  the  earls  of  Desmond 
was  still  dear  and  respected. 

Religion  was  not  the  sole  cause  of  the 
above  alliance.  The  tyranny  of  the  English 
governors,  and  the  intolerable  insolence  of 
the  adventurers  who  had  been  sent  to  occupy 
the  estates  of  Desmond  and  other  noblemen, 
contributed  greatly  to  the  undertaking.  These 
adventurers  became  the  first  victims  to  the 
rage  of  the  confederates.  They  were  driven 
from  their  ill-gained  possessions,  and  their 
castles  razed  to  the  ground.  Finding  them- 
selves now  unprotected  by  the  governor 
Norris,  who  was  scarcely  able  to  defend 
himself,  they  fled  to  Waterford,  and  em- 
barked for  their  own  country. 

It  was  disgraceful  in  Norris  to  shut  him- 
self up  in  Cork,  and  remain  inactive  while 
the  war  was  blazing  in  the  province,  to  the 
command  of  which  he  had  been  appointed. 
He  felt  heavily  the  shame  of  it,  and  in  order 
to  screen  his  character,  he  formed  the  reso- 
lution of  attacking  the  Catholics.  For  this 
purpose  all  his  forces,  amounting  to  two 
thousand  five  hundred  men,  were  mustered 
by  him  in  Cork  ;  some  nobles  also  in  Mun- 
ster,  attached  to  the  court  party,  v/ere  com- 
manded by  him  to  meet,  and  with  these 
troops,  which  were  formed  into  three  col- 
umns— he  marched  upon  Kilmallock.  His 
plan  was  to  draw  from  the  garrison  the  vet- 
eran troops,  and  replace  them  with  the  new 
levies  that  were  less  experienced.  He  met 
many  difficulties  on  his  march.  His  rear- 
guard was  attacked  at  a  place  called  Bear- 
rach  Abharrah,  by  William  Burke,  at  the 
head  of  three  hundred  infantry,  who  killed 
several  of  the  English,  and  made  themselves 
masters  of  part  of  their  baggage.  Norris, 
however,  effected  his  object  concerning  the 
garrison  of  Kilmallock,  but  was  attacked  on 
his  return  at  Ard-Scieth,  by  the  earl  of 
Desmond,  Viscount  Montgarret,  the  barons 
of  Cahir  and  Luochne,  William  Burke,  and 
Richard  Tirrell.  It  was  rather  a  disordered 
retreat  than  a  battle.  The  above  chiefs 
pursued  him  the  entire  day  for  eight  miles 
of  his  march.  Many  fell  in  the  several  skir- 
mishes, but  the  heaviest  loss  was  sustained 
by  the  fugitives,  who,  being  favored  by  the 
night,  were  at  length  fortunate  enough  to 
get  back  into  Kilmallock. 

Norris  undertook  a  second  expedition, 
which  had  no  better  success  than  the  first ; 
he  marched  with  two  thousand  four  hundred 
foot,  and  three  hundred  horse,  against  Lord 
Roche,  Viscount  Fermoy.  At  first  the  vis- 
count abandoned  Baile  Androhid,  a  place 
not  fortified,  and  withdrew  to  Bailean  Cais- 


lean,  which  was  stronger.  His  allies  did  not 
forsake  him  ;  he  was  quickly  joined  by  Daniel 
MacCarty,  to  whom  the  principality  of  Clan- 
carrha  was  given  by  the  earl  of  Desmond. 
Dermod  and  William  O'Connor  also  joined, 
with  two  thousand  five  hundred  infantry,  and 
nearly  a  hundred  cavalry.  This  army  en- 
camped to  advantage  for  the  Viscount  Fer- 
moy :  the  place  he  occupied  being  made 
secure  by  it  against  an  attack  from  the 
English.  The  two  armies  continued  for 
twelve  days  in  view  of  each  other,  and  had 
frequent  skirmishes,  in  which  some  soldiers 
were  killed  on  both  sides.  Norris  at  length 
sent  away  some  of  his  baggage  by  night,  and 
took  the  route  for  Cork.  He  was  pursued 
by  the  Irish,  who  killed  two  hundred  of  his 
men  at  Mainister-na-Mona. 

Some  months  after  the  expedition  of  Nor- 
ris, Thomas  Burke,  brother  to  the  baron  of 
Castleconnel,  left  the  queen's  party,  and 
sought  to  be  admitted  into  the  Catholic  army. 
For  this  purpose  he  applied  to  Raymond 
Burke,  baron  of  Leitrim,  and  to  his  brother 
William ;  and  they  appointed  him  to  the 
command  of  two  hundred  men.  With  this 
little  band  Thomas  wished  to  surprise  some 
places  belonging  to  the  English  in  Muskerry 
Burke.  He  met  with  General  Norris  at  Kill- 
tili,  at  the  head  of  twelve  hundred  men.  To 
avoid  fighting  was  impossible  ;  and  notwith- 
standing the  disproportion  of  their  numbers, 
he  acted  intrepidly,  and  by  one  bold  stroke 
decided  the  affair.  A  young  man  named 
John  Burke,  having  forced  his  way  into  the 
ranks,  struck  Norris  with  his  lance  and  dis- 
abled him ;  and  the  English  army  seeing 
their  leader  fall,  dispersed.  The  English 
general  was  brought  to  Mallow,  where  he 
died  in  fifteen  days  of  his  wounds.  This 
Thomas  Burke  being  reconciled  afterwards 
to  the  English,  met  with  the  same  fate  as 
Norris  ;  he  and  his  brother,  earl  of  Castle- 
connel, were  killed  by  Dermod  O'Connor  in 
an  engagement  wherein  these  noblemen, 
who  were  much  superior  to  him  in  force,  i 
refused  him  quarter,  so  true  is  it,  that  de-  { 
spair  in  an  enemy  is  always  to  be  feared.      i 

Donogh  O'Connor  having  been    dispos- 
sessed by  the  English  of  his  principality  of 
Sligo,  went  over  to  England  to  conciliate  ' 
the  protection  of  the  queen.  His  affairs  were  j 
kept  for  a  long  time  in  suspense  at  court ; 
but  at  length,  Elizabeth,  in  order  to  lessen  ! 
her   enemies  in  Ireland,  when  almost  the  ' 
whole  country  were  up  in  arms  against  her, 
sent  him  back  with  permission  to  repossess 
himself  of  his  estates.      On  his  arrival  in 
Connaught,  he  found  Cliftbrd,  the  governor 
of   the   province,  preparing   an   expedition 


518 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


against  O'Donnel ;  and  through  gratitude 
he  joined  him  in  his  enterprise.  CHfford, 
intending  to  besiege  Ballyshannon,  a  strong 
place  belonging  to  O'Donnel,  marched  with 
lour  thousand  men,  and  some  Irish  auxilia- 
ries, the  principal  of  whom  were  O'Brien, 
earl  of  Thuomoiul,  Burke,  earl  of  Clanriccard, 
and  JMorrough  O'Brien,  baron  of  Inchiquin. 
The  army  having  arrived  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  Earne,  Inchiquin  was  the  first  who 
sacrificed  himself  to  the  royal  cause  ;  wish- 
ing to  take  the  lead,  he  put  spurs  to  his  horse 
and  plunged  into  the  water,  but  being  thrown 
in  the  middle  of  the  river  from  his  horse,  he 
sunk  and  perished  miserably  before  he  could 
reach  the  opposite  bank.  Clifford  having 
discovered  a  place  that  was  fordable,  crossed 
with  his  army,  in  spite  of  a  detachment  sent 
by  O'Donnel  to  dispute  his  passage.  He 
then  laid  siege  to  the  castle  of  Ballyshannon 
with  four  pieces  of  cannon.  Owen  Craw- 
ford, a  Scotchman,  commanded  the  place, 
having  eighty  men  under  him,  six  of  whom 
were  Spaniards,  and  the  rest  Irish.  The 
attack  was  a  powerful  one,  and  the  defence 
equally  determined.  The  troops  of  O'Don- 
nel were  not  assembled  so  as  to  be  able  to 
raise  the  siege.  While  this  prince  waited  an 
attack  from  the  enemy's  cavalry,  (in  which 
O'Connor  Sligo,  who  fought  for  the  English, 
was  dangerouslywounded,)  the  cannon  inces- 
santly played  upon  the  castle,  and  the  be- 
siegers, as  often  as  they  mounted  the  breach, 
were  beaten  back  by  the  besieged.  O'Don- 
nel caused  frequent  alarm  to  the  enemy's 
camp ;  so  that  Clifford  being  informed  that 
O'Rorke  was  marching  with  his  army  on 
one  side,  and  O'Neill  upon  another,  to  re- 
lieve the  castle  of  Ballyshannon,  that  general 
decamped  so  precipitately  tha:;  he  left  be- 
hind him  three  pieces  of  cannon.  He  re- 
passed the  river  indeed  in  such  disorder, 
that  the  place  was  called  after  him,  "the 
route  of  heroes."  He  was  pursued  by 
O'Donnel,  and  it  is  said  that  he  lost  in  the 
one  day  three  hundred  men  in  killed  and 
drowned.  O'Donnel  drove  his  conquests 
still  further ;  he  penetrated,  sword  in  hand, 
into  the  estates  of  Clanriccard ;  scaled  the 
walls  of  Athenry,  and  put  the  English  gar- 
rison to  the  sword.  After  this,  he  devastated 
the  lands  of  the  baron  of  Inchiquin,  of  Tur- 
lough  O'Brien,  and  the  O'Shaughnessys. 

O'Neill  beheld  with  pleasure  the  league 
that  was  formed  in  Munster,  and  the  advan- 
tages already  gained  over  the  English,  a.  d. 
1599.*  This  prince,  desirous  of  strengthen- 
ing the  alliance  which  he  had  made  with  his 

*  Peter  Lombard,  ibid,  page  208. 


confederates,  granted  their  demands  for 
assistance,  by  sending  them  his  brother  Conn 
O'Neill,  at  the  head  of  three  thousand  men, 
well  provided  with  arms  and  ammunition. 
The  English  lay  in  ambush  to  dispute  his 
passage,  but  Conn  escaped  their  snares,  by 
opening  his  way,  sword  in  hand,  through  the 
enemy.  After  leaving  two  thousand  of  them 
dead  upon  the  field  of  battle,  he  continued 
his  march  to  Munster,  where  he  acquired  a 
high  reputation  for  his  military  exploits. 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 


The  state  of  affairs  at  this  time  in  Ireland, 
says  Carabden,  was  deplorable,  the  rebellion 
having  become  general  through  the  kingdom. 
The  sway  of  the  English  in  Ulster  was  con- 
fined to  a  few  strong  fortresses.  The  greater 
part  of  the  nobility  in  Munster  were  up  in 
arms  against  them.  The  O'Morras,  the 
O'Connors,  the  O'Byrnes,  the  O'Tools,  the 
Cavanaghs,  the  Eustaces,  and  other  chiefs 
of  Leinster ;  with  the  O'Molloys,  the  Ma- 
geoghegans,  and  the  Tirrellsof  Meath,  were 
leagued  to  revenge  their  freedom.  The 
O'Rorkes,  and  some  branches  of  the  Burkes, 
besides  some  other  chiefs  in  Connaught,took 
up  arms  for  the  same  cause,  so  that  Elizabeth 
saw  herself,  by  this  general  revolt,  on  the 
eve  of  losing  all  her  authority  in  Ireland. 
She  had  no  person  in  that  country  capable 
of  governing  it.  Marshal  Bagnal  was  killed  ; 
Richard  Bingham,  who  had  been  sent  by  the 
court  to  succeed  that  general,  died  on  his 
arrival  in  Dublin ;  Norris,  who  governed 
Munster,  and  St.  Leger,  the  president  of 
Leix,  perished  by  the  sword  of  the  Catholics. 
The  earl  of  Ormond  commanded  the  army  ; 
his  name,  however,  only,  and  not  his  capa- 
bility, was  suited  to  his  zeal  in  the  cause  of 
his  mistress.  In  this  position  of  her  affairs, 
the  queen  consulted  with  her  council  on  the 
choice  of  a  man  capable  to  remedy  the  dis- 
orders that  prevailed  in  Ireland.  Her  ma- 
jesty, and  most  of  her  counsellors,  cast  their 
eyes  on  Charles  Blunt,  lord-baron  Mountjoy. 
Robert  d'Evereux,  earl  of  Essex,  whose  am- 
bition knew  no  bounds,  insinuated  secretly, 
that  Mountjoy  was  not  fit  for  the  undertaking, 
that  he  had  not  sufficient  experience  in  the 
art  of  war,  and  that  he  was  too  devoted  to 
literature  to  be  a  good  commander.  This 
nobleman  sought  to  make  it  appear,  that 
some  one  of  the  highest  nobility,  who  was 
rich,  and  dear  to  the  army,  and  who  had 
been  commander-in-chief,  ought  to  be  sent 
to  Ireland,  by  which  qualifications  he  seemed 
to  intimate  his  own  claims. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


M9 


Opinions  were  divided  as  to  the  choice 
of  the  earl  of  Essex  to  fill  the  office  of 
lord-lieutenant  of  Ireland.  His  friends 
wished  for  an  opportunity  to  satisfy  his 
insatiable  thirst  for  fame,  of  which  he  was 
the  slave  ;  while  others  thought  that  it 
would  not  be  prudent  to  give  the  command 
of  the  army  in  Ireland  to  a  nobleman  who 
Ij  was  flattered  by  his  creatures  with  the  idea 
of  being  descended  from  the  royal  blood  of 
Scotland  and  England,  and  consequently 
with  having  a  higher  claim  to  the  crown 
than  any  of  his  predecessors.  The  ene- 
mies of  Essex  sought  for  a  long  time  an 
opportunity  of  supplanting  him  at  court, 
and  the  present  appeared  the  most  favora- 
ble that  offered,  through  that  very  absence 
which  he  himself  was  eager  to  obtain. 

Essex,  indeed,  seemed  to  merit  the  ap- 
pointment :  he  had  already  established  a 
reputation  in  his  expeditions  against  the 
Spaniards,  and  being  the  favorite  of  the 
queen,  the  way  to  the  vice-royalty  was  open 
to  him  :  but  instead  of  meeting  in  it  the  hap- 
piness he  looked  for,  it  proved  fatal  to  him  in 
the  end.  He  was  at  length  appointed  lord- 
lieutenant,  and  with  privileges  more  exten- 
sive than  those  of  any  of  his  predecessors. 
Her  majesty  invested  him  with  the  preroga- 
tive of  pardoning  any  crime,  even  that  of  high 
treason  ;  besides  the  power  of  appointing  to 
offices  of  trust ;  of  removing  those  who  en- 
joyed them  without  a  patent ;  of  suspending 
others  from  exercising  them  ;  also  of  making 
military  laws,  and  carrying  them  into  execu- 
tion ;  of  conferring  in  fief,  according  to  his 
pleasure,  the  confiscated  estates  of  the  Cath- 
olics, reserving  a  moderate  and  yearly  reve- 
nue from  them  for  the  crown  ;  and  in  absence 
of  the  high-admiral  of  England,  he  had  the 
command  of  the  fleet,  and  the  privilege  of 
applying  the  money  in  the  exchequer  to  any 
purposes  without  Ijeing  accountable  for  it. 
A  powerful  and  well-provided  army  was 
given  to  him  ;  it  consisted  of  seventeen 
thousand  foot,  and  thirteen  hundred  horse, 
which  was  the  most  powerful  that  had,  up 
to  that  period,  been  sent  to  Ireland. 

All  matters  being  arranged,  the  earl  of 
Essex,  accompanied  by  three  young  noble- 
men who  wished  to  be  partakers  of  his  glory 
in  the  expedition,  set  out  for  Ireland  from 
London,  at  the  end  of  March,  amidst  the 
acclamations  of  the  people .  The  fleet  having 
sailed,  they  were  overtaken  and  dispersed 
by  a  violent  storm,  by  which  many  lives  were 
lost.  Notwithstanding  this  misfortune,  he 
landed  on  the  15th  of  April  in  Dublin,  where 
he  took  the  usual  oath,  and  received  the 
sword  of  justice  as  lord-lieutenant. 


The  principal  instructions  given  to  Essex 
were,  first,  not  to  confer  the  honor  of  knight- 
hood on  any  but  subjects  of  acknowledged 
merit  ;  secondly,  to  block  up  Tyrone  with 
ull  his  forces,  by  placing  strong  garrisons  in 
the  forts  of  Loughfoyle  and  Ballyshannon.* 
He  had  scarcely  landed  in  Ireland  when  his 
creatures  began  to  publish  in  foreign  coun- 
tries false  accoxmts  of  his  wonderful  exploits  ; 
at  one  time,  that  his  arrival  had  filled  the 
confederate  Catholics  with  terror,  causing 
them  to  conceal  themselves  in  woods,  and 
other  inaccessible  places  ;  at  another,  that 
almost  every  one  of  them  were  accepting  the 
offers  of  pardon  offered  by  him. f  The  false- 
hood of  these  vain  boastings  was,  however, 
proved  by  the  ill-success  of  his  expedition. 

The  first  act  of  the  jurisdiction  of  Essex 
in  Ireland  was  to  publish  a  proclamation  in 
the  queen's  name,  excluding  the  ancient 
Irish,  her  majesty's  inveterate  enemies,  from 
all  hopes  of  pardon. |  As  to  the  modern  Irish, 
who  had  been  forced  by  the  tyranny  of  Eng- 
lish governors  to  have  recourse  to  arms,  they 
were  declared  capable  of  receiving  forgive- 
ness, provided  they  would  surrender  without 
delay.  In  other  respects,  he  began  his  ad- 
ministration with  mildness  ;  he  knew  the 
difficulty  of  bringing  back  to  obedience  those 
who  had  declared  against  the  queen  on  ac- 
count of  religion,  and  of  preserving  the  alle- 
giance of  those  who  still  adhered  to  her.  The 
exercise  of  the  Catholic  doctrine  became  less 
restricted ;  the  holy  sacrifice  of  the  mass  was 
celebrated  in  private  families,  and  the  other 
sacraments  administered  with  more  freedom ; 
his  policy  even  induced  him  to  set  at  liberty 
some  priests  who  had  been  confined  in  dun- 
geons, and  to  confer  the  grade  of  knights  of 
the  golden  spur  on  some  Catholics  with 
whose  opinions  he  was  acquainted. 

After  making  some  regulations  respecting 
the  civil  administration,  Essex  turned  his 
thoughts  to  the  campaign  ;  but  did  not  fol- 
low the  plan  that  was  laid  down  for  him  in 
London.  The  first  thing  he  did  was  to  give 
the  command  of  the  cavalry  to  the  earl  of 
Southampton.  Instead  of  marching  with 
all  his  forces  against  O'Neill,  and  the  con- 
federates in  Ulster,  according  to  his  instruc- 
tions, he  divided  them  by  giving  three  thou- 
sand foot  and  five  hundred  horse  to  Henry 
Harrington,  to  watch  the  movements  of  the 
O'Morras,  the  O'Birnes,  and  other  confed- 
erates of  Leinster  ;  and  sent  three  thousand 
more  to  Clifford,  governor -of  Connaught,  to 
keep  the  nobles  of  that  province  in  check. 

*  Cambd.  ibid.  pp.  734,  735. 

t  Peter  Lombard,  ibid.  pp.  411,  412. 

t  Peter  Lombard,  ibid,  page  413. 


520 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


These  detachments  reduced  considerably 
the  forces  of  the  viceroy.  Accompanied  by 
three  hundred  gentlemen,  who  volunteered  in 
London  to  accompany  him,  he  set  out  from 
Dublin,  on  the  20th  of  May,  with  the  re- 
mainder of  his  army,  and  marched  towards 
Munster.  In  passing  through  Leinster,  the 
rear  guard  of  the  English  was  severely  han- 
dled in  a  dcfde,  by  Owen  O'Morra,  at  the 
head  of  live  hundred  men,  who  killed  several 
officers  and  privates  ;  the  place  where  they 
fought  was  called  after  this,  "  Bearna  na 
Gleti,"  which  signilies  the  Pass  of  Plumes, 
on  account  of  the  quantity  of  them  which 
the  English  lost  in  it. 

This  check  did  not  prevent  Essex  from 
continuing  his  march  into  Munster.  He  laid 
siege  to  the  castle  of  Cahir,  situate  on  the 
river  Suire,  in  the  county  of  Tipperary  ;  the 
place  which  gave  the  title  of  lord-baron  to 
Thomas  Butler.  The  confederate  Catholics 
had  in  it  but  a  garrison  of  seven  or  eight 
soldiers,  without  artillery,  so  that  they  were 
unable  to  maintain  a  siege  against  the  army 
of  Essex.  The  earl  of  Desmond,  however, 
assisted  by  Raymond  Burke,  baron  of  Lei- 
trim,  and  his  brother  William,  having  ap- 
peared in  view  of  the  English,  fought  several 
skirmishes  with  them,  and  by  this  means  af- 
forded to  William  Burke  an  opportunity  of 
driving  off  a  detachment  that  was  guarding 
the  bridge,  and  of  throwing  into  the  castle 
about  fifty  men,  under  the  command  of  James 
Butler,  brother  to  the  baron  of  Cahir.  This 
small  force  contributed  only  to  prolong  the 
siege  ;  Essex  played  upon  the  castle  with 
his  artillery ;  several  English  nobles  wishing 
to  mount  the  breach,  were  killed  by  the  mus- 
ketry of  the  besieged  ;  but  James  Butler, 
finding  himself  unable  to  defend  the  castle, 
surrendered  it  to  the  English  general.* 

Essex  had  the  castle  of  Cahir  repaired,  and 
leaving  a  strong  garrison  in  it,  with  cannon 
and  ammunition,  he  marched  to  the  relief  of 
Askeaton.  His  army  received  a  considerable 
reinforcement  by  the  junction  of  some  nation- 
al troops,  under  the  earls  of  Thuomond  and 
Clanriccard,  Mac-Pieris,  baron,  and  Henry 
Norris.  On  his  way  back  from  Askeaton, 
he  was  pursued  by  Daniel  Mac-Carty  More 
and  the  earl  of  Desmond,  at  the  head  of  two 
thousand  five  hundred  men.  These  chiefs 
having  attacked  his  rear  guard,  at  a  place 
called  Bade  en  Finitere,  the  action  was  very 
bloody  ;  it  lasted  from  nine  in  the  morning 
till  five  in  the  afternoon  :  a  great  number  of 
the  English  were  killed,  and  Henry  Norris, 
one  of  their  leaders,  was  found  among  the 

*  Pet.  Lombard,  p.  415.     Hist.  Cathol.  ibid. 


slain.  The  loss  on  the  side  of  the  Catholics 
was  not  so  great.  After  this  battle,  Essex 
encamped  for  a  few  days  at  Cruomui,  to  re- 
fresh his  triops  ;  he  then  marched  to  Water- 
ford,  and  was  pursued  and  harassed  during 
six  days  by  the'Catholic  army. 

General  Harrington,  in  the  mean  time, 
received  a  heavy  check  in  the  principality 
of  Leix.  This  general,  who  was  appointed 
to  restore  peace  to  that  district,  having  sur- 
rounded the  troops  of  O'Morra,  flattered 
himself  that  he  would  be  able  to  reduce  them 
with  little  loss  to  himself  ;  but  the  bravery 
of  the  Catholics  snatched  the  victory  from 
him.  He  lost  in  this  engagement  twelve 
hundred  men,  with  all  their  officers,  and, 
among  the  rest,  Adam  Loftus,  son  of  the 
Protestant  archbishop  of  Dublin,  who  was 
ibund  among  the  slain.  The  remainder  of 
his  army  was  put  to  flight. 

Ware,  Cox,  and  others,  mistake  the  cir- 
cumstances of  this  victory,  or  confound  them 
with  a  similar  one  gained  over  Harrington 
by  the  O'Birnes,  in  the  glinns  of  the  county 
of  Wicklow  ;  after  which,  the  viceroy,  to 
punish  the  want  of  courage  among  the  Eng- 
lish, had  them  decimated.  They,  however, 
are  all  agreed  that  the  English  were  defeated 
by  the  Irish  Catholics.  Christopher  Blanche 
was  sent  over  at  this  time  to  Ireland  as  lord- 
marshal.  Wishing  to  distinguish  himself  by 
some  brilliant  achievement,  he  marched  to 
Offaly,  where  his  army  was  defeated  by  the 
O'Connors,  with  the  loss  of  five  hundred 
horse,  and  he  himself  escaped  with  difficulty, 
having  had  a  leg  broken  in  the  action.  In 
the  mean  time  the  earl  of  Essex  confined 
himself  to  the  city  of  Cork.  He  was  deeply 
aflected  by  the  ill-success  of  his  arms,  which 
is  ingenuously  acknowledged  in  his  letter  to 
the  English  council ;  it  was  intercepted  by 
the  Catholics,  and  contains  the  following 
w^ords :  "  I  am  confined  in  Cork,  where  there 
is  an  abundance  of  warlike  stores  ;  but  still 
I  have  been  unsuccessful :  my  undertakings 
have  been  attended  with  misfortune  ;  I  do 
not  know  to  what  this  can  be  attributed,  ex- 
cept to  an  evil  star  that  has  led  me  here." 
The  grief  of  Essex  proceeded  from  two 
causes  ;  first,  the  queen  expressed  herself 
displeased  with  him  ;  secondly,  she  had 
conferred  the  office  of  master  of  the  court 
of  warden,*  to  which  Essex  had  aspired,  on 
Robert  Cecil  the  secretary.  He,  however, 
concealed  his  displeasure  for  the  present. 
Finding  the  forces  diminished,  he  left  Mun- 

*  This  court  was  instituted  in  the  reign  of  Henry 
VIII.,  for  the  defence  and  protection  of  the  persons 
and  properties  of  those  who  embraced  the  reformed 
religion. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


521 


ster,  without  performing  one  deed  worthy  of 
his  reputation.  Towards  the  end  of  July,  he 
returned  with  the  wrecks  of  his  army  to  Dub- 
lin, where  he  learned  that  James  Butler, 
brother  to  the  baron,  had  retaken  the  castle 
of  Cahir,  and  put  the  English  garrison  to  the 
sword.* 

Essex  endeavored  to  remove  the  impres- 
sions which  the  queen  had  formed  of  his  ad- 
ministration in  Ireland ;  for  which  purpose 
he  wrote  her  a  long  letter,  and  informed  her 
of  the  state  of  affairs  in  that  country,  and  the 
character  of  its  inhabitants.  "  The  Irish," 
says  he,  "  are  stronger,  and  handle  their  arms 
with  more  skill  than  our  people  ;  they  differ 
from  us  also  in  point  of  discipline.  They 
likewise  avoid  pitched  battles  where  order 
must  be  observed,  and  prefer  skirmishes  and 
petty  warfare  ;  they  are  not  adapted  either 
to  defend  or  attack  fortified  places  ;  and  are 
obstinately  opposed  to  the  English  govern- 
ment ;  they  endeavor  to  shake  off  the  yoke, 
and  would  efface  every  vestige  of  it ;  they 
rely  confidently  on  the  promises  of  Spain, 
and  hope  that  the  Spaniards  will  make  a 
descent  upon  England,  to  create  a  diversion 
in  their  favor,  or  send  them  assistance,  to 
enable  them  to  oppose  your  majesty's  troops, 
and  retake  those  places  which  they  possess." 
The  earl  then  laid  down  a  plan  to  prevent 
the  loss  of  Ireland.  He  proposed  "  that  there 
should  be  provision  stores  along  the  coasts 
of  England,  and  ships  in  readiness  to  carry 
them  to  Ireland  in  cases  of  need,  and  to  serve 
as  a  check  against  the  Spaniards ;  the  priests 
and  Jesuits,"  continued  he,  "  must  be  expell- 
ed, and  strong  garrisons  maintained,  in  or- 
der that  they  might  make  occasional  attacks 
on  the  country,  and  deprive  the  inhabitants 
of  all  means  of  subsistence."  He  added,  that 
besides  the  expense,  much  time,  care,  and 
perseverance,  would  be  required  to  bring  the 
nation  under  complete  subjection. 

Essex  now  turned  his  thoughts  to  Ulster  ; 
but  as  his  march  to  Munster  had  greatly  di- 
minished his  numbers,  he  wrote  to  the  queen, 
in  conjunction  with  the  council,  to  ask  for 
fresh  reinforcements.  At  the  same  time,  he 
sent  for  Clifford,  governor  of  Connaught,  to 
march  with  the  troops  under  him  towards 
the  frontiers  of  Ulster,  in  order  to  create  a 
diversion. t  In  compliance,  Clifford  assem- 
bled his  army  at  Athlone,  on  the  Shannon  ; 
their  destination  being  Belick  on  the  river 
Erne,  between  the  lake  of  that  name  and 
Ballyshannon,  whither  they  desired  to  draw 
O'Neill. I  The  governor  thought  it  necessary 

*  Cox,  Hist,  of  Ireland. 

+  Cambd.  Reg.  Elizab.  part  4,  Hist.  p.  73G 

t  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  c.  10. 


to  keep  the  places  in  the  rear  free,  for  the 
security  of  his  march  ;  and  with  that  object, 
he  determined  to  rebuild  the  castle  of  Sligo, 
which  had  been  destroyed  some  time  before 
by  O'Donnel,  and  to  give  battle  to  him,  if 
he  endeavored  to  prevent  its  reconstruction. 
Clifford  sent  orders  to  Theobald  Burke,  sur- 
named  the  Naval,  to  have  cannon  and  every 
thing  necessary  for  the  execution  of  his  plans 
brought  by  sea  from  Galway  to  Sligo,  while 
he  would  lead  the  army  by  land.  In  the 
mqan  time,  O'Connor  Sligo,  who  supported 
the  queen's  cause  against  his  country,scoured 
the  county  of  Sligo  with  a  body  of  cavalry, 
to  force  the  inhabitants  to  abandon  O'Don- 
nel, whose  cause  they  had  espoused  from  a 
spirit  of  patriotism  and  religion,  and  to 
favor  the  designs  of  Clifford  ;  but  meeting 
with  some  of  O'Donnel's  army,  they  were 
compelled  to  take  refuge  in  Killmuiny,  at  a 
short  distance  from  Sligo,  where  they  were 
besieged  by  O'Donnel. 

Clifford  being  aware  of  the  danger  in 
whichO'Connor  was  of  falling  into  the  power 
of  the  enemy,  reviewed  all  his  troops.  His 
army  amounted  to  two  thousand  five  hundred 
infantry,  both  English  and  their  Irish  auxi- 
liaries, and  a  few  squadrons  of  cavalry.  The 
principal  chiefs  of  the  auxiliary  Irish  were 
O'Connor  Don,  prince  of  Magherry  Con- 
noght,MelmorMac-Sweeny,princeofTueth, 
who  througlr  some  displeasure  had  abandoned 
O'Donnel,  and  gone  over  to  the  English,  and 
Richard  Burke,  son  of  the  earlof  Clanriccard 
and  baron  of  Dunkillin.  Matters  being  thus 
arranged,  Clifford  set  out  from  Athlone,  by 
forced  marches  for  Boyle.  O'Donnel  pur- 
posed to  oppose  the  enemy  :  he  put  a  strong- 
garrison  of  four  hundred  infantry  under  the 
command  of  Mac-Sweeny  Fanid  and  Mac- 
william  Burke,  into  Sligo,  and  left  two  hun- 
dred cavalry  to  hold  on  the  blockade  of  Kill- 
muiny; after  which  he'marched  with  O'Dogh- 
arty,  prince  of  Inisowen,  and  the  remainder 
of  the  army  to  Corslieve  mountain,  where 
Clifford  had  to  pass  into  the  county  of  Sligo. 
Tirconnel  possessed  himself  of  the  defiles  of 
this  mountain,  and  had  trees  cut  down  to 
obstruct  Clifford's  passage  ;  he  then  en- 
camped with  his  army  in  an  adjoining  plain. 

In  the  mean  time,  Theobald  Burke  ap- 
peared with  his  little  fleet  before  Sligo,  but 
dared  not  enter.  He  thought  prudent  to 
await  the  arrival  of  Clifford's  army.  This 
governor  being  arrived  at  Boyle,  he  left  his 
cavalry  under  the  command  of  Sir  Markham 
Griffin,  since  in  passing  the  defiles  of  Cor- 
slieve they  could  not  act.  On  the  eve  of 
Lady-day,  O'Donnel  was  apprized  of  the 
movement  of  the  English  army.  As  the  cause 


522 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


of  this  pious  prince  was  that  of  religion,  he 
coninianded,  with  the  approbation  of  the 
ecclesiastics  who  were  in  his  camp, that  a  fast 
should  be  kept  on  the  eve  of  this  festival, 
and  that  they  should  approach  the  tribunal 
of  penance,  in  order  to  be  worthy  of  receiving 
the  communion  ou  the  next  day,  to  implore 
the  protection  of  the  mother  of  God.  Scarcely 
had  the  Catholics  ended  their  devotion  on  the 
day  of  the  assumption,  when  the  English 
appeared  to  reconnoitre  the  plain.  The  prince 
of  Tirconnel  then  ordered  refreshments  to 
his  troops,  and  addressed  them  in  the  follow- 
ing words  :  "  As  we  have  already  often  de- 
feated the  reformers  through  the  intercession 
of  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary,  we  have  reason 
to  hope  for  similar  success  this  day  ;  yester- 
day we  fasted  in  honor  of  the  Virgin  ;  this 
day  we  celebrate  her  festival,  and  thus  let  us 
combat  her  enemies,  and  we  will  be  the  con- 
querors." The  Catholics  were  greatly  ani- 
mated by  this  discourse.  O'Donnel  then  sent 
Owen  Mac-Sweeny  with  Giolla  and  Tulli 
O'Gallagher,  at  the  head  of  six  hundred  in- 
fantry, to  stop  the  enemy,  while  he  himself 
was  preparing  to  attack  them  in  order  of  bat- 
tle. The  engagement  commenced  at  eleven 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  continued  for 
some  time  with  equal  slaughter  and  success, 
till  O'Rorke  appeared  at  the  head  of  a  body 
of  infantry,  and  turned  the  scale  of  victory. 
The  terror  of  the  English  was  so  great,  that 
they  threw  their  arms  on  the  ground  and  fled. 
The  rout  now  became  general ;  the  Catholic 
troops  pursued  the  fugitives  for  three  miles  : 
Markham,  who  continued  at  Boyle  with  the 
cavalry,  came  out  to  the  relief  of  the  Eng- 
lish ;  he  attacked  and  killed  some  of  those 
who  were  engaged  in  the  pursuit,  but  O'Rorke 
coming  up  drove  him  back,  and  though  badly 
wounded,  he  got  into  Boyle.  The  English 
lost  in  this  battle  fourteen  hundred  men  in 
killed,  with  Clifford,  the  governor  of  Con- 
naught,  and  Henry  Ratcliffe,  a  young  Eng- 
lish nobleman,  who  were  found  among  the 
slain.  One  hundred  and  forty  of  the  Catholic 
army  were  killed  and  wounded.  After  this 
defeat  of  the  English, a  great  booty  was  found : 
and  the  conquerors  became  masters  of  a  vast 
quantity  of  arms,  colors,  cannon,  dress,  and 
other  warlike  apparatus.  O'Neill,  who  was 
on  his  march  to  the  assistance  of  O'Donnel, 
arrived  too  late,  by  two  days,  to  share  in  the 
glory  of  this  victory.  The  news  of  the  defeat 
of  tire  English,  and  the  death  of  Clifford, 
being  spread,  Burke  the  Naval  set  sail  im- 
mediately from  Siigo  to  return  to  Galway. 
O'Connor  surrendered  to  O'Donnel,  who  put 
him  into  the  possession  of  his  demesne  at 
Sligo,  on  his  promising  to  assist  thereafter 


against  theEnglish.  English writersacknow- 
ledge  that  their  countrymen  were  defeated 
in  the  Curlew  mountains,  by  the  Catholics, 
whom  they  style  rebels,  commanded  by 
O'Rorke.  They  have  candor  enough  also 
to  allow,  that  Clifford,  Ratcliffe,  and  others 
were  killed  in  this  action,  but  they  strive 
to  smooth  the  disaster,  by  giving  mutilated 
accounts  of  it.  "  Though  the  rebels,"  say 
they,  "  were  superior  in  numbers,  still  they 
were  repulsed  by  the  English ;  but  for  the 
want  of  powder,  the  English  were  put  to 
the  rout."* 

The  earl  of  Essex  was  greatly  disconcerted 
by  the  defeat  of  Clifford's  army.  He  waited 
with  anxiety  for  the  arrival  of  a  reinforcement 
from  England  ;  a  thousand  foot-soldiers  at 
length  arrived  in  Dublin,  in  September,  and 
all  the  forces  then  marched  for  the  frontiers 
of  Ulster.  As  soon  as  O'Neill  heard  of  the 
movement  of  the  viceroy,  he  put  his  own 
army  in  motion,  and  proceeded  to  the  town 
of  Louth,  where  he  encamped  on  the  banks 
of  a  small  river  which  separated  the  two 
armies.  The  English,  says  Peter  Lombard, 
seeing  the  Catholics  so  well  prepared  and 
eager  to  engage,  were  so  panic-struck,  (ac- 
cording to  the  words  of  some  who  were 
present,)  that  they  were  covered  with  shame, 
and  afraid  to  hold  up  their  heads. f 

The  viceroy  immediately  dispatched  a 
herald  to  O'Neill,  to  declare  to  him  that  he 
had  not  come  as  an  enemy  into  his  province  ; 
on  the  contrary,  that  he  came  to  offer  him 
terms  of  peace,  or  at  least  a  truce,  and  that 
he  would  send  commissioners  for  that  pur- 
pose, if  he  would  accede  to  his  doing  so.J 
The  prince  of  Tyrone  having  agreed  to  the 
proposal,  two  knights  and  a  counsellor  of  state 
were  dispatched  for  that  purpose  by  the  earl 
of  Essex.  These  commissioners  being  ad- 
mitted to  an  audience  with  O'Neill,  they 
explained  to  him  the  purport  of  their  mission. 
The  prince  replied,  that  he  would  not  agree 
to  any  truce,  nor  engage  in  any  treaty  in 
which  three  specific  conditions  were  not  ad- 
mitted ;  first,  "  that  there  should  be  no  other 
religion  but  the  Catholic,  Apostolic,  and 
Roman,  throughout  the  kingdom  of  Ireland ;" 
second,  "  that  the  church  properties  which 
since  the  commencement  of  schism  and  here- 
sy had  been  annexed  to  the  king's  dominions, 
should  be  restored  to  the  church,  as  well  by 
the  queen  herself,  as  by  the  individuals  who 
possessed  them  ;"  third,  "  that  the  heirs  of 
the  original  proprietors,  who  had  been  un- 
justly despoiled  of  their  estates  within  the 

*  Cambden,  Reign  of  Elizabeth,  p.  736. 
t  Pet.  Lombard,  p.  419. 
t  Pet.  Lombard,  p.  420. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


523 


last  forty  years,  should  be  re-established,  to 
the  utter  exclusion  of  the  usurpers." 

This  reply  of  Tyrone  being  communicated 
to  the  viceroy,  the  earl  dispatched  a  second 
herald  to  the  prince,  and  proposed  to  meet 
him  at  a  short  distance  from  their  respective 
armies.  The  prince  accepted  the  proposal  of 
meeting  him,  but  not  apart  from  his  army. 
Essex,  who  was  eager  for  an  interview  on 
any  terms,  gave  up  his  stipulation  :  he  sent 
away  the  greater  part  of  his  army  to 
Drogheda,  and  proceeded  towards  the  camp 
of  O'Neill,  accompanied  by  a  few  nobles  and 
a  small  number  of  horsemen.  The  two  chiefs 
being  come,  went  down  the  river,  where  they 
might  confer  together.  The  conference  lasted 
for  some  hours  ;  the  viceroy  looked  for  a 
truce  till  the  month  of  May ;  Tyrone  an- 
swered, that  his  honor,  which  was  pledged 
not  only  to  foreign  princes,  but  to  the  gran- 
dees of  his  own  nation,  would  not  allow  him 
to  accede  to  it.  Essex  reminded  O'Neill  of 
the  ancient  friendship  that  subsisted  between 
the  earl  his  father,  and  him,  and  consequently 
that  he  ought  to  feel  some  sympathy  towards 
the  humbled  position  of  his  son.  The  heart 
of  O'Neill  could  not  resist  any  longer  the 
repeated  solicitations  of  Essex,  and  the  prince 
consented  to  a  truce  of  six  weeks,  on  condi- 
tion that  each  should  be  at  liberty  to  break 
ofl'  by  giving  a  notice  of  fourteen  days.  The 
truce  being  thus  settled  on,  the  two  noblemen 
passed  a  few  hours  in  mutual  compliments 
and  politeness.* 

The  salutary  admonitions  of  O'Neill  to 
Essex  merit  the  attention  of  the  reader,  as 
they  were  prophetic  of  the  disasters  which 
subsequently  befell  him.  They  were  as  fol- 
lows :  "  Permit  me,  earl,  to  obtrude  the  ad- 
vice of  one  advanced  in  years,  upon  you  who 
are  young,  and  to  forewarn  you,  for  your 
own  safety  and  peace  of  mind,  of  things  that 
may  arise  in  your  course.  I  am  not  ignorant 
of  the  power  you  possess  in  your  own  coun- 
try, how  dear  you  are  to  the  queen,  how 
pleasing  to  the  English,  and  how  honored 
and  beloved  by  the  army.  The  instability 
and  fickleness  of  these  advantages  in  Eng- 
land, are  known  to  you  ;  and  you  are  aware 
how  intolerable  is  the  tyranny  of  your  queen, 
since  no  person  has  as  yet  lived  secure  under 
her  power,  except  such  as  from  their  obscu- 
rity in  life  have  escaped  her  attention,  or 
those  who  are  the  instruments  of  her  cruelty. 
Experience  proves,  how  few  of  those  that 
have  been  raised  by  her  to  the  highest  offices 
of  trust,  have  escaped  the  abyss  of  ignominy 
and  disgrace.  You  know  likewise  (as  O'Neill 

»  Pet.  Lombard,  pp.  421,  422,  423,  424. 


speaks  it)  that  the  state  of  your  nation  is 
very  vacillating,  and  that  if  your  old  queen 
were  dead,  the  strongest  would  be  master. 
Under  all  these  circumstances,  it  behooves 
you  to  take  heed  against  your  enemies.  Be 
cautious  too,  lest  the  favor,  the  honor,  and 
authority  with  which  you  are  invested,  be 
not  yet  the  cause  of  your  ruin.  Accommo- 
date yourself  to  the  times,  and  attach  yourself 
to  such  as  may  render  you  services  in  the 
hour  of  need."  The  viceroy  knew  that  the 
reasoning  of  the  prince  of  Tyrone  was  true, 
but  the  means  which  he  prescribed  to  avoid 
the  danger,  he  found  impracticable. 

Essex,  pleased  with  his  negotiations  with 
Tyrone,  took  leave  of  that  prince,  and  re- 
turned to  Dublin,  where  he  received  a  letter 
from  the  queen,  dated  the  14th  of  September. 
Her  majesty  reproached  him  and  the  council 
with  mal-administration,  and  a  contempt  for 
her  commands.  This  reproach  was  morti- 
fying to  Essex.  He  placed  the  government 
of  affairs  in  the  hands  of  Adam  Loftus,  the 
chancellor,  and  George  Carey,  treasurer  of 
war  ;  committed  the  command  of  the  troops 
to  the  earl  of  Ormond,  and  departed  for 
London,  September  28th,  accompanied  by 
some  of  his  friends  ;  among  others,  by  South- 
ampton, (who  resigned  his  command  of  the 
cavalry,)  the  baron  of  Dunkell,  Christopher 
St.  Laurence,  son  of  the  baron  of  Howth, 
Henry  Danvers, Henry  Docwray,  and  others. 
The  day  following  he  presented  himself  be- 
fore the  queen,  who  received  him  coldly,  and 
ordered  him  to  keep  his  chamber  till  he 
would  hear  from  her  ;  after  this  he  was 
committed  and  detained  in  prison,  according 
to  Peter  Lombard,*  who  was  a  cotemporary 
writer.  The  heads  of  the  accusation  against 
Essex  were,  neglect  of  the  instructions  given 
him  respecting  the  war  in  Ireland  ;  the  fa- 
vorable truce  that  he  had"  granted  the  Irish 
rebels  ;  and  his  having  left  Ireland  in  despite 
of  the  orders  of  the  queen.  The  history  of 
the  tragic  end  of  that  nobleman  is  sufficiently 
known  :  it  will  suffice  to  observe,  that  though 
one  of  Elizabeth's  chief  favorites,  he  was 
beheaded  soon  afterwards. 

After  Essex  had  left  Ulster,  a  Spanish 
captain  arrived  in  that  province  with  two 
ships  laden  with  warlike  stores,  which  his 
Catholic  majesty  had  sent  to  the  prince  of 
Tyrone.  He  received  the  officer,  and  asked 
why  the  king  had  omitted  so  long  to  send 
the  succors  which  he  had  promised,  and 
why  he  did  not  send  all  at  the  same  time. 
The  officer  answered,  that  his  majesty  in- 
tended it,  but  that  the  report  of  peace  having 

*  Hib.  Comment,  cap.  426,  427. 


524 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


been  made  between  the  prince  of  Tyrone 
and  Queen  Elizabeth,  was  tlie  cause  ;  and 
added,  that  the  king  of  Spain  sent  him  for 
the  express  purpose  (with  these  two  ships) 
of  bringing  him  an  account  of  how  affairs 
stood  in  Irehmd.  This  reply  did  not  satisfy 
OWeill  ;  however,  he  concealed  his  disap- 
pointment with  his  accustomed  prudence. 

Philip  II.,  king  of  Spain,  having  died  in 
the  month  of  September  of  the  preceding 
year,  Philip  III.  succeeded  to  the  throne. 
This  prince,  interested  in  following  the  plans 
of  his  brother  in  regard  to  the  war  in  Ireland, 
sent  over  two  legates,  Matthew  d'  Oviedo, 
whom  the  pope  appointed  to  the  archbishopric 
of  Dublin,  and  Don  Martin  de  la  Cerda,  a 
Spanish  knight.  The  legates  were  empower- 
ed to  grant  indulgences  to  the  Irish  who 
fought  against  the  English  in  defence  of 
their  religion.*  The  sovereign  pontiff  also 
sent  by  the  same  opportunity,  a  crown  of 
phoenix  feathers  to  the  prince  of  Tyrone, 
chief  of  the  league,  in  imitation  of  Urban 
III.,  who  had  sent,  in  the  twelfth  century,  a 
crown  of  peacock's  plumes  to  John,  son  of 
Henry  II.,  who  was  styled  lord  of  Ireland. 
The  legates  brought  twenty-two  thousand 
pieces  of  gold  from  the  king  of  Spain,  for 
the  payment  of  the  troops. 

Encouraged  even  by  this  moderate  assist 
ance,  and  hoping  for  greater  from  the  Span- 
iards, Tyrone  resumed  hostilities,  after  a 
notice  of  fourteen  days,  in  pursuance  of  the 
truce  made  with  Essex,  a.  d.  1600. f  Hav- 
ing provided  for  the  security  of  the  princi- 
pality of  Tyrone,  he  marched  through  the 
whole  of  Leinster,  at  the  head  of  seven 
thousand  men  :  his  motive  for  doing  which 
was,  according  to  some  writers,  his  devo 
tiou  for  a  particle  of  the  true  cross,  which 
was  preserved  in  the  abbey  of  Holy-Cross 
county  of  Tipperary.  However  this  was, 
he  advanced  towards  Cork,  where  he  en- 
camped, and  consulted  with  the  earl  of  Des- 
mond, Florence  Mac  Carty  Reagh,  and 
other  chiefs  of  the  province,  about  the  means 
of  supporting  the  war.|  He  sent  deputies 
to  those  whose  sincerity  he  doubted,  to  so 
licit  them  to  join  in  the  confederacy  against 
the  enemies  of  God,  their  religion,  and  their 
country.  As  a  stronger  inducement,  he  sent 
them  an  authentic  copy  of  the  sentence  of 
excommunication  which  Pius  V.  had  pro- 
nounced against  the  queen  of  England  and 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  cap.  12.  Ware,  de  Annal. 
cap.  42.     Cambd.  ibid.  p.  743. 

t  Pet.  Lombard,  ibid,  page  430.  Cambd.  ibid, 
page  748. 

I  Peter  Lombard,  ibid,  page  431.  Hist.  Cathol. 
ibid. 


her  adherents.  Several  were  brought  over 
by  the  reasoning  of  Tyrone  ;  particularly 
Finian  Mac  Carty,  a  powerful  nobleman  of 
the  illustrious  tribe  of  the  Mac  Carthys, 
who  was  always  remarkable  lor  his  attach- 
ment to  the  religion  of  his  ancestors.*  Others, 
influenced  by  a  diflerent  policy,  though 
strongly' attached  to  the  Catholic  faith,  re- 
plied, that  a  subject  of  such  moment  ought 
to  be  suspended  for  a  while,  as  the  opinion 
of  the  see  of  Rome  was  not  well  known  ;t 
adding,  that  though  excommunication  had 
been  pronounced  by  Pius  V.  against  the  ad- 
herents of  the  queen  of  England,  the  miti- 
gation of  the  sentence  by  his  successor, 
Clement  XIII.,  in  favor  of  Catholic  sub- 
jects, was  well  understood,  and  that  they 
might,  with  perfect  security  of  conscience, 
adopt  a  course  of  moderation,  till  the  pon- 
tiff who  then  governed  the  church  would 
lay  down  other  rules  for  them  to  follow,  in 
which  case  they  would  be  ready  to  obey. 
This  brought  forth  a  bull  from  Clement 
XIII.,  which  was  addressed  to  the  spiritual 
and  temporal  lords  and  people  of  Ireland. 

Prince  O'Neill,  who  deemed  their  policy 
injurious  to  religion,  and  their  delay  hurtful 
to  the  Catholic  cause,  expressed  his  displea- 
sure at  the  replies  of  these  noblemen.  Some 
of  them  he  treated  with  severity,  and  de- 
vastated their  lands,  in  order  to  deprive  the 
enemy  of  subsistence  ;  others  he  compelled 
to  give  hostages  for  their  future  conduct. | 

During  Tyrone's  stay  in  Munster,  the 
queen's  troops  kept  in  their  garrisons  and 
strong  places,  not  daring  to  take  the  field, 
so  that  the  time  passed  over  without  hos- 
tilities, except  an  affair  between  Hugh  Ma- 
guire,  prince  of  Fermanagh,  who  command- 
ed O'Neill's  cavalry,  and  St.  Leger,  presi- 
dent of  Munster,  in  which  both  noblemen 
fell.^  Maguire  attended  only  by  Edmond 
Mac  Caflry,  his  standard-bearer, Niall  O'Dur- 
nin,  and  a  priest,  left  the  camp  one  day, 
either  to  take  an  airing  or  to  reconnoitre  the 
country  ;  having  advanced  too  far,  he  met 
with  St.  Leger,  at  the  head  of  sixty  cavalry  ; 
notwithstanding  this  difterence  in  numbers, 
Maguire's  spirit  would  not  permit  him  to 
avoid  fighting ;  putting  spurs  to  his  horse, 
he  forced  his  way  through  the  enemy  to 
their  commander,  who  sliot  him  through 
the  body.  Though  Maguire's  wound  was 
mortal,  he  determined  to  be  revenged ; 
struck  St.  Leger  such  a  blow  with  his  lance 
that  he  cleft  his  head  through  the  helmet, 

*  Pet.  Lombard,  ibid.  p.  432. 
t  Ibid.  p.  433. 
t  Petr.  Lombard,  p.  434. 
§  Hist.  Catliol.  ibid.  cap.  12. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


525 


and  then  opened  a  passage  for  himself,  sword 
in  hand.  Both  generals  died  of  their  wounds 
a  few  days  after,  greatly  regretted  by  their 
respective  corps.* 

The  Prince  O'Neill,  before  he  left  Mun- 
ster,  took  the  necessary  measures  for  the 
defence  of  the  province,  and  the  security  of 
the  confederates.  He  placed  some  veteran 
troops  among  them,  and  returning  through 
Leinster,  he  left  a  reinforcement  with  O'Mor- 
ra  of  Leix.  Before  this,  he  passed  in  view 
of  Ormond,  who  commanded  the  English 
army.  He  arrived  safe  in  Ulster,  having 
honorably  fulfilled  the  designs  he  had  in 
view. 

The  earl  of  Essex  having  given  up  the 
government  of  Ireland,  it  was  of  importance 
to  appoint  a  successor  to  him,  and  a  governor 
of  Munster  to  succeed  St.  Leger,  who  was 
killed  by  Maguire.  Charles  Blunt,  baron  of 
Mountjoy,  was  therefore  appointed  viceroy, 
and  Sir  George  CarcAV  was  named  president 
of  Munster.  These  two  noblemen  repaired 
to  Dublin  about  the  end  of  February.  Ca- 
rew  waited  for  his  commission  to  undertake 
the  duties  of  his  appointment.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  viceroy  and  supreme  council  of 
Ireland!  had  regulations  drawn  up  for  the 
guidance  of  the  president  and  council  of  that 
province.  The  members  of  it  were,  the 
earls  of  Kildare,  Ormond,  and  Thuomond, 
Viscount  Barry,  Lord  Audley,  the  Protestant 
bishops  of  Cork  and  Limerick,  Sir  Nicholas 
Walsh,  the  chief-justice  Saxey,  Sir  Francis 
Barkley,  Sir  George  Thornton,  Justice 
Goold,  the  queen's  advocate-general.  Sir 
Charles  Wilmott,  Garret  Comerford,  Esq., 
Ulick  Cufle,  Esq.,  the  bishops  of  Dublin 
and  Meath,  George  Cary,  Richard  Wing- 
field,  Anthony  St.  Leger,  George  Bourchier, 
Geoffry  Fenton,  and  Francis  Stafford. 

The  president  of  Munster  left  Dublin  on 
tlie  7th  of  April,  and  took  the  road  that  led 
to  his  province.  The  earl  of  Thuomond,  who 
always  sought  for  opportunities  of  displaying 
his  zeal  for  the  royal  cause,  with  Lord  Aud- 
ley, Captains  Harvey,  Browne,  Dillon,  and 
a  force  of  seven  hundred  foot  and  a  hundred 
horse,  accompanied  the  president  on  his 
route.  On  the  first  day  they  arrived  at 
Naas,  on  the  next  at  Carlow,  and  on  the 
third  at  Kilkenny,  where  they  visited  the 
earl  of  Ormond.  Ormond  had  promised  to 
meet  Owen,  son  of  Rory  O'Morra,  on  the 
borders  of  Idough,  at  present  the  barony  of 
Fessadining,  in  the  county  of  Kilkenny,  at 
a  place  called  Corronnedufle,  and  the  presi 
dent  proposed  to  accompany  the  earl,  with 

*  Pet.  Lomb.  p.  435. 

t  Pacat.  Hib.  cap.  1,  book  1,  page  6. 


his  attendants.  All  arrived,  according  to 
appointment,  at  the  place  of  meeting.  The 
troops  of  both  parties  were  at  a  distance, 
when  the  conference  began  between  Or- 
mond and  O'Morra,  Avhich  lasted  for  an 
hour  without  any  thing  being  concluded. 
O'Morra  had  a  Jesuit  with  him  named  Ar- 
cher, who  was  zealously  opposed  to  the  Re- 
formation,* with  whom  Ormond  began  a 
controversy  on  the  score  of  religion,  in  the 
course  of  which  he  called  the  Jesuit  a  traitor ; 
saying,  that  under  a  semblance  of  religion 
he  was  seducing  her  majesty's  subjects  from 
their  allegiance,  after  which  he  proceeded 
to  abuse  the  pope  and  Church  of  Rome. 
O'Morra,  no  longer  able  to  bear  with  lan- 
guage so  indecent,  and  so  foreign  to  the 
subject  before  them,  seized  the  earl,  dragged 
him  from  his  horse,  and  made  him  prisoner. 
The  president  and  Thuomond,  with  his  other 
friends  who  were  at  hand,  being  alarmed, 
ran  to  his  assistance  and  commenced  fight- 
ing. Some  of  the  English  were  killed,  sev- 
eral wounded,  and  more  made  prisoners  ; 
while  the  president  and  Thuomond  took  to 
flight,  and  owed  their  safety  only  to  the 
swiftness  of  their  horses.  Thuomond  was 
wounded  in  the  back  with  a  pike,  as  he  com- 
plained in  a  letter  to  the  council  of  England, 
wherein  the  circumstances  of  his  misfortune 
in  this  affray  are  described.  As  soon  as 
the  two  noblemen  had  got  out  of  danger, 
they  talked  of  revenge  ;  their  drums  and 
trumpets  were  ordered  to  rally  the  troops, 
and  renew  the  fight  ;  but  the  terror  of  the 
English  was  so  great  that  none  but  Captains 
Harvey,  Browne,  Comerford,  and  some  ser- 
vants, had  the  courage  to  move  forward ;  and 
consequently,  they  had  no  alternative  but  to 
submit  to  their  misfortune.  They  then  re- 
turned to  Kilkenny,  where  they  found  the 
countess  of  Ormond  inconsolable  for  her 
husband's  capture. 

The  deputy  was  in  Dublin  Avhen  he  heard 
of  this  unhappy  occurrence,  and  likewise 
that  the  sons  of  Montgarret  and  several  other 
noblemen  of  the  Butlers  were  up  in  arms. 
He  at  once  dispatched  Sir  George  Bour- 
chier and  Christopher  St.  Laurence  to  Kil- 
kenny, with  orders  to  collect  the  troops,  and 
keep  the  peace  of  the  city  and  its  neighbor- 
hood. The  president  of  Munster,  on  the 
arrival  of  these  officers,  set  out  with  Thuo- 
mond for  Waterford,  where  they  arrived  on 
the  16th  of  April. 

The  O'Connors  Faly  laid  siege  at  this 
time  to  the  castle  of  Crouchan,  which  was 
situated  in  the  principality  of  Oflaly,t  at  the 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  cap.  8.  t  Ibid. 


526 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


foot  of  a  hill  called  Knock-Crouchan.  Tho- 
mas jNIoor,  a  kiu<>ht  of  the  golden  spur,  and 
Gifi'ard,  both  Kuglishinen,  commanded  the 
garrison.  The  besiegers  having  no  artillery, 
scaled  the  walls  with  a  hundred  foot  soldiers, 
and  having  entered,  put  the  garrison,  which 
consisted  of  Englishmen,  to  the  sword,  and 
became  masters  of  the  fortress. 

O'Neill,*  who  had  begun  the  war  only  in 
consequence  of  repeated  assurances  of  suc- 
cor both  from  the  pope  and  the  king  of 
Spain,  continued  to  apply  to  them  for  assist- 
ance, and  sent  his  son  Henry,  who  was  still 
young,  on  a  mission  to  his  Catholic  majesty. 
lie  wrote  some  urgent  letters  to  the  pope, 
representing  to  his  holiness  that  the-  war  in 
Ireland  was  the  cause  of  God,  and  beseech- 
ing him  to  have  public  prayers  offered  in 
Rome  for  its  success.  He  also  prayed  that 
the  holy  father  would  give  his  decision  on 
the  efficacy  that  the  sentence  of  excommuni- 
cation pronoimced  by  Pius  V.  against  Eliza- 
beth and  her  partisans,  ought  to  have,  which 
might  serve  as  a  guide  to  the  Catholics  of 
Ireland  for  the  conduct  they  should  observe 
in  the  present  war.  In  fine,  he  besought  the 
pope  that  his  holiness  would  be  pleased  to 
send  a  nuncio  to  Ireland,  who  would  be  ac- 
tive in  supporting  the  Catholics  in  their 
i  faith,  and  who  might  allay  their  uneasiness 
in  the  present  posture  of  affairs. f  Clement 
VIII.,  who  was  then  head  of  the  church,  an- 
swered his  requests  with  the  following  bull, 
dated  Rome,  April,  1600.|  "  Pope  Clement 
VIII.,  to  all  and  each  of  our  venerable  breth- 
ren, the  archbishops,  bishops,  and  prelates  ; 
also  to  our  dearly  beloved  sons,  the  princes, 
counts,  barons,  and  the  people  of  Ireland  : 
greeting,  health  and  apostolical  benediction. 

"  Having  learned  that,  through  the  ex- 
hortations of  the  Roman  pontiffs  our  prede- 
cessors, and  those  of  the  holy  see,  and  ours, 
you  have  been  encouraged  to  recover  your 
freedom,  and  to  defend  and  maintain  it 
against  the  reformers  ;  also,  that  you  have 
been,  and  are  united  to  second  and  support, 
with  all  your  means,  first,  James  Fitzgerald 
of  happy  memory,  who,  as  long  as  he  lived, 
made  generous  efforts  to  shake  off  the  cruel 
yoke  of  slavery  which  the  English,  who 
have  deserted  the  holy  Roman  church,  have 
imposed  upon  you  ;  subsequently,  John  Fitz- 
gerald, cousin-german  of  the  said  James, 
and  latterly,  our  dear  and  illustrious  son, 
Prince  Hugh  O'Nedl,  earl  of  Tyrone,  baron 
of  Dungannon,  and  captain-general  of  the 
Cathohc   army ;    and   that   these    generals 

*  Peter  Lombard,  p.  25. 
t  Peter  Lombard,  p.  465 
I  Cambd.  ad  ami.  1600. 


and  their  troops,  aided  by  the  God  of  ar- 
mies, have  performed  many  heroic  deeds,  in 
fighting  valiantly  against  their  enemies,  and 
arc  determined  to  persevere  in  opposing 
them  ;  in  order,  therefore,  to  secure  your 
attachment,  and  that  of  your  general,  and 
of  the  said  troops  to  this  cause,  it  is  our 
desire  to  bestow  on  you  our  spiritual  favors, 
as  our  predecessors  have  done.  Trusting 
in  the  mercies  of  God,  and  by  the  author- 
ity of  his  apostles  Peter  and  Paul,  we 
grant  to  each  and  every  one  of  yon,  who 
follow  the  said  General  O'Neill,  and  his 
army,  for  the  defence  and  support  of  the 
Catholic  faith,  to  those  who  furnish  him 
with  their  aid,  in  provisions,  arms,  or  other 
warlike  stores,  or  assist  him  in  any  manner 
whatever,  provided  you  have  confessed  your 
sins,  and  if  it  be  possible,  have  received  the 
holy  communion,  the  full  remission  of  your 
sins  ;  and  we  likewise  grant  all  the  indul- 
gences which  the  Roman  pontiffs  have  been 
accustomed  to  bestow  on  those  who  fight 
against  the  Turks  for  the  recovery  of  the 
Holy  Land,  &c. 

"  Given  at  St.  Peter's,  Rome,  under  the 
fisherman's  ring,  on  the  IGth  of  April,  1600, 
in  the  ninth  year  of  our  pontificate." 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

The  Catholics  of  Ulster  were  still  in  pos- 
session of  that  province,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  forts  which  the  English  kept,  and 
gari'isoned.  The  deputy  was  commanded  to 
reduce  this  province,  but  a  want  of  energy 
in  his  operations  excited  the  suspicions  of  the 
court.  It  was  therefore  deliberated  in  council 
whether  he  should  be  recalled,  and  another 
deputy  appointed,  or  whether  supplies  should 
be  sent  to  continue  the  war  against  O'Neill 
and  his  allies  more  vigorously,  if  he  should 
refuse  to  make  peace.*  The  latter  plan  was 
adopted,  and  a  fresh  reinforcement  of  troops 
was  ordered  to  Ireland.  In  consequence  of 
this,  the  deputy  wTote  to  Tyrone,  in  April, 
proposing  terms  of  peace  in  the  name  of  the 
queen  and  council,  which,  so  far  as  related 
to  religion,  and  the  reparation  of  the  injuries 
that  the  Irish  Catholics  had  sustained,  ap- 
peared reasonable.  The  prince  of  Tyrone, 
however,  knew  too  well  the  disposition  of 
the  English,  to  place  any  confidence  in  their 
promises  ;  he  knew  that  nothing  but  the  in- 
ability of  acting  otherwise,  would  influence 
them  to  keep  faith  with  him  ;  and  besides, 

*  Pet.  Lombard,  ibid.  p.  445,  et  seq. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


527 


he  expected  daily  the  assistance  that  had  been 
promised  to  him  by  the  king  of  Spain;  so  that 
he  rejected  the  overtures  of  the  deputy. 

Mountjoy  feh  the  necessity  of  removing 
the  suspicionswhich  were  entertained  against 
him  by  the  court ;  and  finding  the  prince  of 
Tyrone  deaf  to  the  proposals  he  had  made, 
he  saw  that  his  only  resource  to  redeem  his 
honor  lay  in  force.  He  therefore  collected 
his  troops  to  attack  Tyrone  by  sea  and  land  ; 
and  in  the  month  of  March,  a  fleet  of  sixty- 
seven  ships,  under  Sir  Henry  Dockwra,  was 
ordered  to  take  possession  of  a  lake  in  the 
north  of  Ireland,  called  Loughfoyle,  between 
thepeninsidaoflnisowenandArachtyCahan, 
to  cause  in  that  quarter  a  diversion  favor- 
able to  the  expedition  of  his  forces  by  land. 
Five  thousand  infantry  and  three  hundred 
horse  were  on  board  this  fleet,  well  provided 
with  ammunhion  and  warlike  stores.  The 
English  commander  also  had  constructed,  on 
the  borders  of  Loughfoyle,  four  forts,  from 
whence  he  made  frequent  incursions  on  the 
lands  of  O'Dogharty,  and  other  noblemen. 

O'Neill,  when  informed  of  the  movements 
of  the  English,  assembled  a  council  of  the 
chief  men  of  the  province,  to  adopt  measures 
against  the  enemy.  It  was  determined,  that 
prince  O'Donnel  should  oppose  the  attempts 
of  the  garrisons  on  Loughfoyle, while  O'Neill 
himself  would  march  against  the  deputy.  A 
detachment  of  the  Catholic  army  having  met 
a  party  of  the  English  who  were  guarding 
the  baggage,  attacked  and  killed  a  great 
number  of  them,  and  became  masters  of 
considerable  booty.  The  deputy,  alarmed 
at  this  event,  returned  immediately  to  Dub- 
lin, where  he  remained  for  some  time. 

The  earl  of  Ormond  was  still  a  prisoner 
with  O'Morra.  His  countess  applied  with 
eagerness  for  his  liberation ;  for  which  pur- 
pose she  addressed  letters  to  the  queen,  and 
to  the  prince  of  Tyrone  ;  she  reminded  the 
latter  of  the  friendship  that  subsisted  between 
him  and  the  earl,  and  begged,  that  in  con- 
sideration of  the  services  he  had  rendered 
him,  he  would  procure  him  his  freedom. 
Tyrone  paid  regard  to  the  entreaties  of  the 
countess,  and  procured  her  husband's  liberty, 
on  condition  that  he  would  no  longer  act 
against  his  religion  or  his  country,  and  that 
he  should  give  hostages  for  his  fidelity. 

Mountjoy,  who  remained  in  Dublin  since 
his  last  expedition  to  Ulster,  proceeded  to 
Kilkenny  to  visit  the  earl  of  Ormond  after 
his  liberation.  He  then  marched  at  the  head 
of  some  troops  into  Leix,  and  brought  labor- 
ers with  him  to  cut  down  the  corn  before  it 
was  ripe,  in  order  to  deprive  the  inhabitants 
of  subsistence  for  the  next  winter,and  thereby 


prolong  the  war.  The  Catholics  of  Leix  ran 
to  arms,  and  attacked  both  the  reapers  and 
the  troops  who  were  guarding  them  ;  the 
lord-deputy  was  dismounted,  and  his  horse 
killed  under  him,  so  that  he  saved  himself 
with  difllculty,  on  foot,  through  a  neighbor- 
ing bog.  The  advantages  to  the  Catholics 
from  this  victory,  were  not  equal  to  the  heavy 
loss  that  they  sustained  by  the  death  of  Owen 
O'Morra,  who  was  killed  in  the  action.  This 
nobleman,  illustrious  by  birth,  was  still  more 
so  from  his  virtue,  and  his  attachment  to  the 
cause  of  God  and  his  country  ;  he  was  the 
soul  of  the  confederacy  in  Leinster,  and  his 
death  produced  such  consternation  through- 
out the  province,  that  the  principal  leaders, 
except  Raymond  O'Morra  who  succeeded 
him,  were  obliged  to  beg  peace  from  their 
enemies.  The  deputy  being  now  freed  from 
this  formidable  opponent,  continued  his  de- 
vastations in  Leinster  ;  the  estates  of  Daniel 
Cavanagh,  surnamed  the  Spaniard,  suffered 
greatly  ;  and  the  O'Lalors,  Redmond  Keat- 
ing, and  others,  were  forced  to  submit ;  after 
which  the  deputy  returned  to  Dublin. 

O'Donnel,  who  was  appointed  to  watch 
the  motions  of  the  garrisons  on  Loughfoyle, 
acted  with  a  prudence  and  valor  worthy  of 
the  illustrious  house  of  Tirconnel,  of  which 
he  was  the  chief.  He  pursued  several  de- 
tachments from  those  places,  and  killed  a 
great  many  of  them.  The  forts  were  also 
surrounded  by  O'Neill's  army.  In  the  month 
of  August  this  pxince  surprised  fifteen  hun- 
dred of  their  men  Avho  were  foraging,  and 
put  the  whole  of  them  to  the  sword  ;  but  the 
English  being  masters  by  sea,  and  the  Irish 
having  no  fleet  to  oppose  them,  their  losses 
were  quickly  repaired  by  fresh  arrivals  of 
men  and  arms  from  England. 

The  successes  of  the  English  in  Munster 
Avere  more  rapid,  in  consequence  of  the  divi- 
sions that  prevailed  in  that  province.  A 
kingdom  divided  must  fall.  Some  of  their 
chiefs  had  already  embraced  the  reformed 
religion  through  interest  and  an  ambition  to 
please  Elizabeth;  the  rest  continued  attached 
to  the  Roman  church.  Among  the  latter, 
however,  were  some  political  temporizers 
who  would  run  no  risk,  and  whose  principle 
was  to  accommodate  themselves  to  the  times. 
The  English  government  omitted  nothing 
to  excite  disunion :  they  strove  to  reduce 
the  Irish  to  the  most  abject  Avretchedness, 
by  destroying  their  flocks,  and  the  crops  ne- 
cessary for  their  support ;  and  also  by  draw- 
ing out  of  Ireland  all  its  gold  and  silver,  and 
sending  from  England  in  lieu  of  it  a  new 
copper  coin  which  would  not  pass  in  any  other 
country,  and  which  soon  lost  its  value  there. 


528 


HISTORY   OF   IRELAND. 


Such  was  the  situation  of  afHiirs  and  the 
position  of  the  people  in  Munster,  when 
C'arow  began  his  campaigns  in  that  province. 
The  president,  who  was  witness  to  the  inter- 
view between  O'Morra  and  Ormond,  when 
the  latter  was  made  prisoner,  as  has  been 
observed,  arrived  at  Waterford  on  the  16th 
of  April.*  The  army  which  the  conncil  of 
England  intended  for  Munster,  consisted  of 
three  thousand  infantry,  and  one  hundred 
and  fifty  cavalry.  The  demonstrations  for 
the  war  began  to  spread  terror  among  the 
inhabitants.!  Some  noblemen  of  the  county 
of  Waterford  dreading  the  consequences, 
made  their  submission  to  the  president ; 
among  the  number  of  whom  were  Thomas, 
natural  son  of  Sir  James  Fitzgerald,  lord  of 
Desie,  and  Thomas  Power,  the  near  relation 
of  Lord  Power. 

Carew  foresaw  two  important  advantages 
that  must  arise  to  him  from  the  submission 
of  these  two  nobles  ;  first,  it  was  so  much 
taken  from  the  force  of  Desmond  ;  secondly, 
the  communication  was  rendered  free  be- 
tweenWaterford  and  Youghal,  to  which  their 
power  extended,  and  near  which  their  estates 
lay.  The  president  Carew  set  out  fromWater- 
ford,  April  20,  attended  by  the  earl  of  Thuo- 
mond.  Lords  Audley  and  Power,  the  lord  of 
Desie,  Sir  Nicholas  Walsh,  Sir  Anthony 
Cook,  Sir  Richard  Masterson  ;  Captains  Ro- 
ger Harvie, William  Taaffe,  Richard  Greame, 
Fleming,  Giflfard,  Dillon,  O'Reilly,  and 
several  nobles,  with  nine  hundred  foot,  and 
one  hundred  horse,  and  arrived  the  same  day 
at  Dungarvan,  where  he  was  joined  by  Sir 
George  Gary's  company.  The  day  following 
he  marched  for  Youghal,  from  which  he  set 
out  on  the  24th  for  Cork.  Here  he  learned 
that  Florence  Mac-Carty,  prince  of  Carbry, 
with  the  O'Driscols,  O'Mahonys  O'Donna- 
vans,  and  several  of  the  principal  nobility  of 
the  country,  had  taken  up  arms  ;  he  imme- 
diately dispatched  twelve  hundred  foot  and 
one  hundred  horse  against  them,  under  Cap- 
tain Flower,  who  pillaged  and  burned  the 
whole  country  as  far  as  the  neighborhood 
of  Ross,  without  meeting  an  enemy  ;  on  his 
return,  however,  he  was  attacked  by  Florence 
Mac-CartyandDermod O'Connor-Don.  The 
former  headed  the  provincial  troops,  the 
latter  the  Bownoghs,  that  is,  the  mercenary 
forces  of  Connaught.  These  chiefs  having 
placed  themselves  in  ambush  on  the  road  the 
enemy  had  to  pass,  attacked  them  so  vigor- 
ously, that  they  forced  Captain  Flower  and 
his  men  to  seek  safety  in  an  old  castle,  at 
the  distance  of  half  a  league.     The  Eno-Ush 

*  Hist.  Pac.  cap.  3. 
t  War.  cap.  43. 


sustained  a  heavy  loss  on  this  occasion,  and 
had  it  not  been  for  the  skill  of  Flower,  they 
would  all  have  perished.  To  protect  them, 
this  ofiicer  sent  Lieutenant  Lane  with  a  body 
of  men  to  conceal  themselves  in  an  old  ruin, 
and  attack  the  Catholics  in  fiank,  while  he 
himself  attacked  them  in  front  with  the  rest 
of  his  forces  ;  being  thus  placed  between  two 
fires,  they  defended  themselves  bravely  for 
some  time,  but  Carbry  O'Connor,  Dermod's 
brother,  and  some  of  their  other  chiefs  hav- 
ing fallen,  and  finding  themselves  overpow- 
ered by  the  enemy's  cavalry,  they  took 
flight,  and  withdrew  to  the  territory  of 
Kinel-Meaky,  where  they  encamped  near 
the  bridge  of  Bally  ne  Courcie. 

While  the  president  was  employed  in 
holding  a  council  in  Cork,  to  deliberate  on 
the  affairs  of  the  province,  several  skirmishes 
took  place  between  the  Catholics  and  the 
court  party.  Captain  Francis  Slingsby,who 
connnanded  the  English  garrison  at  Kilmal- 
lock,  laid  waste  the  country  as  far  as  the 
castle  of  Bruff,  three  miles  from  Kilmallock, 
and  carried  away  large  herds  of  cattle.  He 
was,  however,  attacked  by  Peter  Lacy,  lord 
of  the  district,  at  the  head  of  three  hundred 
foot,  and  fifty  horse.  They  fought  for  six 
hours  with  equal  success,  except  that  Conn 
O'Neill,  natural  son  of  Tyrone,  was  wound- 
ed on  the  side  of  the  Catholics.  About  the 
same  time,  April  25,  John  Mac-Thomas, 
brother  to  the  earl  of  Desmond,  had  the 
commandof  a  small  detachment  of  Catholics, 
and  in  order  to  punish  Lord  Barry,  who  had 
abandoned  the  cause  of  his  country,  he  en- 
tered upon  his  estates,  where  he  pillaged  his 
vassals  as  far  as  Castle  Lyons,  and  carried 
away  large  herds  of  cattle.  Redmond  Burke 
was  not  so  successful  in  the  barony  of  Kil- 
nemanna  ;  he  marched  some  troops  into  that 
quarter  against  John  O'Dwyer,  to  whom  it 
belonged,  and  who  had  received  protection 
from  the  English ;  but  was  repulsed  by 
O'Dwyer,  who  killed  one  hundred  and 
twenty  of  his  men.  Burke  returning  soon 
after  with  fresh  forces,  burned  and  destroy- 
ed every  thing  in  the  district  of  Kilnemanna. 
On  the  29th  of  the  same  month.  Captain 
Slingsby  left  Kilmallock,  at  the  head  of  a 
detachment,  devastating  the  neighborhood 
of  Loghguire,  where  he  took  possession  of 
the  castle  ;  a  place  in  itself  inconsiderable, 
but  the  situation  of  which  on  the  road  ren- 
dered it  of  importance  to  the  English. 

Carew,  the  president,  meeting  with  diffi- 
culties in  the  conquest  of  Munster,  had  to 
resort  to  stratagem  to  supply  the  want  of 
force.*  In  order  to  gain  over  to  him  some  of 
*  Pac.  Hib.  cap.  5. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


529 


the  confederates,  and  thus  diminish  the  num- 
ber of  his  enemies,  he  pretended  to  prepare 
an  expedition  against  Limerick,  tlireatcning 
to  give  up  to  his  soldiers  the  property  of  the 
Catholics  on  his  march ;  in  consequence  of 
which,  some  lords  whose  landi?  lay  along  the 
route  he  was  to  take,  to  obviate  the  threat- 
ened calamity,  made  their  submission.  The 
president  saw  how  important  it  would  be  to 
bring  about  a  peace  with  Florence  Mac-Carty 
of  Carbry,  who  was  a  powerful  prince  of  the 
province  ;  knowing  that  his  submission  would 
be  followed  by  that  of  many  others.  He 
was  aware  that  Mac-Carty  had,  in  opposition 
to  Daniel  Mac-Carty,  natural  son  to  Mac- 
Carty  More,  earl  of  Clancar,  applied  for  the 
estates  of  the  latter,  whose  daughter  and 
heiress  he  had  married,  in  which  he  obtained 
the  sanction  of  the  queen.  To  accomplish 
his  purpose,  in  effecting  a  reconciliation  with 
the  prince  of  Carbry,  the  president  appointed 
the  earl  of  Thuomond,  Sir  Nicholas  Walsh, 
and  John  Fitz-Edmonds  to  treat  with  him. 
An  express  was  forwarded  to  Mac-Carty, 
that  they  wished  to  confer  with  him  on  mat- 
ters of  great  moment.  He  agreed  willingly 
to  a  conference,  and  appointed  a  certain  day 
and  place  to  meet  them.  Their  present  ob- 
ject was  to  prevail  on  the  prince  to  come 
before  the  president.  In  this  they  succeeded ; 
and  after  a  conference  of  two  hours,  he  con- 
sented, under  a  solemn  promise  and  an  oath 
from  Thuomond  and  Walsh  for  his  safe  re- 
turn ;  he  then  accompanied  them  to  Cork, 
and,  on  the  3d  of  May,  arrived  at  the  castle 
of  Shandon  w^here  the  president  resided. 
Carew  reproached  Mac-Carty  for  his  treason 
and  ingratitude  to  the  queen  for  all  her  fa- 
vors. Thuomond  also  played  his  part,  and 
joined  with  the  president  to  influence  the 
prince  to  submit.  He  consented,  finally, 
to  observe  a  strict  neutrality  on  the  follow- 
ing conditions  :  first,  that  the  queen  should 
grant  him  the  territories  of  Desmond  to  the 
same  extent  as  she  had  done  to  his  father- 
in-law  the  earl  of  Clancar.  Second,  that 
she  would  grant  him  the  title  of  Mac-Carty 
More,  or  earl  of  Clancar ;  and  lastly,  that 
she  would  furnish  him  with  three  hundred 
soldiers  for  his  defence.  To  all  these  con- 
ditions the  president  refused  his  assent,  and 
Mac-Carty  returned  home. 

The  submission  of  the  white  knight,  of 
Barret,  Condon,  and  some  others,  and  the 
visit  that  Florence  Mac-Carty  paid  to  the 
president,created  jealousy  and  distrust  among 
the  confederates.  These  were  still  further 
heightened  by  the  news  of  Carew's  intended 
expedition,  which  made  many  consult  their 
own  safety.  Peter  Lacy,  despairing  of  being 


able  to  defend  his  castle  of  BruflT  against  the 
president's  army,  caused  it  to  be  demolished ; 
Redmond  Burke,  who  was  at  the  head  of  five 
hundred  men  in  the  district  of  Connillo,  upon 
the  promise  of  the  president  that  he  would 
support  him  in  his  pretensions  to  the  barony 
of  Leitrim,  withdrew  from  the  confederacy, 
and  retired  to  the  district  of  Ormond.  These 
defections  did  not,  however,  prevent  the  other 
confederates  from  meeting  in  the  wood  of 
Kilmore,  between  Mallow  and  Kilmallock, 
to  oppose  the  English  army  on  its  route 
through  Ballyhawry  ;  but  instead  of  march- 
ing on  the  6th,  the  president  remained  in 
Cork  until  the  21st  of  May,  in  order  to  de- 
ceive them  ;  want  of  provisions,  therefore, 
forced  them  to  decamp  and  return  to  their 
different  quarters. 

The  president  being  informed  of  their  re- 
treat, set  out  from  Cork  on  the  2Lst  of  May, 
and  passing  through  Mallow,  arrived  the 
next  day  at  Kilmallock  ;  on  the  24th  he 
reached  Bruff,  and  on  the  25th  arrived  in 
Limerick.  In  the  mean  time  James  Butler, 
brother  of  Lord  Cahir,  made  himself  master 
of  Cahir  castle,  where  there  was  an  English 
garrison.  On  the  28th  of  May  the  president 
entered  the  district  of  Clanwilliam,  burning 
and  destroying  all  before  him.  He  ibrced 
John  and  Theobald  Burke  to  surrender  ; 
after  which  he  became  master  of  the  castle 
of  Ballytrasny,  which  the  Catholics  had  left, 
and  found  in  it  a  quantity  of  corn  and  other 
provisions.  He  next  sent  five  hundred  soldiers 
to  attack  the  patrimony  of  the  O'Moel  Ryans, 
which  they  pillaged  and  burned  without 
mercy,  and  committed  unheard-of  cruelties. 
After  these  expeditions  he  placed  garrisons 
in  Kilmallock,  Askeaton,  and  Likadowne,on 
the  frontiers  of  Connillo,  and  returned  with 
the  remainder  of  his  army  to  Limerick.  Cap- 
tain Harvy  arrived  at  the  same  time  with  a 
ship  laden  with  money,  warlike  stores,  pro- 
visions, and  clothing,  to  the  great  joy  of  the 
president,  who  was  beginning  to  be  in  want 
of  every  thing. 

The  president  was  not  yet  satisfied  ;  to 
get  James  Fitzthomas,  earl  of  Desmond,  into 
his  power,  was  a  feat  to  be  yet  accomplished. 
Promises  of  reward  appeared  to  him  to  be  the 
surest  means  of  effecting  this,  and  by  means 
of  them  he  succeeded.  James  was  betrayed 
by  some  of  his  own  soldiers  into  the  hands 
of  the  president,  who  confined  him  under  a 
strong  guard  in  the  castle  of  Connillo,  call- 
ed Castleishin,  but  he  was  soon  rescued  from 
his  imprisonment  by  Maurice,  baron  of  Lix- 
naw,  Dermod  Mac-Carty  Reagh,  the  knight 
of  Kerry,  William  Burke,  Bernard  O'Kelly,. 
Peter  Lacy,  and  other  chiefs  of  the  con- 


530 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


federacy,  at  the  head  of  eight  hundred 
men. 

The  princes  of  Ulster  were  too  busy  in 
defendin*r  their  own  province  to  be  able  to 
alford  any  help  to  the  .Munstcrmen.  O'Don- 
nel,  prince  of  Tirconnel,  had  to  watch  the 
garrisons  of  Loughibyle,  commanded  by 
Dockwra,  with  whom  he  had  frequent  skir- 
mishes. The  English  having  got  the  city 
of  Derry  into  their  possession,  made  a  vig- 
orous sortie,  but  were  repulsed  with  less. 
Dockwra,  their  commander,  was  danger- 
ously wounded  in  the  head  with  a  pike,  l^y 
young  Hugh  O'Donnel,  who  cut  his  helmet 
through.  After  this  battle  the  English  re- 
laxed in  their  attacks,  so  that  O'Donnel  de- 
termined to  cause  a  diversion  in  favor  of 
Munster.  To  effect  this,  he  left  the  defence 
of  Tirconnel  to  John  O'Dogherty,  prince 
of  Inis-Owen,  Niall  O'Donnel,  surnamed 
Garve,  and  Daniel  O'Gallagher ;  after  which 
he  marched  through  Connaught,  and  in  the 
month  of  June  entered  the  country  of  Thuo- 
mond.  The  earl,  who  was  then  at  Limer- 
ick, alarmed  at  the  news  of  his  approach, 
applied  to  the  president  for  help  to  defend 
his  district  against  him.  Captain  Flower 
was  immediately  dispatched  with  eight  hun- 
dred infantry  and  sixty  cavalry,  to  join  the 
earl  in  repelling  Tirconnel ;  the  two  armies 
had  frequent  skirmishing,  but  O'Donnel 
plundered  the  country  of  Thuomond  as  far 
as  Loophead,  and,  after  taking  great  booty 
in  cattle,  he  retired  -without  meeting  any 
disaster.* 

The  expedition  of  O'Donnel  to  Thuomond 
had  no  greater  effect  than  to  retard  the 
operations  of  the  English  in  Munster,  but  it 
produced  a  serious  change  in  his  own  affairs. 
The  lieutenant  of  General  Dockwra,  having 
sailed  out  of  Derry  in  the  absence  of  the 
prince  of  Tirconnel,  was  killed  by  O'Dogh- 
arty,  so  that  the  English  would  have  cause 
to  repent  of  their  conquest  of  Loughfoyle, 
if  the  Catholics  had  been  more  united.  Ar- 
thur O'Neill,  following  the  policy  of  his 
father,  Turlough  Linnagh,  left  the  Catholic 
party  and  declared  for  the  English.  His 
example  was  soon  followed  by  Niall  Garve 
O'Doimel,  though  otherwise  strongly  at- 
tached to  the  religion  of  his  ancestors.  This 
nobleman  gave  up  Lifford  to  the  English, 
the  command  of  which  he  had  been  appoint- 
ed to  by  the  prince  of  Tirconnel.  His  trea- 
chery caused  a  divorce  between  him  and  his 
wife  Nolla,  the  sister  of  Tirconnel. 

Niall  Garve  was  brave  and  expert  in  war ; 
his  ambition  made  him  desire  to  obtain  the 

»  Hist.  Cathol.  cap.  5. 


title  of  the  O'Donnel,  or  chief  of  the  tribe, 
and  he  had  cause  to  expect  it  if  the  English 
were  victorious.  They  began  indeed  already 
to  give  him  the  title,  and  to  make  him  great 
promises  of  reward  if  he  would  join  in  their 
interests.  These  foreigners  knew  well  how 
to  turn  the  affairs  of  this  nobleman  to  their 
own  profit.  Niall  had  formed  a  private  en- 
mity against  his  chief,  O'Donnel,  on  the 
ground  of  his  having  taken  from  him,  as  he 
said,  unjustly,  the  estate  of  Lifford,  which 
belonged  to  his  family,  and  did  not  feel  suf- 
ficiently requited  by  the  castle  of  Caislean- 
na-Finni,  which  the  prince  had  given  him 
by  way  of  remuneration.  This  was  the 
only  plea  that  Niall  Garve  could  advance  to 
palliate  his  revolt  and  his  attachment  to  the 
English. 

O'Donnel,  who  was  projecting  a  second 
expedition  against  the  earl  of  Thuomond, 
abandoned  his  design  on  hearing  of  the  re- 
volt of  Niall  Garve,*  and  immediately  post- 
ed his  army  near  Lifford,  in  order  to  watch 
the  enemy's  motions.  He  frequently  fought 
with  success  both  against  Niall  Garve,  who 
had  gained  over  many  adherents,  and  against 
the  garrisons  of  Lifford  and  Derry,  which 
often  sallied  forth  against  him.  He  sustained 
a  heavy  loss  in  the  death  of  O'Dogharty, 
who  was  killed  in  one  of  these  engagements. 
O'Dogharty  having  left  only  an  infant  son, 
O'Donnel,  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
country,  created  Felim  O'Dogharty,  his  near- 
est relative,  prince  of  Inisowen ;  this  act,  by 
increasing  the  number  of  the  discontented 
in  Inisowen,  diminished  his  allies  there,  and 
the  principal  town  in  the  district  was  given 
up  to  the  English.  All  "O'Donnel's  efforts 
against  the  rebels  of  Inisowen  were  ineffec- 
tual :  he  besieged  them  in  Binnin,  a  fort  to 
which  they  had  withdrawn  ;  but  from  the 
inactivity  of  the  Connaughtmen  whom  he 
had  in  pay,  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  the  ! 
undertaking.  In  the  mean  time,  Niall  Garve, 
having  collected  all  the  natives  belonging  to 
his  faction,  and  some  English  soldiers  be- 
longing to  the  garrison,  seized  upon  the 
Franciscan  convent  of  Donegal,  and  having 
driven  out  the  friars,  made  an  arsenal  of 
their  house,  in  order  to  be  able  to  hold  out 
against  O'Donnel.  This  prince  surrounded 
him  with  his  army,  and  kept  him  hemmed 
in  for  three  months  ;  after  which,  the  for- 
tress having  taken  fire  during  the  night, 
about  one  thousand  men  perished  by  the 
flames,  the  swords  of  the  besiegers,  and  the 
falling  in  of  the  building,  among  the  number 
of  whom  was   Conn  O'Donnel,  brother  of 

*  Hist.  Catliol.  Hib.  ibid. 


I 


CHRISTIAN     IRELAND. 


531 


Nial  Garve.  The  prince  of  Tirconnel  after 
marched  his  troops  to  Connaught ;  he  was 
attacked  at  Elphin  by  the  earl  of  Clanric- 
card,  at  the  head  of  an  English  corps,  and 
after  some  skirmishing  the  earl  withdrew, 
but  little  satisfied  with  the  success  of  his 
arms. 

Mountjoy  marched  in  July,  at  the  head  of 
his  forces,  towards  the  frontiers  of  Ulster  ;* 
but  this  expedition  was  equally  unsuccessful 
as  the  former.  He  reconciled  the  Magen- 
nises,  O'Hanlon,  Ever,  son  of  Colla  Mac- 
Mahon,  lord  of  Fearna,  and  others,  who 
were  subjected  to  the  incursions  of  the  Eng- 
lish, from  the  contiguity  of  their  frontiers — 
this  was  a  kind  of  neutrality  approved  of 
by  O'Neill  in  favor  of  these  noblemen. 
The  deputy  then  advanced  towards  Armagh 
and  Portmor,  the  garrisons  of  which  he  re- 
lieved, but  was  deterred  from  proceeding 
farther,  as  he  dreaded  O'Neill,  who  was 
strongly  intrenched,  which  caused  him  to 
return  to  Dublin. f 

The  deputy  set  out  from  Dublin  in  the 
month  of  August,  with  live  hundred  and 
sixty  infantry,  sixty  horsemen,  and  some 
volunteers.  He  marched  first  to  Naas,  in  or- 
der to  join  Oliver  Lambert,  who  command- 
ed a  body  of  troops  at  Philipstown  in  OfFaly. 
The  two  commanders  having  united  their 
forces,  carried  fire  and  sword  everywhere 
as  they  passed,  so  that  every  step  in  their 
march  was  marked  with  cruelty  and  ty- 
ranny. 

Mountjoy,  wishing  to  create  a  diversion  in 
favor  of  his  friends  at  Loughfoyle,  march- 
ed in  October  for  Ulster,  at  the  head  of  six 
thousand  fighting  men.  He  did  not  proceed 
far  into  the  province  when  he  met  with  the 
prince  of  Tyrone.  The  two  armies  con- 
tinued in  sight  of  each  other  for  fifteen  days 
without  attempting  any  thing,  after  which 
two  battles  were  fought;  one  near  Dundalk, 
and  the  other  in  the  neighborhood  of  Car- 
lingford.  These  proved  fatal  to  the  Eng- 
lish ;  they  lost  upwards  of  four  thousand 
men,  the  deputy  was  dangerously  wounded, 
and  carried  to  Newry  to  be  cured  of  his 
wounds.  It  was  now  that  the  English 
government  set  a  price  upon  the  head  of 
O'Neill.  A  proclamation  was  issued,  ofTer- 
ing  a  reward  of  two  thousand  pounds  ster- 
ling to  any  one  who  would  deliver  him  up 
alive,  or  one  thousand  pounds  for  his  head. 

Carew,  the  president,  who  was  still  in 
Limerick,  marched  with  his  troops  in  the 
month  of  June  into  the  district  of  Connillo, 
where  he  made  himself  master  of  the  castle 

*   Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  cap.  4. 
t  Hist.  Cathol.  cap.  4. 


of  Groom,  which  the  garrison  had  abandoned. 
After  this  he  marched  towards  the  castle  of 
Glynn,  situate  on  the  banks  of  the  Shan- 
non. This  castle  was  the  chief  place  belong- 
ing to  the  knight  of  the  Glynn,  a  branch  of 
the  illustrious  house  of  the  Fitzgeralds  of 
Desmond,  and  one  of  the  principal  confed- 
erate Catholic  chiefs.  The  president  laid 
siege  to  it,  and  having  effected  a  breach,  it 
was  taken  by  assault,  notwithstanding  the 
most  obstinate  defence.  The  president,  hav- 
ing placed  a  garrison  in  Glynn  Castle,  under 
Captain  Mordant,  determined  to  lay  siege  to 
Carrigofoyle,  in  Iraghticonnor,  but  was 
prevented  by  the  voluntary  submission  of 
O'Connor  Kerry,  to  whom  it  belonged. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  president,  in  order 
to  occupy  the  confederates  in  different  places 
at  once,  sent  fifty  men  into  the  county  of 
Kerry,  commanded  by  Maurice  Stack,  a  na- 
tive of  that  district,  a  man  of  middle  stature, 
but  of  tried  courage.*  He  surprised  the 
castle  of  Liscaghan,  scaled  the  walls,  and  put 
the  garrison  to  the  sword  ;  he  also  burned 
Adare,  and  devastated  the  neighboring 
country,  where  he  remained  till  the  arrival 
of  Sir  Charles  Wilmot,  who  came  to  his 
assistance.  War  is  the  scourge  of  a  country 
which  unfortunately  becomes  the  theatre  of 
it.  The  scarcity  of  provisions  was  so  severe 
in  Kerry,  that  thf  president  was  constrained 
to  change  his  quarters  ;  he  took  possession 
of  the  castle  of  Corgrage,  which  had  been 
abandoned,  and  gave  the  command  of  it  to 
Oliver  Stephenson,  whose  descendants,  says 
Cox,  have  degenerated  into  real  Irish  ;  he 
received  the  castle  of  Rathmore  by  capitu- 
lation, and  having  reinforced  the  garrisons 
of  Askeaton  and  Kilmallock,  he  arrived  in 
Limerick  the  16th  of  July. 

During  the  absence  of  the  president,  the 
confederates  made  an  attempt  upon  the 
castle  of  Liscaghan,  of  which  Maurice  Stack 
was  the  commander ;  but  their  efforts  were 
defeated  by  the  garrison,  who  killed  twenty- 
seven  of  their  men  in  a  sally.  The  president 
being  informed  at  Limerick  of  the  state  of 
things  in  Kerry,  marched  on  July  the  23d, 
with  his  troops,  amounting  to  a  thousand  and 
fifty  infantry,  and  seventy-five  cavalry — 
whether  to  avoid  the  badness  of  the  roads, 
or  the  enemy,  he  took  the  route  for  the 
coimty  Clare,  and  proceeded  to  Kilrush,  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Shannon,  opposite  to 
Carrigofoyle,  where  the  earl  of  Thuomond 
took  care  to  have  a  number  of  boats  con- 
structed to  carry  the  troops  and  their  bag- 
gage to  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 

*  Pacat.  Hib.  ibid.  cap.  10 


532 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


The  army  having  reached  Carrigofoyle, 
the  president  on  the  20th  July  dispatched 
Wihnot  with  six  hundred  infantry,  and  fifty 
cavalry,  on  an  expedition  into  Clanmorris. 
He  took  the  castles  of  Lixnaw  and  Rathowen 
by  surprise,  and  put  garrisons  into  them, 
though  Lord  Fitzmaurice,to  whom  the  cattle 
of  Lixnaw  belonged,  had  it  undermined  some 
time  before,  and  planks  of  wood  placed  so  as 
to  set  fire  to  it  on  the  approach  of  the  Eng- 
lish army.  After  this  Wihnot  advanced 
upon  Tralee,  where  he  surprised  a  hundred 
and  fifty  laborers  who  were  employed  by 
the  earl  of  Desmond  to  destroy  the  castle 
of  Sir  Edward  Denny,  in  order  to  prevent 
the  English  from  taking  shelter  in  it.  Wil- 
mot  had  no  great  difficulty  in  defeating  these 
men,  whom  he  took  by  surprise  ;  after  kill- 
ing some,  and  dispersing  the  rest,  he  re- 
turned victorious  to  Carrigofoyle. 

The  president  received  an  account,  that 
the  provisions  which  he  was  expecting  would 
be  sent  to  Cork,  had  arrived  at  Carrigofoyle, 
in  the  county  of  Clare,  opposite  the  river 
Cashin.  The  boats  belonging  to  the  earl  of 
Thuomond  served  to  carry  them  to  Lixnaw. 

Patrick  Fitzmaurice,who  was  truly  zealous 
in  the  Catholic  cause,  dreading  the  conti- 
guity of  the  English,  demolished  his  castle 
of  Beaulieu,  situate  on  the  banks  of  the  Shan- 
non, and  within  two  miles»of  Carrigofoyle. 
He  died  soon  afterwards,  and  was  succeeded 
by  his  son,  Thomas  Fitzmaurice,  who  in- 
herited not  only  his  title,  but  also  his  attach- 
ment to  religion.*  He  married  Honora-ni- 
Brien,  sister  of  the  earl  of  Thuomond.  Of 
these  two  illustrious  personages,  English 
writers  give  a  story  equally  revolting  to 
humanity,  and  to  the  religion  which  they 
pretend  was  the  cause  of  it.  Honora-ni- 
Brien,  according  to  their  account,  having 
invited  Maurice  Stack  to  dinner  at  her  castle 
of  Beaulieu,  had  him  murdered ;  and  his 
brother,  whom  her  husband,  the  baron  of 
Lixnaw,  had  held  as  a  prisoner  for  some 
time,  hanged  the  day  following. 

Florence  MacCarty,  who  had  hoped  for 
some  time  to  be  able  to  remain  neuter,  be- 
gan now  to  appear  upon  the  stage.  He  con- 
templated bringing  about  a  marriage  between 
James  Fitz-Thomars,  earl  of  Desmond,  and 
the  sister  of  Cormac  MacCarty,  lord  of 
Muskerry,  in  order  to  unite  all  the  branches 
of  the  MacCartys,  who  formed  a  numerous 
and  powerful  tribe.  The  president,  appre- 
hending the  consequences  of  such  an  alliance, 
left  the  government  of  Kerry  to  Wilmot, 
and  marched  straight  to  Cork,  to  counteract 

*  Pacat.  Hib.  cap.  1.3. 


the  intended  connection  between  Desmond 
and  the  chief  of  Muskerry.  To  punish 
Florence  MacCarty,  he  granted  protection 
to  Daniel  MacCarty,  and  gave  him  the  title 
of  MacCarty  More,  to  the  exclusion  of 
Florence,  who  had  a  prior  claim  to  the 
title,  as  has  been  observed. 

Wilmot  having  besieged  the  castle  of  Ar- 
dart,  in  the  county  of  Kerry,  became  master 
of  it,  after  it  had  been  defended  for  nine 
days  by  a  feeble  garrison.  He  strove  to 
estrange  several  noblemen  from  the  cause  of 
their  country,  and  succeeded  with  the  knight 
of  Kerry,  who  surrendered  to  him  his  castle 
of  Dingle,  the  October  following.  The  pre- 
sident, on  his  part,  received  the  submission 
of  the  MaCxMahons  and  the  O'Crowleys 
of  Carbry.  MacDonough,  MacAuliff,  and 
O'Keefe,  also  put  themselves  under  his  pro- 
tection, and  the  castle  of  Cahir  was  surren- 
dered by  James  Butler  to  the  English. 

The  earl  of  Desmond  caused  Castle  island, 
and  several  strong  places  in  the  county  of 
Kerry,  to  be  demolished,  in  order  to  prevent 
the  English  from  increasing  the  number  of 
their  garrisons.  This  nobleman  had  but  six 
hundred  infantry  and  a  few  cavalry,  so  that 
he  was  not  able  to  attack  the  enemy  openly, 
their  numbers  being  much  greater  than  his. 
He  wrote  pressing  letters  to  Florence  Mac- 
Carty to  join  him  ;  but  being  disappointed 
in  this,  he  left  Kerry  and  marched  through 
Connillo  to  gain  the  woods  of  Arlogh,  near 
Kilmallock,  where  there  was  an  English  gar- 
rison, commanded  by  Sir  George  Thornton. 
The  officers  under  Thornton  were  Slingsby 
and  Arundle  ;  Captains  Dillon  and  O'Reilly 
commanded  the  foot,  and  Greame  the  horse. 
Desmond's  intended  march  being  known 
to  the  English,  they  made  every  prepara- 
tion in  their  neighborhood  to  attack  him. 
Greame  first,  with  his  cavalry,  prevented  the 
earl  from  getting  into  the  wood,  and  made 
himself  master  of  the  baggage,  while  Thorn- 
ton attacked  him  with  the  infantry.  The 
action  was  briskly  fought,  but  proved  fatal 
to  Desmond ;  he  lost  two  hundred  of  his 
men  in  killed  and  wounded.  Teague  and 
Hugh  O'Kelly,  who  commanded  the  Con- 
naught  troops,  were  among  the  slain,  and 
their  heads  sent  the  day  following  to  the 
president.  There  remained  now  with  Des- 
mond but  four  hundred  men,  who  got  into 
the  wood  in  spite  of  the  enemy  ;  after  which 
they  dispersed.  The  earl  finding  himself 
abandoned,  withdrew  into  the  country  of 
Ormond,  accompanied  by  Dermod  Mac- 
Carty, bishop  of  Cork  and  Cloyne,  who 
labored  for  twenty  years  to  preserve  the  re- 
ligion of  the  country. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


533 


After  the  defeat  of  Desmond,  religion  be- 
gan to  lose  ground  in  Munster.  Fitzmaurice, 
John  Fitzthomas,  brother  to  the  earl,  Peter 
Lacy,  and  other  leaders,  proceeded  to  Ul- 
ster to  join  O'Neill.*  Several  were  par- 
doned, and  among  the  number,  MacCarty 
Riagh,  O'SuUevan  Beare,  John  O'Dvvyer, 
James  Fitzgerald,  Teugue  O'Brien,  O'Moel- 
ryan,  O'SuUivan  More,  the  people  of  Mo- 
gelly,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Kerry  and 
Muskerry.  By  the  defections  the  whole  of 
the  province  was  opened  to  the  English,  the 
places  that  had  opposed  them  previously 
having  surrendered  ;  among  others,  Castle- 
mayn,  Clancoyne,  and  Listoel,  opened  their 
gates.  Sir  Richard  Pearcy  sent,  in  the 
month  of  December,  a  detachment  from  Kin- 
sale  into  Carbry,  to  plunder  the  districts  of 
Kilco  and  Kinelmeaky.  Dermod  Moyle 
MacCarty,  brother  of  Florence,  and  Moysmo 
O'Mahony,  prince  of  the  O'Mahonys  of  Ki- 
nalmeaky,  being  infomucd  of  the  enemy's 
designs,  assembled  their  vassals,  and  fought 
the  English  for  two  hours  ;  after  which  both 
armies  withdrew,  and  the  English  returned 
greatly  disconcerted  in  their  designs.  About 
this  time  some  differences  sprang  up  between 
the  MacCartys  of  Carbry,  and  the  O'Learys 
of  Muskerry  ;t  they  led  to  an  action  at 
Ahakery,  in  the  district  of  Carbry,  in  which 
O'Leary,  chief  of  his  tribe,  and  ten  of  his 
men  were  killed  on  the  spot.  On  the  other 
side,  the  brother  of  Finin  MacOwen  Mac- 
Carty was  dangerously  wounded,  and  some 
of  his  people  slain. 

The  conquest  of  Munster  was  not  secure 
while  James  Fitz-Thomas  bore  the  name  of 
earl  of  Desmond. |  It  was  of  the  first  im- 
portance to  the  English  to  destroy  his  influ- 
ence among  the  people  ;  to  effect  which  they 
raised  a  rival  to  him,  who  in  fact  possessed 
a  higher  claim  to  the  title.  This  rival  was 
James,  son  of  Garret  the  last  earl,  who  had 
been  detained  during  a  great  many  years 
prisoner  in  the  tower  of  London.  The  queen 
now  prepared  and  equipped  him  for  Ireland, 
with  the  empty  title  of  "earl  of  Desmond. "t^ 
The  name  was  imposing  on  the  Irish,  among 
whom  it  was  still  dear.  They  received  him 
with  a  respect  becoming  his  illustrious  ances- 
tors, but,  linding  that  he  had  conformed  to 
the  religion  of  the  court,  their  admiration 
towards  him  was  abated.  Young  Desmond 
was  conducted  to  Ireland  by  Captain  Price  ; 
he  landed  at  Youghall  the  14th  of  October, 

*  Cox,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  page  435. 
t   Pacat.  Hib.  cao.  In. 


Pacat.  Hib.  cap.  11 
t  Hist.  Girald.  cap.  21 
^  Hist.  Cathol.  cap.  3. 


and  arrived  at  Mallow  on  the  18th,*  where 
he  presented  a  letter  from  the  queen  to  the 
president  Carew,  with  her  patent,  restoring 
him  to  the  dignity  of  his  ancestors.  The 
young  earl  expressing  a  desire  to  visit  Lime- 
rick, was  indulged  by  Carew,  in  order  to 
sound  the  disposition  of  the  people  towards 
him  ;  he  was  accompanied  by  the  Protestant 
archbishop  of  Cashel,  and  Boyle,  secretary 
to  the  council.  Having  returned  to  Kilmal- 
lock  on  a  Saturday  evening,  he  was  received 
with  the  acclamations  of  the  people,  who 
were  collected  in  such  crowds  that  he  could 
scarcely  get  to  the  governor's  house,  whither 
he  was  going  to  sup,  though  the  streets 
through  which  he  passed  were  lined  with 
troops.  Their  joy  was,  however,  soon  changed 
into  sadness.  The  earl  went  the  next  da)', 
Sunday,  to  hear  the  service  in  the  Protestant 
church.  On  his  return,  the  people  who,  the 
evening  before,  loaded  him  with  blessings, 
heaped  their  imprecations  and  insults  upon 
him,  and  even  proceeded  so  far  as  to  spit  in 
his  face.  Abandoned  now  by  the  Catholics 
and  the  admirers  of  his  ancestors,  he  was 
seen  to  walk  in  the  streets  like  any  private 
individual,  without  one  to  accompany  him. 
"  I  give,"  says  an  English  writer,  "  this  nar- 
rative, that  the  world  may  perceive  how  our 
religion,  and  the  professors  of  it,  are  abomi- 
nated by  the  rude  and  ignorant  people  of 
Ireland." 

The  deputy  Mountjoy  marched  in  the 
month  of  December  into  the  county  of  Wick- 
low,  to  chastise  the  O'Birnes  and  O'Tooles, 
who  made  frequent  attacks  upon  the  lands 
near  Dublin.  Having  attempted,  in  vain,  to 
get  Felim,  son  of  Fiach,  into  his  power,  he 
carried  away  with  him  as  prisoners,  his  wife 
and  eldest  son ;  after  which  he  laid  the 
whole  country  waste,  burning  the  houses 
and  their  haggards  as  he  passed  along.  He 
put  garrisons  into  Tullow  and  Wicklow'; 
then  marched  to  Monastereven,  and  after- 
wards visited  Trim,  MuUingar,  Athlone,  and 
Drogheda ;  from  which  place  he  set  out  for 
Dublin,  on  the  26th  of  April,  after  distri- 
buting the  troops  among  the  different  garri- 
sons. An  order  was  at  this  time  sent  to  the 
deputy  by  the  court  of  England,  to  confer 
on  Nial  Garve  O'Donnel  the  principality  of 
Tirconnel ;  and  that  of  Fermanagh,  on  Con- 
nor Roe  Maguire,  to  the  exclusion  of  the 
lawful  princes.  It  was  thus  that  Maguire 
was  recompensed  for  having  made  Cormoc 
O'Neill,  nephew  and  Tanist  of  O'Neill,  a 
prisoner.  By  such  means  the  queen  dimin- 
ished the  number  of  her  enemies  in  Ireland. 

*  Pacat.  Hib.  cap.  14. 


534 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


She  supported  the  collateral  branches  against 
their  chiefs;  she  caused  divisions  amongthem 
by  exciting  a  thirst  for  riches,  and  found 
many  degenerate  enough  to  answer  her  pur- 
poses. Those  who  were  so,  were  called  her 
"  protegi's,"  and  designated  as  the  quceii's 
O'Donnel,  the  queen's  Maguire,  to  distin- 
guish them  from  the  lawful  chiefs. 

Morrison,  governor  of  Dundalk,  made 
some  attempts  upon  the  territory  of  Fews, 
whence  he  carried  oil"  as  prisoner  Turlogh, 
son  of  Henry  O'Neill,  chief  of  the  Fews,  and 
brother  to  Tyrone.  The  submission  of  Tur- 
logh procured  him  the  protection  of  the 
deputy,  and  a  similar  favor  was  granted  to 
EverMac-Colla,  to  Mac-Mahon,  lord  of 
Fearny,  to  Hanlon,  and  the  inhabitants  of 
Brenny. 

The  forces  of  the  Irish  were  continually 
diminished  by  their  frequent  battles,  and  by 
their  having  no  succors  sent  them  from 
abroad,  while  those  of  the  English  were  re- 
ceiving constant  reinforcements  from  their 
own  country.  Information  was  sent  by  the 
lords  of  the  English  council,  to  Carew, 
that  six  hundred  infantry  had  embarked  for 
Cork.  A  complaint  was  also  forwarded  that 
several  soldiers  were  passing  from  Ireland 
to  England  on  a  mere  leave  from  their  cap- 
tains. The  president  was  therefore  enjoined 
to  send  his  orders  to  the  seaports  to  permit 
no  soldier  to  embark  for  England  without  a 
passport  signed  by  himself. 

Dermod  O'Connor  Don,  prince  of  Con- 
naught,  learned  that  the  young  earl  of  Des- 
mond had  arrived  in  Munster  by  orders  of 
the  court  of  England.*  He  wished  greatly 
to  see  this  young  nobleman  whose  sister  he 
had  married,  and  to  manifest  to  the  queen  by 
his  services,  how  grateful  he  was  for  the 
favors  conferred  upon  his  brother-in-law. 
The  president  being  informed  of  the  wishes 
of  O'Connor,  sent  him  a  guard  to  escort  him 
and  his  attendants  ;  one  from  Sir  Arthur 
Savage,  a  commissioner  of  Connaught,  and 
another  from  the  earl  of  Clanriccard,  being 
likewise  appointed  to  protect  him  in  his 
march  through  their  estates.  The  president 
sent  a  hundred  men  to  the  frontiers  of  Thuo- 
mond  to  receive  and  conduct  him  safe  to  his 
destination.  But  all  these  precautions  were 
not  able  to  save  O'Connor's  life.  Having 
passed  through  Clanriccard  without  meeting 
any  opposition,  he  was  attacked  upon  the 
estate  of  O'Seaghnassy,  by  Theobald  Burke, 
the  Naval,  who  commanded  a  hundred  men 
in  the  pay  of  the  queen.  Theobald,  having 
killed  forty  of  O'Connor's  men,  made  that 

*   Pacat.  Hib.  cap.  17. 


prince  prisoner,  and  had  his  head  cut  off  the 
day  following,  without  any  trial.  This  act 
of  hostility  drew  upon  Burke  the  censures  of 
his  friends  at  court,  and  he  was  in  conse- 
quence of  it  deprived  of  his  company.  "  Theo- 
bald Burke,"  says  an  English  author,  "  did 
no  injury  to  O'Connor  while  he  was  a  rebel, 
but  seeing  him  attach  himself  to  the  English 
government  and  likely  to  become  very  useful, 
he  caused  him  to  be  shamefully  murdered." 

The  earl  of  Ormond  had  continued  inactive 
since  he  got  his  liberty  from  O'Morra.  To 
ingratiate  himself  with  the  president,  he  now 
offered  his  services  against  Redmond  Burke 
and  his  companions  who  had  retired  into  the 
territory  of  Ormond.  The  earl  frequently, 
but  in  vain,  endeavored  to  drive  them  from 
it ;  at  length,  he  employed  Lord  Dunboyne, 
Sir  Walter  Butler  his  nephew,  and  Captain 
Marberry,  to  undertake  it  with  all  the  troops 
they  could  muster.  They  accordingly  made 
great  preparations  against  a  handful  of  men 
scattered  in  the  woods,  and  bereft  of  every 
thing;  a  victory  over  whom  could  not  be 
very  glorious  to  the  earl,  nor  add  much  to 
the  laurels  of  his  house.  They  fell  upon  the 
unhappy  wanderers,  and  killed  forty  of  them, 
among  whom  was  Thomas  Burke,  brother  of 
Redmond  ;  the  rest  were  chased  into  the 
river  Nore,  which  at  that  time,  it  being  the 
month  of  January,  overflowed  its  banks  : 
many  of  them  perished  with  their  arms  and 
baggage,  and  several  were  made  prisoners  ; 
among  the  rest,  .John  Burke,  also  brother  of 
Redmond,  who  was  immediately  afterwards 
put  to  death  in  Kilkenny. 

The  president  Carew,  wishing  to  put  the 
laws  in  operation,  and  let  justice  (which  had 
been  suspended  on  account  of  the  war)  take 
its  course,  held  the  assizes  at  Limerick, 
Cashel,  and  Clonmel  ;  the  members  who 
composed  the  tribunals  in  question  were 
commanded  to  punish  all  those  who  were 
denominated  rebels.  When  an  enemy  sits  in 
judgment,  innocence  will  not  escape.  The 
president  also  gave  orders  to  the  sheriffs  to 
visit  the  counties,  both  to  discover  the  male- 
factors who  disturbed  the  government,  and 
to  procure  provisions  for  the  garrisons.*  In 
compliance  with  this  mandate,  John  Barry, 
sheriff  of  the  county  of  Cork,  attended  by  his 
retinue,  entered  that  part  of  Desmond  which 
belonged  to  Florence  Mac-Carty,  but  was 
immediately  repulsed  by  that  nobleman's 
vassals,  and  forced  to  fly,  leaving  several  of 
his  attendants  dead  upon  the  spot.  A  de- 
tachment from  the  garrison  of  Kerry,  intent 
upon  plunder,  crossed  the  river  Mang,  and 

*   Pacat.  Hib.  ibid.  cap.  18.    Ibidem,  cap.  19. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


535 


entered  that  district  sword  in  hand,  where 
they  shared  the  fate  of  the  sheriff's  followers. 
I  These  acts  of  violence  rendered  the  conduct 
of  Florence  suspicious  in  the  eyes  of  the 
president,  but  finding  it  necessary  to  dissem- 
ble for  a  while,  he  passed  over  all  that  noble- 
man's acts  in  silence. 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

The  Catholics  of  Ireland  had,  to  the  close 
of  this  campaign,  made  the  most  noble  exer- 
tions in  defence  of  their  religion  and  country. 
They  had  to  contend,  not  only  against  the 
English,  but  also  against  domestic  enemies, 
without  any  hope  of  assistance,  so  that  the 
country  was  devastated  and  exhausted  of  men 
and  provisions,  particularly  Munster,  which 
had  been  for  a  long  time  the  theatre  of  the 
war.  Most  of  the  noblemen  in  that  province 
were  obliged  to  submit  to  their  enemies. 
Florence  Mac-Carty  seeing  the  necessity  of 
yielding  to  the  times,  followed  the  example 
of  the  rest.  Their  submission,  however,  was 
but  a  sort  of  truce,  while  waiting  for  the 
arrival  of  the  Spaniards. 

Don  Martin  Lerda  was  sent  to  Ireland  by 
the  king  of  Spain,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
I  year  1601.  He  brought  two  vessels  laden 
with  arms,  ammunition,  and  money.*  This 
small  succor,  which  seemed  to  give  omen 
of  greater,  was  sent  to  O'Neill ;  and  his 
Catholic  majesty  sent  word  to  this  prince, 
that  he  would  immediately  furnish  him  with 
troops,  and  every  thing  necessary  to  carry  on 
the  war.  The  vessels  being  arrived  in  the 
bay  of  Kilbeg,  near  Donegal,  O'Neill  divided 
the  resources  he  received  with  the  confede- 
rates, particularly  with  those  of  Munster. 
A  gleam  of  hope  seemed  to  revive  the  fallen 
spirits  of  the  Catholics.  They  met,  and  de- 
liberated together  ;  and  the  earl  of  Clanric- 
card,  who  was  at  that  time  the  only  nobleman 
in  Connaught  attached  to  the  queen's  cause, 
began  to  espouse  the  interest  of  the  confede- 
rates. 

That  which  caused  such  joy  to  the  Catho- 
lics of  Ireland,  produced  great  alarm  in  the 
minds  of  the  English  Protestants.  The  pres- 
ident of  Munster  wrote  urgent  letters  to  the 
lords  of  the  English  council,  informing  them 
that  Ireland  would  be  soon  invaded  by  the 
Spaniards,  of  which  he  received  positive 
assurances  from  every  quarter.  "  Many 
priests  and  monks  of  the  Roman  church," 
added  he,    "  have    already   arrived  in  this 

*  Pet.  Lombard,  ibid.  pp.  452,  453. 


country,  who  are  precursors  of  misfortune  to 
Ireland,  by  their  endeavors  to  estrange  her 
majesty's  subjects  from  their  allegiance." 
After  thus  apprizing  the  court  of  the  danger, 
he  demanded  the  means  of  averting  it.  The 
council  attended  to  his  representations,  and 
gave  orders  how  he  should  act ;  lenient  mea- 
sures were  adopted,  at  the!  same  time,  to 
conciliate  the  Catholics  of  Munster.  As  a 
specimen  of  the  queen's  disposition  at  the 
time,  she  wrote  to  the  president,  authorizing 
him  to  grant  a  general  amnesty  to  all  who 
would  seek  his  clemency  ;  from  it,  however, 
James  Fitz-Thomas,  having  the  title  of  earl 
of  Desmond,  his  brother  John,  Peter  LacyJ 
knight  of  the  Glynn,  Thomas  Fitz-Maurice, 
baron  of  Lixnaw,  the  O'Morras,  and  O'Con- 
nors Faly,  were  exempted. 

The  English  still  kept  up  hostilities  in 
Ulster  ;  Dockwra,  governor  of  Lough  Foyle, 
made  himself  master  of  Inisowen,  the  patri- 
mony of  O'Dogharty  ;  and  also  pillaged  the 
lands  of  Mac-Hugh  Duff,  from  which  he 
carried  away  a  thousand  head  of  cattle.  He 
devastated  too  the  possessions  of  the  Mac- 
Sweenys,  O'Boyle,  Shane,  son  of  Manus 
Ogue,  O'Donnel,  andO'Cahan,  leaving  every- 
where traces  of  his  cruelty.  In  this  conduct 
he  was  ably  seconded  by  Nial  Garve  O'Don- 
nel, who  forced  feigned  submission  from 
most  of  those  noblemen,  who  wished  to 
escape  his  tyranny. 

The  deputy  left  Dublin  in  May,  for 
Drogheda,  where  he  arrived  on  the  23d  of 
that  month ;  on  the  25th  he  proceeded  to 
Dundalk,  and  on  the  8th  of  June,  passed 
through  Moyri,  where  he  had  a  fort  built, 
which  he  garrisoned  ;  having  left  his  camp 
at  Fagher,  on  the  14th,  he  passed  through  j 
Newry,  and  on  the  15th  entered  Iveagh,  the- 1 
country  of  the  Magennises.  While  Sir  Rich-  I 
ard  Morrison  was  taking  the  city  of  Down, 
the  deputy  entered  Dundrum,  which  was 
given  up  to  him  by  Felim  Mac-Evir,  to  whom 
it  belonged.  This  nobleman  having  made 
his  submission,  his  example  was  followed  by 
Mac-Cartane  of  Dufferin,  and  Mac-Roy  of 
Killiwarlin.  The  deputy  having  ended  his 
tour  through  Iveagh,  where  he  took  some 
castles  without  meeting  any  resistance,  re- 
turned to  Newry,  from  whence  he  sent  orders 
to  Sir  Henry  Danvers,  commander  of  Mount  j 
Norris,  to  seize  upon  the  abbey  of  Armagh, 
and  put  an  English  garrison  into  it;  but 
Danvers  failed  in  the  attempt.  He  was  re- 
pulsed by  the  garrison,  and  forced  to  abandon 
his  enterprise. 

On  hearing  of  Danvers'  ill-success  in  his 
expedition  against  Armagh,  the  deputy 
marched  towards  Mount  Norris,  where  he 


536 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


was  joined  by  the  garrison.  He  then  directed 
his  march  towards  the  river  Blackwater, 
leaving  Arnuigh  on  the  right ;  visited  the 
neighborhood  of  that  river,  particularly  the 
spot  in  which  marshal  Bagnal's  army  had 
been  defeated  a  few  years  before  by  O'Neill, 
and  proceeded  towards  Armagh,  whicli  was 
abandoned  by  its  feeble  garrison  on  the  ap- 
proach of  his  powerful  army.  He  therefore 
became  master  of  it  without  opposition. 
The  deputy  left  an  English  force  in  Armagh, 
consisting  of  one  hundred  horse  and  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  foot,  under  Danvers  ;  he 
then  returned  with  the  remainder  of  his  army 
to  .Mount  Norris,  and  encamped  between  that 
place  and  Newry,  in  expectation  of  a  rein- 
forcement from  the  English  province. 

The  garrison  of  Armagh  committed  dread- 
ful excesses  through  the  surrounding  coun- 
try.* The  detachments  which  sallied  from 
it,  pillaged  and  laid  waste  the  lands  of  Brian 
Mac-Art,  Magennis,  Patrick  Mac-Mahon, 
carrying  away  their  cattle,  forcing  these 
noblemen  to  submit,  in  order  to  save  their  pro- 
perties. The  deputy  having  abandoned  the 
neighborhood  of  Newry,  marched  his  army 
towards  Armagh.  On  the  13th  July  he 
arrived  on  the  banks  of  the  Blackwater ,which 
he  crossed  the  day  following,  unopposed  by 
Tyrone,  who  had  his  army  posted  in  a  wood 
near  the  river.  It  was  his  design  to  avoid 
an  engagement,  and  remain  on  the  defensive, 
till  the  succors  which  he  expected  from 
Spain  would  arrive.  On  the  16th  of  the 
same  month,  the  deputy  sent  Sir  Christopher 
St.  Laurence's  regiment  to  the  castle  of  Ben- 
burb,  where  it  was  attacked  by  the  advanced 
guard  of  O'Neill ;  they  fought  briskly  for 
three  hours, within  view  of  the  English  camp, 
though  St.  Laurence  having  received  fresh 
assistance  from  that  quarter,  was  superior  in 
force.  According  to  Cox,  the  English  lost 
nearly  a  hundred  men,  and  the  Irish  about 
two  hundred ;  he  adds,  that  it  cannot  be 
cause  of  wonder  that  the  loss  sustained  by 
both  was  so  unequal,  as  the  English  being 
better  provided  with  ammunition,  the  fire  of 
their  musketry  was  more  closely  kept  up 
than  that  of  the  Irish.  After  this  combat, 
the  deputy  had  a  new  fort  built  on  the  river 
Blackvvater,  near  the  old  one  which  was  de- 
stroyed, and  garrisoned  it  with  a  company 
commanded  by  Captain  Williams.  At  this 
time,  the  deputy  issued  a  proclamation  from 
the  queen  that  her  majesty  would  not  grant 
any  terms  to  O'Neill,  and  that  whosoever 
would  take  him  alive  should  receive  two 
thousand  pounds  reward,  or  one  thousand 
for  his  head. 

*  Cox,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  ibid.  p.  438. 


In  the  beginning  of  April,  eight  hundred 
Catholics  collected  in  Connaught,  with  the 
intention  of  marching  into  Munster,  to  raise 
a  diversion  in  that  quarter.  They  were 
headed  by  a  portion  of  the  Burkes,  Hugh 
Mostian,  and  Peter  Lacy  ;  and  the  lord  of 
Kerry,  Teugue  Reagh  MacMahon,  and 
others,  prepared  to  join  them  by  sea.  Carew, 
the  president  of  Munster,  was  greatly  alarm- 
ed at  this.  He  knew  that  Sir  John  Barkly, 
governor  of  Connaught,  in  the  absence  of 
Sir  Arthur  Savage,  was  not  able  to  oppose 
the  enemy ;  to  avert,  therefore,  the  danger 
which  threatened  his  province,  he  dispatched 
Major-general  Flower  at  the  head  of  a  thou- 
sand infantry,  to  dispute  the  passage  with 
the  Connaught  troops.  Flower  marched 
into  the  county  of  Clare,  where  he  was  joined  I 
by  the  company  of  the  earl  of  Thuomond  ; 
he  next  proceeded  towards  Quinn,  and  hav- 
ing met  the  enemy,  who  were  marching 
carelessly  and  in  separate  bodies,  he  fought 
them  with  success,  killed  some  of  their  lead- 
ers, and  dispersed  the  remainder.  Teugue, 
son  of  Torlogh  O'Brien,  a  near  relative  to 
the  earl  of  Thuomond,  who  had  joined  the 
Catholic  army  a  few  days  before,  fell  on  this 
occasion  by  the  sword  of  the  English,  fight- 
ing nobly  for  his  country's  cause.  Ware 
and  Cox,  by  whom  this  revolt  of  the  Catho- 
lics of  Connaught  is  mentioned,  says  they  had 
fifteen  hundred  fighting  men,  including  seven 
hundred  from  the  north  of  Ireland,  who  were 
to  act  with  them  in  the  intended  expedition. 
It  is  true  the  princes  of  Ulster,  O'Neill  and 
O'Donnel,  at  the  request  of  Donagh  Mac- 
Carty,  prince  of  Alia,  had  sent  seven  hun- 
dred men  towards  Munster,  under  Teugue 
O'Rourke,  and  Raymond  Burke,  baron  of 
Leitrim,  to  renew  hostilities  in  that  province, 
and  revive  the  fallen  courage  of  Desmond  ; 
but  it  does  not,  however,  appear  that  they 
joined tlie  Connaught  forces.  The  Ulstermen 
having  lost  the  prince  of  Alia  on  their  march, 
who  was  killed  by  a  ball  from  some  English 
that  lay  in  ambush,  and  having  heard  that 
the  Connaught  army  was  defeated,  and  that 
Desmond  was  taken  prisoner,  returned  to- 
wards their  own  province.  They  were  ha- 
rassed on  their  march  by  the  earl  of  Clan- 
riccard,  who  received  a  wound  in  a  skirmish 
with  them,  of  which  he  died  a  fortnight 
afterwards. 

The  Catholic  cause  sufTered  considerably 
at  this  time,  by  the  arrest  of  James,  son  of 
Thomas  Fitzgerald,  commonly  called  earl  of 
Desmond,  and  Florence  MacCarty,  of  the 
illustrious  house  of  MacCarty  Riagh,  who 
had  married  the  daughter  and  heiress  of 
MacCarty  More,  baron  of  Valentia,  and  earl 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


537 


of  Clancar.  Desmond  was  taken  about  the 
end  of  May,  in  a  cavern  in  the  mountain  of 
Slevegrot,  by  Fitzgibbon,  chief  of  the  Clan- 
gibbons,  generally  known  as  the  White 
Knight,  who  gave  him  up  to  Carew  in  Cork. 
The  knight  had  the  baseness  to  accept  of  a 
thousand  pounds  from  the  president,  as  a  re- 
ward for  this  infamous  act.  Florence  Mac- 
Carty,  who  had  become  MacCarty  More  by 
the  death  of  his  father-in-law,  in  which  digni- 
ty he  had  been  confirmed  by  O'Neill,  was  ar- 
rested in  Cork  by  orders  of  the  president. 
These  noblemen  were  sent,  in  the  August 
following,  under  a  strong  guard,  to  the  tower 
of  London,  where  Desmond  died  after  a  con- 
finement of  seven  years.*  His  brother  John 
Fitzthomas  fled  to  Spain  after  the  battle  of 
Kinsale,  where  he  died,  leaving  a  son  called 
Garret,  or  Gerald,  on  whom  his  Catholic 
majesty  conferred  the  title  of  count.  James, 
son  of  Garret,  the  real  heir  to  the  title  and 
estates  of  Desmond,  remained  for  some  time 
in  Ireland,  but  not  finding  that  his  aff"airs 
were  making  much  progress,  he  returned  to 
England,  where  he  died  soon  afterwards, 
not  without  suspicion  of  his  having  been  poi- 
soned. Thus  ended  the  illustrious  family  of 
Desmond,  who  fell  a  sacrifice  to  their  zeal  in 
the  cause  of  religion.  There  remain,  how- 
ever, still  in  Munster,  many  noble  families 
of  the  nameof  Fitzgerald,  who  are  descended 
from  that  house.  The  apprehensions  of  the 
president  of  Munster  were  not  removed  by 
the  imprisonment  of  Desmond  and  Florence 
MacCarty  ;  he  knew  that  several  noblemen 
of  the  province  only  waited  the  arrival  of 
the  Spaniards,  to  declare  openly  against  the 
government.  In  order  to  defeat  them  in 
their  hopes,  he  appointed  the  assizes  to  be 
held  in  Cork  on  the  28th  of  July,  under 
pretence  of  trying  civil  and  criminal  causes, 
and  clearing  the  prisons.  In  the  mean  time 
he  sent  circulars  to  all  the  nobility  and  land- 
holders, requesting  their  attendance:!  those 
whom  he  had  principally  in  view,  and  whose 
allegiance  he  doubted,  were,  Dermod,  son  of 
Owen  MacCarty,  otherwise  MacDonagh, 
Teugue,  son  of  Dermod  MacCarty,  and 
brother  to  Cormac  MacCarty,  lord  of  Mus- 
kerry,  MoilmoO'Maghon,(0'Mahony,)  chief 
of  the  tribe  of  the  O'Mahonys  of  Kinel- 
j  Meaky,and  Dermod  Moil  MacCarty, brother 
I  to  Florence  MacCarty,  already  mentioned. 
The  three  first  having  repaired  to  the  as- 
!  sizes,  were  immediately  arrested  and  thrown 
I  into  prison  by  orders  of  the  president ;  the 
fourth,  Dermod  Moil  MacCarty,  more  cau- 

j       *  Pacat.  Hib.  lib.  2,  cap.  3,  page  135.     Relat. 

!  Girald.  cap  25. 

j       t  Pacat.  Hib.  cap.  7. 


tious  than  the  others,  refused  to  enter  the 
city ;  his  brother's  fate  was  still  present 
to  his  mind,  and  distrusting  the  English,  he 
resolved  to  preserve  his  liberty,  whatever 
might  be  the  result.  On  hearing  of  the 
fate  of  his  countrymen,  he  withdrew  to  his  i 
friends  in  Ulster. 

The  deputy  crossed  the  Blackwater  in  the 
beginning  of  August,  and  proceeded  towards 
Dungannon ;  but  the  badness  of  the  road, 
and  the  frequent  skirmishes  he  had  to  main- 
tain against  the  troops  of  O'Neill,  forced 
him  to  direct  his  march  towards  Armagh. 
Danvers  was  ordered  with  three  hundred 
men  to  burn  a  village  that  lay  in  their  march, 
but  was  driven  back  by  O'Neill's  troops, 
and  pursued  to  the  English  camp  in  spite  of 
the  succors  that  were  sent  to  him.  Some 
days  after  this,  the  Irish  advanced  with  a 
design  of  attacking  the  enemy  in  their  camp, 
but  the  deputy  being  apprized  of  it,  placed 
four  hundred  men  in  ambush,  who  falling 
on  them  in  flank  killed  several  of  them,  and 
among  the  number,  Peter  Lacy,  lord  of 
Bruft',  in  the  county  of  Limerick.  This  noble- 
man was  descended  from  a  noble  family 
who  had  come  over  under  Henry  II.,  in  the 
twelfth  century,  and  settled  in  Ireland  ;  he 
was  equally  illustrious  by  his  virtue  as  by 
his  birth,  and  was,  in  the  troubles  of  Ireland, 
one  of  the  most  zealous  defenders  of  Catho- 
licity. His  memory  ought  to  be  dear  to  the 
Irish  church,  and  the  loss  it  sustained  from 
his  death  was  most  severe.  After  this  expe- 
dition, the  deputy  placed  his  troops  in  gar- 
rison, and  returned  to  Newry. 

During  the  stay  of  the  deputy  at  Newry, 
Lord  Plunket  of  Dunsany,who  commanded  a 
company  in  the  queen's  pay,  set  out  from  the 
fort  of  Liscannon,  and  proceeded  to  attack 
the  estates  of  MacMahon,  from  which  he  was 
driving  away  sixteen  himdred  head  of  cattle, 
but  MacMahon  pursued  him  with  a  hundred 
and  forty  men,  and  obliged  him  to  give  up 
his  booty,  after  a  loss  of  about  fifty  men  on 
each  side.*  Dockwra  pushed  his  conquests 
into  Ulster  ;t  retook  the  castle  of  Derry, 
and  made  himself  master  of  Donegal.  He 
maintained  a  siege  for  some  days  against 
O'Donnel,  who,  however,  raised  it  to  relieve 
Kinsale.  Edward  Digges,  who  commanded 
two  companies  at  Asherow,  took  Ballyshan- 
non  by  surprise.  The  deputy  came  at  the 
end  of  August  to  Trim,  in  the  county  of 
Meath,  and  brought  the  privy  council  from 
Dublin,  to  deliberate  together  on  the  general 

*  The  Count  de  Lacy  in  the  service  of  the  em- 
press queen,  and  so  well  known  for  his  military 
exploits,  is  descended  from  this  illustrious  house. 

t  Cambd.  Elizab.  part  4,  page  826. 


538 


HISTORY   OP   IRELAND. 


Slate  of  afluirs ;  particularly  in  order  to  coun- 
teract the  intentions  of  Captain  Tirrell,  who 
was  planning  an  attack  upon  iVlunster. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  about  the  end 
of  August,  IGOl,  between  the  Catholics  of 
Ireland  and  the  English.  Munster  had  no 
longer  any  leaders  after  the  imprisonment  of 
Florence "MacCarty  and  James  FitzTliomas, 
who  were  the  centre  of  their  union  and  were 
now  banished.  The  people  of  Lcinster  were 
broken  down  ;  Connaught  was  unable  to 
attempt  anything,  and  the  only  resources  of 
the  country  lay  in  O'Neill  and  O'Donnel, 
whose  forces  were  too  (ew  to  stand  against 
the  English,  and  the  unfaithful  sons  of  Ire- 
land. In  a  word,  the  country  was  exhausted 
of  men  and  means,  from  having  sustained 
for  many  years  the  burden  of  a  war  while 
waiting  for  assistance  that  came  too  late, 
while  she  herself  was  too  weak  to  succeed. 
Reports  were  spread  at  this  time,  that  a 
Spanish  fleet,  with  troops  for  Ireland,  was  at 
sea ;  which  becoming  known  to  the  council 
of  England,*  reinlbrccments  Avere  imme- 
diately ordered  for  Ireland,  and  two  thousand 
men  were  in  consequence  sent  and  landed, 
in  September,  at  Cork  and  Waterford,  while 
others  were  expected  from  England.  The 
lord-deputy  of  Ireland  and  president  of 
Munster,  were  not  less  alarmed  than  the 
council  of  England.  On  the  19th  of  Sep- 
tember they  met  together  at  Leighlin,  to  de- 
liberate on  what  measures  they  should  adopt. 
From  that  they  went  to  Kilkenny,  and  on 
the  23d  they  received  an  express  from  Sir 
Charles  Wilmot  at  Cork,  that  the  Spaniards 
had  landed  at  Kinsale.  Upon  this  news, 
Wingfield,the  lord-marshal,  was  commanded 
to  collect  the  troops  in  Leinster,  and  prepare 
ammunition  and  provisions  for  the  army.  Sir 

Henry  Danvers  and  Sir Berkly,  were 

sent  to  Navan  and  Armagh,  to  lead  the  gar- 
risons of  these  two  places  to  Munster  :  and 
the  deputy  and  president  set  out  for  Cork, 
which  was  the  rendezvous.  They  arrived 
there  on  the  27th,  and  made  the  necessary 
preparations  to  besiege  the  Spaniards  in 
Kinsale. 

Philip  III.,  king  of  Spain,  was  eager  to 
perform  the  promises  that  Avere  held  out  to 
the  princes  O'Neill  and  O'Donnel,!  to  re- 
lieve the  oppressed  Catholics  of  Ireland. 
For  this  object,  he  assembled  what  troops 
were  necessary  for  the  expedition,  and  gave 
the  command  of  them  to  Dom  Juan  Del 
Aquila,  a  man  well  experienced  in  war.  The 
fleet  intended  to  convey  the  troops,  was  sent 
in  the  mean  time  to  the  islands  of  Terceira 

*  Pacat.  Hlb.  cap.  10. 

t  Hist.  Cathol.  a'oI.  3,  book  6,  cap.  7. 


for  the  protection  of  the  galleons  from 
America,  which  it  Avas  feared  might  be  taken 
by  an  English  fleet  which  had  sailed  for  these 
islands  also.  This  circumstance  retarded 
the  expedition  to  Ireland,  and  lessened  both 
by  desertion  and  sickness  the  army  of  Dom 
Juan.  The  fleet  which  was  commanded  by 
Dom  Diego  de  Brochero,  having  returned 
from  Terceira,  the  rest  of  the  army  em- 
barked, and  set  sail  for  Ireland.  As  soon  as 
the  fleet  had  got  into  the  open  sea,  it  Avas 
dispersed  and  separated  by  a  violent  storm. 
One  part  of  it,  consisting  of  seven  ships, 
laden  principally  with  artillery  and  other 
warlike  stores  and  provisions,  was  forced 
Avith  the  vice-admiral,  Dom  Pedro  de  Zu- 
biaur,  to  take  shelter  in  the  port  of  Corunna, 
in  Gallicia.  The  other  portion,  with  Dom 
Juan  and  two  thousand  Ave  hundred  infantry, 
(a  small  force  for  so  great  an  enterprise,) 
arrived  Avith  difficulty  in  the  harbor  of 
Kinsale,  on  the  23d  of  September.  As  soon 
as  the  Spaniards  had  landed,  Captain  Wil- 
liam Saxeys,  Avho  commanded  the  English 
troops,  withdrew  to  Cork.  The  inhabitants 
of  Kinsale  immediately  after  opened  their 
gates  to  Dom  Juan,  who  entered  and  took 
possession  of  the  town. 

Kinsale  is  a  seaport  situated  in  the  county 
of  Cork,  on  the  shores  of  the  river  Bandon. 
It  is  not  a  place  of  much  strength  ;  the  en- 
trance to  the  harbor  is  protected  by  two 
castles  ;  that  upon  the  left  is  called  Casian- 
ne-Park,  and  on  the  right  the  castle  of  Rin- 
charrain  which  signifies  the  point  of  a  scythe, 
from  its  being  built  on  the  extremity  of  a 
tongue  of  land  similar  in  form  to  that  instru- 
ment. The  Spanish  general  put  a  garrison 
into  it  with  cannon  taken  from  one  of  the 
ships,  since  the  artillery  intended  for  the  in- 
vasion Avas  on  board  that  part  of  the  fleet  that 
had  taken  shelter  at  Corunna  with  Zubiaur. 

Dom  Juan  was  not  secure  at  Kinsale, 
where  he  was,  in  fact,  in  need  of  everything: 
so  he  wrote  to  Spain  by  the  fleet  that  was 
returning,  and  gave  an  account  to  the  king, 
his  master,  of  his  voyage,  and  of  the  supplies 
he  Avanted.  The  Spanish  general  found 
none  (except  O'SuUevan)  among  the  Catho- 
lics of  Munster  inclined  to  assist  him.  Some 
had  been  imprisoned,  others  gave  hostages 
as  a  guarantee  for  their  loyalty,  and  others 
opposed  the  cause  of  their  country  ;  so  that 
there  was  none  but  O'Sullevan,  prince  of 
Bearre  and  Bantry,  who  could  make  any 
attempt  in  favor  of  the  Spaniards.  This 
prince  sent  an  express  to  Dom  Juan,  that  he 
and  his  friends  would  furnish  him  Avith  a 
thousand  armed  men,  and  that  they  would 
procure  further   aid  if   that  general  could 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


539 


supply  them  with  arms  ;  with  which  force 
he  would  be  able  to  prevent  the  English 
from  besieging  Kinsale,  while  waiting  for  the 
aid  from  O'Neill  and  O'Donnel.  The  Span- 
iard answered  prince  O'SuUevan,  that  he 
could  not  supply  them  with  arms,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  artillery  being  on  board  the 
vessels  which  Zubiaur  had  with  him  at 
Corunna,  and  that  he  was  expecting  to  hear 
from  the  princes  of  Ulster.  The  general 
and  Fra  Matheo,  titular  archbishop  of  Dub- 
lin, who  accompanied  him  from  Spain,  wrote 
to  the  princes  of  Ulster  many  letters  after 
their  arrival  at  Kinsale.  The  latter  were 
eagerly  solicited  by  the  archbishop  and  the 
general,  to  march  to  their  assistance  with 
all  expedition,  and  to  bring  horses,  of  which 
they  were  in  extreme  need. 

The  deputy  waited  in  Cork  for  the  return 
of  the  officers  who  had  been  sent  to  Leinster, 
Connaught,  and  the  garrisons  in  Ulster,  to 
collect  the  government  forces  ;  and  at  length 
Sir  Benjamin  Berry,  Richard  Wingfield, 
John  Barkly,  and  Henry  Danvers,  arrived 
with  their  divisions.  These  troops  amounted 
to  about  seven  thousand  six  hundred  men, 
comprising  those  of  Munster.  The  English 
general  marched  with  his  army  towards  Kin- 
sale, having  changed  his  camp  two  or  three 
times.  The  third  time  he  encamped  on 
Spittle  hill,  where  he  intrenched  himself, 
within  a  musket-shot  of  that  place  ;  while 
at  the  same  time.  Button,  the  captain  of  a 
man-of-war,  who  had  just  escorted  a  vessel 
from  Dublin  laden  with  provisions,  received 
orders  to  prevent  any  succors  by  sea  from 
entering  Kinsale. 

Every  thing  being  prepared,  the  English 
laid  siege  to  Rinncharrain  and  Caslan-ne- 
Park  successively;  the  former  of  which 
castles  surrendered  on  the  1st,  and  the  other 
on  the  20th  of  November.  The  months  of 
October  and  November  were  spent  in  skir- 
mishing, the  Spaniards  making  frequent  sal- 
lies, and  the  English  driving  them  back ;  the 
latter,  if  we  can  credit  their  historians,  being 
always  successful.  The  account,  however,  of 
acotemporary  writer  is  different.*  According 
to  him,  the  Spaniards  fought  valiantly  during 
the  day,  in  defending  their  walls,  and  by 
night  they  sallied  forth,  killing  the  sentinels 
and  advanced  guards  of  the  English,  and 
carrying  of}'  their  cannon  ;  by  which  means, 
continues  he,  the  loss  of  the  English  always 
exceeded  that  of  the  Spaniards.  Even  could 
we  suppose  that  the  English  had  the  advan- 
tage, the  great  disproportion  in  numbers  be- 
tween the  besieged  and  besiegers  would  tend 

«  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid. 


to  lessen  their  boasted  advantages  consid- 
erably. There  were  but  two  thousand  five 
hundred  Spaniards  in  Kinsale,  but  we  will 
admit  even  that  there  were  four  thousand ; 
the  principal  strength  of  the  place  was  from 
a  wall  with  towers  at  certain  distances  ;  they 
had  but  three  pieces  of  cannon,  one  which 
had  been  brought  from  one  of  their  own  j 
vessels,  and  two  were  already  in  the  town. 
The  English  appeared  before  Kinsale  with 
seven  thousand  six  hundred  men ;  their  army 
was  increased  soon  after  to  eight  thousand, 
a  reinforcement  having  been  brought  from 
England  by  the  loyal  earl  of  Thuomond.* 
The  English  artillery  was  numerous,  and 
skilfully  worked  ;  their  camp  abounded  with 
provisions ;  Captain  Button  guarded  the 
mouth  of  the  harbor  till  the  arrival  of  an 
English  squadron  of  ten  vessels  under  Ad- 
miral Richard  Levison  and  Sir  Amias  Pres- 
ton, vice-admiral,  who  were  incessantly 
pouring  broadsides  on  the  town,  while  the 
army  attacked  it  by  land  ;  and  still  the  siege 
of  Kinsale  lasted  from  the  17th  October,  to 
the  9th  of  January  following. 

Vice-Admiral  Dom  Pedro  Zubiaur,  who 
was  forced  by  a  storm  to  touch  with  his  seven 
ships  at  Corunna,  in  Gallicia,  arrived  on  the 
coast  of  Ireland,  December  3d.  This  officer 
entered  a  harbor  called  Cuan-an-caislan,  in 
English  Castle  Haven,  in  Carbry,  about 
twenty  miles  from  Kinsale,  where  they  were 
kindly  received  by  five  brothers  of  the  , 
O'Driscols,  to  whom  the  country  belonged,  | 
and  who  gave  him  up  one  of  their  castles. f 

The  news  of  the  Spaniards  having  arrived 
at  Castle  Haven  being  spread,  the  deputy 
commanded  Admiral  Levison  to  engage  them. 
Without  losing  a  moment  he  sailed  with  six 
ships  and  some  troops  on  board ;  having 
reached  Castle  Haven  he  found  the  Spanish 
vessels  unguarded  by  their  crews,  who  were 
sleeping,  and  fatigued  after  a  long  voyage.  | 
The  Spaniards  being  roused  by  the  cannon  | 
of  the  English,  which  began  to  play  upon 
their  ships  and  upon  the  castle,  returned, 
though  in  a  confused  manner,  the  fire  with 
their  artillery,  and  supported  an  engagement 
during  two  days,  in  which  the  English  lost 
five  hundred  and  seventy-five  men.  I 

The  English  admiral  not  succeeding  to  his 
wishes  in  his  attack  upon  their  vessels,  was 
about  to  land  his  troops  and  attack  the  Span- 
iards who  were  on  shore  ;  but  from  this  he 
was  deterred  by  seeing  them  reinforced  by 
the  prince  of  Bearre  with  five  hundred  men, 
air  ready  to  oppose  him.  He  immediately 
sailed  from  Castle  Haven,  for  Kinsale,  where 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  Hib.  ibid. 

t  Hist.  Cathol.  Hib.  ibid,  c.  8. 


540 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


he  vainly  boasted  of  having  been  successful 
in  his  expedition. 

Many  of  the  surrounding  nobility  took  up 
arms  to  join  the  Spaniards  ;  the  principal 
among  whom  were  Finin  O'Driscol  and 
several  others  of  the  same  name  :  the  Mac- 
Cartys  of  Carbry ;  Domnal  O'SuUevan 
Bearre  ;  the  eldest  son  of  O'SuUevan  More  ; 
Domnal  Mac-Carty,son  of  the  carl  of  Glan- 
car,  and  other  branches  of  the  Mac-Cartys 
of  Desmond  ;  the  O'Donavans  and  O'xMa- 
honys  of  Carbry  ;  John  O'Connor  Kierry  ; 
the  kinght  of  Kerry,  and  others. 

The  number  of  Spanish  troops  that  landed 
at  Castle  Haven  did  not  exceed  seven  hun- 
dred men,  but  a  hqie  of  further  aid  sustained 
the  Catholics  and  made  them  anticipate  the 
moments  of  their  freedom.  To  convince  the 
Spaniards  of  their  sincerity,  the  Irish  de- 
livered up  to  them  the  strong  places  along  the 
coast  for  garrisons.  Donagh  O'Driscol  had 
already  given  them  his  castle  of  Castle 
Haven  ;  Finin  O'Driscol  gave  them  the  castle 
of  Donneshed  at  Baltimore,  and  that  of 
Donnelong  on  the  island  of  Innisherkan, 
which  commanded  the  entrance  to  the  har- 
bor. Domnal  O'SuUevan  surrendered  them 
the  strong  castle  of  Duin  Buith,  otherwise 
Dunboy,  which  protected  the  harbor  of 
Beerhaven.  Among  these  castles  were  dis- 
tributed, by  orders  of  Dom  Juan  Del  Aquila, 
the  artillery  and  the  seven  hundred  Spaniards 
who  had  landed  at  Castle  Haven. 

During  the  expedition  of  Levison  at  Castle 
Haven,  a  Scotch  vessel  entered  the  harbor 
of  Kinsale  ;  this  ship  was  separated  at  sea 
from  the  Spanish  fleet,  and  had  eighty 
Spanish  soldiers  on  board.  The  commander, 
who  was  a  Scotchman,  informed  Vice-Ad- 
miral Preston  and  treacherously  surrendered 
to  him  his  cargo. 

The  princes  of  Ulster  did  not  forget  their 
promises  to  Dom  Juan  Del  Aquila.  They 
used  every  exertion  to  march  to  the  relief  of 
Kinsale.  The  distance  was  about  eighty 
leagues,  and  the  roads  very  bad  from  the 
continued  rains.  O'Donnel  marched  first 
with  his  army,  amounting  to  two  thousand 
six  hundred  infantry  and  four  hundred  cavalry- 
The  leaders  of  this  force  were*  O'Rourke, 
Mac-Sweeny  Tueth,  O'Dogharty,  O'Boyle, 
Mac-Dermot,the  two  Mac-Donaghs,0'Kelly, 
the  two  sons  of  O'Connor  Roe,  Domnal, 
brother  of  O'Connor  Sligoe,  Raymond  Burke, 
baron,  and  his  brother\Villiam,'the  two  broth- 
ers of  O'Donnel,  the  two  O'Flahertys,  Hugh 
Moystian,  Fitz-Maurice,  lord  of  Lixnaw, 
John    Fitz-Thomas,    brother    to    the    pre- 

«  Hist.  Cathol.  cap.  9. 


tended  earl  of  Desmond,  Fitz-Gerald,  knight 
of  the  Glynn,  Dermod  Moyle  Mac-Carty, 
brother  of  Laurence,  who  was  sent  prisoner 
to  the  tower,  and  several  others. 

The  news  of  O'Donnel's  march  alarmed 
the  English.  The  lord-deputy  summoned  a 
council  to  deliberate  on  measures  for  inter- 
cepting this  prince's  communication  with 
Monster:  and  the  president  Carew  was  ap- 
pointed to  this  trust.  He  set  out  accordingly 
with  four  thousand  five  hundred  infantry  and 
five  hundred  cavalry,  and  advanced  towards 
Ormond,  where  O'Donnel  was  to  pass.  After 
a  march  of  a  few  days  he  stopped  at  Ardmail, 
to  the  north  of  Cashel.  O'Donnel  had  already 
entered  the  county  of  Tipperary,  through 
Ikeriii,  the  country  of  the  O'Meaghers,  and 
encamped  at  Holy-Cross,  not  far  from  Ard- 
mail, where  the  president  was  stationed .  The 
prince  of  Tirconnel  wi.shed  to  avoid  fighting, 
and  to  deceive  the  enemy,  he  lighted  a  num- 
ber of  fires  in  the  camp,  and  began  his  march 
before  day.  He  took  his  route  through 
Slieve  Phelim,  along  the  side  of  the  Shannon, 
and  got  into  the  county  of  Limerick  thi-ough 
the  defiles  of  the  abbey  of  Owney,  and  from 
thence  to  the  districts  of  the  O'Moel  Ryans, 
and  reached  the  castle  of  Crome,  which  was 
twelve  miles  farther  on,  so  that,  on  a  calcu- 
lation, he  marched  in  one  day  thirty-two 
miles,  a  very  arduous  exploit  for  an  army 
followed  by  their  baggage.  The  president 
being  informed  of  O'Donnel's  movement, 
marched  with  his  forces  the  same  day,  and 
crossed  the  country  as  far  as  the  abbey  of 
Owney,  for  the  purpose  of  intercepting  him, 
but  understanding  that  he  had  passed  the 
defiles  of  Connillo,  he  gave  up  the  pursuit 
and  returned  to  the  camp  at  Kinsale,  taking 
a  shorter  route,  in  order  to  be  before  O'Don- 
nel, to  prevent  any  communication  between 
whom  and  the  Spanish  garrison  he  likewise 
drew  to  the  camp  the  earls  of  Clanriccard 
andThuomond,who  were  sent  by  the  deputy, 
one  with  his  regiment,  the  other  with  a  troop 
of  horse,  to  his  assistance. 

Prince  O'Neill  set  out  from  Tyrone,  in 
the  month  of  November,  at  the  head  of  about 
three  thousand  men,  to  assist  the  Spaniards. 
The  nobles  who  accompanied  him  were 
Mac-Mahon  of  Monaghan  ;  Coconaght  Ma- 
guire  of  Fermanagh,  whose  eldest  brother 
had  been  killed  some  time  before  in  the 
countyof  Cork,in  a  skirmish  with  St.  Leger; 
Raynald  Mac-Donnel,  prince  of  Gline,  Cap- 
tain Richard  Tirrell,  Magennis  of  Iveagh, 
and  some  others.  O'Neill,  on  his  march 
through  the  county  of  Meath,  met  some  op- 
position from  the  Anglo-Irish ;  Darcy,  the 
lord  of  Plattin,  being  killed  in  the  skirmish. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


541 


He  continued  his  march,  however,  and  on 
the  8th  of  December  he  arrived  in  the 
county  of  Cork,  within  a  few  leagues  of  the 
English  camp.  O'Donnel  was  expecting 
him  in  the  district  of  Kinel  Meaky,  and  these 
two  princes  encamped  together  on  the  21st, 
between  Cork  and  Kinsale,  within  a  league 
of  the  English  army. 

The  united  forces  of  O'Neill  and  O'Don- 
nel amounted  to  six  thousand  Irish,  besides 
three  hundred  Spaniards,  who  had  come 
from  Castle  Haven,  imder  the  command  of 
O'SuUevan  of  Bearre  and  Dom  Alphonso  de 
la  Campo.  Their  object  was  not  to  attack 
the  English  army,  who  were  fifteen  or  six- 
teen thousand  strong,  a  disproportion  in 
numbers  far  too  great ;  they  only  proposed 
to  themselves  to  throw  in  succor  to  the 
Spaniards,  and  enable  them  to  hold  out  till 
the  inclemency  of  the  season  must  of  course 
force  the  English  to  raise  the  siege,  whereby 
the  Spanish  general  would  have  the  oppor- 
tunity to  await  further  reinforcements  from 
Spain.  This  was  the  subject  of  several  let- 
ters from  Dom  Juan  to  the  princes  O'Neill 
and  O'Donnel.  They  were  advised  by  him 
to  draw  near  the  English  camp,  the  Spanish 
general  proposing  to  make  a  sortie  on  a  day 
appointed,  and  by  this  means  facilitate  the 
above  plan.  Some  of  the  letters,  however, 
being  intercepted  by  the  English,  the  deputy 
ordered  the  guards  to  be  doubled,  and  every 
thing  to  be  put  into  a  more  secure  state  of 
defence. 

O'Neill,  according  to  the  plans  fixed  upon, 
made  a  movement  on  the  night  of  the  23d 
of  December.  On  approaching  the  part 
occupied  by  the  English,  he  heard  a  noise 
of  arms  and  warlike  instruments,  as  if  a  battle 
were  going  on  ;  and  proceeding  immediately 
to  the  place  that  had  been  named  by  Dom 
Juan  for  making  his  sally  against  the  Eng- 
lish, he  found  to  his  surprise  that  the  enemy 
had  returned  into  camp.  At  break  of  day  he 
advanced  a  little  to  view  their  position  more 
closely,  but  discovered  that  all  was  quiet, 
and  no  attack  made  by  the  garrison.  Judg- 
ing from  this  that  what  he  heard  was  for  the 
purpose  of  inducing  him  to  an  assault,  he  or- 
dered his  men  to  return,  postponing  his  plans 
to  another  day.  O'Donnel  was  engaged  at 
the  same  time  with  a  body  of  English  horse 
that  had  crossed  the  river  ;  he  forced  them 
to  retreat,  but  intending  to  surround  them, 
he  left  the  pass  unguarded,  and  the  English 
pretending  to  give  way,  returned  quickly  to 
charge  his  infantry,  which  threw  them  into 
a  sudden  panic  ;  so  that  their  ranks  being 
broken  and  beginning  to  fly,  their  leader 
found   it  impossible   to  rally  them.      The 


English  horse  pursued  those  that  were  fly-  i 
ing  ;  but  an  apprehension  of  falling  into  an 
ambuscade,  prevented  them  from  continuing 
the  pursuit.  They,  however,  boasted  having 
gained  a  complete  victory  over  the  rebels  ; 
but  the  only  advantage  that  they  obtained 
was  that  they  prevented  the  Irish  from  join- 
ing with  the  Spanish  garrison,  which,  in- 
deed, arose  not  from  English  valor,  but  a 
want  of  order  among  the  Irish  troops. 

O'Neill  lost  in  the  expedition  about  two 
hundred  men.  According  to  the  English 
historians  his  loss  amounted  to  twelve  hun- 
dred in  killed,  eight  hundred  wounded,  and 
a  number  of  prisoners,  among  whom  was 
Alfonso  del  Campo,  who  commanded  the 
Spaniards.  The  prince  of  Tyrone  having 
failed  in  his  plans,  and  seeing  the  season  too 
advanced  to  continue  the  campaign,  returned 
to  his  own  province  to  await  a  more  favora- 
ble opportunity.  Roderick,  to  whom  his  bro- 
ther O'Donnel  gave  the  command  of  his  army, 
marched  for  Tirconnel.  He  was  attacked 
in  West  Meath  by  the  English  of  Ballimore 
Loch-Sindil,  who  thought  to  prevent  him 
passing  ;  but  this  militia  of  citizens  was  cut 
to  pieces,  and  two  hundred  of  them  slain  by 
O'Donnel's  cavalry.  O'Rourke  being  in- 
formed that  his  brother  Thadeus  intended, 
in  his  absence,  to  make  himself  master  of 
Brefny,  hastened  to  support  his  right  against 
the  usurper.  Other  chiefs  of  the  Irish  forces 
following  the  example,  the  Catholic  army 
in  Munster  was  reduced  to  a  small  body  of 
Munstermen  and  Spaniards,  commanded  by 
O'Sullevan  prince  of  Bearre,  who  kept  with 
him  Captain  Richard  Tirrell,  William  Burke, 
and  a  few  other  officers. 

The  English  having  nothing  more  to  fear 
from  the  Catholic  army,  returned  to  their 
camp  before  Kinsale,  and  made  great  re- 
joicings for  their  victory.  The  noise  of  their 
firing  induced  Dom  Juan  to  march  a  part  of 
the  garrison  to  assist  (as  he  thought)  the 
reinforcement  he  was  expecting,  and  which 
he  imagined  was  engaged  with  the  English. 
Seeing  his  error,  however,  he  marched  back 
into  the  town.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that 
the  Spanish  commander  of  Kinsale,  whether 
from  his  having  a  knowledge  of  an  action 
being  fought  near  the  town,  or  not,  did  not 
lead  out  his  troops  as  had  been  previously 
agreed  upon  between  him  and  O'Neill.  The 
author  of  the  "  P acuta  Hibernia^''*  mentions, 
on  the  authority  of  the  earl  of  Thuomond,  a 
singular  prophecy  respecting  the  battle  of 
Kinsale.  "  There  is  no  one  less  credulous 
than  I  am  in  this  sort  of  prediction,  which 

*  Book  2,  cap.  21,  p.  235. 


542 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


is  generally  forged  after  things  alluded  to 
occur  ;  but  as  this  has  been  verified  by  the 
event,  I  think  tlie  mention  of  it  may  be  ad 
mitted.  1  have  frequently  heard  the  carl  of 
Thuomond  say  to  \\io  lord-deputy  and  others, 
that  he  read,  in  an  okl  Irish  l)Ook,  a  prophecy 
which  marked  the  day  and  place,  near  Kin- 
sale,  where  a  battle  would  be  fought  between 
the  English  and  Irish,  in  which  the  former 
would  be  victorious."  If  this  prophecy  were 
not  forged  by  the  earl  of  Thuomond,  it  proved 
at  least  to  be  in  accordance  with  his  desires, 
and  he  cannot  be  reproached  with  any  en- 
deavor to  counteract  its  fulfilment. 

While  the  English  were  vigorously  push 
ing  forward  the  siege  of  Kinsale,  Hugh 
O'Donnel,  after  giving  the  command  of  his 
troops  to  his  brother  Roderick,  embarked  for 
Spain  with  Redmond  Burke,  Hugh  Mostian, 
and  others.  Dom  Juan  not  finding  himself 
equal  to  hold  out  any  longer,  sent,  on  the 
last  day  of  December,  a  letter,  by  his  drum- 
major,  offering  to  capitulate,  which  proposal 
was  accepted  by  the  English  general,  who 
immediately  dispatched  Sir  William  Godol- 
phin  to  treat  with  the  Spanish  commander 
upon  the  articles  of  surrender  ;  the  principal 
of  which  were,  that  Dom  Juan  should  give 
up  to  the  deputy  every  place  which  he  was 
in  possession  of  in  the  province  of  Munster, 
viz.,  Kinsale,  Castle  Haven,  Baltimore, 
Bearehaven,  and  Dunboy,  and  that  the  dep- 
uty should  furnish  transport  vessels  to  convey 
Dom  Juan  to  Spain,  together  with  his  forces, 
arms,  ammunition,  artillery,  money,  &c.,  and 
with  colors  flying.  This  capitulatior.  was 
signed  on  one  part  by  Dom  Juan,  and  on  the 
other  by  the  deputy,  the  president  of  Mun- 
ster, the  earls  of  Thuomond  and  Clanriccard, 
Richard  Wingfield,  Robert  Gardiner,  George 
Bourchier,  and  Richard  Levison. 

The  surrender  of  Kinsale  had  different 
effects  on  the  Irish  Catholics  and  the  Eng- 
lish. The  latter  were  disgusted  with  the 
siege  ;  independently  of  the  inclemency  of 
the  season,  it  being  the  month  of  January, 
they  had  provisions  for  only  six  days  ;  their 
treasury  was  exhausted,  their  warlike  stores 
worn  out,  and  their  artillery  not  fit  for  effect- 
ing a  breach.*  Nearly  half  of  the  English 
army — which,  in  the  beginning  of  the  siege, 
amounted  to  sixteen  thousand  men — had 
fallen,  either  by  the  sword  of  the  enemy,  or 
disease.  The  Enghsh  fleet  m  the  bay  had 
suffered  as  much  as  the  army  on  land.  The 
deputy,  therefore,  having  consulted  with  his 
council,  considered  the  capitulation  proposed 
by  the  Spanish  general  as  the  only  means 

*  Pacat.  Hib.  ibid.  cap.  23,  p.  244.  Hist.  Cathol. 
ibid. 


of  saving  the  remainder  of  his  army,  and 
avoiding  the  disgrace  of  raising  a  siege 
which  had  been  already  so  fatal  to  him. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  possession  of  Kin- 
sale was  of  the  first  importance  to  the  Cath- 
olic cause  in  Ireland  ;  the  garrison  under 
Dom  Juan  amounted  to  two  thousand  five 
hundred  men,  well  provided  with  ammunition 
and  provisions,  and  supported  by  the  garri- 
sons of  Baltimore,  Castle  Haven,  and  Bear- 
haven  ;  so  that  from  the  state  of  the  English, 
he  might  have  held  out  till  the  arrival  of  suc- 
cors from  Spain,  which  would  also  have  given 
time  to  O'Neill  and  the  other  Irish  princes  to 
assemble  in  the  spring.  The  surrender,  there- 
fore, of  Kinsale  and  its  dependencies,  by 
shutting  out  all  foreign  aid,  would  necessa- 
rily injure  the  cause  they  wished  to  defend. 
O'SuUevan  Bearre,  apprehensive  of  these 
consequences,  took  possession  of  the  castle 
of  Dunboy,  which  belonged  to  him,  but  which 
he  had  given  up  as  a  garrison  for  the  Span- 
iards on  their  arrival  in  the  country.  Being 
determined,  therefore,  that  this  fortress  should 
not  be  surrendered  to  the  enemy,  he  got 
Thomas  Fitzmaurice,lord  of  Lixnaw,  Dom- 
nal  Mac-Carty,  Captain  Richard  Tirrell,  and 
William  Burke,  with  some  troops,  into  the 
castle  by  night,  and  took  possession  of  the 
gates,  without  committing  any  hostility  to- 
wards the  Spaniards.  He  immediately  dis- 
patched Dermod  O'Driscol  to  the  king  of 
Spain,  entreating  of  his  majesty  to  be  con- 
vinced that  his  motives  were  honorable  in 
the  taking  of  Dunboy ;  and  complained  vehe- 
mently in  his  letter  of  the  capitulation  which 
Dom  Juan  had  entered  into  with  the  English, 
calling  it  wretched,  execrable,  and  inhuman. 

O'Donnel,  who  had  sailed  for  Spain  after 
the  battle  of  Kinsale,  was  received  on  his 
arrival  at  Corunna,  in  Gallicia,  with  every 
mark  of  distinction,  by  the  Count  de  Caracena, 
governor  of  the  province,  who  brought  him 
to  his  palace,  and  gave  him  precedence  at  all 
his  assemblies,  an  honor  he  would  not  con- 
cede in  his  governorship,  to  any  duke  or  peer 
of  the  realm.*  The  king  of  Spain,  when  in- 
formed of  O'Donnel's  arrival,  wrote  instruc- 
tions to  the  Count  de  Caracena,  respecting 
the  reception  he  was  to  receive  ;  and  alluded, 
in  the  same  letter,  to  the  affairs  of  Ireland, 
affirming  that  he  would  support  the  Catholics 
of  that  country  at  the  risk  even  of  his  crown. 
O'Donnel  having  recovered  from  his  fatigues, 
took  leave  of  his  host,  who  presented  him 
with  a  thousand  ducats  ;  he  then  continued 
his  route  for  Compostella,  where  he  was 
honorably  received  by  the  archbishop  and 

*  Pac.  Hib.  ibid.  cap.  28,  p.  268,  et  seq.  Pacat. 
Hib  ibid.  c.  27,  p.  266. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


543 


citizens  ;  on  the  29th  of  January,  the  prelate 
offered  up  a  solemn  high  mass,  at  which  the 
prince  of  Tirconnel  was  present,  and  received 
the  holy  communion,  after  which  the  prelate 
entertained  him  at  a  magnificent  banquet,  and 
gave  him  a  thousand  ducats  to  continue  his 
journey.  O'Donnel  having  arrived  at  court, 
was  received  by  the  king  and  all  his  cour- 
tiers ;  his  majesty  gave  the  necessary  orders 
for  an  expedition  to  Ireland,  and  the  troops 
intended  for  it  began  to  march  towards  Co- 
runna. 

Dom  Juan  de  Aqui]a,the  Spanish  general, 
was  still  in  Ireland  ;*  he  sailed,  however, 
with  the  remainder  of  his  forces  from  Kin- 
sale  for  Spain,  on  the  16th  of  March,  with  a 
fair  wind.  On  arriving  at  Corunna,  being 
suspected  of  having  acted  dishonorably  in 
Ireland,  he  was  arrested  by  order  of  the  king, 
and  confined  to  his  own  house,  where  he  soon 
afterwards  died  of  grief.  The  suspicions 
formed  against  Dom  Juan  were  founded  on 
the  facility  with  which  he  surrendered  to  the 
English  Kinsale,  and  the  other  towns  in 
which  the  Spaniards  were  :  also  on  the  friend- 
liness of  a  correspondence  which  he  kept  up 
with  the  deputy  and  Carew,  and  the  reci- 
procal presents  that  were  made  between 
them,  and  finally,  upon  his  having  furnished 
passports  to  the  English,  who  went  from 
Ireland  to  Spain  under  pretence  of  trading, 
but  who,  in  reality,  were  spies  that  brought 
home  an  account  of  all  that  was  passing  in 
Spain,  relative  to  the  affairs  of  Ireland  :  on 
proof  of  which  an  English  officer,  called 
Walter  Edney,  was  arrested  at  Corunna. 
He  had  freighted  a  vessel  at  Cork,  for  Spain, 
and  was  provided  with  a  letter  of  introduc- 
tion and  presents  from  the  deputy  to  Dom 
Juan  ;  but  the  latter  having  already  fallen 
into  disgrace,  the  deputy's  plan  was  defeated ; 
the  Count  de  Caraceua  profited  by  the  pre- 
sents that  were  sent,  and  his  letters,  pass- 
ports, and  papers  were  forwarded  to  the 
Spanish  court. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


Pope  Clement  VIII.  wrote  a  letter  at  this 
time  to  Hugh  O'Neill,  prince  of  Tyrone, 
complimenting  him  on  the  confederacy  which 
he  had  established  among  the  Irish  princes, 
for  the  defence  of  the  Catholic  religion 
against  the  reformers. 

The  lord-deputy  having  ended  his  cam- 
paign in  Munster,  set  out  for  Dublin,  having 

»  Pacat.  HLb.  ibid.  c.  30.  p.  278. 


appointed  Sir  Richard  Percy  counsellor  for 
that  province.  He  left  Cork  on  the  9th  of 
March,  accompanied  by  the  president  Carew, 
slept  at  Clone  with  John  FitzEdmonds,  on 
whom  he  conferred  the  order  of  knighthood  ; 
and  then  proceeded  to  Waterford,  where  he 
created  Edward  Gough  and  Richard  Ayl- 
ward  knights  ;  both  of  whom  were  noble, 
and  old  inhabitants  of  that  city.  The  deputy 
arrived  at  Kilkenny  on  the  24th  of  March, 
(which  at  that  time  was  the  last  day  of  the 
year,)  slept  at  the  earl  of  Ormond's,  and 
arranged  matters  of  government  with  the 
president.  He  fell  sick  here,  and  had  him- 
self carried  to  Dublin  in  a  litter,  in  which 
city  he  arrived  on  the  28th  of  the  same 
month. 

The  English  troops  in  Ireland,  a.  d.  1602, 
amounted,  notwithstanding  their  losses  in 
the  late  campaign,  to  sixteen  thousand  nine 
hundred  and  fifty  infantry,  and  a  thousand 
four  hundred  and  eighty-seven  cavalry.  The 
deputy,  after  having  reviewed  them,  put  them 
into  convenient  garrisons  till  the  next  cam- 
paign. 

In  the  beginning  of  June  the  deputy  as- 
sembled his  forces  and  marched  into  Ulster, 
where  he  got  a  bridge  built  over  the  Black- 
water,  with  a  fort  which  he  called  Charle- 
mont,  after  his  own  name,  and  in  which  he 
placed  Captain  Caulfield  with  a  garrison  of 
a  hundred  and  fifty  men.  He  sent  the  regi- 
ment of  Sir  Richard  Morison  to  make  them- 
selves masters  of  Dungannon,  but  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  place,  on  the  approach  of  the 
English,  set  fire  to  it  and  reduced  it  to  ashes, 
together  with  the  beautiful  castle  of  Tyrone. 
The  deputy  repaired  thither  with  the  re- 
mainder of  his  army,  where  he  was  joined 
by  Dockwra. 

The  prince  of  Tyrone  withdrew  to  Castle 
Roe,  on  the  river  Bann.  The  English  laid 
the  whole  country  waste  as  far  as  Innis- 
killen ;  they  made  themselves  masters  of 
Magherlowny  isle,  where  O'Neill  had  a 
magazine,  and  took  another  island,  in  which 
they  found  three  pieces  of  English  cannon. 
Dockwra,  who  commanded  a  garrison  at 
Ony,  received  orders  to  harass  O'Neill  in 
Dungeven  in  Araghty  Cahan  ;  while  Chi- 
chester, who  led  the  troops  from  the  garrison 
of  Carrickfergus,  brought  the  regiment  of 
Morrison  to  occupy  Toome,  and  the  deputy 
himself  guarded  the  road  to  Killetro  ;  but  in 
spite  of  these  plans,  and  the  great  superiority 
of  the  enemy,  O'Neill,  with  six  himdred  foot 
and  sixty  horse,  marched  from  Castle  Roe, 
and  reached  Lough  Earne  unmolested.  Being 
incapable  of  resisting  the  enemy  openly,  he 
remained  on  the  defensive  ;  for  which  pur- 


544 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


pose  he  chose  an  inaccessible  spot,  called 
Gleannchonkcin,  near  Lough  Earne,  where 
he  intrrm-hed  himself  in  a  manner  that  left 
him  nothing  to  fear.  The  deputy  hearing 
of  this,  contented  himself  with  ravaging  the 
surrounding  country,  and  with  breaking,  at 
Talloghoge,  the  stone  which  was  used  as  the 
inauguration  scat  of  O'Neill.* 

The  lord-deputy,  satisfied  with  his  exploits 
in  the  north,  repaired  to  Newry  on  the  11th 
September,  whence  he  set  out  for  Dublin, 
leaving  Ulster  to  the  care  of  Dockwra,  Dan- 
vers,  and  Chichester.f  In  November  he 
undertook  an  expedition  to  Connaught,  to 
quell  the  disturbances  that  agitated  that 
province.  Sir  Oliver  Lambert  had  already 
expelled  the  Burkes,  with  MacWilliam,  their 
chief,  from  the  county  of  Mayo. |  The  dep- 
uty now  granted  protection  to  O'Connor 
Sligoe,  Rory  O'Donnel,  the  O'Flahertys, 
MacDermots,  O'Connor  Roe,  and  others. 
The  only  chieftains  that  remained  steadfastly 
attached  to  the  cause  of  Tyrone,  were 
O'Rourke,  Maguire,  and  Captain  Tirrell. 
The  deputy  had  the  fort  of  Galway  com- 
pleted, and  gave  orders  to  send  three  differ- 
ent bodies  of  troops  in  pursuit  of  O'Rourke  ; 
he  then  returned  to  Dublin,  whence  he  dis- 
patched succor  to  Chichester,  to  enable 
him  to  oppose  Brian  MacArt,  who  had  en- 
tered Killulta  at  the  head  of  five  hundred 
men.  Chichester  executed  his  commission 
with  such  cruelty,  that  a  famine  was  the  con- 
sequence. Cox  says,  ''  children  were  seen 
to  feed  upon  the  flesh  and  entrails  of  their 
mothers,  who  died  of  hunger,"  and  adds, 
that  "  the  famine  in  Jerusalem  w'as  not  more 
severe  than  what  the  rebels  suffered  on  this 
occasion."^ 

Notwithstanding  that  Dom  Juan  Del 
Aquila  surrendered  to  the  English  the  towns 
which  he  held  in  Munster,  the  inhabhants 
did  not  give  up  their  arms,  holding  still  the 
hope  of  receiving  new  succors  from  Spain. 
Those  English  authors  who  never  let  pass 
any  opportunity  of  inspiring  their  readers 
with  contempt  for  a  people  that  wish  to 
escape  from  their  tyranny,  have  filled  their 
writings  with  such  injurious  and  insulting 
statements  as  should  destroy,  in  the  mind  of 
the  discerning  and  impartial  reader,  all  re- 
spect for  them. II  Their  language  on  this 
occasion  is  as  follows:  "the  rebels  spread 
themselves  everywhere,  particularly  throuo-h 
the  districts  of  Carbry,  Bearre,  Desmond, 

*  Hist.  Cathoi.  ibid.  cap.  12 

X  Ware,  ibid.  cap.  45. 

t  Cox,  ibid,  page  448. 

§  Cox,  page  449. 

II  Pacat.  Hib.  book  3,  cap.  1. 


and  Kerry.  No  place  escapes  them  ;  they 
have  become  desperate  from  their  crimes  ; 
they  look  upon  themselves  as  children  of 
perdition,  and  unworthy  of  her  majesty's 
pardon."  These  are  phrases  in  accordance 
with  the  imperious  character  of  the  English, 
who  imagine  that  the  world  should  obey 
them.  The  Irish  whom  they  thus  describe 
as  rebels  and  children  of  perdition,  did  not 
seek  the  clemency  of  Elizabeth ;  they,  on 
the  contrary,  took  up  arms  to  defend  their 
country  against  her  tyranny  and  usurpation. 

Daniel  O'Sullevan,  prince  of  Bearre,  be- 
came chief  of  the  Catholic  league  in  Mun- 
ster after  the  surrender  of  Kinsale  and  the 
retreat  of  the  princes  of  Ulster.  This  prince, 
illustrious  for  his  virtue  and  his  birth,  was 
in  possession  of  Dunboy,  and  omitted  noth- 
ing to  put  that  fortress  into  a  state  of  de- 
fence. The  nobles  who  espoused  with  him 
the  common  cause,  were  Daniel  MacCarty, 
son  of  the  earl  of  Clancar ;  Daniel,  son  of 
O'Sullevan  More  ;  Cornelius  and  Dermod 
O'Driscol ;  Dermod  O'Sullevan  ;  Dermod, 
Donagh,  and  Florence  MacCarty,  of  the 
family  of  MacCarty  Riagh  ;  MacSweeny  ; 
Donagh  O'Driscol,  and  his  brothers.  The 
prince  of  Bearre  was  also  joined  by  O'Con- 
nor Kerry,  MacMaurice,  baron  of  Lixnaw, 
the  knight  of  Kerry,  the  knight  of  Glynn, 
John  Fitzgerald,  brother  of  the  earl;  James 
Butler,  brother  to  the  baron  of  Cahir,  Wil- 
liam Burke,  Captains  Richard  MacGeoghe- 
gan  and  Richard  Tirrell.  The  former  was 
appointed  to  command  the  fortress  of  Dun- 
boy,  the  latter  to  lead  the  army  of  observa- 
tion. 

This  confederacy  caused  great  alarm  to 
the  English ;  the  president  Carew  ordered 
her  majesty's  troops  to  assemble  at  Cork ; 
and  the  old  and  modern  Irish  who  were  loyal 
to  the  court  party,  were  also  commanded  to 
meet.  The  principal  among  these  were 
O'Brien,  earl  of  Thuomond ;  MacCarty 
Riagh,  prince  of  Carbry;  MacCarty  of  Mus- 
kerry  ;  Barry,  Viscount  Buttevant ;  O'Do- 
novan ;  Fitzgibbon,  called  the  Whhe  Knight ; 
Owen  O'Sullevan,  the  cousin,  but  inveterate 
enemy  of  O'Sullevan,  prince  of  Bearre ; 
Dermod,  brother  of  O'Sullevan  More  ;  and 
Donagh  and  Florence  MacCarty,  who  de- 
serted O'Sullevan  Bearre.  These  auxiliaries 
and  the  English  troops  amounted  to  more 
than  four  thousand  men.  In  March  a  de- 
tachment of  two  thousand  five  hundred  infan- 
try and  fifty  cavalry,  was  sent  under  the 
command  of  the  earl  of  Thuomond,  who  was 
commanded  by  the  deputy  to  scour  the 
countries  of  Carbry,  Bearre,  and  Bantry  ;  to 
burn  all  the  corn,  to  take  away  the  cattle, 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


545 


and 'commit  every  species  of  hostility  upon 
the  rebellious  inhabitants,  but  to  spare  those 
who  surrendered,  among  whom  were  O'Dris- 
col,  O'Donovan,  and  the  sons  of  Sir  Owen 
MacCarty.  The  earl  likewise  had  orders  to 
attack  the  castle  of  Dunboy ;  to  reinforce 
the  corps  of  Captains  Flower  and  Harvy, 
and  to  pursue  O'SuUevan  Bearre,  Tirrell, 
Dermod  Moyle  MacCarty,  and  the  O'Crow- 
lies.  Thuomond  being  unable  to  act  against 
Dunboy,  in  consequence  of  Captain  Tirrell's 
liglit  troops  having  possession  of  the  moun- 
tains of  Bearre,  took  post  temporarily  with 
Captain  Flower,  in  an  island  called  Fuidi  or 
Whiddy,  in  the  bay  of  Bantry.  He  left  with 
him  his  own  company,  and  those  of  Sir  John 
Dowdal,Lord  Barry,  and  Captains  Kingsmill, 
Bostock,  and  Bradbury,  making  in  the  whole 
seven  hundred  men  ;  after  which  he  returned 
to  Cork,  to  give  the  president  an  account  of 
his  expedition.  After  Thuomond's  departure, 
Captain  Flower  intrenched  himself  in 
Whiddy  Island,  but  fearing  an  attack  from 
O'Sullevan,  who  cut  off  the  communication, 
the  English  captain  withdrew  from  it,  after 
guarding  it  for  two  months.  In  his  retreat 
he  was  pursued  by  O'Sullevan,  who  killed 
several  of  his  men. 

The  lord-president  determined  to  besiege 
Dunboy,  and  set  out  the  23d  of  April  from 
Cork,  with  more  than  5000  men,  besides  the 
body  of  troops  that  was  under  Wilmot,  in 
the  county  of  Kerry.  He  arrived  on  the  last 
day  of  the  month,  near  Bantry,  and  encamped 
for  a  while  on  the  plain  of  Gurtin-Rua,  both 
to  keep  the  enemy  in  check,  and  to  await  the 
arrival  of  eighteen  ships  of  war  and  some 
transport  vessels  that  were  expected  from 
Cork  and  England,  and  were  to  meet  in 
Bantry  bay.  These  were  destined  to  carry 
troops  and  artillery  to  the  island  of  Bearre, 
where  Dunboy  was  situated,  and  which  the 
English  general  intended  to  besiege .  Richard 
MacGeoghegan,  descended  from  the  ancient 
and  noble  house  of  Moycashel,was  appointed 
by  the  prince  of  Bearre  to  the  command  of 
this  castle  ;  he  had  under  him  but  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  infantry.  The  English 
assert  that  the  garrison  consisted  of  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  chosen  men .  By  their  valiant 
defence  of  Dunboy,  they  have  well  merited 
the  name  and  character  of  heroes. 

In  the  mean  time  Wilmot  was  successful 
in  Kerry  ;  after  Kinsale  had  surrendered,  he 
was  sent  with  seventeen  hundred  infantry 
and  a  troop  of  horse,  into  that  part  of  the 
country,  and  surprised,  between  Askeaton 
and  Glynn,  Hugh  MacSweeny  with  two 
hundred  men,  of  whom  he  killed  twelve,  and 
put  the  rest  to  flight.     He  advanced  towards 


Carrygfoyle,  which  he  found  deserted,  and 
took  possession,  giving  the  command  of  it  to 
Captain  Collum.  Wilmot  afterwards  crossed 
the  river  Cashin,  in  spite  of  John,  son  of 
Thomas  Fitzgerald,  the  young  Captain  Tir- 
rell, Hugh  MacSweeny,  Owen  O'Maily, 
Rory  and  Phelim  O'Connor,  and  Gerald 
Fitzmaurice,  brother  of  the  baron.  They 
assembled  at  Lixnaw  with  five  hundred  in- 
fantry and  some  horse,  to  dispute  his  pas- 
sage. The  English  captain  laid  siege  to  the 
castle  of  Lixnaw,  which  was  garrisoned  by 
forty-five  men,  who  were  determined  to  de- 
fend it,  but  want  of  water  obliged  them  to 
capitulate.  The  forts  of  Ballyhow,  castle 
Gregory,  and  Rahane,  which  belonged  to  the 
knight  of  Kerry,  surrendered  to  Wilmot ; 
after  which  he  marched  into  Desmond,  as  far 
as  the  castle  of  Listre,  where  he  encamped, 
being  unable  to  proceed  from  the  badness 
of  the  roads.  Wilmot  received  an  order 
here,  to  arrange  his  affairs  in  Kerry,  and 
march  to  join  the  president  on  a  certain 
day. 

The  fleet  which  was  expected  from  Cork, 
arrived  on  the  11th  of  May,*  in  the  bay  of 
Bantry,  freighted  with  all  kinds  of  ammu- 
nition and  provisions.  This  event  caused 
universal  joy  to  the  English,  who  were  be- 
ginning to  be  in  need  of  everything.  Wil- 
mot's  corps  joined  the  grand  army  on  the 
same  day.  On  the  14th,  the  president  as- 
sembled his  principal  officers,  to  concert 
measures  for  leading  the  army  to  Beerha- 
ven  ;t  when  it  was  unanimously  determined 
to  carry  the  troops  first  to  the  great  island 
in  the  bay,  and  from  thence  to  Bearre. 

In  consequence  of  this  decision  of  the 
council,  they  struck  their  tents  on  the  31st 
May,  and  after  putting  their  sick,  who  were 
numerous,  into  hospital,  the  army  marched 
to  Kilnamenoghe  upon  the  sea-shore,  in  the 
district  of  Muintirvarry,  where  they  en- 
camped. On  the  1st  of  June,  the  earl  of 
Thuomond  and  General  Wilmot  embarked 
with  their  regiments  for  the  great  island  ;  on 
the  2d,  the  regiment  of  Piercy  embarked, 
which  was  followed  by  the  president  and  the 
rest  of  the  army  ;  after  which  the  artillery 
was  sent.  The  president  proceeded  with 
caution,  and  before  he  began  the  siege  of 
Dunboy,  resolved  to  secure  the  places  in  his 
rear.  The  Catholics  had  left  some  soldiers 
in  the  castle  of  Dunmanus,  whom  it  was 
deemed  prudent  for  this  purpose  to  dislodge. 
Owen  O'Sullevan  was  appointed  by  the 
English  general  to  effect  the  dislodgment, 

*  Pacat.  Hib.  cap.  4. 
t  Pacat.  Hib.  cap.  5. 


546 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


and  the  two  brothers,  traitors  to  their  coun- 
try, marched  with  a  detachment  to  Dun- 
manus,  surprised  the  eastic,  and  after  killing 
four  of  the  garrison,  and  making  themselves 
masters  of  it,  gave  it  up  to  plunder. 

Richard  MacGeoghegan,  commander  of 
the  castle  of  Dunboy,  is  represented  by  an 
English  writer  as  having  had  an  interview 
on  the  great  island  where  the  English  troops 
were  then  posted,  with  the  earlof  Thuomond. 
After  speaking  on  the  subject  in  a  mysterious 
manner,  he  has  this  passage,  "  But  of  this  I 
am  sure,  that  the  earl's  meeting  with  him 
was  not  without  the  president's  knowledge 
and  allowance  ;  all  the  eloquence  and  arti- 
fice which  the  earl  could  use,  however, 
availed  nothing,  for  MacGeoghegan  was  re- 
solved to  persevere  in  his  conduct." 

It  appears  that  the  president  was  in  the 
habit  of  resorting  to  dishonorable  means 
for  seducing  those  whom  he  had  to  fear  most 
among  his  enemies.  He  met  among  the 
Irish  themselves  agents  obsequious  to  his 
wishes.  He  had  already  sent,  through  Owen 
O'Sullevan,  a  pressing  letter  to  the  can- 
noniers  of  Dunboy.  These  were  three  in 
number,  two  Spaniards  and  an  Italian,  whom 
O'Sullevan  Bearre,  when  he  became  master 
of  the  castle,  took  into  his  pay.  The  deputy 
proposed  to  reward  them  liberally  if  they 
would  spike  the  cannon  and  break  the  car- 
riages when  the  siege  would  have  com- 
menced ;  but  they  proved  themselves  honor- 
able to  their  trust,  and  incapable  of  being 
influenced  by  his  bribes. 

The  president  having  failed  in  the  over- 
tures made  to  the  governor  of  Dunboy,  sent 
his  troops  from  the  great  to  the  lesser  island, 
which  was  within  about  a  hvmdred  paces  of 
Bearre,  a  position  that  afforded  him  the 
opportunity  of  viewing  more  closely  the 
movements  of  the  enemy.  The  Catholics 
were  too  few  to  be  able  to  guard  the  entire 
coast ;  they  therefore  confined  themselves 
to  one  point,  and  intrenched  themselves 
where  they  thought  the  landing  would  be 
attempted.  To  deceive  them  as  to  the  place 
where  this  would  be  tried,  the  president  en- 
camped on  the  opposite  side  to  them,  with 
his  own  regiment  and  that  of  the  earl  of 
Thuomond.  At  the  same  time  the  regiments 
of  Percy  and  Wilmot  were  sent  to  the  ex- 
treme end  of  the  island,  and  landed  between 
two  rocks  near  Castledermot ;  having  done 
which,  they  formed  themselves  in  order  of 
battle.  The  Catholics  having  discovered 
their  error,  immediately  left  their  intrench- 
ment,  and  proceeded  to  where  the  landing 
was  effected  ;  but  being  retarded  by  the 
winding  of  the  coast,  the  English  had  time 


to  pass  over  their  artillery.  The  Catholics 
charged  the  enemy  with  great  bravery ;  the 
battle  lasted  for  some  time,  but  being  over- 
powered with  numbers,  and  galled  by  the 
enemy's  cannon,  they  lost  twenty-eight  of 
their  men  killed,  while  Captain  Tirrell  and 
a  few  more  were  wounded.  The  English 
rested  upon  their  arms  that  night  in  the  field 
of  battle. 

A  vessel  was  sent  in  the  mean  time  by  the 
court  of  Spain,  to  Kilmokillock,  near  Ardea, 
to  discover  if  the  castle  of  Dunboy  still  held 
out  for  his  Catholic  majesty.  There  were 
some  passengers  on  board  ;  among  whom 
was  a  friar  named  James  Nelanus,  and  Owen 
MacEggan,  who  was  appointed  by  the  pope, 
bishop  of  Ross  and  apostolical  vicar  of  Ire- 
land. This  friar  brought  with  him  twelve 
thousand  pounds  sterling,  to  be  distributed 
among  the  chiefs  of  the  confederacy,  and 
some  warlike  stores.  He  was  sent  by  the 
Spanish  court  to  assure  the  Qatholics  that 
the  reinforcements  intended  for  Ireland  would 
be  speedily  forwarded,  and  that  two  thousand 
troops  had  already  assembled  at  Corunna 
for  that  purpose.  The  confederates, trusting 
to  the  promises  given  them,  formed  the  reso- 
lution of  supporting  the  siege  of  Dunboy 
against  the  English,  and  forwarded  dis- 
patches to  the  king  of  Spain,  to  assure 
his  majesty  of  their  determinatioQ.  Brien 
O'Kelly,  and  Donogh,  son  of  Mahon  O'Brien, 
sailed  on  the  15t,h  of  June,  1603,  for  Spain, 
with  these  dispatches  of  the  confederates. 
After  this  O'Sullevan  Bearre  sent  part  of  the 
ammunition  that  had  come  from  Spain,  to 
strengthen  the  garrison  of  Dunboy. 

Owen  MacEggan,  the  apostolical  vicar, 
at  this  time  wrote  a  letter  to  Richard  Mac- 
Geoghegan, commander  of  the  castle  of 
Dunboy,  couched  in  the  following  words  : — 
"  The  high  character  which  you  sustain  gives 
me  delight,  and  I  have  great  confidence,  with 
the  assistance  of  the  Lord,  in  the  just  cause 
which  you  defend.  I  would  be  particularly 
anxious  to  confer  with  you  and  your  com- 
panions, and  inform  you  of  the  state  of  things 
in  Spain.  Be  assured,  that  nothing  in  this 
world  is  more  acceptable  to  the  king  than 
your  proceedings  ;  you  know  how  pleasing 
they  are  to  God,  and  how  important  to  our 
country.  You  will  have,  in  a  few  days,  fresh 
succors  from  Spain — the  grand  army,  con- 
sisting of  fourteen  thousand  men,  is  ready  to 
march.  You  all  will  be  well  rewarded  by 
his  Catholic  majesty,  while  waiting  the  re- 
ward which  God  prepares  for  you  in  heaven. 
I  came  from  Rome  to  the  court  of  Spain 
with  a  father  of  the  society,  who  has  been 
appointed  the  pope's  nuncio  ;  and  who  will 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


r^4T 


arrive  in  that  quality  with  the  Spanish 
army." 

The  deputy  knew  how  important  it  would 
be  to  reduce  the  castle  of  Dunboy.  It  was 
the  only  place  of  moment  which  the  Catho- 
lics of  Munster  still  retained  :  it  served  them 
as  an  arsenal  and  a  depot,  and  secured  the 
means  of  holding  a  communication  with 
Spain.*  He  marched,  therefore,  to  within  a 
mile  of  Dunboy,  where  his  army  encamped. 
Accompanied  by  Wilmot  and  a  corps  of  in- 
fantry, he  proceeded  to  reconnoitre  the  castle, 
and  to  seek  a  platform  on  which  to  erect  a 
battery ;  but  the  musketry  of  the  castle  forced 
him  and  his  attendants  to  return  to  their 
camp. 

The  English  general,  anxious  to  shelter 
his  troops,  and  to  make  the  artillery  advance 
against  the  castle,  caused  a  trench  to  be 
opened.  The  work  was  frequently  interrupt- 
ed by  the  besieged,  Avho  continually  sallied 
out  and  kept  up  a  constant  fire  from  the  castle. 
The  English  at  length  established  their  trench 
within  a  hundred  and  forty  paces  of  the  place. 
A  battery  of  five  pieces  of  cannon  was  then 
raised,  which  played  upon  the  castle,  while 
two  falconets,  placed  on  a  point  of  land,  de- 
stroyed the  outworks.  The  president,  in  the 
mean  time,  sent  Captain  John  Bostock,  Owen 
O'SuUevan,  and  Lieutenant  Downings,  with 
a  hundred  and  sixty  men,  to  attack  Dorsies 
Island.  There  was  a  small  »^ort  in  it  belong- 
ing to  the  Catholics,  and  garrisoned  by  forty 
men.  After  a  vigorous  defence  from  the  be- 
sieged, the  English  made  themselves  masters 
of  this  fort,  and  found  in  it  a  kw  barrels  of 
powder,  three  pieces  of  cannon,  and  some 
warlike  stores.  Four  of  the  besieged  were 
killed  in  the  action,  two  were  wounded,  and 
the  rest  made  prisoners.  These  latter  were 
executed  immediately  afterwards,  though 
they  had  surrendered.  The  cruelty  of  the 
English  was  not  confined  to  the  defenders 
of  the  castle  ;  they  massacred,  without  dis- 
tinction, all  the  inhabitants  of  the  island.  A 
mother  and  the  infant  on  her  breast  were 
murdered  ;  the  children  were  barbarously 
stabbed,  and  raised  half  dead  on  pikes,  for  a 
spectacle  ;  others  were  tied,  hand  and  foot, 
and  thrown  from  the  top  of  lofty  rocks  into 
the  sea.  This  is  but  a  fanit  description  of 
the  cruelties  exercised  by  the  English  upon 
the  inhabitants  of  Ireland — a  specimen  of 
the  way  in  which  they  reformed  the  morals 
of  the  people. 

The  English  battery  played  incessantly 
upon  the  castle  of  Dunboy.  Part  of  it  had 
already  fallen,  and  the  besiegers  supposing 

«  Pac.  Hib.  cap.  8. 


that  the  breach  was  effected,  an  attack  was 
ordered.  They  were  repulsed,  however,  with 
vigor;  several  were  killed  on  both  sides,  and 
the  English  were  forced  to  retire.  The  fire 
from  the  battery  was  still  kept  up,  by  which  a 
part  of  the  vault  fell  in,  and  drew  those  that 
surrounded  it  into  the  ruins.  The  besiegers 
entered  in  crowds  upon  the  breach,  and  re- 
newed the  battle,  but,  as  before,  without  suc- 
cess ;  they  were  driven  off  with  heavy  loss, 
and  hurled  from  the  top'of  the  breach  :  a  third 
attack  was  equally  unsuccessful  as  the  two 
first  ;  for  after  gaining  the  hall  of  the  castle, 
the  English  were  forced  to  abandon  it.  It 
will  be  admitted  that  the  garrison  of  Dunboy, 
which  consisted  of  but  one  hundred  and  forty- 
three  fighting  men,  must  have  been  considera- 
bly weakened  from  the  continued  assaults  of 
the  enemy.  It  might,  indeed,  be  supposed, 
that  they  v/ould  easily  have  been  crushed  by 
the  overwhelming  force  of  five  thousand  men 
with  a  powerful  artillery ;  and  though  the 
efforts  of  the  brave  Captain  Tirrell,  with  his 
flying  camp,  frequently  alarmed  the  English, 
they  were  not  sufficient  to  save  the  garrison 
from  the  unhappy  lot  that  awaited  them. 

The  president,  Carew,  seeing  the  obstinate 
and  determined  defence  the  castle  of  Dunboy 
maintained,  ordered  a  fourth  attack,  better 
planned  than  the  preceding  ones.  For  this 
purpose  a  body  of  fresh  troops  was  chosen, 
taken  by  lot  from  the  regiment  of  the  lord- 
president  ;  this  body  was  to  be  supported  by 
the  remainder  of  the  same  regiment,  and  that 
oftheearlof  Thuomond,  while  those  of  Percy 
and  Wilmot  had  orders  to  hold  themselves 
in  readiness  to  march,  both  to  protect  the 
camp,  and  to  act  with  the  others  if  necessary. 
The  English  artillery  continued  to  play  upon 
the  castle  from  five  in  the  morning  until  nine, 
when  a  turret  of  the  castle,  in  which  there 
was  a  falconet  which  greatly  annoyed  the 
English  battery,  was  seen  to  fall.  However, 
the  firing  was  kept  up  still  against  one  of  the 
fronts  of  the  castle  till  one  in  the  afternoon, 
when  the  breach  being  effected,  and  the  plan 
of  assault  fixed  upon,  the  detachment  which 
was  to  begin  the  attack  advanced  ;  the  Catho- 
lics disputed  the  entrance  by  the  breach  for 
a  long  time,  but  were  at  length  forced  to  yield 
to  the  overwhelming  numbers  of  the  English, 
who  planted  their  standards  on  one  of  the 
turrets.  Roused  by  despair,  the  besieged 
renewed  the  battle,  and  fought  with  despera- 
tion until  night,  sometimes  in  the  vaults  of 
the  castle,  sometimes  in  the  great  hall,  the 
cellars,  and  on  the  stairs,  so  that  blood  flowed 
in  every  quarter  :  several  of  the  besieged 
fell  during  the  attack,  among  whom  was 
Mac-Geoghegan,  their  commander,  whose 


548 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


A'alor  equalled  the  greatness  of  his  mind  and 
high  birth.*  The  eastle  was  not  yet  in  the 
possession  of  the  KngUsh  ;  they  returned  to 
the  assault  the  day  following,  and  preteiiding 
a  desire  to  spare  the  further  edusion  of  blood, 
terms  were  proposed  to  the  besieged.  The 
few  belonging  to  the  garrison  who  escaped 
the  preceding  day  having  lost  their  chief, 
and  being  unequal  to  defend  the  castle,  ac- 
cepted the  proposed  conditions  of  having 
their  lives  spared.  Richard  Mac-Geoghegan, 
the  commander,  however,  although  mortally 
wounded,  would  not  listen  to  any  terlhs  ;-f- 
and  seeing  the  English  enter  in  crowds,  he 
rose  up,  though  already  struggling  with 
death,  and  snatching  a  lighted  match,  made 
an  eflbrt  to  fire  a  barrel  of  powder  which  was 
placed  near  him  ;  his  intention  being  to  blow 
up  both  himself  and  the  enemy,  rather  than 
surrender.  He  was  prevented,  however,  by 
a  Captain  Power,  in  whose  arms  he  was 
basely  and  inhumanly  stabbed  by  the  Eng- 
lish soldiers.  Mac-Geoghegan  knew  that  no 
confidence  could  be  placed  in  any  treaty  with 
the  English,  and  preferred  to  die  fighting, 
rather  than  surrender  to  men  in  whose  honor 
he  could  repose  no  trust.  "  The  lohole  num- 
ber of  the  ward  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 
forty-three  chosen  fghting  men,  being  the  best 
of  all  their  forces,  of  the  which  no  man  escaped, 
but  were  either  slain,  executed,  or  buried  in  the 
ruins."  This  garrison  was  not  composed 
of  mere  mercenary  soldiers,  taken  by  lot,  but 
of  men  of  honor  and  principle,  who  willingly 
laid  down  their  lives  in  defence  of  their  re- 
ligion and  country  :  the  English  themselves 
admit,  that  so  obstinate  and  resolved  a  defence 
hath  not  been  seen  within  this  kingdom.\ 
They  were  worthy  to  have  been  citizens  of 
ancient  Sparta,  from  the  mode  in  which  they 
sacrificed  themselves  for  the  good  of  their 
country  ;  and  if  their  example  has  not  been 
followed  by  others,  it  will  be  at  least  a  sub- 
ject of  reproach  and  self-confusion  to  those  of 
their  countrymen  who  took  up  arms  against 
them.  The  siege  of  Dunboy  lasted  for  fifteen 
days.  It  cost  the  English,  according  to  some 
authors,  a  loss  of  six  hundred  men,  more  or 
less.  Authors  differ  on  it,  and  also  respect- 
ing the  time  of  this  event ;  some  say  it  was  in 
June,  others  in  September  ;  the  castle,  how- 
ever, was,  by  orders  of  the  president,  razed 
to  the  ground  after  four  days,  and  not  a  ves- 
tige of  it  suffered  to  remain.'^ 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid. 

t  Pacat.   Hib.  ibid.  p.  316.     Hist.  Cathol.  ibid, 
page  184. 

\  Pacat.  Hib.  ibid.     Cox,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  pp. 
450,  451. 
I       §  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid. 

I 


The  Spanish  army  which  was  intended 
for  the  expedition  to  Ireland,  amounted  to 
fourteen  thousand  men  ;  they  had  assembled 
at  Coruima,  and  were  ready  to  sail,  when  in- 
telligence was  receivedof  the  fall  of  Dunboy ; 
on  which  the  Spanish  court  sent  orders  to  the 
Count  de  Caracena,  governor  of  Corunna,  to 
countermand  for  the  present  the  sailing  of  the 
troops.*  The  queen  of  England  had  her 
emissaries  in  Spain,  who  informed  her  of  all 
that  had  occurred  :  she  therefore  ordered 
her  fleets  that  were  cruising  on  the  coasts  of 
Spain  to  be  revictualled,  and  to  continue  to 
watch  the  motions  of  the  Spaniards  till  the 
end  of  September  ;  she  also  sent  two  thou- 
sand more  troops  to  Ireland,  to  reinforce  the 
president's  army  in  Munster. 


CHAPTER  L. 


The  fall  of  Dunboy  did  not  prevent  the 
prince  of  Bearre  from  still  acting  a  brave 
and  noble  part.f     Dermod  O'Driscol  having 
returned  from  Spain, Cornelius,  son  of  O'Dris- 
col More,  was  sent  in  his  stead  to  solicit 
speedy  assistance.     In  the  mean  time  the 
prince  and  Captain  Tirrell  marched  with  a 
thousand  men  into  Muskerry,  and  made  them-  j 
selves   masters  of  Carraig-na-Chori,  Duin  j 
Dearaire,  and  Macrumpe,  where  they  placed  j 
a  garrison  ;  after  which  he  prevailed  upon  j 
O'Donoghoe  of  the  Glinne  to  join  in   the 
confederacy.    He  then  made  incursions  into 
the  district  of  Cork,  and  returned  laden  with 
booty. 

Cormack,  son  of  Diarmuid  Mac-Carty, 
prince  of  Muskerry,  had  adopted  the  base 
policy  of  the  earls  of  Ormond,  Thuomond,  and 
others.  He  was  descended  from  Heber  by 
OilioU-Olum,  king  of  Munster^  in  the  second 
century,  and  by  Diarmuid  More  Mac-Carty, 
prince  of  Muskerry,  who  was  killed  in  1367 
by  the  O'Mahonys  of  Carbry,  who  were  from 
the  same  stock  of  ancestors.  The  politic 
conduct  of  Cormac  did  not  secure  him  against 
suspicions  of  his  loyalty,  and  he  was  accused 
of  holding  secret  intrigues  with  O'Neill, 
O'Donnel,  Florence  Mac-Carty,  James  Fitz- 
Thomas,  O'Sullevan  Bearre,  and  other  ene- 
mies of  the  English.  His  accuser  wasTegue, 
son  of  Cormac  Mac-Teugue  Mac-Carty,  his 
near  relative.  This  man  was  first  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  queen's  troops  ;  but  he  left  this 
service  during  the  siege  of  Kinsale,  and  joined 
the  Catholic  cause.    After  receiving  part  of 

*  Pacat.  Hib.  ibid.  cap.  11 
t  Hist.  Cathol.  cap.  4. 
\  Keat.  Genealogy. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


549 


the  money  that  was  sent  from  Spain  for  the 
Catholics  of  Ireland,  he  changed  sides  again 
and  sought  to  be  reconciled  to  the  president ; 
while  to  make  his  submission  the  more  im- 
portant, he  turned  informer  against  his  own 
relation,  in  whose  conduct  he  had  been  pre- 
viously a  partaker. 

The  president,  after  consulting  with  the 
council,  caused  Cormac  Mac-Carty  of  Mus- 
kerry  to  be  arrested.  He  wished  also  to  take 
,  possession  of  his  castle  of  Blarney,  which 
design  Wilmot  and  Harvey  were  appointed 
to  carry  into  effect.  While  proceedings  were 
going  on  against  Cormac  Mac-Carty,  Captain 
Taaffe,  who  possessed  his  confidence,  was 
sent  to  propose  to  him  to  surrender  the  castle 
to  the  English.  The  proposal  was  a  critical 
one  :  Mac-Carty  was  a  prisoner  ;  his  wife 
and  children  were  also  arrested,  and  his 
eldest  son  was  pursuing  his  studies  at  Ox- 
ford. He  was  of  course  averse  to  surrender 
his  castle,  which  was  an  asylum  in  cases  of 
emergency,  and  the  sacrifice  seemed  great, 
but  his  circumstances  appeared  to  make  it 
imperative.  Every  thing  being  maturely 
weighed,  he  sent  a  communication  to  the 
governor  of  the  castle,  to  surrender  it  to 
Captain  Taaffe.  The  abbey  of  Kilcrey  and 
the  castle  were  given  up,  at  the  same  time, 
to  the  president,  of  which  he  gaye  the  com- 
mand to  Captain  F.  Slingsby.  Macrumpe 
was  a  strong  place  hi  the  centre  of  Muskerry, 
and  maintained  a  siege  against  Captain 
Flower,  and  subsequently  against  Wilmot. 

O'Donnel  continued  still  in  Spain,  where 
he  was  actively  employed  at  court  in  behalf 
of  his  country.  He  wrote  at  this  time  the 
following  letter,  dated  Corunna,  to  O'Connor 
Kerry  :  "  The  doctor  and  Dermod  O'Driscol 
will  give  you  an  account  of  every  thing  that 
is  passing  here.  The  king  sends  you  money 
and  stores.  Believe  me,  that  his  majesty 
will  omit  no  opportunity  to  gain  Ireland, 
were  it  to  cost  him  even  the  greatest  part 
of  his  kingdom.  Endeavor  to  secure  this 
monarch's  good  opinion  by  your  services. 
I  beg  that  you  will  inform  me  of  the  news  in 
Ireland,  and  against  whom  the  queen's  forces 
are  now  employed."* 

Cormac  Mac-Carty  was  still  a  prisoner  in 
Cork.  The  witnesses  against  him  were  ex- 
i  amined,  and  his  life  was  in  danger.  It  was 
of  course  natural  that  he  should  have  wished 
to  recover  his  liberty.  His  design  was  com- 
municated by  several  to  the  deputy  ;  the 
Protestant  bishop  of  Cork,  and  Dominick 
Sarsfield,  the  queen's  advocate  in  Munster, 
being  ihe  leading  hitbrmers.    The  president 

*  Pacat.  Hib.  cap.  13. 


caused  the  keeper  of  the  prison,  who  had 
Mac-Carty  in  his  charge,  to  be  brought  to 
him,  and  gave  him  fresh  instructions  for  se- 
curing him  :  his  precautions,  however,  were 
disappointed.  The  prince  of  Muskerry  was 
rescued  by  a  young  nobleman  named  Owen 
Mac-Sweeny,  who  got  in  by  night  to  his 
chamber,  and  having  cut  with  a  file  the  irons 
that  bound  his  legs,  let  him  down  through  a 
window,  while  six  companions  received  him 
with  their  mantles  before  he  touched  the 
ground.  The  conspirators  then  got  him  over 
the  wall  of  the  city,  notwithstanding  that  the 
sentinels  went  in  pursuit  of  him.  He  very 
soon  after  this  arrived  in  Muskerry,  where 
he  met  O'SuUevan  Bearre  at  the  head  of  a 
small  detachment,  and  both  princes  entered 
immediately  into  an  alliance  against  the  com- 
mon enemy.  O'Sullevan  then  besieged  Car- 
rig-an-phouca,  which  was  guarded  by  the 
sons  of  Teugue  Mac-Carty,  who  obtained 
terms  from  the  English  by  his  treachery 
against  the  prince  of  Muskerry,  whose  rela- 
tive he  was.  O'Sullevan  reduced  it,  and  two 
more  places  in  Muskerry,  which  he  gave  up 
to  be  garrisoned  by  his  ally,  and  returned  to 
his  own  country  of  Bearre. 

The  escape  of  Cormac  Mac-Carty  greatly 
alarmed  the  president  Carew.  He  knew 
that  he  was  very  dear  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Muskerry,  most  of  whom  were  his  vassals 
and  ready  to  follow  his  fortune,  and  that,  if 
an  alliance  were  made  between  him,  O'Sul- 
levan Bearre,  and  Captain  Tirrell,  it  might 
cause  Wilmot's  communication  with  Cork 
(who  was  then  besieging  Macrumpe)  to  be 
cut  off.  The  president,  therefore,  imme- 
diately forwarded  an  express  to  Wilmot, 
saying,  that  if  he  should  not  be  master  of 
Macrumpe  castle  in  twenty-four  hours,  he 
must  raise  the  siege,  and  withdraw  the  troops 
from  before  it ;  orders  being  sent  likewise  to 
Lords  Barry  and  Roche,  to  keep  a  close  watch 
in  their  districts,  which  were  strongly  at- 
tached to  the  cause  of  Cormac  Mac-Carty. 

The  president's  letter  brought  sad  news  to 
Wilmot ;  that  general  being  eager  to  reduce 
Macrumpe,  and  thinking  it  dishonorable  to 
raise  the  siege.  An  unforeseen  occurrence, 
however, proved  favorable  to  his  views.  The 
castle  having  taken  fire,  and  it  being  impos- 
sible to  subdue  the  flames,  the  garrison  was 
obliged  for  their  safety  to  rush  into  an  ad- 
joining yard,  which  exposed  them  to  the  fire 
of  the  besiegers.  Their  twofold  danger 
now  roused  the  besieged  into  despair,  and 
opening  a  way  through  the  enemy,  sword  in 
hand,  they  effected  their  escape  with  a  small 
loss  on  their  side.  The  fire  of  the  castle 
being  extinguished,  Wilmot  left  a  few  com- 


550 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


panics  in  it  in  garrison,  and  took,  the  day- 
following,  the  road  to  Cork,  with  the  re- 
maiiulor  of  his  army. 

The  liberty  which  Mac-Carty  enjoyed 
since  his  escape  from  prison,  was  not  suffi- 
cient to  allay  his  apprehensions  ;  his  eldest 
son  was  imprisoned  in  England  ;  his  wife 
and  younger  son  were  prisoners  in  Cork  ; 
his  castles  of  Blarney,  of  Kilcrey,  and  Ma- 
criimpe,  were  in  the  hands  of  the  English, 
and  the  whole  of  Muskerry  was  laid  waste  ; 
so  that  he  had  in  his  favor  at  least  the  ap- 
pearance of  necessity  for  surrendering  to  the 
English,  notwithstanding  the  alliance  con- 
cluded between  him  and  O'Sullevan  Bearre. 
If  the  submission  of  Mac-Carty  of  Mus- 
kerry was  fatal  to  the  Catholic  cause  in 
Munster,  the  news  of  the  death  of  Hugh 
O'Donnel,  prince  of  Tirconnel,  was  still 
more  disastrous.  After  the  battle  of  Kin- 
sale,  that  prince  passed  into  Spain,  where  he 
attended  ably  to  the  interests  of  his  country, 
arrived  at  high  favor  at  court,  and  was  (on 
the  eve  of  his  death)  about  to  reap  the  fruits 
of  his  zeal.  The  confederates  of  Munster, 
upon  receiving  the  sad  news,  saw  themselves 
deprived  of  all  hope  on  the  side  of  Spain  ; 
their  courage  was  broken  down  ;  Daniel 
Mac-Carty  the  knight  of  Kerry,  Daniel,  son 
of  O'Sullevan  More,  and  others,  sought  to  be 
reconciled  to  the  English  government.  Cap- 
tain Tirrell  led  his  troops  into  Connaught, 
which  raised  the  courage  of  the  English ; 
five  thousand  of  whom  were  collected,  and 
the  command  given  to  Wilmot,  with  the  title 
of  governor  of  Bearre.  He  accordingly  led 
the  army  to  that  part  of  the  province,  and 
encamped  at  Gort-na-cailli,  in  a  valley  called 
Gleaunn  Garaibh,  where  he  published  a 
proclamation  in  the  queen's  name,  promising 
pardon  to  all  who  would  abandon  O'Sullevan 
Bearre's  standard.  This  prince  was  now 
forsaken  by  his  allies  ;  and  his  Connaught 
troops  having  left  him,  with  their  commander 
Thomas  Burke,  to  return  to  their  province, 
he  deemed  it  more  prudent  to  follow  them 
with  the  few  that  remained,  than  yield  to  an 
inhuman  enemy.* 

On  the  last  day  of  December,  O'Sullevan 

Bearre,  with  O'Connor  Kerry,  and  a  few 

other  noblemen,  having  joined  his   troops 

I  with  those  of  Connaught,  the  whole  amount- 

I  ing  to  scarcely  four  hundred  men,  set  out 

j  upon  their  march,!  intending  to  take  refuge 

j  whh    Hugh    O'Neill,    prince    of    Tyrone. 

j  Though  his  shortest  route  would  have  been 

through  Leinster,  still,  that  province   being 

in  the  power  of  the  English,  who  had  their 

I       *  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  cap.  6.    Pacat.  Hib.  cap.  26 
j       t  Hist.  Cathol.  cap.  8. 


garrisons  in  every  quarter,  he  determined  to 
gain  the  Shannon,  in  order  to  reach  O'Rourke, 
prince  of  Brefny,  through  Connaught.  The 
badness  of  the  roads,  and  scarcity  of  provis- 
ions, were  not  the  only  difficulties  the  prince 
of  Bearre  had  to  encounter.  He  was  con- 
tinually obliged  to  fight  his  way  with  the 
enemy  ;  on  the  frontiers  of  Muskerry  he 
was  pursued  by  the  Mac-Cartys  ;  after  this 
by  the  people  of  Duhallow  ;  again  at  Slieve 
Louchra  by  the  garrison  of  Captain  Cuff,  the 
Barrys,  and  Clan-Gibbons  ;  and  lastly,  at 
Slieve  Feilim,  in  the  country  of  the  O'Car- 
rols,  by  a  detachment  sent  by  the  earl  of 
Ormond.  We  read  nothing  in  history  which 
more  resembles  the  expedition  of  young 
Cyrus  and  the  ten  thousand  Greeks,  than 
this  retreat  of  O'Sullevan  Bearre.* 

The  prince  having  overcome  the  difficul- 
ties of  a  long  and  painful  march,  arrived  on 
the  7th  of  January  in  the  forest  of  Brosnach, 
above  Limerick,  near  the  Shannon,  where 
he  encamped  with  his  little  army.  He  here 
convened  a  council  of  war,  to  deliberate  on 
the  means  of  crossing  the  river  ;  in  which 
it  was  decided  that  a  number  of  boats  made 
of  osier  and  the  branches  of  trees,  should  be 
constructed  for  the  troops  ;  while  in  order 
to  prevent  them  from  sinking,  they  were 
covered  with  skins  of  horses,  provided  for 
the  purpose.  These  boats  were  used  by  the 
ancient  Irish,  and  were  called  Curraghs,  or 
Nevogues.  The  boats  being  completed,  they 
were  brought  during  the  night  to  Portlaughan, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Shannon,  opposite  to 
Portumny,  and  commenced  crossing  the 
river.  O'Maily,  who  went  by  the  tirst,  was 
upset  with  ten  soldiers,  but  the  rest  reached 
the  opposite  shore  in  safety.  On  reviewing 
his  men,  O'Sullevan  found  them  reduced 
to  two  hundred.  He  marched,  however, 
through  Galway  to  Mainech,  the  country  of 
the  O'Kellys,  where  he  had  to  contend  with 
fresh  enemies.!  Having  met  Captain  Malby, 
an  Englishman,  Sir  Thomas  Burke,  brother 
to  the  earl  of  Clanriccard,  and  other  chiefs, 
near  Aughrim,  at  the  head  of  a  body  of 
troops  superior  in  number  to  his  own,  a 
battle  began  between  them  with  equal  ani- 
mosity ;  but  Malby,  the  English  general, 
having  been  killed,  victory  declared  in  favor 
of  the  Catholics.  O'Sullevan  continued  his 
march  to  Brefny,  where  he  was  honorably 
received  by  O'Rourke. 

Wilmot  commanded  the  Munster  troops 
in  the  absence  of  the  president,  who  had 
been  called  on  affairs  of  business  to  Galway. 
Immediately  after  the  retreat  of  O'Sullevan, 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  cap.  9. 

t  Hist.  Cathol.  ibid.  cap.  10,  11,  12. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


551 


he  sent  four  hundred  men  from  Cork,  under 
the  White  Knight  and  Captain  TaafTe,  to  lay 
waste  the  districts  of  Bearre  and  Bantry. 
They  took  possession  of  the  castles  of  Ardea 
and  Caraignesse.  Captain  Fleming  was  dis- 
patched with  his  vessel  and  a  few  soldiers 
to  the  isle  of  Dorsie,  where  he  pillaged 
O'SuUevan's  magazines,  and  put  the  inhab- 
itants to  the  sword. 

The  people  of  Carbry,  alarmed  by  the 
cruelties  which  the  English  were  committing 
in  their  neighborhood,  took  up  arms,  headed 
by  the  MacCartys  of  that  district,  Dermod, 
son  of  O'Driscol,  Thadeus,  son  of  O'Mahony 
of  Carbry,  and  the  MacSweenys.  They  set 
out  on  their  march,  and  meeting  the  English 
army  at  Cladach,  several  days  were  spent  in 
skirmishing,  with  equal  success.  Teugue 
O'Mahony,  who  had  the  glory  of  beginning 
the  action,  repulsed  those  who  opposed  him  ; 
the  cavalry  of  MacCarty  and  MacSwecny 
performed  a  distinguished  part ;  but  a  de- 
tachment of  MacCarty's  infantry  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  body  of  English  horse,  and  cut 
to  pieces.  Teugue  O'Howley,  who  com- 
manded part  of  the  Catholic  army,  signalized 
himself  in  a  combat  with  the  White  Knight. 
Owen  MacEggan,  apostolical  vicar  from  the 
pope,  who  had  been  appointed  bishop  of 
Ross  by  his  holiness,  was  shot  in  the  skir- 
mishing. He  was  particularly  zealous  in  the 
Catholic  cause,  which  was  considered  a 
crime  by  the  English.  In  order  to  disparage 
his  character,  their  writers  allege  that  he 
was  killed  fighting  at  the  head  of  a  body  of 
troops,  with  a  sword  in  one  hand  and  a  bre- 
viary in  the  other  :  less  prejudiced  authors 
mention  his  having  a  breviary  and  beads.  A 
holy  priest  called  Dermod  MacCarty,  en- 
deavoring, through  charity,  to  exercise  the 
duties  of  his  ministry,  by  exhorting  and  pre- 
paring the  wounded  for  death,  was  taken  by 
the  English  and  brought  to  Cork.  Great 
rewards  were  offered  him  to  embrace  the  re- 
formed religion ;  but  his  refusal  gained  him 
the  glory  of  martyrdom.  He  was  tied  to 
the  tail  of  a  mad  horse,  and  after  being 
dragged  through  the  city,  was  hung  on  a 
gibbet ;  when  half  dead,  he  was  quartered, 
his  entrails  were  torn  out,  and  his  limbs  ex- 
posed in  the  public  streets.  It  was  thus  these 
reformers  preached  their  gospel 

This  struggle  of  the  inhabitants  of  Carbry 
was  the  last  during  this  reign  that  was  made 
in  the  province  of  Munster,  in  favor  of  re- 
ligion and  liberty.  It  was  too  weak  to  have 
succeeded.  The  MacCartys  having  failed, 
solicited  pardon  from  the  president,  through 
Captain  Taaffe,  and  obtained  it ;  but  Tegue 
O'Mahony,  less  politic,  was  surprised  by  the 


English,  and  beheaded.  Fitzmaurice,  with 
a  body  of  light  troops,  defended  himself  for 
a  long  time  in  Slieve-Luachra  against  the 
English ;  and  was  afterwards  so  fortunate 
as  to  redeem  his  property  and  title  of  baron 
of  Lixnaw,  by  his  surrender.  Thus  ended 
the  war  in  Munster. 

O'Sullevan  was  not  the  only  unfortunate 
prince  who  sought  safety  with  O'Rourke  ;* 
on  his  arrival  there  he  met  the  son  of  Wil- 
liam Burke,  chief  of  the  noble  family  of  the 
MacWilliams  of  Connaught,  and  Connanacht 
Maguire,  prince  of  Fermanagh,  who  had 
been  dispossessed  by  the  English.  In  order 
to  justify  their  conduct,  they  raised  a  rival 
against  him,  in  his  cousin,  Connor  Rua  Ma- 
guire, who  had  espoused  their  cause  and 
was  under  their  protection,  and  placed  gar- 
risons in  the  neighborhood  of  lake  Erne,  to 
favor  his  pretensions.  On  account  of  his 
attachment  to  the  interests  of  the  court,  the 
Irish  called  this  chief  Maguire  Galda,  or 
English  Maguire.  The  same  fate  having 
brought  O'Sullevan  Bearre  and  Maguire  to- 
gether, they  determined  to  have  recourse  to 
O'Neill,  and  induce  him  to  renew  the  war 
against  the  English.  Having,  therefore, 
taken  leave  of  the  prince  of  Brefny,  they  set 
out,  attended  by  Captain  Tirrell  and  a  few 
cohorts  of  armed  men,  and  notwithstanding 
the  severity  of  the  season,  and  the  badness 
of  the  roads,  they  proceeded  as  far  as  the 
banks  of  lake  Erne.  They  were  then  obliged 
to  force  the  several  posts  belonging  to  the 
English,  in  which  they  were  successful. 
Maguire  afterwards  got  possession  of  his 
principality  of  Fermanagh. 

While  the  princes  of  Bearre  and  Ferma- 
nagh continued  victorious  on  the  banks  of 
lake  Erne,  Lord  Mountjoy,  the  deputy,  re- 
ceived intelligence  from  England,  of  the 
queen's  approaching  dissolution.!  The  depu- 
ty was  alarmed  ;  he  knew  the  instability  of 
human  affairs,  particularly  among  a  haughty 
and  seditious  people  like  the  English ;  and 
apprehending  a  change  of  government,  he 
wished  particularly  to  put  an  end  to  the  war 
in  Ireland.  Hugh  O'Neill,  prince  of  Tyrone, 
was  the  great  obstacle  to  a  general  peace  : 
he  still  kept  up  his  troops  in  Ulster,  and  con- 
tinued on  the  defensive  for  some  time,  ex- 
pecting foreign  aid  ;  the  deputy,  therefore, 
considered  it  of  importance  to  gain  him  over, 
and  made,  through  his  friends,  proposals  to 
him.  The  terms  were  flattering  ;  a  general 
amnesty  was  offered  to  him,  and  to  his  allies, 
with  the  free  exercise  of  their  religion,  and 
the  peaceful  enjoyment  of  their  estates,  on 

*  Hist.  Cathol.  vol.  3,  lib.  8,  cap.  1,  2,  3,  4. 
t  Hist.  Cathol.  Hib.  ibid.  cap.  5. 


552 


HISTOBY   OF   IRELAND. 


condition  that  they  would  lay  down  their 


the  court  of  England,  they  received  an  order 


arms.  Tyrone  and  his  friends  having  ac- 
cepted the  terms  that  were  offered,  entered 
again  into  the  possession  of  their  inheritances, 
and  enjoyed  them  for  some  years  in  peace. 
A  cchjbrated  patent  of  Queen  Elizabeth, 
addressed  to  Rory  O'Donnel,  prince  of  Tir- 
connel,  is  stated  to  have  been  granted  about 
this  time  :  from  the  tenor  of  it,  it  appears  to 
have  been  given  by  the  advice  of  the  lord- 
deputy  Mountjoy,  and  the  council  of  Ireland. 
It  was  written  in  the  Latin  tongue,  and  in 
Gothic  characters.  In  this  patent  the  queen 
oflers  to  O'Donnel,  and  a  great  many  noble- 
men, proprietors  of  estates  which  were  held 
under  that  prince,  a  general  amnesty  and 
forgiveness  of  their  crimes.  After  the  dif- 
ferent branches  of  the  Donnels,  the  chief 
noblemen  who  are  named  in  the  act  are,  the 
O'Boyles,  the  O'Cahans,  the  O'Kellys,  the 
O'Galtowes,  the  O'Crinanes,  the  O'Carwels, 
the  MacNenys,  the  O'Kennidies,  the  O'Mul- 
renins,  the  O'Rowartys,  the  O'Tiernans,  the 
0'Creanes,the  0'Dwyers,lhe  0'Kierans,the 
O'Moyleganes,  the  O'Ruddies,  the  Mac- 
Awardes,  the  O'Dunneganes,  the  O'Meal- 
lanes,  the  O'Murrys,  the  O'Doghartys,  the 
O'xMiaghans,  the  6'Clerys,  the  MacGlagh- 
lins,  the  O'Sheridans,  the  O'Cassidys,  the 
O'Cashedians,  and  many  others.  This  patent, 
which  is  in  my  possession,  is  dated  Dublin, 
I  26th  February,  about  a  month  before  the 
death  of  the  queen — it  is  sealed  with  the 
I  great  seal  of  England,  and  signed  Philip. 
O'Neill,  O'Donnel,  O'Sullevan  Bcarre,  and 
I  some  other  Irish  chiefs,  went  the  next  sum- 
i  mer  to  England,  to  make  their  submission  to 
I  James  I.,  who  had  just  succeeded  Elizabeth, 

I  and  to  compliment  him  upon  his  accession  to 
the  throne  of  England.     O'Sullevan  being 

j!  unable  to  obtain  his  pardon,  sailed  for  Spain, 
!l  and  was  well  received  by  Philip  III.,  who 
!  created  him  knight  of  the  military  order  of 
Ij  St.  Jago,  and  afterwards  earl  of  Beerhaven. 
!j  There  is  at  present  in  Spain  a  count  of 

I I  Beerhaven,  heir  to  the  name  and  title  of 
that  prince. 

The  king  of  England  confirmed  to  O'Neill 
the  thle  of  earl  of  Tyrone.*  Rory,  or  Rod- 
erick, who  had  become  head  of  the  illus- 
trious house  of  O'Donnel,  by  the  death  of 
his  brother  Hugh,  which  occurred  some  time 
jj  before  in  Spain,  was  created  earl  of  Tircon- 
j|  nel.f  Niall  Garve  O'Donnel,  the  near  rela- 
tion of  O'Donnel  and  his  rival  for  the  prin- 
cipality of  Tirconnel,  was  one  of  those  who 
went  to  pay  homage  to  the  new  king.  While 
he  and  some  other  Irish  "noblemen  were  at 


*  Cox's  Reign  of  James  I.,  page  8. 

t  Hist.  Cathol.  Hib.  book  3,  cap.  11,  book 


to  return  to  Ireland  and  to  be  content  with 
their  ancient  patrimonies  and  titles  of  baron  ; 
this  title  Niall  indignantly  refused,  and  on 
his  return  to  Dublin,  he  presented  himself 
before  the  council,  and  inveighed  against  the 
perfidy  of  the  English  who  requited  him  thus 
for  his  services.* 

The  whole  of  Ireland  became  subject  to 
the  sway  of  the  English,  a.  d.  1603.  They 
boast  of  the  conquest  of  Ireland  after  a  war 
of  four  hundred  years,  while  they  will  not 
admit  that  England  was  conquered  in  a  single 
day  at  Hastings,  by  William  the  Conqueror. 
The  Irish  fought  for  their  freedom  till  the 
end  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign — some  of 
their  chiefs  still  kept  troops  on  foot ;  new 
succors  from  Spain  were  expected  ;  and 
the  people  did  not  lay  down  their  arms  un- 
til they  received  terms  which  were  favora- 
ble.f  Such  was  the  conquest  of  Ireland  of 
which  the  English  vainly  boast. 

Queen  Elizabeth  died  on  the  24th  of  March, 
the  last  day  of  the  year,  old  style .|  She 
lived  sixty-nine  years,  six  months,  and  seven 
days ;  and  reigned  forty-four  years,  four 
months,  and  seven  days.  Symptoms  of  rage 
and  heavy  affliction,^  preceded  her  death. 
English  writers  represent  the  infirmities 
which  accompaniedthe  last  daysof  Elizabeth, 
as  the  effects  of  melancholy  and  sadness. || 
The  winter  of  life  had  already  come  upon 
her  ;  she  saw  herself  abandoned  by  her  cour- 
tiers, who  were  proceeding  by  crowds  into 
Scotland  to  worship  the  rising  sun  ;  nothing 
more  was  neces.sary  to  afflict  an  aged  woman 
whose  ruling  principle  was,  to  her  last  sigh, 
ambition.  She  now  looked  upon  herself  as 
abandoned,  and  was  heard  to  say  with  an- 
guish, "  they  have  bound  me  by  the  neck, 
there  is  none  in  whom  I  can  any  longer  con- 
fide ;  how  sad  is  the  change  in  my  aff'airs !" 

Robert  Naughton,  an  English  writer,  gives 
in  his  "  Regalia  Fragmenta,"  a  true  picture 
of  EHzabeth,  and  ascribes  her  last  afflictions 
to  the  ill-success  of  her  arms  in  Ireland.  This 
Englishman  was  created  Sir  Robert  Naugh- 
ton, secretary  of  state,  and  master  of  the 
court  of  wardens,  under  James  I.  He  lived 
about  the  period  of  her  reign,  and  was  deeply 
conversant  in  political  secrets. 

"  The  war  in  Ireland,  which  he  says  may 
be  styled  the  distemper  of  the  reign  of  Eliza- 

*  Ibid,  book  8,  cap.  5. 

t  English  writers,  according  to  their  usual  tone, 
represent  the  terms  entered  into  between  Prince 
O'Neill  and  the  deputy,  as  a  conquest. 

I  Baker's  Chronicles  on  Elizabeth. 

§  Hist.  Cathol.  vol.  3,  book  8,  cap.  4. 

II  Cambd.  part  4,  Hist,  of  Elizab.  ad  an.  1603. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


553 


beth,  having  continued  to  the  end  of  her  life, 
proved  such  an  expenditure,  as  affected  and 
disorganized  the  heahh  and  constitution  of 
the  princess,  for,  in  her  last  days,  she  became 
sorrowful,  melancholy,  and  depressed.  Her 
arms  which  had  been  accustomed  to  conquer, 
meeting  with  opposition  from  the  Irish,  and 
the  success  of  the  war  for  so  long  a  time  be- 
coming not  only  doubtful  but  unfortunate, 
afflicted  her  to  distraction.  On  her  accession 
to  the  crown  of  England,  she  encouraged,  for 
the  purpose  of  causing  a  diversion  in  her 
own  favor,  the  rebellion  of  the  states  of 
Holland  against  the  king  of  Spain,  who,  by 
way  of  reprisal,  favored  and  encouraged 
the  Irish  to  oppose  Elizabeth. 

"  It  may  be  imagined  that  England  was 
at  the  time  equal  to  undertake  and  maintain 
by  her  resources  the  war  against  the  Irish. 
If  we  take  a  close  view  of  the  state  of  things 


in  her  education  she  was  well  cultivated  and 
had  a  knowledge  of  several  languages,  par- 
ticularly the  Latin,  which  she  spoke  fluently : 
she  was  fond  of  reading  the  Scriptures, 
which  she  frequently  quoted  in  controversy, 
in  accordance  with  her  principles.  Convers- 
ing one  day  in  Latin,  it  is  said  that  she 
hastily  made  use  o{ faminilem  sexum,  instead 
o{  foemineimi,  and  perceiving  her  mistake, 
she  added,  "  we  have  made,  by  our  royal 
authority,  Latin  of  this  unusual  word."* 

Elizabeth  had  able  ministers,  who  shared 
her  cares  in  government,  and  contributed  to 
render  her  reign  brilliant.  These  were,  Lei- 
cester, Sussex,  Burleigh,  .Sidney,  Walsing- 
ham,  Willoughby,  Bacon,  Norris,  Knowles, 
Perrot,  Effingham,  Packington,  Hunsdon, 
Rawleigh,  Crevil,  Essex,  Sackvil,  Blunt, 
Cecil,  Vere,  Worcester,  &c.  The  court  of 
this  princess  was  a  theatre  in  which  each 


at  the  period,  and  the  number  of  troops  in  j  played  his  part  with  skill ;  and  though  their 

object  appeared  to  be  the  public  welfare, 
and  the  glory  of  their  nation,  there  never 
was  a  court  more  devoted  to  intrigue,  so  that 
Higgins,  an  impartial  writer,  says  it  was  the 
most  wicked  ministry  that  ever  loas  knoivn  in 
any  reign.\ 

The  talents  of  Elizabeth  were  obscured  by 
the  wickedness  of  her  disposition,  which  was 
a  compound  of  ingratitude,  jealousy,  cruelty, 
and  duplicity,  of  which  her  treatment  towards 
Essex  and  some  other  favorites  affords  am- 
ple proofs.  .  The  desire  of  being  admired  by 
men,  was  her  predominant  passion,  which 
was  heightened  by  the  flattery  of  her  cour- 
tiers. Mary  Stuart,  queen  of  Scots,  and 
dowager  of  France,  (whom  she  considered  a 
rival,)  gave  her  most  uneasiness  ;  Mary  was 
witty  and  accomplished,  and  surpassed  Eli- 
zabeth in  beauty,  which  was  the  cause  of  her 
tragical  end.  Melvin  and  Higgins  mention 
an  absurd  trait  of  Elizabeth,  which  will  les- 
sen the  notions  that  English  historians  put 
forward  concerning  the  magnanimity  and 
strength  of  mind  of  this  princess.  Melvin 
being  asked  one  day  by  EHzabeth,  if  her 
sister  of  Scotland  danced  well,  replied,  "ex- 
cept your  majesty,  the  queen  of  Scots  is  the 
best  dancer  in  the  world."  Elizabeth  feeling 
how  untrue  the  compliment  was,  changed 
countenance,  and  withdrew  to  her  closet, 
where  she  wept  bitterly  for  two  hours. 

An  extract  from  the  tragical  history  of  the 
queen  of  Scots,  will  suffice  to  expose  the 
jealous  and  cruel  heart  of  Elizabeth. 

On  the  death  of  Francis  II.,  his  queen, 
Mary  Stuart,  returned  from  France  to  Scot- 


Ireland,  as  also  the  defeat  at  Black  Water,* 
and  the  expenditure  attending  the  attempts 
of  the  earl  of  Essex,  the  reduction  of  Kinsale 
under  General  Mountjoy,  and  of  a  short  time 
subsequently,  we  will  discover,  that  in  horse 
and  foot  the  troops  amounted  to  twenty 
thousand  men  ;  independently  of  the  naval 
armaments  connected  with  them.  The  queen 
was  obliged  to  keep  up  a  constant  and  pow- 
erful fleet,  to  watch  the  coasts  of  Spain  and 
blockade  its  harbors,  in  order  to  prevent 
the  succors  which  were  intended  for  Ireland 
from  being  forwarded.  The  expenses  there- 
fore attending  the  wars  of  Elizabeth  against 
the  Irish,  amounted  at  least  to  three  hundred 

j  thousand  pounds  sterling  a  year,  which  was 
not  half  her  expenditure  in  other  quarters  ; 
an  expense  which  could  not  be  longer  sup- 
ported without  the  aid  of  the  public.  The 
frequent  letters  of  the  queen,  and  the  con- 
stant requests  to  General  Mountjoy  to  dis- 
band the  forces  as  speedily  as  possible,  fur- 
nish an  irrefragable  proof  to  what  an  extre- 
mity this  princess  saw  herself  reduced." 

Opinion  is  divided  upon  the  character  of 
Elizabeth ;  every  writer  speaks  as  he  feels 
aflected.  The  partisans  of  the  reformation 
consider  her  the  founder  of  their  religion, 
and  call  her  the  divine  Elizabeth  ;  the  king 
of  Scotland  himself,  son  of  Mary  Stuart,  has 
published   her  praises  ;    what  a  subject  of 

j  edification  ;  what  a  triumph  to  the  queen's 

!  party! 

I  As  to  political  government,  it  cannot  be 
denied  that  Elizabeth  possessed  great  talents; 

*  This  is  a  river  in  Ulster :  by  the  defeat  of 
Black  Water  is  understood  a  signal  victory  gained 
by  Hugh  O'Neill,  prince  of  Tyrone,  over  the  Eng- 
lish  at  Benburb,  on  the  borders  of  that  river. 


*  Relat.  Girald.  cap.  26,  p.  197. 
t  Short  View,  p.  218. 


554 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


land.     After  having  been  brought  up  at  the 
most   polished    court  in   Europe,  she  was 
forced  to  live  among  her  fanatic  subjects. 
The  Scotch  Puritans  wishing  to  alter  the 
reformation  of  the  churcli  of  England,  af- 
forded by  their  religious  disputes  an  oppor- 
tunity to    Elizabeth   of    exciting  a  faction 
against   Mary,  and    fomenting   a   rebellion 
against  legal  authority.     "  We  leave  it  to 
casuists  and  lawyers,"  says  Higgins,  "  to 
decide  whether  a  prince  ought  to  assist  the 
rebellious  subjects  of  a  neighboring  power, 
with  whom  he  is  at  war  ;  but  exciting  those 
subjects  to  rebel,  at  a  time  he  is  on  good 
terms  with  their  king,  is  a  violation  of  the 
laws  of  nations  and  all  that  is  sacred  among 
men."* 
!j       The  queen  of  Scotland  being  too  young 
I  to  remain  a  widow,  chose    Henry  Darnly 
I  from  among  the  many  matches  that  were 
I  proposed  for  her.     He  was  son  of  Matthew 
j  Steward  or  Stuart,  earl  of  Lenox,  and  Mar- 
1  garet  Dowglas,  niece  of  Henry  VIII.,  by 
j  Margaret,  that  monarch's  eldest  sister,  who 
!  was   first   married   to   James   IV.,  king  of 
I  Scotland,  by  whom  she  had  James  V.,  and 
secondly,  to  Archibald    Dowglas,    earl    of 
Angus,  by  whom  she  became  mother  to  the 
countess  of  Lenox.f  Mary  had  sound  motives 
for  marrying  Lord  Darnly;  as  her  near  rela- 
tive, she  considered  him  heir  to  the  crown 
of  England,  after  herself,  and   thought   an 
alliance  with  him  necessary  to  render  her 
claim  to  that  throne  incontestable.    Elizabeth 
was  opposed  to  this  marriage,  as  she  wished 
Mary  to  marry  the  earl  of  Leicester.     The 
queen  of  Scots  persevering  in  her  first  reso- 
lution, created  Darnly  a  knight,  and  confer- 
red on  him  successively,  the  titles  of  Lord 
Armanack,  earl  of  Rosse,  and  duke  of  Roth- 
say,  (this  was  the  title  of  the  eldest  son  of 
the  kings  of  Scotland ;)  she  then  married 
him,  and  had  him  declared  king,  with  the 
consent  of  most  of  the  peers  of  Scotland. 

The  earl  of  Murray,  the  queen's  natural 
brother,  was  the  first  to  rebel  against  that 
princess.  Having  collected  his  adherents,  he 
I  proposed  the  following  seditious  questions  : 
j  "  Whether  a  popish  king  could  be  chosen  ? 
whether  the  queen  of  Scots  might  choose  a 
husband,  according  to  her  own  will  ?  and 
whether  the  lords  ought  not  to  nominate  one 
for  her,  by  their  own  authority  ?"  At  last 
he  took  up  arms  against  his  sovereign  ;  but 
the  rebels  being  soon  put  down  by  the  roy- 
alists, and  having  taken  refuge  in  England, 

*  Ibid.  p.  210. 

t  Cambd.  Elizab.  part  1,  Hist,  ad  an.  1564. 
Baker,  Chron.  of  England  on  the  reij^n  of  Elizab. 
p.  .334,  et  seq.     Cambd.  ibid,  ad  an.  1565. 


received  protection  from  Elizabeth.  The 
queen  of  Scots  had  a  son  by  her  second  mar- 
riage, who  was  afterwards  James  VI.  of 
Scotland,  and  I.  of  England. 

Murray  not  being  able  to  succeed  by  open 
force,  endeavored  to  sow  discord  between 
the  king  and  his  queen.*  He  attacked  the 
queen's  fidelity,  of  which  accusation  David 
Rizzio,  an  Italian,  and  secretary  to  that  prin- 
cess, was  the  victim,  being  stabbed  by  the 
king  himself.  Darnly  repented  afterwards 
of  his  rashness,  and  resolved  to  take  revenge 
on  Murray,  who  had  instigated  him  to  com- 
mit the  horrid  act.  Murray,  however, having 
discovered  his  design,t  averted  the  blow,  by 
having  the  king  strangled  in  his  bed,  and  the 
body  being  thrown  into  the  garden,  the 
house  was  immediately  blown  up. 

The  news  of  the  king's  murder  having 
spread,  the  public  ascribed  it  to  the  earls  of 
Murray,  Morton,  and  their  associates  ;  while 
they,  in  order  to  exculpate  themselves,  laid 
it  to  the  charge  of  the  queen.  Buchanan, 
to  ingratiate  himself  with  Murray,  wrote  a 
dialogue,  entitled  "  De  jure  regni  apud 
Scotos,"  in  which  he  sounded  the  alarm-bell 
of  sedition.  By  this  he  endeavored  to  prove 
that  the  people  have  a  power  to  choose  or 
to  depose  their  sovereign,  and  then  launched 
into  scandalous  attacks  upon  the  queen, 
which  he  afterwards,  when  dying,  retracted. 
Mary  finding  her  situation  precarious,  mar- 
ried Hepburn,  earl  of  Bothwell,  at  the  soli- 
citations of  Murray,  Morton,  and  their 
friends,  who  rose  up  in  arms  afterwards 
against  her.  Bothwell  was  forced  to  fly  into 
Denmark,  where  he  died  of  grief ;  the  queen 
was  then  seized  by  the  fanatics,  and  thrown 
into  prison  at  Lochlevin.  The  mother  of 
Murray  was  appointed  her  keeper — this 
woman  called  herself  the  wife  of  James  V., 
though  she  was  but  his  concubine,  and  re- 
presented her  son  as  heir  to  the  crown 
of  Scotland. 

The  cruel  policy  of  Elizabeth  was  the 
cause  of  Mary  Stuart's  misfortunes  •,%  she 
secretly  and  often  openly  abetted  Murray 
and  his  adherents  in  their  rebellion.  To  con- 
ceal, however,  her  wicked  intentions  under 
the  veil  of  kindness  and  pity,  she  sent  Sir 
Nicholas  Throgmortoni^  into  Scotland,  to 
upbraid  the  confederates  with  the  cruelty 
they  exercised  against  their  sovereign,  and 
to  devise  means  of  restoring  her  to  liberty. 
The  knight  witnessed  the  fury  of  the  fanatics, 
who  were  divided  in  their  opinions,  as  to  the 

*  Cambd.  ibid,  ad  an.  1567. 
t  Cambd.  ibid. 

t   Higgins'  Short  View,  page  210. 
§  Cambd.  ibid. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


555 


treatment  of  Mary  Stuart.  Some  were  dis- 
posed to  have  her  banished  for  life  ;  others 
wished  to  have  her  brought  and  examined 
before  the  judges,  that  she  might  be  con- 
demned to  perpetual  imprisonment,  and  to 
have  her  son  proclaimed  king ;  others,  still 
more  inhuman,  were  eager  to  have  her  stripped 
of  all  royal  authority,  and  put  to  death.  The 
celebrated  Knox,  a  violent  enthusiast,  was 
for  adopting  this  last  mode  of  punishment : 
he  was  eager  to  evince  his  gratitude  for  the 
protection  which  Murray  afforded  him  in  his 
efforts  to  establish  the  doctrine  of  the  Puri- 
tans on  the  ruin  of  the  old  religion :  for 
which  purpose  he  preached  in  public  against 
the  authority  of  princes  and  the  hierarchy  of 
the  church,  and  maintained  that  the  nobles 
possessed  the  power  to  suppress  idolatry, 
and  to  compel  the  prince  to  observe  what 
the  laws  prescribed. 

Throgmorton  applied  his  eloquence  in 
vain  to  bring  these  fanatics  to  reason.  He 
quoted  passages  from  Scripture  in  support 
of  the  obedience  due  to  princes,  and  ob- 
served, "  the  queen  is  subject  to  no  tribunal 
but  God ;  she  is  not  accountable  to  any 
power  on  earth ;  on  the  contrary,  all  au- 
thority in  Scotland  has  emanated  from  her, 
and  could  be  revoked  at  her  will." 

These  remonstrances  tended  only  to  make 
her  persecutors  more  furious  ;  her  imprison- 
ment was  more  rigidly  enforced,  and  she 
would  not  be  permitted  to  see  her  child.  An 
accusation  containing  three  heads,viz.,  incon- 
tinence, tyranny,  and  the  murder  of  the 
king,  was  threatened  against  her,  if  she  did 
not  abdicate  the  crown.  The  fear  of  death 
made  Mary  sign  the  act  of  abdication  in 
favor  of  her  son,  who  was  scarcely  thirteen 
months  old,  constituting,  at  the  same  time, 
her  opponent  Murray  regent  during  the 
minority.  Five  days  after  this  compulsory 
measure  against  Mary  Stuart,  her  son  James 
VI.  was  crowned,  and  Murray  put  into  pos- 
session of  the  regency.  The  regent's  first 
care  was  to  have  some  persons  who  were 
attached  to  the  earl  of  Bothwell  put  to 
death,  under  pretence  that  they  had  been 
concerned  in  the  murder  of  the  king,  but 
they  asserted  to  the  last  moment,  that  Mor- 
ton and  Murray  were  the  authors  of  it,  and 
that  the  queen  was  perfectly  innocent.* 

After  a  confinement  of  eleven  months  in 
the  castle  of  Lochlevin,  the  queen  of  Scots 
recovered  her  liberty,  by  the  contrivance  of 
George  Dowglas.f  Several  of  the  nobles 
then  met,  and  published  a  manifesto,  de- 
claring that  the  abdication  which  had  been 


*  Baker,  ibid,  page  337 


t  Ibid.  338. 


forced  from  her  during  her  imprisonment 
was  null  and  void.  Six  thousand  of  her  faith- 
ful subjects  crowded  to  the  standard  of  their 
sovereign,  but  were  soon  defeated  by  the 
superior  forces  of  the  regent. 

Mary  Stuart  no  longer  found  herself  se- 
cure in  her  native  land,  and  determined  to 
seek  an  asylum  in  another  quarter.*  Eng- 
land seemed  to  her  the  most  secure  retreat, 
as  she  believed  that  honor,  conscience,  and 
consanguinity  would  induce  Elizabeth  to 
protect  her  ;  but  in  this  she  was  mistaken. 
The  unfortunate  princess,  after  escaping  from 
her  faithless  subjects,  gave  herself  up  to  an 
ungenerous  and  implacable  enemy;  she  sailed 
with  Lord  Heris  and  Fleming,  for  England, 
and  arrived  on  17th  May  at  Wickinton,  in 
Cumberland,  from  which  she  immediately 
wrote  to  Elizabeth,  and  sent  her  a  diamond 
ring  which  she  had  formerly  given  her  as  a 
pledge  of  nuUual  friendship,  imploring  her 
protection  against  her  rebellious  subjects  ; 
while  at  the  same  time  she  solicited  an  au- 
dience, in  order  to  clear  herself  of  the 
calumnies  of  her  adversaries.  Elizabeth  re- 
turned an  apparently  kind  and  consolatory 
answer  to  the  queen  of  Scots,  promising  to 
assist  her  against  her  enemies  ;  but  refusing 
her  permission  to  appear  at  court.  She  was 
jealous  of  the  beauty  of  so  illustrious  a  rival, 
and  feared  it  would  make  her  appear  to  still 
more  advantage  if  they  were  seen  together. 
These  base  and  unworthy  sentiments  made 
her  condemn  Mary  Stuart  to  be  imprisoned 
in  the  castle  of  Carlisle,  under  pretence  of 
securing  her  from  the  insults  of  her  enemies. 

Though  Elizabeth  expressed  compassion 
for  Mary  Stuart,  she  still  kept  her  in  con- 
finement, and  concealed  her  malice  under 
an  appearance  of  clemency.  She  frequently 
appointed  commissioners  to  try  the  unhappy 
princess,  and  often  held  assemblies,  hoping 
to  have  her  found  guilty. 

Elizabeth  at  length  demanded  from  the 
most  determined  of  the  Scotch  malecontents, 
why  they  had  deposed  their  sovereign .f 
Murray,  the  regent,  having  been  assassinated 
some  time  before,  the  fanatics  were  now 
headed  by  James  Dowglas,  earl  of  Morton, 
Pernare,  abbot  of  Dumfermelin,  and  James 
Mac  Grey,  who  sent  a  long  document,  by 
way  of  answer,  to  the  queen  of  England,  to 
the  purport,  that  "  according  to  the  ancient 
liberties  of  Scotland,  the  people  were  above 
the  king  ;  that  the  magistrates  of  the  people 
were,  according  to  Calvin,  intended  as  a 
check  upon  princes,  and  that  they  possessed 
not  only  the  power  of  imprisoning  bad  kings, 

*  Higgins'  Slioit  View,  page  212. 

t  Cainbd.  Elizabeth,  part  2.     Hist,  ad  an.  1571. 


556 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


but  likewise  of  dethroning  them."  An  appeal 
to  the  magistrates  was  the  general  resource 
of  these  Scotch  fanatics  against  legal  au- 
thority, knowing,  that  when  corruption 
reached  that  body,  it  was  perpetuated  by 
the  same  spirit  wliich  united  the  members. 
Elizabeth  received  the  remonstrances  of 
the  rebels  with  a  show  of  indignation. 

These  proceedings,however,forboded  evil 
to  the  queen  of  Scots,  as  it  had  been  already 
determined  that  she  should  perish.  Matthew, 
earl  of  Lenox,  who  succeeded  Murray  in  the 
regency,  had  been  likewise  murdered  ;  he 
was  succeeded  by  John  Erskine,  earl  of  Mar, 
who  lived  but  thirteen  months.  This  office 
having  remained  vacant  for  some  time,  was 
filled  through  the  interference  of  Queen  Eli- 
zabeth, by  James  Dowglas,  earl  of  Morton, 
Mary's  avowed  enemy,  and  who  was  sus- 
pected of  havingbeen  concerned  in  the  death 
of  Lord  Darnly,  the  young  king's  father.*  It 
seems  that  this  suspicion  was  well  founded  ; 
he  was  accused  soon  afterwards  of  high 
treason,  at  the  instigation  of  the  earlof  Arran, 
put  into  confinement,  convicted  of  having 
been  an  accomplice  in  the  murder  of  Darnly, 
and  condemned  to  be  beheaded ;  when  he 
avowed  his  crime  on  the  scaffold.  Elizabeth 
exerted  her  influence  to  save  this  nobleman's 
liie,  and  the  interest  she  took  to  preserve 
from  the  scaffold  a  man  who  had  been  con- 
demned for  so  heinous  an  offence,  gave  rise 
to  an  opinion  that  she  was  not  innocent  of 
participating  in  the  crime  for  which  he  was 
condemned.!  At  all  events,  from  the  con- 
cern she  manifested  for  the  murderers  of 
the  king,  she  shared  in  the  infamy  of  their 
conduct. 

Mary  Stuart  was  continually  soliciting  her 
liberty  from  Elizabeth,  and  was  supported  in 
her  solicitations  by  the  French  and  Spanish 
ambassadors,  but  in  vain.  Truth,  however, 
prevailed  over  calumny,  in  favor  of  Mary's 
innocence,  through  the  declarations  made  by 
Morton,  Bothwell,  and  many  others,  in  their 
last  moments,  when  every  man  is  believed  to 
speak  truly.  There  wasnolonger  any  ground 
of  accusation  against  this  innocent  victim  in 
Scotland,  but  conspiracies  were  plotted  in 
England  against  Elizabeth,  of  which,  though 
in  prison,  she  was  accused.^  Walsingham 
succeeded  by  his  emissaries  in  engaging  a 
few  Catholics  in  a  plot  to  rescue  the  queen  of 
Scots  by  open  force,  of  which  Babington  and 
a  few  nobles  became  the  victims.  Com- 
missioners havingbeen  appointed  to  examine 

*  Higgins,  pages  219,  220.    Cainbd.ad  an.  1580. 
t   Baker,  ibid,  page  358.     Higgins,  ibid. 
t  Higgins,  ibid.  pp.  220,  221.  Baker,  ibid,  pages 
367,  368. 


into  tlie  affair,  they  repaired  in  October  to 
Fotheringay  castle,  in  Northamptonshire, 
where  Mary  was  confined  :  that  princess 
appealed  against  their  authority,  as  being  a 
sovereign,  and  independent  of  any  earthly 
tribunal :  but,  on  the  threat  that  she  would 
be  condemned  for  contumacy,  she  submitted, 
declaring,  at  the  same  time,  "that  despairing 
of  her  freedom,  she  had  endeavored  to  es- 
cape, in  doing  which  she  considered  herself 
justified  by  the  laws  of  nature  and  self-pre- 
servation ;  but,  that  as  to  any  attempts  against 
the  person  of  the  queen,  or  her  authority, 
she  was  wholly  innocent."  Nevertheless  the 
commissioners  assembled,  who  having  put 
the  questions,  and  read  to  Queen  Mary  the 
charges  which  had  been  brought  against  her, 
she  still  maintained  that  she  was  a  sovereign, 
and  not  subject  to  a  law  made  in  England  for 
her  destruction  ;  and  demanded  to  be  heard 
in  open  parliament,  in  presence  of  Elizabeth. 
The  commissioners' had  not 'sufficient  au- 
thority to  concede  this  request,  and  repaired 
immediately  to  Westminster,  when  an  infa- 
mous verdict  was  pronounced  in  the  Star 
Chamber  against  the  unhappy  princess.  In 
the  decision  which  was  signed  and  sealed  by 
the  commissioners,  it  was  set  forth,  that  since 
the  1st  of  June,  Anthony  Babington  and 
others  had,  with  the  consent  of  Mary  queen 
of  Scots,  heiress  to  the  crown  of  England, 
engaged  in  a  conspiracy  tending  to  the  ruin 
and  death  of  Queen  Elizabeth. 

To  give  the  efiicacy  of  law  to  the  sentence 
passed  by  the  commissioners,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  convene  the  parliament  ;*  the  whole 
nation  was  to  be  made  partaker  of  this  great 
and  infamous  crime,!  and  Elizabeth  was  to 
be  appealed  to  by  the  parliament  to  consent 
to  the  death  of  Mary  Stuart.  The  peers 
distinguished  themselves  on  this  occasion  ; 
they  presented  a  petition  to  Elizabeth  to  cause 
the  sentence  of  the  commissioners  to  be  car- 
ried into  effect  against  the  queen  of  Scotland, 
and  to  strengthen  their  appeal,  they  instanced 
the  judgments  of  God  against  Saul  and 
Ahab,:}:  for  having  spared  Agag  and  Benha- 
dad.  It  was  thus  they  perverted  the  Scrip- 
tures to  the  destruction  of  an  innocent  wo- 
man. This  extraordinary  appeal,  which  was 
more  suited  to  fanatics  than  to  men  of  honor 
and  principle,  must  give  us  a  strange  opinion 
of  English  nobility  at  the  time.§  j 

Elizabeth  eagerly  sought  for  the  death  of  ' 
Mary,  without  wishing  it  to  appear  that  she 
was  the  cause  of  it.     She  was  ashamed  to 


*  Can)bd.  ad  ann.  1586. 

t  Baker,  page  360. 

I  Higgins,  page  222. 

§  Higgins,  ibid,  page  222,  et  seq. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


557 


admit  in  public  Avhat  she  secretly  desired. 
She  appeared  at  one  time  to  reject  the  me- 
morial of  the  peers  ;  at  another  to  suspend 
her  decision  ;  but  she  was  too  wicked  to  be 
sincere,  and  inherited  too  much  of  the  cruel 
and  ferocious  temper  of  her  father,  Henry 
VIII.,  to  show  either  humanity  or  feeling. 
Wearied,  as  she  said,  by  the  repeated  solici- 
tations of  her  people,  she  consented  to  the 
death  of  Mary,  queen  of  Scots.  Having  thus 
acted  her  part,  she  gave  Davison,  the  secre- 
tary, a  letter  signed  with  her  own  hand,  and 
sealed  with  her  seal,  authorizing  the  death  of 
that  princess  :*  the  commission  was  sent  to 
the  earls  of  Shrewsbury,  Kent,  Derby,  and 
Cumberland,  with  orders  to  have  the  sen- 
tence of  the  law  executed  on  the  unfortu- 
nate queen. 

The  earl  of  Leicester  was  not  more  con- 
scientious than  the  others,  but  was  more 
prudent ;  he  besought  Elizabeth  not  to  com- 
mit so  barbarous  a  deed,  which  would  even- 
tually recoil  upon  herself,  and  which  was 
unworthy  the  majesty  of  a  monarch.!  The 
queen  then  asked  him  how  she  ought  to  act. 
"  Send  an  apothecary,  madam,  rather  than 
an  executioner  ;  if  she  must  die,  let  decency 
be  regarded." 

We  have  now  arrived  at  the  close  of  the 
tragedy  of  the  queen  of  Scots.;}:  The  noble- 
men who  had  been  appointed  by  the  court  to 
attend  to  her  execution,  arrived  at  Fotherin- 
gay ;  on  appearing  before  the  princess  they 
informed  her  of  the  object  of  their  journey, 
and  having  read  the  warrant,  told  her  that 
she  should  be  prepared  to  die  on  the  follow- 
ing day.  Without  any  appearance  of  dis- 
may, she  returned  the  following  reply  :  "  I 
did  not  think  that  my  sister  of  England  would 
have  consented  to  the  death  of  a  person  who 
was  not  amenable  to  her  laws  ;  but  since  it 
is  her  pleasure,  death  will  be  welcome  to  me." 
She  then  asked  for  permission  to  converse 
with  her  spiritual  father,  and  Melvin,  her 
steward,  but  the  commissioners  carried  their 
barbarous  cruelty  so  far  as  to  deny  her  what 
would  have  been  granted  to  the  meanest 
criminal,  "  which  was  looked  upon,"  says 
Baker, ''  as  a  species  of  tyranny  unheard  of." 

The  noblemen  having  retired,  the  queen 
of  Scots  gave  orders  to  prepare  supper,  of 
which  she  partook  moderately,  as  usual.  She 
then  retired  to  rest  at  the  accustomed  time  ; 
and  after  taking  a  few  hours  repose,  she  spent 
the  remainder  of  the  night  in  prayer.  On 
the  8th  of  February,  the  fatal  day  of  her  ex- 
ecution being  arrived,  the  princess  dressed 

*  Baker,  ibid,  page  371. 

t  Higgins,  ibid.  223. 

t  Baker,  ibid,  pages  370,  371. 


herself  and  withdrew  to  her  closet,  where 
she  continued  to  implore  with  abundant  tears 
the  mercies  of  God,  until  the  sheriff,  Thomas 
Andrews,  came  to  announce  to  her  that  the 
fatal  moment  was  arrived.  She  left  her  closet, 
and  advanced  with  a  majestic  and  sprightly 
step,  having  a  veil  upon  her  head,  and  in  her 
hand  an  ivory  crucifix.  She  was  received 
in  a  gallery  by  the  nobles  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed to  superintend  her  execution  ;  and 
who  led  her  into  a  hall  where  the  sad  instru- 
ments for  her  death — namely,  an  arm-chair, 
cushion,  and  block  covered  with  black  cloth, 
were  prepared.  The  princess  having  recited 
a  prayer,  and  the  psalm,  "  In  te,  Domine, 
speravi,"  her  head  was  cut  off  in  a  most 
barbarous  and  indecent  manner  ;  and  even 
after  her  death,  her  maids  of  honor  were 
not  suffered  to  attend  in  order  to  take  charge 
of  her  body. 

Such  was  the  melancholy  fate  of  Mary 
Stuart,  queen  of  Scots,  and  dowager  of 
France,  at  the  age  of  forty-six  years  ;  nine- 
teen of  which  she  spent  in  prison.* 

If  the  manner  of  the  death  of  this  princess, 
her  greatness  of  soul,  and  resignation  to  the 
will  of  God,  have  filled  the  world  with  vene- 
ration for  her  memory,  so  are  the  authors  of 
her  barbarous  and  cruel  death  covered  with 
infamy  and  disgrace.  "  It  was  reserved," 
says  Higgins,  "  for  the  English  nation  to 
give  this  example  of  cruelty. "f  "  Queen 
Mary,"  says  Baker,  "  possessed  in  an  emi- 
nent degree  all  the  fine  qualities  of  mind 
and  body,  so  that  were  she  a  private  woman, 
or  the  queen  of  Scotland  only,  she  would, 
perhaps,  have  been  happy ;  biit  her  right 
as  heiress  to  the  crown  of  England,  and 
a  jealousy  towards  her  person,  were  the  fatal 
causes  of  her  destruction. "I 

As  soon  as  the  news  of  Mary  Stuart's  ex- 
ecution aad  death  was  known,  Elizabeth 
fell  into  a  state  of  alarming  melancholy  ;«5» 
she  appeared  inconsolable,  and  avoided  all 
society.  This,  however,  was  mere  pretence. 
She  wrote  also  to  James  VI.  of  Scotland,  in 
order  to  remove  the  stigma  of  having  borne 
a  part  in  the  murder  of  the  princess  his 
mother.  Every  artifice  and  deceit  was  made 
use  of  to  remove  from  herself,  and  to  fix 
upon  her  ministers,  the  odium  of  the  foul 
deed,  as  if  they  could  have  effected  it  without 
her  approval. II  The  king  of  Scotland  was 
justly  and  deeply  affected  for  the  execution 
and  death  of  his  mother  ;  at  first  he  refused 

*  Higgins,  pages  224,  225. 

t  Baker,  page  372. 

t   Baker,  ibid. 

§  Cambd.  page  494. 

II  Higgins,  pages  225,  226. 


558 


HISTORY   OP   IRELAND. 


to  admit  into  his  presence  the  messenger  who 
brought  the  letter  from  Elizabeth.  He,  how- 
ever, relaxed  in  his  determination,  and  from 
a  weakness  of  principle  inherent  in  his  fami- 
ly, and  which  afterwards  proved  fatal  to  his 
posterity,  he  even  formed  a  sincere  and  solid 
friendship  for  the  queen  of  England. 

The  subversion  of  the  ancient  religion, 
and  establishment  of  the  reformation  in  her 
states,  formed  the  most  remarkable  feature 
in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth.  The  character  of 
this  princess  will  be  more  or  less  affected  by 
the  impression  which  that  change  produces 
in  different  minds.  The  incredulous,  no 
doubt,  look  upon  the  pretended  reformation 
in  religion  as  a  matter  of  indifference,  since 
they  do  not  believe  in  any  creed  ;  the  re- 
formers give  to  the  event  a  pre-eminent  place 
among  the  virtues  of  Elizabeth ;  while  others, 
after  weighing  well  the  nature  and  circum- 
stances of  the  enterprise,  tell  us,  that  the 
memory  of  this  queen  will  be  for  ever,  from 
that  occurrence  alone,  covered  with  infamy. 

It  is  not  the  part  of  our  history  to  decide 
this  controversy,  nor  to  give  an  opinion 
whether  religion  required  to  be  reformed,  or 
whether  the  reformation  were  a  meritorious 
act.  The  character  of  Elizabeth  is  the  matter 
now  before  us  ;  according  to  that,  therefore, 
our  opinion  must  be  shaped.  The  means 
which  she  made  use  of  to  effect  that  refor- 
mation, must  be  weighed  with  those  of  honor 
conscience,  and  other  qualities  which  render 
us  pleasing  before  God  and  man. 

If  we  review  closely  the  opinions  of  Eliza- 
beth, an  indifference  will  be  discovered  in  her 
as  to  the  choice  of  a  religion.  Brought  up 
in  her  first  years  in  the  court  of  her  father, 
Henry  VHI.,  of  which  debauchery,  sacri- 
lege, and  tyranny  formed  the  prevailing 
characteristics,  nothing  less  than  a  miracle 
could  have  saved  the  young  princess  from  the 
contagion.  Whatever  was  in  conformity  with 
her  interest,  constituted  the  religion  of  Eliza- 
beth. In  the  reign  of  her  brother  Edward, 
she  was  a  Calvinist ;  during  the  reign  of  her 
sister  Mary,  the  mass,  confession,  and  other 
tenets  of  the  Catholic  doctrine  accorded  with 
her  ideas.  Such  was  her  conduct  until  she 
ascended  the  throne.  She  then  began  by 
declaring  herself  favorable  to  the  reforma 


tion — the  motives  for  which  choice  can  be 
inferred  from  circumstances.  She  was 
formed,  that  an  attachment  to  the  ancient 
religion  would  be  a  ground  to  dispute  her 
right  to  the  crown  ;  as  the  nobles  who  had 
accumulated  fortunes  at  the  expense  of 
church  property,  feared  for  their  posses- 
sions, while  others  dreaded  the  ancient  and 
rigid  discipline  of  the  church.  These,  united 


to  other  human  motives,  caused  the  balance 
toin(dine  in  favor  of  the  reformation.  Upon 
the  topic  of  religion,  the  necessity  of  tem- 
porizing and  of  managing  the  two  parties, 
was  plain  to  Elizabeth  :  her  grand  principle 
was,  that  "  to  know  how  to  reign,  she  must 
know  how  to  dissemble  ;"  "  Qui  nescit  dis- 
simulare,  nescit  regnare."  For  this  object, 
her  privy  council  was  a  mixed  body.;  at  the 
same  time  that  she  had  her  cabinet  council, 
which  consisted  of  men  who  were  partial  to 
reformation,  and  who  sapped,  imperceptibly, 
the  foundations  of  the  Catholic  faith.  To 
conceal  more  efficiently  her  double  motives, 
she  amused  Spain,  France,  and  other  powers, 
with  entertaining  the  overtures  of  marriage 
which  were  made  to  her ;  by  which  mode 
she  succeeded  in  having  the  cause  of  reli- 
gion neglected  for  the  prospects  of  so  flat- 
tering an  alliance. 

An  attempt  to  make  men  change  their 
manner  of  thinking,  under  pain  of  death  or 
confiscation  of  property,  gives  a  true  idea  of 
tyranny  ;  for  no  power  upon  earth  can  ac- 
complish such  a  change.  The  will,  say  the 
philosophers,  cannot  be  coerced  in  its  acts  : 
of  this  the  greatest  conquerors  have  been  so 
convinced,  that  they  were  content  with  the 
submission  of  those  whom  they  conquered, 
without  seeking  to  interfere  with  their  right 
of  conscience. 

Elizabeth  thinking  herself  competent  to 
undertake  any  thing,  began  the  great  work 
of  reform.  She  abolished  a  religion  that  had 
subsisted  since  the  first  ages  of  Christianity, 
and  substituted  in  its  place  one  of  a  new  fab- 
ric. The  dogmas  of  the  latter  received  their 
shape  from  a  parliament  which  refused  to 
the  bishops  that  power  which  was  given  them 
by  Jesus  Christ  to  guide  his  church  in  its 
doctrine  and  spiritual  concerns.*  Collier,! 
in  his  Ecclesiastical  History,  says,  "  When 
secular  men  prescribe  to  the  church,  when 
those  who  are  strangers  to  antiquity  give  laws 
for  discipline,  'tis  no  ivonder  if  they  mistake 
in  their  devotion."X 

Queen  Elizabeth  caused,  by  the  authority 
of  parliament,  some  volumes  of  penal  laws 
to  be  published  against  those  who  refused  to 
submit  to  the  reformation.  Under  these  laws 
no  one  was  secure  in  his  life  or  freedom  ;  it 
was  in  the  power  of  any  profligate  to  accuse 
his  neighbor  before  a  judge,  when  the  in- 
former was  certain  of  being  attended  to,  and 
the  innocent  party  oppressed.  To  these  were 


*  Baker's  Cliron.  Reign  of  Elizabeth. 

t  He  was  an  English  Protestant.  Collier's  Hist. 
Ecelesiast.  vol.  2,  538. 

I  Dodd's  Hist,  of  the  Church  of  England,  vol.  2, 
part  4,  book  1,  art.  6.     Dodd,  ibid. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


559 


added  other  laws  equally  barbarous  aad  in- 
human :  to  refuse  to  acknowledge  Eliza- 
beth's ecclesiastical  supremacy,  to  take  holy 
orders  in  a  foreign  country,  to  afford  an  asy- 
lum to  the  clergy,  to  be  reconciled  to  the  old 
religion,  or  to  be  present  at  such  reconcilia- 
tion of  another,  was  deemed  high  treason  ; 
while,  at  the  same  time,  every  method  was 
resorted  to  to  bring  the  unhappy  Catholics 
within  the  range  of  this  sentence.  The 
prisons  were  continually  crowded  with  sup- 
posed culprits,  many  of  whom  suffered  upon 
the  scaffold.  According  to  the  most  correct 
calculations,  the  number,  even  of  the  Eng- 
lish, that  were  put  to  death,  amounted  to  two 
hundred  and  twenty-seven  ;  among  whom 
were  one  hundred  and  ninety-seven  ecclesi- 
astics, comprising  four  Jesuits  and  a  Fran- 
ciscan friar.* 

The  preceding  reign,  indeed,  affords  ex- 
amples of  the  same  kind  ;  several  partisans 
of  the  opposite  sect  having  been  put  to  death 
during  it,  who  are  considered  martyrs  of  the 
reformation.  The  case,  however,  was  very 
different  :  he  who  defends  his  own  right  is 
less  criminal  than  he  who  encroaches  upon 
that  of  his  neighbor  :  the  English  had,  for 
many  centuries,  professed  the  Catholic  doc- 
trine, which  Queen  Mary  wished  to  uphold  ; 
for  which  purpose  she  was  constrained  to 
have  some  innovators,  who  were  disturbing 
the  old  religion  and  everywhere  publishing 
new  doctrines,  put  to  death. f  Elizabeth,  on 
the  contrary,  was  desirous  of  abolishing  the 
ancient  religion,  the  profession  of  which  had 
been  authorized  by  so  many  kings  her  prede- 
cessors, and  substituting  one  that  flattered 
her  ambition.  On  Mary's  accession  to  the 
throne,  she  rejected  the  absurd  title  of  head 
of  the  church,  which  had  been  usurped  by 
her  father,  Henry  VIII.  Elizabeth  con- 
sidered this  title  as  the  brightest  gem  in  her 
crown,  and  had  several  condemned  to  death 
for  having  denied  her  that  dignity.  If,  there- 
fore, we  judge  of  the  merits  of  an  act  by  the 

*  Dodd,  ibid.  lib.  3,  art.  7. 

t  Tliis  position  is  certainly  bad.  If  the  persecu- 
tions under  Mary  had  been  dictated  by  a  determi- 
nation to  suppress  the  doctrine  of  the  reformation, 
they  would  be  just  as  culpable  as  those  of  Eliza- 
beth. Interference  with  freedom  of  conscience  is, 
in  all  cases,  unjustifiable  ;  and  quite  as  much  so 
when  the  object  is  to  coerce  people  to  retain  an  old 
religion,  as  when  it  is  to  make  them  adopt  a  new 
one.  The  recent  researches  of  historians  seem  to 
show,  that  the  executions  in  the  reign  of  Mary  arose 
wholly  from  political  causes,  and  can  be  defended 
on  this  ground.  Had  they  been  the  result  of  reli- 
gious bigotry,  they  would  have  fully  merited  for  her 
the  title  of  "  Bloody  Mary,"  so  frequently  (but,  as 
it  now  appears,  improperly)  bestowed  on  her. — Note 
1 1  hij  Editor. 


motives  that  produce  it,  we  will  discover  a 
great  diff'erence  between  Mary  and  Eliza- 
beth. 

The  reformers  in  Ireland  did  not  yield  to 
their  brethren  in  England,  in  cruelty  ;  they 
caused  as  many  to  suffer  martyrdom,  besides 
the  thousands  of  men,  women,  and  children, 
who  suffered  death  for  their  religion,  either 
by  war  or  famine.*  To  judge  of  the  dispo- 
sition of  Elizabeth  by  her  propensities  and 
caprices,  she  was  violent  in  the  extreme  ; 
the  ferocity  of  her  father,  who  could  not 
bear  to  be  controlled,  was  discoverable  in 
the  daughter :  when  any  thing  went  con- 
trary to  her  wishes,  she  gave  vent  to  her 
rage  in  transports  of  phrensy,  and  swore  in 
a  manner  little  suited  to  her  sex — her  gene- 
ral oath  being  "  GoiFs  death."^ 

If  political  motives  prevented  Elizabeth 
from  marrying,  the  occurrences  of  her  life 
are  far  from  sustaining  a  predilection  for  vir- 
ginity :  she  had  many  favorites  whom  she 
selected  from  their  appearance,  and  with 
whom  her  familiarity  furnished  cause  for 
doubting  her  A'irtue  ;  her  inconstancy  proved 
sometimes  fatal  to  them.  It  was  thus  Eliza- 
beth amused  the  nobles  of  her  court,  while 
she  was  forwarding  the  reformation :  she  had 
always  the  advantage  of  skilful  ministers  to 
guide  her  government  ;  but  as  to  religion, 
and  the  general  rights  of  mankind,  Dodd 
says,  "  never  was  a  nation  more  unfortunate 
than  England  during  her  reign." 

The  praises  which  panegyrists  have  be- 
stowed upon  Elizabeth,  with  respect  to  her 
pretended  wisdom  in  government,  and  which 
have  been  implicitly  believed  by  foreigners, 
are  known  to  us.     It  is  true  that  the  length 
of  her  reign  was  favorable  to  great  under- 
takings ;  she  participated  largely  in  the  for- 
mation of  the  republic  of  Holland,  and  was 
persevering  in  her  efforts  to  succor  the  Hu- 
guenots in  France  ;  but  the  civil  war  which 
she  fomented  in  Scotland,  and  the  murder  of 
the  queen  of  that  country,  tarnished  the  glory 
of  her  reign.     She  gained  many  advantages  '. 
over  the   Spaniards  in  the  war  which  she 
carried  on  against  them  ;  this,  however,  was  j 
a  war  of  plunder,  by  which  a  few  individuals  j 
were  enriched,  but  from  which  England  reap-  | 
ed  no  solid  advantages.     The  war  in  Ire-  | 
land  cost  her,  for  some  years,  half  of  her  | 
revenues,  without  her  witnessing  the  Irish  | 
people  reduced  to  obedience.  ] 

From  the  above  slight  sketches  of  mat- 
ters which  characterized  Queen  Elizabeth's  i 
reign,  we  leave  it  for  the  impartial  reader  to  j 

*  Analecta  Sacra  de  Process.     Mart,  part  3.        j 

t  Nauton  fragment.  Regalia,  Dodde,  ibid.  lib.  I,  j 

art.  6.     Dodde,  ibid.  I 


560 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


determine  whether  an  advantageous  opinion 
of  her  morit  can  be  entertained,  or  whether 
the  means  which  she  made  use  of  for  the 
attainment  of  her  designs  were  conformable 
to  honorable  and  upright  principles.  She 
ended  her  career  in  despair  ;  and  God,  in 
his  justice,  allowed  her  who  had  caused  so 
much  sorrow  to  others,  to  die  without  one  to 
console  her. 


CHAPTER  LI. 

!  On  the  death  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  a.  d. 
1 603,  James  VI .,  king  of  Scotland,  inherited 
the  throne  of  England,  as  descendant  of  Mar- 
garet, eldest  daughter  of  Henry  VII.  He 
was  son  of  Mary  Stuart,  who  was  beheaded 
under  Elizabeth  ;  her  father,  James  V.,  was 
son  of  James  IV.,  king  of  Scotland,  and 
Margaret  of  England  above  mentioned.  The 
father  of  James  VI.  was  Lord  Darnly,  son 
of  the  earl  of  Lenox,  who  was  descended 
from  Robert  Stuart,  the  successor  of  David 
Bruce,  king  of  Scotland,  about  the  middle 
of  the  fourteenth  century.  We  have  given, 
in  our  account  of  the  preceding  reign,  the 
misfortunes  and  tragical  end  of  Lord  Darnly, 
who  had  married  Mary  Stuart. 

The  right  of  all  the  British  kings,  de- 
scended either  from  the  Saxons,  Danes,  or 
Normans,  was  united  in  the  person  of  James 
I.,  so  that  no  prince  in  Europe  had  a  more 
incontestable  claim  to  royalty,  than  this 
prince  had  to  the  crown  of  England. 

By  the  accession  of  James  to  the  throne 
of  England,  the  two  rival  nations,  England 
and  Scotland,  which  had  been  divided  for  so 
many  centuries,  became  united  under  one 
king,  and  from  that  period  the  English  mon- 
archs  took  the  title  of  kings  of  Great  Bri- 
tain and  Ireland.  Clement  VIII.  filled  the 
papal  chair  at  the  time  of  James's  accession  ; 
Rodolphus  II.  was  emperor  of  Germany; 
Henry  the  Great  ruled  in  France,  and  Philip 
III.  wks  king  of  Spain. 

James  was  proclaimed  in  London  on  the 
14th  March,  with  every  demonstration  of  joy. 
The  same  ceremony  took  place  in  Dublin  on 
the  6th  April,  by  order  of  Lord  Mountjoy, 
deputy  of  Ireland,  in  obedience  to  letters 
which  he  had  received  from  the  council  in 
England  to  that  effect.  The  same  loyalty 
was  not  manifested  in  other  cities  and  towns 
of  Ireland  ;  as  many  wished  to  understand 
the  king's  disposition  towards  the  Catholic 
religion,  before  they  would  acknowledge  him 
for  their  sovereign.  Captain  Morgan  was 
sent  to  Cork  to  have  him  proclaimed  in  that 


city  as  in  Dublin,  under  the  title  of  James  I . 
Morgan  was  joined  in  Cork  by  Sir  George 
Thornton,  one  of  the  commissioners  for  Mun- 
ster,  who  presented  his  orders  to  Thomas 
Sarsfield,  who  was  then  mayor.  That  magis- 
trate answered,  that  "  according  to  the  char- 
ters of  the  city,  time  was  permitted  to  delib- 
erate on  the  subject."  Thornton  answered, 
that  "  as  the  king's  right  was  incontestable, 
and  as  he  had  been  already  proclaimed  in 
Dublin,  the  smallest  hesitation  on  their  part 
might  be  displeasing."  "  Perkin  Warbeck," 
said  Sarsfield,  "  was  proclaimed  in  Dublin, 
and  the  country  suffered  by  its  precipitancy." 
Saxy,  chief-justice  for  Munster,  being  pre- 
sent, desired  to  support  Thornton,  and  said, 
"  that  whosoever  would  refuse  to  have  the 
king  proclaimed,  ought  to  be  arrested."  To 
this  Mead,  the  constable,  replied,  "  that  none 
present  possessed  an  authority  to  arrest 
them." 

The  example  of  Cork  was  followed  by 
Waterford,  Clonmel,  Wexford,  Limerick, 
and  Kilkenny.  The  Catholics  began  by 
taking  possession  of  the  churches,  and  by 
having  the  divine  mysteries  performed  in 
them  ;  but  these  attempts  could  not  be  sup- 
ported— the  law  of  the  strongest  prevailed. 
The  lord-deputy  marched  some  troops,  and 
subdued  the  commotions,  by  having  some  of 
the  most  turbulent  put  to  death.  In  the 
mean  time  Thornton  and  Lord  Roche,  at  the 
head  of  eight  hundred  soldiers,  proclaimed 
the  king  in  the  vicinity  of  Cork. 

The  ancient  Irish  revered  the  Milesian 
blood  which  ran  in  the  veins  of  James  VI., 
and  looked  upon  him  as  a  prince  descended 
from  themselves  ;  they  knew,  likewise,  that 
Edward  Bruce,  brother  to  Robert  Bruce, 
king  of  Scotland,  from  whom  James  was 
descended,  had  been  chosen  in  the  14th  cen- 
tury, by  their  ancestors,  to  be  their  sovereign; 
it  was  well  known,  too,  that  Edward  had  been 
actually  crowned  king  of  Ireland.  These 
things,  added  to  their  submission  to  James, 
appeared  to  them  to  be  a  good  title  to  the 
crown  of  Ireland  ;  at  least  it  was  equal  to  the 
right  he  derived  through  the  kings  of  Eng- 
land, his  predecessors,  who  were  never  uni- 
versally acknowledged  by  the  ancient  Irish.* 

The  modern  Irislx  looked  upon  James  as 
rightful  heir  to  the  crown  of  England,  and 
consequently  to  that  of  Ireland,  in  virtue  of 
his  descent  from  Margaret,  eldest  daughter 
of  Henry  VII.  ;  so  that  the  two  races  who 
inhabited  Ireland  at  this  time,  forgetting 
their  former  animosities,  submitted  with  one 

*  Analect.  Sacra,  de  reb.  Cathol.  in  Hib.  pp.  220, 
276.  Ogyg.  epist.  dedicat.  Walsh,  prosp.  epist. 
I  dedicat.     Kennedy  on  the  house  of  Stuart. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


561 


accord  to  the  new  king.  These  were  the 
causes  of  the  general  submission  of  the  Irish 
at  this  time  to  the  crown  of  England. 

Hugh  O'Neill,  earl  of  Tyrone,  who  had 
destroyed  so  many  of  the  English,  went  to 
England  the  summer  following  to  make  his 
submission  to  James.  The  king  received 
him  with  honor,  and  issued  a  proclama- 
tion that  all  his  subjects  should  treat  him 
with  reverence  and  respect.  Rory  O'Don- 
nel,  brother  to  Hugh,  who  died  in  Spain 
after  the  siege  of  Kinsale,as  we  have  already 
mentioned,  accompanied  O'Neill  to  Eng- 
land ;  he  was  received  with  distinction  at 
court,  and  created  earl  of  Tirconnel  by  the 
king.*  The  Latin  patent  of  this  creation  is 
written  in  Gothic  characters,  dated  Dublin, 
February  10th,  in  the  first  year  of  the  reign 
of  James  I.  of  England,  and  has  the  great 
seal  of  Ireland  affixed  to  it.  Modesty  pre- 
vents Count  O'Donnel,  an  officer  in  the  ser- 
vice of  her  Imperial  Majesty,  from  assuming 
the  title  of  earl  of  Tirconnel ;  but  he  is  the 
direct  heir  of  the  title  and  extensive  posses- 
sions of  the  house  of  Tirconnel. 

Mountjoy,  the  deputy,  was  appointed  at 
this  time  lord-lieutenant  of  Ireland,  and 
member  of  the  privy  council  in  England. 
His  deputies  in  Ireland  were.  Sir  George 
Carey,  treasurer  at  war,  and  afterwards 
Sir  Francis  Chichester,  who  was  sworn  in, 
February,  1604. 

The  Irish  were  sanguine  in  their  hopes 
that  the  king  would  protect  them  in  their 
religion  and  liberty.  Previous  to  his  ascend- 
ing the  throne  of  England,  he  gave  cause 
to  the  Catholics  of  the  three  kingdoms  to 
expect  special  protection  ;  he  had  written  a 
letter,  signed  with  his  ow,n  hand,  and  sealed 
with  his  seal,  to  Clement  VIII.,  assuring 
that  pontiff  of  his  intentions  on  that  head, 
and  his  wish  of  embracing  the  Catholic  re- 
ligion, as  soon  as  he  would  be  established 
on  the  British  throne  ;  however,  all  this 
proved  to  be  of  no  avail,  through  the  arti- 
fice of  Cecil,  secretary  of  state,f  which 
minister  found  means  to  withdraw  the  letter 
from  the  pope,  and  to  estrange  the  king 
from  his  Catholic  subjects. 

From  the  moment  the  inhabitants  of  Eng- 
land and  Scotland  separated  from  that  unity 
which  characterizes  the  true  church,  every 
sort  of  sectarians  found  partisans  in  those 
countries,  and  became  formed  into  societies. 
There  were,  however,  two  principal  sects, 
denominated  Protestant  and  Episcopalian. 

*  Baker,  Chron.  of  Eng.  Reign  of  James  I.,  p. 
404.  Ireland's  Case  briefly  stated,  p.  9,  et  seq. 
Cox,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  Reign  of  James  I. 

t  Ireland's  Case,  ibid. 


The  first  constituted  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, and  formed  a  compound  of  all  the 
errors  that  appeared  in  the  reign  of  Eliza- 
beth. That  princess  took  something  from 
every  innovator  of  her  day,  to  construct 
this  new  religion,  in  which  she  still  allowed 
the  authority  of  bishops,  and  the  hierarchy 
which  belonged  to  the  Catholic  church  to 
remain.  From  thence  arose  the  name  of 
Episcopalian. 

The  latter,  namely,  the  Presbyterians, 
are  so  called  from  their  having  no  bishops, 
and  being  governed  in  religious  matters  by 
the  elders  of  their  sect,  who  have  no  mis- 
sion »but  the  choice  which  is  made  among 
them  for  this  duty  ;  they  are  also  called  Pu- 
ritans, either  from  the  affected  purity  of 
their  manners  and  morality,  or  from  having, 
as  they  say,  purified  Christianity  from  the 
superstition  which  they  ascribed  to  the 
Roman  Church. 

James  had  been  brought  up  in  Presby- 
terian principles,  which  he  professed  in 
Scotland,  but  on  coming  to  England  he 
adopted  the  Episcopalian.  He  had  some 
inclination  to  embrace  the  Catholic  tenets, 
but  the  fancied  consequences  of  adopting 
that  religion  alarmed  this  weak  prince.*  His 
repose,  however,  was  disturbed  by  two  con- 
spiracies. The  object  of  the  first  was  the 
total  overthrow  of  the  government,  and  the 
placing  of  Arabella  Stuart,  the  king's  near 
relative,  and,  like  him,  descended  from  Henry 
VII., upon  the  throne. t  Two  priests,  namely, 
William  Watson  and  William  Clerk,  Lord 
Cobham,  and  his  brother  George  Brook, 
Lord  Grey,  Sir  William  Rawleigh,  Sir 
Griffith  Markham,  Sir  Edward  Parham, 
Bartholomew  Brookesby,  and  Anthony  Cop- 
ley, were  accused  of  being  the  leading  con- 
spirators. The  plot  being  soon  discovered, 
the  Catholics  were  immediately  accused  of 
it.  If  any  were  concerned  they  were  priests, 
whose  only  share  in  it  was  an  accusation 
(without  any  proof)  of  their  having  known 
it  by  means  of  confession ;  the  others,  it  is 
believed,  were  but  a  few  who  had  been 
bribed  by  Cecil  and  his  emissaries.  There 
were  also  Episcopalians  and  Puritans  en- 
gaged in  this  conspiracy.  In  general,  con- 
spirators are  of  the  same  mind,  but  we  have 
here  an  odd  mixture  of  clergy,  laity.  Catho- 
lics, Protestants,  Puritans,  and  nobles  of 
every  rank.  The  world  beheld  with  surprise 
men  of  such  opposite  interests  united  in  the 
same  cause.     Several  members  of  the  con- 


*  Ireland's  Case,  ibid. 

t  Baker's  Chron.  Reign  of  James  I.,  p.  404, 


562 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


spinicy  were  arrested,  and  some  of  them 
put  to'  death  ;  amon<j[  (he  latter  were  the 
two  priests  and  Oorge  Brook ;  Cobham, 
Grey,  and  Markham  were  pardoned  at  the 
foot  of  the  scallbUl,  and  brought  back  to  the 
tower,  where  Lord  Grey  died  ;  Cobham  and 
Markham  were  liberated  shortly  afterwarxls  ; 
the  former  was  deprived  of  his  property,  and 
the  latter  died  abroad,  in  great  distress  : 
Rawleigh  was  never  pardoned ;  he  continued 
in  prison,  and  afterwards  terminated  his 
career  upon  the  scafibld. 

The  second  conspiracy,  called  the  gun- 
powder plot,  was  more  dangerous  than  the 
first ;  the  king  and  parliament  were  to  be 
blown  up  at  the  same  time,  a.  d.  1605.* 
Though  this  nefarious  plot  was  projected  by 
the  Puritans,  whose  principles  are  opposed 
to  monarchy,  it  was  a  fatal  blow  to  the  in- 
terests of  Catholicity  in  England,  and  suited 
to  the  views  of  Cecil,  the  secretary.!  This 
minister  was  small  in  person  and  deformed  ; 
but  nature  indemnified  him  for  these  defects 
by  his  talents  ;  he  was  considered  in  Eng- 
land one  of  the  ablest  ministers  of  the  day, 
and  well  fitted  for  conducting  any  intrigue. 
England  abounded  at  that  time  with  men  of 
his  kind  ;  Burleigh,  Walsingham,  Cromwell, 
and  Shaftesbury,  were  always  ready  to  as- 
sist in  the  formation  of  any  design.^  Cecil 
was  a  deadly  foe  to  the  Catholics  ;  he  in- 
tended to  exterminate  them  altogether,  in 
order  to  confiscate  their  estates  ;  and  to 
render  them  odious  to  the  king  and  the  peo 
pie  of  England,  he  accused  them  of  a  con 
spiracy,  of  which  he  himself  is  supposed  to 
have  been  the  principal. i^  The  Catholics 
denied  the  charge,  as  appears  by  many 
tracts  which  were  written  at  that  time,  in 
vindication  of  their  innocence.  However, 
the  discovery  of  the  plot  procured  for  Cecil 
the  order  of  the  garter,  and  the  office  of 
high-treasurer.  The  chief  sufTerers  for  the 
gunpowder-plot  were,  Catesby,  Piercy,Tho 
mas  Winter,  Fawkes,  Keyes,  Bates,  Robert 
Winter,  Grant,  Rookwood,  Digliy,  and 
Tresham,  aU  men  of  rank.  Tresham  died 
in  the  tower.  Garnet  was  among  those 
who  suffered  :  according  to  Baker,  his  crime 
was  his  having  concealed  his  knowledge  of 
the  plot.  II 

Cecil,  flushed  with  his  success  against  the 

*  Ireland's  Case,  ibid. 

+  Higgins'  Short  View,  pp.  2.35,  236.  Hume, 
Hist,  of  the  Stuarts,  vol.  1. 

t  Sanderson's  Life  of  King  James.  Lond.  edit. 
in  1655. 

§  Apol.  of  the  Cathol.  printed  in  1674,  p.  399. 
•Osborn,  Hist.  Mem.  of  the  year  1658,  pp.  26,  37,  38. 

II  Chron.  page  509. 


British  Catholics,  and  wishing  to  obtain  new 
favors,  turned  his  machinations  towards 
Ireland,  which  he  now  designed  to  involve 
in  some  treason.  The  instrument  he  chose 
to  effect  his  wicked  purpose  was  Christopher 
St.  Laurence,  baron  of  Howth,  generally 
called  the  Onc-Eycd ;  who  received  instruc- 
tions to  invite  to  a  secret  conference  the 
leaders  of  the  Catholics,  in  order  to  entrap 
them.  The  earls  of  Tyrone,  Tirconnel, 
baron  of  Delvin,  and  some  other  Catholics 
of  distinction,  appeared  at  this  mysterious 
meeting ;  St.  Laurence  made  them  swear 
not  to  divulge  what  he  would  communicate 
to  them  for  their  own  safety.  He  then  said, 
that  he  had  information  through  a  channel 
which  admitted  of  no  doubt,  that  the  court 
of  England  was  determined  to  eradicate  the 
Catholic  religion  out  of  Ireland,  and  force 
them  to  become  Protestants ;  that  he  him- 
self, from  a  concern  for  their  safety,  ad- 
vised them  to  defend  themselves  against  the 
threat,  until  positive  assurances  would  be 
obtained  that  no  change  would  be  attempt- 
ed against  their  religion.  The  noblemen 
present,  however,  struck  with  alarm,  unani- 
mously replied,  that  nothing  would  shake 
their  loyalty  to  the  prince,  in  whose  royal 
word  they  reposed  every  trust,  he  being  their 
legitimate  sovereign. 

These  protestations  of  loyalty  were  not 
sufficient  to  protect  them  against  St.  Lau- 
rence ;  he  accused  them  to  the  king  as  ca- 
pable of  forming  secret  designs  against  his 
majesty  and  the  state,  though  destitute  of 
means  to  attempt  any  thing,  having  neither 
troops  on  foot  nor  a  hope  of  receiving  suc- 
cors from  Spain.  Tyrone  and  others  were 
summoned  before  the  council.  The  Catho- 
lics declared  that  the  accusation  was  a 
calumny;  but  seeing  themselves  confronted 
by  St.  Laurence,  they  acknowledged  that 
they  attended  the  meeting,  much  less  for 
the  purpose  of  entering  into  any  plot  against 
the  king,  than  to  hear  what  this  treacherous 
man,  who  had  brought  them  together,  intend- 
ed to  propose ;  whose  infamy  they  had  unani- 
mously condemned  on  sufficient  causes,  of 
which  the  present  is  an  illustration.  Having 
been  severally  examined,  and  only  one  wit- 
ness produced  against  them,  the  council  did 
not  think  prudent  to  put  them  under  an  ar- 
rest ;  but  ordered  them  to  appear  on  the 
day  following.  During  this  short  interval, 
some  false  friends  who  were  of  the  council 
advised  them  underhand  to  consult  their 
own  safety  ;  stating,  that  one  more  witness 
only,  who  might  be  easily  suborned,  was 
necessary  to  convict  them.  The  perfidious 
advice  was  but  too  readily  followed  by  the 


CHRISTIAN     IRELAND. 


563 


earls  of  Tyrone  and  Tirconnel.*  Upon  this 
they  were  proclaimed  rebels,  and  not  only 
their  individual  estates,  but  six  whole  coun- 
ties in  the  province  of  Ulster,  were  confis- 
cated for  the  benefit  of  the  crown,  without 
examination  or  trial.  These  counties  were 
divided  between  several  English  and  Scotch 
Protestants,  under  such  regulations  as  were 
obviously  intended  to  produce  ruin  both  to 
the  people  and  their  religion  Besides  the 
pecuniary  fines  that  were  inflicted,  and  the 
other  penalties  that  were  enacted  against 
Catholics,  it  was  specifically  inserted  in  the 
patents,  that  no  portion  of  these  lands  should 
be  sold,  transferred,  or  fiirmed,  except  to 
and  by  Protestants  exclusively.  St.  Lau- 
rence himself,  who  had  hitherto  affected  a 
tendency  in  favor  of  the  Catholic  religion, 
declared  himself  a  Protestant,  and  by  doing 
so  became  a  partaker  of  the  spoils. t 

This  iniquitous  proceeding  being  end- 
ed, Hugh  O'Neill,  earl  of  Tyrone,  Rory 
O'Donnel,  earl  of  Tirconnel,  Maguire  of 
Fermanagh,  and  some  other  noblemen,  cross- 
ed over  into  France.;}:  The  English  am- 
bassador of  that  court  demanded  of  Henry 
IV.  that  these  fugitives  should  be  sent  back 
to  the  king  his  master.  The  French  king, 
however,  generously  replied,  that  it  was 
beneath  the  dignity  of  a  monarch  to  arrest 
a  stranger  who  seeks  to  save  himself  by 
flight ;  upon  this  the  earls  took  their  de- 
parture for  Flanders,  where  they  were  re- 
ceived with  distinction  by  the  archduke 
and  archduchess,  viz.,  Albert  and  Elizabeth, 
who  governed  the  Low  Countries.  Thence 
they  proceeded  to  Rome,  where  his  Catho- 
lic Majesty  provided  abundantly  for  their 
support,  by  pensions  proportioned  to  their 
rank.  O'Donnel  and  Maguire  died  after 
some  time,  the  one  at  Rome,  the  other  at 
Geneva,  on  his  way  to  Spain.  Nugent, 
baron  of  Uelvin,  was  thrown  into  prison  in 
Ireland.  However,  through  the  interces- 
sion of  his  friends  and  the  influence  of  money, 
he  obtained  his  liberty,  and  was  restored  to 
favor.  Charles  O'Neill  and  O'Cahan  were 
summoned  to  appear  in  Dublin,  whence 
they  were  sent  to  England,  and  confined  in 
the  tower  of  London. 

Persecution  was  becoming  more  and  more 
violent  against  the  Catholics  ;  and  new  pro- 
clamations were  issued  against  the  bishops, 
Jesuits,  and  seminarians.  James  was  as  tena- 
cious of  the  title  of  head  of  the  church  as  any 
of  his  predecessors  who  had  usurped  it ;  to 
deny  it  being  made  a  capital  crime.     His 

*  Ireland's  Case,  p.  17. 

t  Ireland's  Case,  p.  18. 

t  Hist.  Cathol.  Hibern.  book  1,  k.  4. 


oppressive  tyranny  at  length  drove  Cahir 
O'Dogherty,  chief  of  Inishowen,  to  take  up 
arms  in  defence  of  the  Catholics,  a.  d.  1G08. 
He  was  a  young  nobleman,  aged  about 
twenty  years,  and  the  most  powerful  in  the 
north  of  Ireland,  after  the  earls  of  Tyrone, 
Tirconnel,  and  Maguire  had  left  the  country. 
He  raised  what  forces  he  was  able,  and  at- 
tacked by  night  the  city  of  Derry,  which  he 
took,  and  put  the  garrison,  together  with  the 
commander,  George  Palet,  to  the  sword, 
after  setting  the  Catholics  at  liberty.  He 
then  marched  against  Culmor,  which  was  a 
strong  castle  built  on  the  borders  of  Lough 
Foyle,  adjoining  the  sea.  Of  this  he  also 
became  master,  and  found  in  it  twelve  pieces 
of  cannon — he  put  a  garrison  into  it,  and 
gave  the  command  to  Felim  MacDavet ; 
after  which  he  ravaged  the  lands  of  the  Eng- 
lish, over  whom  he  gained  several  battles, 
and  spread  terror  through  the  whole  prov- 
ince. 

O'Dogherty  kept  up  the  war  for  some 
months ;  his  object  was  to  create  a  diversion, 
and  occupy  the  English  till  the  return  of 
O'Neill  and  O'Donnel,  and  the  arrival  of 
succors  which  were  expected  from  some  of 
the  Catholic  princes.  In  the  mean  time, 
Winkel,  an  English  field-marshal,  appeared 
with  four  thousand  men  before  Culmor,  to 
lay  siege  to  it ;  MacDavet,  the  commander, 
seeing  his  own  inferiority  in  numbers,  and 
that  the  place  was  defenceless,  and  being 
without  any  hope  of  aid  from  O'Dogherty, 
set  fire  to  the  castle.  He  then  sailed  with  his 
little  garrison  on  board  two  transport  vessels, 
which  he  loaded  with  corn  and  other  provi- 
sions, for  Derry.  He  also  carried  off  some 
of  the  cannon  of  Culmor  castle,  and  had  the 
rest  thrown  into  the  sea. 

Winkel  finding  the  castle  of  Culmor  de- 
molished, marched  against  the  castle  of 
Beart,  with  the  intention  of  besieging  it. 
Mary  Preston,  the  wife  of  O'Dogherty,  and 
daughter  of  Viscount  Gormanston,  was  in 
the  place.  A  monk  who  had  the  command 
of  it,  either  from  distrust  in  its  strength,  or 
to  save  the  lady  from  the  frightful  effects  of 
a  siege,  surrendered  the  castle  on  condition 
of  the  garrison  being  spared,  and  suffered  to 
retire :  but  the  English,  regardless  of  the 
treaty,  put  every  soul  to  the  sword,  except 
those  who  had  means  of  purchasing  their 
liberty.  The  wife  of  O'Dogherty  was  sent 
to  her  brother  the  viscount,  who  belonged 
to  the  English  faction.  The  taking  of  this 
place  was  of  importance  to  Winkel ;  it  served 
him  for  a  retreat,  from  which  he  made  oc- 
casional incursions  upon  the  districts  of 
Inishowen,  spreading  desolation  everywhere 
as  he  passed. 


564 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


The  destruction  committed  by  the  English 
caused  O'Dogherty  to  come  to  the  relief  of 
Inishovven,  which  was,  for  many  centuries, 
the  principality  of  his  house.  This  noble- 
man had  but  fifteen  lunulred  men  ;  he  fought 
several  skirmishes  with  the  English,  in  which 
he  behaved  valiantly ;  but  his  rashness  at 
length  cost  him  his  life  and  the  victory.  His 
troops  seeing  themselves  without  their  chief, 
fled,  and  some  of  them  surrendered  to  the 
conquerors.  Thus  ended  this  war,  which 
lasted  for  almost  five  months,  and  excited 
great  alarm  to  the  English. 

We  must  in  this  place  introduce  the  his- 
tory of  a  young  heroine  of  the  house  of 
O'Donnel.*  When  Rory  O'Donnel,  earl  of 
Tirconnel,  had  been  obliged  to  fly  his  coun- 
try in  1605,  on  account  of  a  conspiracy  of 
which  he  was  falsely  accused,  his  wife,  the 
countess,  was  in  a  state  of  pregnancy.  Wish- 
ing to  accompany  her  husband  to  foreign 
countries,  whither  he  had  fled,  she  strove  to 
leave  Ireland  secretly,  but  was  prevented  by 
the  viceroy,  who  had  her  sent  to  England 
under  a  strong  guard,  where  she  lay-in  of  a 
daughter,  who  received  the  name  of  Mary 
at  her  baptism.  The  king  being  informed 
of  the  circumstances,  though  he  had  perse- 
cuted the  earl  of  Tirconnel,  wished  to  honor 
the  father  in  the  person  of  the  child,  and 
having  taken  her  under  his  royal  protection, 
commanded  that  she  should  be  called  Mary 
Stuart,  instead  of  Mary  O'Donnel,  which 
was  her  real  name. 

The  earl  of  Tirconnel  having  died  at 
Rome,  the  countess,  his  wife,  obtained  per- 
mission of  the  court  to  return  to  Ireland 
with  her  daughter.  This  virtuous  mother 
took  care  to  give  her  child  a  Christian  edu- 
cation, and  had  her  well  instructed  in  the 
religion  of  her  ancestors.  She  often  repre- 
sented to  her  that  the  misfortunes  which 
arose  to  her  father,  were  produced  by  his 
attachment  to  that  religion  for  which  the 
grandeur  of  this  world  must  be  sacrificed. 
Mary  was  twelve  years  old  when  she  was 
invited  to  England  by  her  grandmother,  the 
countess  of  Kildare,  who  presented  her  to 
the  king.  This  monarch  gave  her  a  large 
sum,  intended  as  her  marriage  portion,  and 
the  countess  of  Kildare,  who  was  very  rich, 
made  her  heiress  to  her  fortune,  so  that  the 
protection  of  the  king  towards  the  young 
princess,  her  illustrious  birth,  and  her  bril- 
liant fortune,  caused  many  noblemen  in  Eno-. 
land,  of  the  first  distinction,  to  seek  her  in 

*  This  history  was  written  by  Dom  Albert  Hcn- 
riques,  in  the  Spanish  language,  and  printed  at 
Brussels ;  it  was  subsequently  translated  into 
French  by  Abbe  MacGeoghegan. 


marriage.  Among  those  who  sought  the 
hand  of  Mary,  there  was  one  who  had  been 
particularly  attentive,  and  had  applied  to 
her  relative  and  guardian,  the  countess  of 
Kildare  ;  but  his  being  of  the  reformed  re- 
ligion,madeadeep  impression  upon  the  mind 
of  the  young  princess,  and  estranged  her 
flections  from  him.  Finding  herself  per- 
secuted by  the  coimtess  and  her  other  re- 
lations in  favor  of  an  alliance  that  she 
thought  incompatible  with  her  honor  and 
religion,  this  illustrious  heroine  formed  the 
noble  resolution  to  escape  from  them,  and 
an  unexpected  occurrence  favored  her  de- 
sign. 

A  violent  persecution  was  in  progress 
against  the  Catholics  of  Ireland.  O'Dogherty 
was  up  in  arms  to  defend  them ;  some 
Catholic  leaders  who  were  suspected  of  being 
concerned,  were  arrested  and  brought  prison- 
ers to  England,  to  prevent  them  from  join- 
ing in  the  cause  of  O'Dogherty.  Constan- 
tine  O'Donnel  and  Hugh  O'Rorke,  rela- 
tives of  Mary  Stuart,  were  of  the  number. 
In  spite  of  their  keepers,  these  two  noblemen 
escaped,  and  found  means  to  get  over  to 
Flanders.  Suspicions  were  immediately  set 
afloat  that  Mary  Stuart  assisted  in  effecting 
the  escape  of  her  friends  ;  a  nobleman  at 
court  informed  her  that  the  only  mode  of 
safety  for  her,  was  to  marry  one  of  those 
who  professed  the  religion  of  the  state  ;  and 
also  to  conform  to  it  herself,  as  this  alone 
would  satisfy  the  king  and  her  grandmother, 
the  countess  of  Kildare.  After  this  Mary 
was  summoned  before  the  council  to  account 
for  her  conduct. 

Mary  saw  now  that  it  was  time  to  provide 
for  her  safety.  She  communicated  her  in- 
tentions to  a  young  Catholic  lady,  who  was 
her  companion  and  attendant,  and  in  whose 
fidelity  and  prudence  she  could  confide.  Her 
purpose  was  to  go  to  Flanders  to  seek  her 
brother,  the  young  earl  of  Tirconnel,  who 
was  at  the  court  of  Isabella,  the  infanta  of 
Spain,  by  whom  the  Low  Countries  were 
then  governed,  and  by  whom  an  asylum  was 
afforded  to  all  who  were  persecuted  for  their 
religion.  Being  obliged  to  change  her  ap- 
parel, in  order  to  conceal  her  sex,  Mary 
procured  the  clothes  necessary  for  herself 
and  the  young  lady  who  was  to  accompany 
her  ;  she  then  took  the  name  of  Rodolphus 
Huntly,  her  companion  that  of  James  Hues, 
and  their  servant  they  called  Richard  Stratsi, 
by  which  names  they  were  known  during 
their  voyage. 

Every  thing  being  prepared,  and  horses 
provided,  they  set  out  from  London  before 
day,  and  after  many  adventures,  as  related 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


565 


by  the  author  of  this  account,  Mary  and  her 
companions  sailed  from  Bristol;  after  a  long 
and  dangerous  voyage  they  arrived  at  Ro- 
chelle,  where  being  refreshed  from  her  fa- 
tigues, she  continued  her  journey  through 
Paris  to  Brussels,  at  which  place  she  met 
her  brother,  who  presented  her  to  the  in- 
fanta, who  received  her  with  all  possible 
marks  of  distinction.  The  report  of  the  in- 
trepid conduct  of  Mary  Stuart  was  soon 
spread  throughout  Europe  :  she  was  com- 
pared to  Euphrosine  of  Alexandria,  Alde- 
gonde,  and  other  Christian  virgins  of  anti- 
quity; and  Urban  VIII.,  who  was  then  pope, 
addressed  to  her  the  following  letter  : 

"  Urban  VIII.,  to  our  dear  daughter  in 
Christ,  Mary  Stuart,  countess  of  Tirconnel, 
greeting,  health,  and  apostolical  benediction. 

"  The  sacrilegious  mouth  must  be  at  length 
silenced,  which  has  dared  to  affirm  that  the 
inspirations  of  Christianity  enervate  the  soul 
and  check  the  generous  emotions  of  the 
heart.  You,  our  dear  daughter,  have  given 
to  the  world  a  proof  of  the  contrary,  and  have 
shown  what  strength  and  courage  are  im- 
parted by  the  true  faith — how  superior  to  all 
dangers,  and  to  the  very  efforts  of  hell  itself. 
This  heroic  courage  is  worthy  the  protection 
of  Rome,  and  the  praises  which  fame  confers. 
Your  horrors  of  an  alliance  with  a  Protestant 
have  been  nobly  displayed,  and  resemble  that 
terror  which  an  apprehension  of  fire  pro- 
duces. The  allurements  of  a  court,  and 
menaces  of  its  sovereign,  have  tended  only 
to  excite  your  abhorrence  for  both.  The  sea, 
and  its  accompanying  terrors,  have  produced 
no  obstacle  to  your  flight,  the  honor  of  which 
is  more  glorious  than  a  triumph ;  even  though 
mountains  were  overwhelmed  and  buried  i». 
the  deep,  your  confidence  in  the  mercies  of 
the  Lord  would  be  still  unshaken,  that  coun- 
try being  yours  where  religion  sits  triumph- 
ant. You  have  succeeded  in  escaping  from 
the  persecution  of  English  inquisitors,  and, 
protected  by  angels,  you  have  been  preserved 
from  every  accident  throughout  your  jour- 
ney ;  accompanied  by  our  paternal  regards, 
you  have  arrived  at  the  court  of  the  infanta, 
where  religion  hath  received  you  into  its 
bosom.  We  tlierefore  implore  the  Lord 
who  has  been  your  support,  to  reward  you 
as  your  virtues  have  merited.  We  write  with 
a  hope  of  dispelling  the  remembrance  of 
your  fatigues  and  sufiering,  which  are  worthy 
to  be  envied,  since  they  have  earned  for  you 
a  crown  of  glory.  Receive  our  most  tender 
benedictions,  and,  as  you  have  abandoned 
both  relatives  and  country  in  obedience  to  a 
love  for  Jesus  Christ  and  us,  receive  also 
our  assurance  that,  instead  of  exile,  you  have 


found  a  mother  that  loves  you  tenderly — you 
yourself  know  that  such  is  the  name  and 
character  of  the  Roman  church  ;  she  will 
cherish  you  as  her  worthy  daughter,  who^ 
does  honor  to  the  British  isles.  Given  at 
St.  Peter's,  under  the  fisherman's  ring,  on 
the  13th  February,  1627,  the  fourth  year  of 
our  pontificate." 

Hume,  an  author  less  esteemed  at  Oxford 
than  in  Paris,  says  in  his  history  of  Great 
Britain,  that  "James  I.  considered  his  gov- 
ernment of  Ireland  a  masterpiece  of  policy." 
If  we  examine  the  subject  closely,  it  will 
appear,  on  that  head,  that  his  vanity  was 
unfounded. 

Hume's  assertions  may  obtain  belief  among 
foreigners,  but  cannot  make  the  same  im- 
pressions on  those  who  are  acquainted  with 
the  history  of  the  times  ;  to  the  Irish,  in  par- 
ticular, his  history  is  a  paradox. 

The  king  of  Scotland,  before  his  accession 
to  the  throne  of  England,  encouraged  the 
Irish  to  rebel,  and  furnished  them  secretly 
with  aid  against  Queen  Elizabeth,  either  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  to  himself  (by  re- 
ducing her  power)  the  succession  to  the 
crown  of  England,  or  to  be  revenged  for  the 
cruelties  that  had  been  inflicted  upon  his 
mother,  Mary  Stuart.  When  seated  upon 
the  British  throne,  he  viewed  things  in  an 
altered  position.  The  revolt  of  the  Irish, 
which  appeared  to  him  in  Scotland  an  act 
of  heroic  bravery,  seemed  to  him  now,  when 
king  of  England,  an  act  of  aggression.  The 
most  solemn  submission  of  the  Irish,  par- 
ticularly of  their  leaders  in  Ulster,  was  not 
able  to  avert  the  thunder  which  was  ready 
to  crush  them.  This  prince,  without  any 
other  trial  or  investigation  than  the  testimony 
of  a  vile  and  obscure  character  named  Le- 
nane,  confiscated  to  the  use  of  the  crown 
six  counties  in  Ulster,  as  has  been  observed, 
under  a  pretext  of  a  conspiracy,  evidently 
fabricated  by  his  own  ministers.  He  sent 
over  a  body  of  English  and  Scotch  fanatics, 
among  whom  he  divided  the  confiscated  es- 
tates. He  liberally  bestowed  on  indigent 
favorites  the  lands  which  had  belonged, 
during  many  centuries,  to  the  O'Neills, 
O'Donnels,  Maguires,  MacMahons,  O'Reil- 
lys, O'Doghartys,  O'Cahans,  O'Hanlons, 
Mac-Canns,  Mac-Sweenys,  O'Boyles,  Mac- 
Bradys,  Mac-Caffrys,  O'Plannegans,  O'Hag- 
hertys,  and  several  other  ancient  nobles  of 
Ulster.  James  had  the  misfortune  of  con- 
ferring estates  on  ungrateful  men,  who  were 
afterwards  the  most  inveterate  enemies  of  his 
family.  It  was  thus  that  God,  whose  ways  are 
inscrutable,  made  these  favorites  the  instru- 
ments of  his  vengeance  for  oppressed  inno- 
cence. 


566 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


"  The  whole  province  of  Ulster,"  continues 
Hume,  "  havinjT  fallen  to  the  crown  by  an 
act  of  proscription  against  the  rebels,  a  new 
company  was  established  in  London,  for 
sending  over  fresh  colonies  of  English  and 
Scotch  to  that  fertile  province.  The  Irish 
were  removed  to  the  flat  country,  from  the 
mountains  and  places  that  could  be  defended ; 
they  were  instructed  in  agriculture  and  the 
arts,  and  provided  with  settled  habitations. 
Thus,  from  being  the  wildest  and  most  re- 
bellious province  in  the  kingdom,  Ulster 
soon  became  the  most  civilized  and  best 
cultivated." 
i|  This  parade  does  not  tell  much  for  the 
!!  glory  of  the  English  monarch  ;  his  zealous 
II  panegyrist  endeavors  to  make  the  most  fla- 
grant injustice  appear  a  meritorious  act,  and 
the  ruin  of  a  whole  province  to  have  been 
a  glorious  performance.  Under  pretext  of 
civilizing  the  inhabitants  of  Ulster,  James  I. 
reduced  them  to  beggary,  depopulated  their 
country,  and  dispossessed  men  of  high  birth, 
to  enrich  needy  courtiers  whose  origin  was 
scarcely  known.  A  certain  author  says,  that 
"  had  the  mountains  in  Scotland  been  more 
populous,  it  is  probable  a  pretext  would  have 
been  discovered  for  confiscating  six  or  seven 
more  counties,  to  enlarge  the  Scotch  colonies 
in  Ireland."* 

May  we  not  ask,  what  good  has  James 
done  for  the  Irish,  and  what  gratitude  can 
he  claim  from  them?  It  will  be  answered, 
that  James  introduced  agriculture  and  the 
arts  ;  and  that  he  brought  them  from  moun- 
tains and  places  where  they  would  have  been 
able  to  defend  themselves,  to  inhabit  a  flat 
country.  What  good  would  a  knowledge  of 
arts  and  agriculture  be  to  men  who  had  no 
land  to  cultivate  ?  Were  the  descendants  of 
noble  families  to  become  artisans,  laborers, 
and  servants,  to  cultivate  what  had  been  their 
own  estates,  for  the  benefit  of  adventurers 
on  whom  they  were  conferred  by  James  1. 1 
He  boasted  of  his  administration  in  Ireland  ; 
but,  in  spite  of  all  that  Hume  can  advance, 
his  vanity  was  groundless  ;  and  if  gratitude 
be  measured  by  kindness,  the  Irish  have 
cause  to  detest  the  memory  of  this  prince. 

"  James  I.,"  says  Hume,  "  introduced  hu- 
manity and  justice  among  a  people  who  had 
previously  been  buried  in  the  most  profound 
barbarism."     Similar  phrases  are  frequently 
repeated  in  the  works  of  this  learned  histo- 
rian ;  but  a  close  examination  is  needed  to 
form  a  just  opinion  of  them  ;  let  us  first  refer 
to  what  has  been  frequently  observed  in  the 
1  course  of  this  history,  and  remember  what 
j  has  been  admitted  by  all  reasonable  men. 
*  Ancient  and  modern  state  of  Ireland,  page  58. 


that  a  lettered  and  Christian  people  have 
never  been  considered  barbarous. 

According  to  the  English  themselves,  the 
Irish  were  celebrated  in  the  sixth,  seventh, 
and  eighth  centuries,  for  their  love  of  reli- 
gion and  literature.  "  The  Irish,"  says  the 
venerable  Bede,  "  received  with  kindness 
strangers  who  came  from  every  country,  at 
these  periods,  to  be  instructed  among  them  ; 
and  supplied  them  with  every  thing,  even 
with  books,  gratis."* 

The  Anglo  Saxons,  says  a  celebrated  au- 
thor, went  to  Ireland  at  this  time,  as  if  to 
purchase  science.  "  The  disciples  of  St. 
Patrick,"  continues  he,  "  made  so  rapid  a 
progress  in  Christianity,  that  in  the  suc- 
ceeding age  Ireland  was  called  the  island 
of  saints."! 

According  to  Usher,  Ireland  took  prece- 
dence of  every  nation  in  Europe  in  religion 
and  learning.!  Every  discerning  man  will 
give  credit  to  such  historical  testimony. 
They  were  Englishmen  who  have  given 
these  accounts,  so  opposite  to  Hume,  who 
pretends  that  the  Irish  had  remained  in  a 
state  of  barbarism  till  the  reign  of  James  I. 

In  continuation  of  this  subject,  let  us  ex- 
amine into  the  state  in  which  Ireland  was 
in  those  ages  which  immediately  preceded 
the  arrival  of  the  English.  Religion  and 
literature  suffered  greatly  in  the  ninth  and 
tenth  centuries  by  the  frequent  invasions  of 
the  Danes  ;  but  after  the  total  overthrow  of 
these  barbarians,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
eleventh  century,  they  flourished  anew  in  all 
their  former  lustre,  and  Ireland  produced 
men  of  the  first  order  for  piety  and  learning  ; 
among  whom  were  St.  Celsus,  archbishop 
of  Armagh  and  primate  of  Ireland  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  twelfth  century,i^  who  was  ac- 
knowledged, even  by  the  English  cotempo- 
rary  writers,  to  have  been  a  man.  of  universal 
learning  ;  St.  Malachy,  archbishop  of  Ar- 
magh, so  well  known  from  his  life  written  by 
St.  Bernard  ;  St.  Laurence,  archbishop  of 
Dublin,  who  was  canonized  by  Pope  Hono- 
rius  III  ;  Christian,  bishop  of  Lismore  ;  Gil- 
bert, bishop  of  Limerick,  and  apostolical 
legate  ;  and  Maurice,  or  Mathew,  archbish- 
op of  Cashel,  who,  according  to  Cambrensis, || 
was  a  learned  and  discreet  man.  We  might 
here  mention  many  others,  both  prelates  and 
holy  persons,  who  studied  in  Ireland,  without 
being  indebted  to  a  foreign  country  for  their 
education  ;  they  all  flourished  in  the  century 

*  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  3,  cap.  17. 

t  Cambd.  Britan.  page  730. 

t  Usser.  Priinord.  Eccles.  17,  page  899. 

§  War.  de  Archiepis.  Ardmach. 

II  Topograph.  Hib.  cap.  32. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


567 


immediately  preceding  the  invasion  of  the 
English,  and  some  of  them  lived  till  the 
coming  of  these  strangers.  The  Irish  were 
a  literary  people  from  the  time  they  received 
the  gospel  in  the  fifth  century,  till  the  twelfth : 
they  were  consequently  polished  ;  as  it  is 
allowed  that  religion  and  learning  are  the 
source  of  cultivated  manners,  and  that  the 
nation  which  enjoys  this  double  advantage 
is  considered  civilized,  and  not  barbarous. 

Hume  has  not  given  the  period  in  which 
the  gross  barbarism  commenced,  from  which, 
according  to  him,  the  Irish  were  rescued  by 
James  I.  If  he  were  candid  he  would  ac- 
knowledge that  such  a  state  must  be  dated 
from  the  time  of  the  English  invasion.  The 
cruelties  practised  during  four  hundred 
years,  particularly  throughout  the  fifteen 
years  of  Elizabeth's  reign,  were  sufficient 
to  make  the  most  civilized  sink  into  a  state 
of  barbarism  and  ferocity.  The  force  of  truth 
draws  from  Hume  himself,  in  spite  of  his 
prejudices,  a  justification  of  the  Irish  ;  the 
following  are  his  words  :  "  The  English 
carry  their  ill-judged  tyranny  too  far  ;  in- 
stead of  inviting  the  Irish  to  participate  in 
the  most  polished  custom  of  the  conquerors, 
they  deny  them  the  privileges  of  the  laws, 
and  treat  them  altogether  as  strangers  and 
enemies  :  unprotected  on  the  side  of  justice, 
the  wretched  inhabitants  see  no  security  but 
in  force  ;  flying  from  the  vicinity  of  their 
towns,  which  they  dare  not  enter  with  safety, 
they  seek  in  the  woods  and  bogs  an  asylum 
against  the  insolence  and  tyranny  of  their 
masters,  who  have  changed  them  into  wild 
beasts." 

The  denial  of  the  protection  of  the  laws 
to  the  Irish,  was  productive  of  the  most 
frightful  consequences  ;  from  this  arose 
usurpation,  rapine,  murder,  and  a  violation 
of  all  law,  human  and  divine.  To  kill  a 
mere  Irishman,  or  a  wild  animal,  were 
crimes  of  equal  import ;  the  murderer  was 
acquitted  by  saying,  "  the  person  killed  was 
a  mere  Irishman,  and  not  of  free  blood  ;" 
consequently  the  judge  pronounced  accord- 
ing to  the  law,  and  the  criminal  was  freed. 
Of  this  many  examples  have  been  extracted 
from  the  archives  in  the  castle  of  Dublin,  by 
Davis,  who  was  himself  an  Englishman.  In 
the  most  polished  nations  there  are  barbari- 
ans and  monsters  that  disgrace  humanity  by 
their  crimes  ;  but  these  are  individuals  only, 
whom  the  law  visits  with  a  severe  punish- 
ment according  to  their  guilt.  But  here  is  a 
case  in  which  the  most  inconceivable  cruel- 
ties are  sanctioned  by  the  law  against  a 
whole  nation.  Such  has  been  for  many  cen- 
turies the  conduct  of  the  English  towards  the 


e  of  Ireland  ;  they  have  the  hardened 
audacity  to  treat  as  barbarous,  men  whose 
only  crime  has  been  to  defend  their  religion 
and  properties  against  the  criminal  attempts 
of  usurpers.  If  the  deeds  of  the  two  people 
be  weighed  in  the  scale  of  reason,  the  Eng- 
lish will  be  found  to  be  the  more  barbarous. 

While  the  Irish  groaned  beneath  the  yoke 
of  English  tyranny,  they  were  no  longer  free. 
Surrounded  on  every  side  by  a  merciless 
enemy,  who  kept  them  in  continual  alarm, 
they  lost  all  hopes  of  being  able  to  cultivate 
the  fine  arts.  Hostilities  and  the  devastation 
inseparable  from  war — with  their  concomi- 
tant attendants,  misery,  poverty,  and  famine 
— have  certainly  helped  to  make  the  Irish 
people  less  civilized,  without,  however,  fall- 
ing into  that  depth  of  barbarism  which  Hume 
ascribes  to  them. 

Our  author  says  that  "  Ulster  was  at  this 
period  the  wildest  province  in  Ireland."  This 
is  the  style  of  the  English  ;  they  framed  their 
opinion  of  the  Irish  according  to  the  oppo- 
sition they  met  with  from  them.  The  people 
of  Ulster  were  free  and  warlike,  and  would 
not  bend  to  slavery ;  they  distinguished  them- 
selves against  the  English,  particularly  du- 
ring the  last  fifteen  years  of  Elizabeth's  reign ; 
consequentlythese  usurpers  considered  them 
more  wild  and  savage  than  the  rest  of  the 
kingdom.  "  But  thanks  to  James  I.,"  says 
Hume,  "  Ulster  soon  became  civilized,  and 
was  the  most  highly  cultivated  part  of  Ire- 
land." 

On  account  of  some  of  their  customs,  our 
author  deems  the  Irish  barbarous  ;  "  accord- 
ing to  the  law  which  they  called  Brehon,  no 
crime,  not  even  the  most  enormous,  was  pun- 
ished with  death ;  the  culprit  escaped  by  pay- 
ing a  fine.  As  murder  itself  was  liable  to  no 
other  punishment,  every  person  had  a  price 
set  on  his  person,  in  proportion  to  his  rank. 
Whoever  was  inclined  to  pay  the  fine,  had 
nothing  to  fear  for  assassinating  his  enemy. 
The  price  of  each  Irishman  was  called  his 
Eric." 

How  absurd  it  is  to  tax  a  nation  with  bar- 
barity, for  customs  which  prevailed  among 
the  most  polished  nations.  That  with  which 
the  Irish  are  reproached,  was  formerly  in  use 
among  the  Franks,  examples  of  which  are  to 
be  met  with  in  the  Salic  law.  Athelstan,  a 
Saxon  king  of  England  in  the  "tenth  century, 
one  of  the  legislators  and  great  princes  who 
governed  that  kingdom,  enacted  a  law  by 
which  he  fixed  the  price  of  homicide,  ac- 
cording to  the  diff"erent  ranks  of  the  clergy 
and  laity,  which  they  called  Weregild ;  it 
was  the  same  as  the  Eric  of  the  Irish.* 
*  Seld.  tit.  Honor,  part  11,  cap.  5,  page  342. 


568 


HISTORY    OF   IRELAND. 


"  Gavelkinde  and  Tainistry,"  continues 
Hume,  "two  other  customs  relating  to  prop- 
erly, were  equally  absurd."  Gavelkinde 
prevailed  in  the  county  of  Kent,  and  in  other 
parts  of  England  ;*  instead  of  the  eldest  alone 
inheriting,  the  lands  were  equally  divided 
between  the  brothers,  which  custom  was  con- 
firmed l)y  William  the  Conciueror,  in  imita- 
tion of  his  predecessors.  France,  under  the 
first  race,  was  divided  into  as  many  king- 
doms as  there  were  princes. 

The  reign  of  James  was  considered  peace- 
ful, from  his  having  been  engaged  in  no  war 
with  his  neighbors.  His  prodigality  left  him 
in  a  state  of  contiimal  indigence.  The  court 
was  always  the  scene  of  the  intrigues  of  fa- 
vorites, and  of  luxury,  masquerading,  balls, 
and  other  similar  amusements,  so  that  his 
love  of  pleasure,  his  effeminacy,  and  perhaps 
a  want  of  courage,  inspired  him  with  that 
aversion  for  war,  which  he  was  desirous 
might  be  thought  the  result  of  his  talents, 
prudence,  and  refined  policy.  Opinions  vary 
as  to  this  prince's  character  ;  some  load  him 
with  praise,  others  with  abuse  ;  according  to 
some,  he  was  an  accomplished,  wise,  and  just 
king,  the  friend  of  his  people,  and  compara- 
ble only  to  Solomon  ;  while  others  maintain 
that  he  was  a  monster  of  impiety  and  tyranny. 
The  ideas  of  James  respecting  religion  and 
government  were  extraordinary  ;  he  thought 
his  own  power  should  be  without  bounds,  and 
had  adopted  the  system  of  an  indifference  in 
doctrine  ;  he  was  neither  a  good  Protestant 
nor  a  good  Catholic,  but  looked  upon  amy 
religion  to  be  good  which  inculcated  implicit 
obedience  to  the  sovereign.  His  principal 
object  was  the  establishment  of  his  despotic 
authority  :  he  had  scarcely  ascended  the 
throne  of  England,  when  his  acts  proved 
the  servitude  that  he  intended  to  establish, 
whereby  he  lost  the  confidence  and  good  will 
of  his  new  subjects  ;  and  so  tyrannous  was 
his  reign,  that  his  people  detested,  and  for- 
eigners despised  him. 

James  was  violent  in  his  persecution  of 
the  Catholics  ;  he  caused  many  severe  laws 
to  be  enacted  against  them,  and  made  them 
feel  their  full  force.  His  weakness  was  known 
to  the  Puritans,  who  were,  in  principle,  ene- 
mies to  monarchy  ;  he  suffered  them  to  mul- 
tiply, and  this  indolence  proved  fatal  to  his 
family.  This  prince  received  but  a  moderate 
education,  little  suited  to  his  rank  ;  and  what 
he  did  know,  savored  so  much  of  pedantry, 
that  it  was  said  he  was  better  adapted  to  be 
employed  at  Oxford  than  to  govern  a  king- 
dom. 

*  Bak.  Chron.  Reign  of  William  I.,  p.  21. 


James  died  on  the  27th  March,  1625,  aged 
59  years,  22  of  which  he  reigned  in  England. 
He  was  married  to  Anne,  daughter  of  Freder- 
ick II.,  king  of  Denmark,  by  whom  he  had 
two  sons,  Henry  and  Charles  ;  the  former 
died  before  his  father,  and  the  latter  suc- 
ceeded him  upon  the  throne  of  England  ;  he 
had  likewise  a  daughter  named  Elizabeth, 
who  was  married  to  Frederick  V.,  count- 
palatine  of  the  Rhine.  He  had  several  other 
children  by  the  same  marriage  ;  among  the 
rest  was  Sophia,  who  was  married  to  Ernest 
of  Brunswick,  duke  of  Hanover,  from  whom 
is  descended  the  present  king  of  England. 

Charles  I., only  son  of  James  I.,  succeed- 
ed him  on  the  throne  of  England,  a.  d.  1625. 
In  May  following,  he  married  Henrietta, 
daughter  of  Henry  IV.,  king  of  France  and 
Navarre.  The  high  endowments  of  Charles 
I.  portended  a  happier  reign  than  that  in 
which  this  unhappy  prince  terminated  his 
career  ;  but  all  his  misfortunes  arose  from 
the  fanaticism  of  his  subjects. 

Puritanism,  which  was  a  reformation  of 
the  English  Church,  and  which  produced 
the  melancholy  fate  of  Mary  Stuart,  made 
rapid  strides  in  Scotland  during  the  minority 
of  her  son  James,  who,  when  he  became 
king  of  Great  Britain,  endeavored  to  check 
the  increase  of  the  sectarians,  and  unite  his 
English  and  Scotch  subjects  in  one  religion.* 
For  this  purpose  he  composed  a  liturgy  or 
form  of  common  prayer,  with  the  consent  of 
the  general  assembly  of  Aberdeen,  which  he 
sent  to  Scotland  to  be  used  in  the  churches 
there  ;  but  his  death,  which  took  place  in  the 
interval,  prevented  the  execution  of  his  de- 
sign. 

In  imitation  of  his  father,  Charles  I.  or- 
dered the  English  liturgy  to  be  adopted  in 
his  chapel  at  Edinburgh,  and  took  measures 
to  establish  it  throughout  the  kingdom  of 
Scotland.  The  bishops  and  nobles  of  the 
king's  council  in  Edinburgh  ordered  it  to  be 
read  in  the  principal  church  on  the  23d  of 
July,  and  to  have  it  announced  to  the  people 
on  the  preceding  Sunday.  The  congrega- 
tion was  immense  ;  the  dean  of  Edinburgh, 
who  was  to  read  the  liturgy,  ascended  the 
pulpit,  but  had  scarcely  opened  the  book, 
when  he  was  interrupted  by  the  cries  and 
hisses  of  the  multitude  ;  an  old  woman  called 
Jane  Gaddis  got  up  in  the  crowd,  and  threw 
the  stool  upon  which  she  had  been  sitting 
at  the  preacher,  crying  out,  Begone,  per- 
Jidious  thief!  are  you  going  to  say  mass 
for  us  1  The  bishop  of  Edinburgh  then 
mounted  the  pulpit,  to  appease  the  tumult 

*  Baker's  Chron.  of  Engl,  on  the  year  1637. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


569 


by  reminding  them  of  the  sanctity  of  the 
place  ;  but  he  too  met  with  similar  insults. 
All  his  remonstrances  were  in  vain  ;  the  pop- 
ulace became  more  outrageous,  and  threw 
every  thing  they  could  meet  with  at  the  pre- 
late, whose  life  would  have  been  in  danger 
but  for  the  provost  and  town  officers,  who 
succeeded  in  driving  the  mob  away,  after 
the  windows  of  the  church  had  been  broken. 

We  have  now  come  to  the  decline  of  re- 
gal authority  in  England  and  in  Scotland, 
A.  D.  1638.  The  Scotch  openly  resisted  the 
king's  mandates,  and  held  meetings,  in 
which,  under  the  mask  of  religion,  they 
shook  off  the  yoke  and  prepared  for  war. 
They  applied  to  the  neighboring  states  for 
assistance,  and  sent  to  Sweden  and  Holland 
some  Scotch  generals  to  take  command  of 
their  armies.  They  made  themselves  mas- 
ters of  the  castles  of  Edinburgh,  Dumbar- 
ton, and  other  fortifications.  Arms  and  am- 
munition were  taken  from  the  king's  arsenal 
at  Dalkeith,  and  the  command  of  the  Scotch 
army  given  to  Alexander  Lesly,  a  man  of 
some  experience  in  war. 

Charles  I., having  collected  a  considerable 
army,  marched  towards  Berwick,  to  punish 
the  insolence  of  his  Scotch  subjects,  and 
encamped  about  two  miles  from  that  town, 
A.  D.  1639.  General  Lesly  and  his  forces 
were  at  a  short  distance,  but  being  badly 
prepared  for  battle,  they  sent  proposals  to 
the  king,  which  he  had  the  weakness  to  ac- 
cept of,  on  condition  of  laying  down  their 
arms.  This  pretended  peace  did  not  extin- 
guish the  rebellion  ;  it  broke  out  anew  with 
increased  violence  in  1640.  The  fanatics 
entered  England,  defeated  the  king's  troops 
at  Newburn,  and  seized  upon  Newcastle. 

"  The  king,"  says  Lord  Castlehaven,* 
"  alarmed  by  this  success  of  the  rebels,  re- 
paired to  York,  where  he  held  a  council 
composed  of  all  the  peers  of  the  kingdom ; 
a  conference  was  held  at  Rippon,  to  treat 
for  a  suspension  of  hostilities,  which  was 
concluded,  to  the  disgrace  of  the  English 
nation,  on  condition  of  paying  to  the 
Scotch  twenty-five  thousand  pounds  ster- 
ling a  month." 

The  Scotch  fanatics  had  friends  in  Eng- 
land, even  among  the  lords  of  the  council, 
who  turned  every  thing  to  their  advantage.! 
They  carried  their  insolence  so  far  as  to 
publish  an  edict  at  the  head  of  the  army, 
expressive  of  their  determination  not  to  lay 
down  their  arms  till  the  reformed  religion 
(Puritanism)  should  be  established  on  a  firm 
footing  in  both  nations,  and  the  Protestant 

*  Memoirs  of  Lord  Castlehaven,  pp.  6,  7,  et  scq. 
t  Baker,  ibid. 


bishops  and  lords  who  had  been  opposed  to 
it  punished  according  to  the  laws,  partic- 
ularly the  archbishop  of  Canterbury  and 
the  earl  of  Strafford.  This  seditious  declara- 
tion was  published  in  London,  and  in  all 
the  principal  towns  of  the  kingdom. 

The  people  demanded  a  parliament.  The 
king,  having  dismissed  the  peers,  gave  or- 
ders for  the  convocation  of  the  bloody  par- 
liament, as  an  English  author  terms  it, 
which  met  at  Westminster  on  the  third  of 
November  following.  They  condemned  the 
king  to  death,  and  by  an  extraordinary  re- 
volution overthrew  the  monarchy  and  the 
monarch.  The  poison  of  Puritanism  having 
crept  into  this  body,  particularly  the  com- 
mons, fanaticism  was  supported,  while  the 
king  was  contradicted  in  all  his  acts.  On 
the  opening  of  the  first  session,  the  king  re- 
presented that  the  Scotch  fanatics,  without 
any  legitimate  motive,  had  entered  England 
sword  in  hand,  and  were  devastating  the 
country  with  impunity.  His  Majesty  pro- 
posed to  the  two  houses  to  concur  with  him 
in  every  thing  that  would  be  necessary  to 
put  down  the  rebellion  and  protect  his  faith- 
ful subjects.  The  proposal  was  badly  re- 
ceived ;  it  tended  only  to  inflame  the  fac- 
tions more  and  more ;  instead  of  calling 
those  traitors  and  rebels  who  were  armed 
against  their  sovereign,  they  were  treated  as 
dear  brethren,  and  three  hundred  thousand 
pounds  given  for  their  good  services.  When 
it  was  debated  in  the  house  how  this  sum 
was  to  be  paid,  Gervasus  Holies,*  a  mem- 
ber of  the  assembly,  was  driven  out  by  a 
majority  of  voices,  for  having  said  "  the 
better  way  of  paying  the  rebels  was  to  drive 
them  out  of  the  country  with  arms."  So 
highly  favored  were  the  Scotch  fanatics  by 
those  of  England,  that  the  friends  of  the 
king  were  despised ;  while  the  more  this 
weak  prince  yielded  to  their  demands,  with 
a  hope  of  bringing  them  back  to  their  duty, 
the  more  insolent  and  imperious  they  be- 
came, as  nothing  less  than  a  total  subver- 
sion of  the  government  could  satisfy  their 
ambition.  The  king  granted  at  first  a  privi- 
lege (till  then  unknown  in  the  kingdom)  of 
holding  triennial  parliaments,  which  after- 
wards he  declared  perpetual ;  by  which 
means  he  ceased  to  be  any  longer  their  mas- 
ter. The  Protestant  bishops  were  sent  to 
the  tower,  an  act  which  at  once  lost  the  mon- 
arch twenty-six  voices  in  the  parliament, 
and  left  the  intentions  of  that  body  concern- 
ing the  monarchy  no  longer  doubtful. -j] 

The  unfortunate  Charles  was  betrayed  on 

*  Memoirs  of  Castlehaven,  ibid. 

t  Baker's  Chronicles  of  Engl,  on  1637. 


570 


HISTORY   OF   IRELAND. 


all  sides ;  every  thing  portended  his  misfor- 
tune's and  the  fall  of  the  monarchy.  The 
Scotch  fanatics  of  Ireland,  whom  his  father 
had  loaded  with  favors  at  the  expense  of 
the  Catholics,  as  has  been  already  observed, 
conspired  with  their  English  and  Scotch 
brethren  to  destroy  him.  Seeing  that  the 
abolition  of  episcopacy  and  the  monarchy 
was  determined  upon  by  the  Puritans  both 
of  England  and  Scotland,  those  of  Ireland 
thought  that  the  opportunity  would  be  favora- 
ble for  destroying  Catholicity  in  their  own 
country.  A  petition,  signed  by  many  thou- 
sands, was  presented  for  that  object  to  the 
rebellious  parliament  of  England  ;  its  prayer 
being  that  the  Irish  Papists  should  be  obliged 
either  to  turn  Protestants  or  quit  the  king- 
dom, and  that  those  Avho  would  not  sub- 
mit to  that  law  should  be  hanged  at  their 
own  doors.  So  certain  were  the  Puritans 
in  Ireland  of  carrying  their  design,  that 
they  boasted  in  public  that  at  the  end  of  the 
year  there  would  not  be  a  single  Catholic  in 
the  kingdom. 

These  Irish  fanatics  forwarded  to  Ulster 
their  wicked  petition,  to  have  it  signed  by 
their  partisans  in  that  province ;  it  fell, 
howevei;,  into  the  hands  of  some  Catholics, 
through  a  minister  named  Primrose,  who 
was  struck  with  the  horror  of  their  designs. 
The  discovery  alarmed  the  Catholics,  v/ho 
now  saw  that  they  must  lay  before  the  gov- 
ernment their  complaints  of  these  violent 
proceedings,  so  contrary  to  the  repeated 
assurances  of  protection  that  were  held  out 
to  them.  This,  however,  was  of  no  avail. 
Sir  William  Parsons  and  John  Borlase, 
chief-justices,  governed  the  country  in  the 
absence  of  the  viceroy.*  These  were  both 
rigid  Presbyterians;  they  had  openly  de- 
clared themselves  favorable  to  the  parlia- 
ment that  opposed  the  king,  and  consequently 
were  averse  to  listen  to  any  complaints 
from  the  Catholics.  The  king's  affairs  in 
England  at  the  time  were  so  embarrassed, 
that  he  could  afford  no  remedy  to  the  com- 
plaints of  the  CathoHcs,  particularly  in  Ire- 
land, while  the  House  of  Commons  carried 
so  high  a  hand  against  the  Protestant  bish- 
ops and  clergy  of  England.  Such  was  the 
state  of  things  in  Ireland  before  the  massacre 
of  1641.  The  consternation  among  the  Catho- 
lics was  great ;  they  saw  themselves  aban- 
doned to  the  fury  of  their  enemies,  and  no 
remedy  or  protection  to  be  expected. 

While  the  Catholics  of  Ireland  were  de- 


*  The  earl  of  Strafford  was  viceroy  of  Ireland  till 
March  ]2th,  1641.  After  he  was  beheaded  in  En<r- 
land,  the  lord- 
Leicester. 


3utenancy  was  given  to  the  earl  of 


liberating  among  themselves  what  should  be 
done  at  so  alarming  a  crisis,  the  king  saw, 
though  too  late,  that  his  parliament  in  Eng- 
land was  plotting  his  destruction.  He  there- 
fore appointed  the  marquis  of  Antrim  to 
proceed  to  Ireland  with  orders  for  the  earl 
of  Ormond,  who  was  then  lieutenant-general 
of  the  royal  forces  there.  Ormond  was  in- 
structed to  concert  with  the  most  faithful  of 
the  king's  subjects  in  Ireland,  the  means 
proper  for  seizing  the  chief-justices,  who 
were  parliamentarians,  and  to  declare  in 
favor  of  his  majesty  against  the  proceedings 
of  the  English  parliament. 

The  earl  communicated  his  commission  to 
a  select  numberof  Catholics  and  Protestants. 
After  some  meetings  held  upon  the  subject, 
the  16th  of  November,  on  which  day  the 
Irish  parliament  was  to  meet,  was  fixed  upon 
for  the  execution  of  their  plan. 

To  avoid  a  confused  recital  of  facts,  we 
must  follow  the  order  of  events,  and  the 
motives  which  produced  them.  The  rising 
of  the  Irish  against  the  government  of  the 
parliamentarians,  the  attempt  to  seize  the 
castle  of  Dublin,  the  hostilities  in  Ulster  by 
the  forces  of  Phelim  O'Neill,  and  the  horri- 
ble massacre  that  ensued,  will  be  given  in 
course. 

The  ancient  Irish,  towards  whom  the  earl 
of  Ormond  observed  a  deep  secrecy,  were 
greatly  oftended  as  soon  as  his  projects  were 
whispered  among  them.  They  thought 
themselves  as  well  entitled  to  the  confidence 
of  the  king  as  any  of  his  subjects,  and  there- 
fore such  a  distinction  was  unseasonable  and 
injurious  to  the  cause.  Sir  Phelim  O'Neill ; 
Rory  O'Morra,  to  whom  Ballina,  in  the 
county  of  Kildare,  belonged  ;*  Connor  Ma- 
guire,  lord-baron  of  Inniskillen ;  MacMahon 
of  Monaghan  ;  Philip  O'Reilly,  the  chief  of 
Cavan,  and  several  other  noblemen  of  Ul- 
ster, formed  a  resolution  to  anticipate  the 
plans  of  Ormond.  They  determined  to 
effect  by  their  services,  not  only  the  free 
exercise  of  their  religion,  as  the  Scotch  con- 
spirators had  some  time  before  obtained  for 
themselves,  but  likewise  the  recovery  of  their 
properties  which  had  been  so  unjustly  wrested 
from  them  about  thirty  years  before,  by  the 
English  and  Scotch  Presbyterians,  whose 
predilection  for  the  rebellious  parliament 
was  manifest  to  all. 

These    noblemen    appointed  the  23d  of 

*  He  was  descended  from  the  illustrious  tribe  of 
the  O'Morras  of  Leix,  so  celebrated  for  their  at- 
tachment to  the  interests  of  religion  and  their 
country,  and  by  their  noble  efforts  in  favor  of 
both,  particularly  during  the  reign  of  Elizabeth. 
This  house  is  not  yet  extinct. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


571 


October,  1641,  for  the  execution  of  the 
measures  they  had  planned,  viz.,  seizing 
upon  the  castle  of  Dublin  and  the  lords- 
justices  at  the  same  time,  together  with  some 
forts  in  the  north.*  Lord  Maguire  and  some 
others  of  the  nobility  were  appointed  to  head 
the  attack  on  Dublin ;  the  plot,  however, 
was  betrayed  the  day  before  which  it  was  to 
be  carried  into  effect,  by  his  own  servant, 
named  Connelly.  This  traitor  was  amply 
remunerated  ;  and  having  embraced  the  Pro- 
testant religion,  he  earned  for  his  descend- 
ants, by  his  perfidy,  considerable  possessions 
in  Ireland.  Maguire  and  MacMahon  were 
taken  prisoners,  sent  to  England,  and  hang- 
ed at  Tyburn.  Sir  Phelim  O'Neill  was 
more  fortunate  in  Ulster,  where  he  made  him- 
self master  of  Charlemont,  and  other  forts. 

The  earl  of  Castlehaven  gives  an  account 
of  the  grievances  of  these  noblemen,  and  the 
motives  which  induced  them  to  rebel. f  He 
says,  first,  the  English  governors  in  Ireland, 
so  far  from  treating  the  Irish  as  free  subjects, 
looked  upon  them  as  a  conquered  people, 
and  adds,  that  when  a  nation  is  dissatisfied, 
and  cruelly  treated,  the  inhabitants  will  con- 
sider themselves  bound  only  to  obey  as  long 
as  they  are  constrained,  but  will  feel  them- 
selves justifiable  in  attempting  to  regain 
their  freedom,  on  the  first  opportunity  that 
may  arise. 

Secondly — These  noblemen  were  indig- 
nant in  consequence  of  James  I.  having  con- 
fiscated six  counties  in  Ulster  to  enrich  the 
Scotch,  without  in  the  least  indemnifying  the 
old  proprietors,  several  of  whom  had  never 
been  implicated  in  Tyrone's  rebellion,  which 
was  the  pretended  motive  for  this  confisca- 
tion. 

Thirdly — The  tyranny  of  the  earl  of 
Strafford,  who  was  viceroy  of  Ireland  in 
1635,  alarmed  the  Irish  nobility.  In  order 
to  enrich  himself  and  his  dependants,  this 
nobleman  determined  to  show  the  titles  of 
many  proprietors  of  Leinster,  Munster,  and 
Connaught,  who  had  enjoyed  their  estates 
for  centuries,  to  be  imperfect.  One  instance 
will  suffice  to  make  the  reader  acquainted 
with  the  injustice  of  his  attempts.  The 
O'Brenans,  who  were  proprietors  of  an  ex- 
tensive territory  called  Idough,  in  the  county 
of  Kilkenny,  were  declared  to  keep  unlawful 
possession  of  that  district,  on  the  pretence 
that  Henry  II.  had  claims  upon  it  nearly  five 
hundred  years  before.  This  was  sufficient 
to  procure  the  sentence  of  expulsion  against 
these  supposed  retainers  of  the  property  of 
others.  Sir  Christopher  Wandesford,  a  rela- 

*  Memoirs  of  Castlehaven,  page  9. 
t  Memoirs,  page  10,  et  seq. 


tive  to  the  viceroy,  obtained  the  whole  ter- 
ritory, with  letters  patent  confirming  the 
donation.  However,  experience  shows  that 
men  whose  estates  have  been  seized  upon 
and  confiscated,  will  not  be  restrained,  by 
either  religion  or  allegiance,  from  embracing 
the  means  of  resisting  the  power  that  op- 
presses them.  The  following  is  an  example  : 
the  Trivernates,  who  were  crushed  by  the 
Romans,  sent  ambassadors  to  Rome  to  de- 
mand peace.  On  appearing  before  the  senate 
they  were  asked,  what  peace  a  people  who 
had  so  often  violated  it,  could  expect  from 
the  Romans  ?  The  deputies  answered  with 
firmness,  "  If  the  peace  be  honorable,  it  will 
be  lasting ;  if  not,  it  cannot  continue  long ; 
do  not  think  that  a  people  will  submit  to 
terms  which  oppress  them  longer  than  they 
are  forced  to  do  so."* 

Fourthly — After  the  meeting  of  the  Eng- 
lish parliament,  penal  laws  were  enacted 
against  the  Catholics  of  Great  Britain,  and 
a  great  number  of  petitions  were  presented 
to  have  the  Catholics  of  Ireland  treated  with 
the  same  rigor.  It  required  nothing  more 
to  alarm  a  people  so  warmly  attached  to  their 
ancient  religion. 

Lastly — The  Scotch  having  taken  up  arms 
against  their  lawful  prince,  under  pretext  of 
having  their  grievances  redtessed,  succeed- 
ed not  only  in  obtaining  new  privileges, 
(among  which  was  the  exercise  of  a  new 
religion,)  but  also  the  sum  of  three  hundred 
thousand  pounds,  and  eight  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds  a  day  for  several  months.  Is 
it  then  to  be  wondered  at,  says  Lord  Castle- 
haven in  conclusion,  if  the  Irish  were  roused 
by  the  example  of  the  Scotch  ?  their  case 
was  infinitely  more  deplorable ;  they  took 
up  arms,  not  against  their  sovereign,  but 
against  his  rebel  subjects  :  their  endeavors 
were  not' to  introduce  a  new  religion  into  the 
state,  but  to  enjoy  in  peace  that  which  they 
had  professed  for  ages. 

The  conspiracy  of  Maguire  and  other  Irish 
Catholics,  afforded  great  satisfaction  to  the 
lords-justices  and  council. f  They  were  too 
deeply  interested,  and,  at  the  same  time,  too 
politic,  to  let  so  favorable  a  moment  escape 
them  of  enjoying  the  opportunity  for  confis- 
cation. In  order  to  save  appearances,  pro- 
clamations were  issued  against  the  rebels  of 
Ulster,  and  all  the  king's  faithful  subjects 
were  invited  to  unite  in  suppressing  the  rebel- 
lion, though  in  reality  they  wished  it  would 
extend  to  the  other  provinces,  and  involve 
all  in  a  similar  crime  of  violating  the  laws. 

In  the  mean  time  the  parliament  met  on 

*  Livy,  book  8. 

t  Ireland's  Case,  page  30,  et  seq. 


572 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


the  16th  of  November,  1611,  in  the  castle  of 
Dublin.  It  was  composod  of  Catholics  as 
well  as  Protestants.  The  lords-justices. 
Parsons  and  Borlaso,  having  laid  before  the 
menibors  the  horrors  of  the  revolution  which 
had  just  broken  out,  and  how  necessary  it 
was  to  prevent  the  consequences  which  it 
threatened,  both  houses  protested  unani- 
mously against  the  rebellion,  and  passed  an 
act,  by  which  they  bound  themselves  to  sacri- 
fice life  and  fortune  in  defence  of  his  majesty's 
interests,  and  of  the  tranquillity  of  his  gov- 
ernment. This,  however,  did  not  suit  the 
designs  of  the  lords-justices,  who  were  fre- 
quently heard  to  say,  "  the  more  rebels  the 
more  confiscations."*  The  parliament  was 
therefore  prorogued,  to  the  great  disappoint- 
ment of  both  houses,  and  of  all  good  men. 

This  proceeding  raised  the  courage  of  the 
malecontents,  who  began  the  tragedy  ;  they 
flew  to  arms,  and  soon  became  a  formidable 
army,  capable  of  laying  siege  to  Drogheda. 
Major  Roper  was  sent  from  Dublin  to  the 
relief  of  that  town,  at  the  head  of  seven  or 
eight  hundred  men;  he  was  defeated  at  Gil- 
lianstown  by  the  Cavan  troops  under  Philip 
O'Reilly,  chief  of  the  ancient  tribe  of  the 
O'Reillys  of  that  district.  The  conquerors 
put  the  neighboring  country  under  a  weekly 
contribution  for  their  support,  as  the  Scotch 
had  done  the  preceding  year  in  the  north  of 
England ;  but  this  act,  which  was  thought 
pardonable  in  the  Scotch  in  England,  was 
considered  criminal  in  the  Irish. 

The  refusal  of  arms  by  the  government  to 
the  Catholics,  shows  that  they  wished  to  feed 
the  flames  of  rebellion  in  the  north,  in  hopes 
that  it  would  extend  itself  to  the  whole  king- 
dom. Notwithstanding  that  many  made 
offers  of  their  services  to  the  king,  and  pro- 
posed to  enter  into  security  for  their  alle- 
giance, they  were  treated  more  like  rebels 
than  as  subjects.  The  violence  exercised 
against  them  was  so  great,  that  the  earl  of 
Castlehaven,  who  ventured  to  speak  against 
their  oppressors,  was  arrested,  and  kept 
several  months  in  prison,  where  he  would 
probably  have  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  or  perhaps  have  lost  his  head,  if  he  had 
not  had  the  good  fortune  to  escape  from  the 
hands  of  his  keepers. 

The  king,  who  had  been  kept  in  profound 
ignorance  of  affairs  in  Ireland,  discovered, 
when  too  late,  the  cause  of  the  disturbances.! 
He  saw  that  they  emanated  from  the  same 
source  as  the  revolt  of  the  republican  party 
in  England  and  Scotland,  who  had  formed 
the  project  of  destroying  both  himself  and 

*  Memoirs  of  Castlehaven,  page  31,  et  seq. 
t  Ireland's  Case,  page  32,  et  seq. 


his  government.  In  the  twelfth  chapter  of 
his  Eikon  Basilike,  the  king  expresses  him- 
self in  the  following  words  on  this  subject  :* 
"It  is  certainly  tlie  opinion  of  many  sensible 
men,  that  the  extraordinary  rigor  and  unjust 
severity  made  use  of  by  some  people  in 
England,  caused  the  discontent  which  had 
long  existed  in  Ireland  to  degenerate  into 
rebellion ;  when  discontent  is  turned  into 
despair,  and  oppression  into  a  fear  of  extir- 
pation, rebellion  will  naturally  succeed,  in 
order  both  to  escape  present  tyranny,  and 
to  counteract  those  evils  which  threaten, 
through  the  interested  zeal  or  fanaticism  of 
those  who  think  that  it  is  a  proof  of  the  truth 
of  their  religion  to  admit  of  none  but  their 
own."  "  There  is,"  continues  the  prince, 
"  a  kind  of  zeal  that  looks  upon  compassionate 
moderation  as  disinterestedness,  some  pre- 
ferring the  idea  of  cruelty  to  that  of  indif- 
ference ;  and  that  to  kill  a  bear  for  his  skin 
is  better  than  for  any  injury  he  has  done  ; 
the  confiscation  of  estates  is  more  advan- 
tageous than  that  charity  which  enjoins  us 
to  save  the  lives  of  those  to  whom  they  be- 
longed, and  reform  their  errors.  I  consider 
those  who  have  excited  rebellion  in  my  other 
kingdoms  highly  criminal  in  not  checking 
the  awful  efiusion  of  blood  in  Ireland." 

Charles  I.  himself  exculpates  the  Irish 
Catholics ;  he  ascribes  their  revolt  to  the 
mad  zeal  of  some  who  wished  to  restrain 
them  in  the  exercise  of  their  religion,  and 
to  the  cupidity  of  others  who  forced  them  to 
rebel  in  order  to  confiscate  their  properties. 
The  king  was  so  fully  persuaded  of  this,  that 
he  sent  orders  to  the  lords-justices  of  Ireland 
to  publish,  in  his  name,  a  general  amnesty 
to  all  who  would  submit  within  forty  days. 
This  order  filled  with  dismay  these  leeches, 
who  hoped  to  gain  extensive  estates  by  the 
revolt  of  the  Irish.  In  obedience  to  the 
king,  they,  however,  published  his  orders  ; 
but  with  certain  restrictions  ;  thus,  instead 
of  forty  days,  they  allowed  the  Irish  but  ten 
to  make  their  submission  ;  and,  instead  of 
extending  the  monarch's  pardon  to  all  ranks 
and  conditions,  they  excluded,  by  their  own 
authority,  all  those  who  were  hmded  pro- 
prietors. The  impossibility  of  repairing 
from  the  distant  parts  of  the  kingdom  to 
Dublin  within  ten  days,  and  the  unjust  ex- 
clusion, contrary  to  the  king's  commands,  of 
landed  proprietors,  proved  the  wicked  inten- 
tions of  the  Irish  rulers;  who,however,finding 
themselves  supported  by  the  fanatics  in  Eng- 
land and  Scotland,  permitted  nothing  to  im- 
pede their  designs.     In  order  to  prevent  for 

*  Memoirs  of  Castlehaven,  pp.  20,  21.  Ireland's 
Case,  pages  32,  33. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


573 


the  future,  the  king's  interference  with  the 
affairs  of  Ireland,  they  determined  to  punish 
severely  whomsoever  would  dare  to  give  him 
any  account  of  them.  Sir  John  Read,  who 
undertook  to  promise  the  Catholics  that  he 
would  make  their  grievances  known  to  his 
majesty,  was  taken  by  the  earl  of  Ormond 
and  sent  to  Dublin  :  on  being  questioned  by 
the  justices,  he  avowed  every  thing,  and 
was  sent  to  prison,  where  he  was  put  to  the 
rack  by  order  of  these  tyrants.  They  per- 
suaded themselves  that  they  would  be  able 
to  force  him,  by  tortures,  to  accuse  even  the 
king  and  queen  of  having  encouraged  the 
Irish  to  rebel.*  About  the  same  time  Patrick 
Barnwall,  lord  of  Killbrew,  aged  66  years, 
experienced  similar  treatment  ;  his  crime 
being  that  of  appearing  on  the  faith  of  the 
amnesty  which  had  been  proposed  to  all 
who  would  submit  within  ten  days  after  the 
proclamation — not  having  had  any  appre- 
hension that  landed  proprietors  could  be 
looked  upon  as  criminal  on  account  of  their 
estates,  or  should  be  excluded  from  the  king's 
amnesty. 

The  Irish  who  had  taken  up  arms  in  Ul- 
ster, confined  themselves  to  pillaging  and 
despoiling  the  Protestants  who  had  not  ap- 
peared in  arms  against  them,  without  de- 
priving any  man  of  life.  The  testimony  of 
Sir  John  Temple  on  this  subject  is  conclu- 
sive. "  The  Irish  in  Ulster,"  says  he,  "  had 
killed  but  few  Englishmen  in  the  beginning, 
and  during  the  first  days  of  the  rebellion. 
They  contented  themselves  with  forcing 
their  houses,  taking  their  properties,  and 
seizing  upon  their  flocks. "f  "  The  lords- 
justices  and  council  of  Ireland  wrote  to  the 
viceroy,  who  was  then  in  England,  on  the 
subject :  this  letter  is  dated  October  25th, 
1641 .  In  this  letter,  which  is  quoted  by  Sir 
John  Temple  in  his  history  of  the  rebellion, 
these  governors  gave  the  viceroy  an  account 
of  the  rebellion  of  the  Irish,  which  they  had 
received  from  some  persons  of  rank  in  Ul- 
ster. They  simply  mention  "  that  in  the 
commencement  of  the  revolt  the  Irish  had 
pillaged  and  burned  the  houses  of  the  Eng- 
lish." They  say  nothing  of  the  English 
being  killed,  but  that  acts  of  pillaging  and 
burning  had  been  committed.  Lord  Blaney, 
Sir  Arthur  Terringham,  and  other  English 
chiefs,  were  then  in  Ulster,  and  took  care  to 
inform  the  lords-justices  of  what  they  wit- 
nessed ;  it  is  therefore  very  improbable  that 
they  would  have  omitted  so  dreadful  a  cir- 
cumstance as  the  pretended  massacre  of 
several  Protestants  ;  nor  is  it  more  probable 

*  Memoirs  of  Castlehaven,  pages  38,  39. 
+  History  of  the  Rebellion 


that  they  could  have  been  imacquainted  with 
any  outrage  which  had  occurred. 

After  the  discovery  of  the  plot  to  surprise 
the  castle  of  Dublin,  the  lords-justices,  find- 
ing that  few  except  those  who  had  been  de- 
prived of  their  properties  in  Ulster  in  the 
preceding  reign  were  concerned  in  the  re- 
volt, wished  to  implicate  all  those  of  the  na- 
tives who  still  possessed  good  estates.  For 
this  object  they  dispatched  troops  to  different 
quarters,  while  others  hovered  around  the 
capital  Avho  coincided  but  too  closely  with 
the  criminal  views  of  their  chiefs.  In  the 
beginning  of  November,  1641,  they  massa- 
cred about  eighty  persons,  without  distinc- 
tion of  either  age  or  sex,  in  the  villages  of 
Santry,  Clontarf,  and  Bullock,  near  Dublin. 
The  garrison  of  Carrickfergus,  shortly  before 
this,  had  massacred  in  one  night  every  in- 
habitant of  a  peninsula  in  the  county  of  An- 
trim called  Oilean  Magee,  amounting  to  two 
or  three  thousand  men,  women,  and  children.* 
This  was  the  signal  for  the  destruction  of  an 
unoffending  population,  who  had  not  taken  up 
arms  against  the  government,  and  whose  only 
crime  was,  that  they  possessed  an  extensive 
territory.  Similar  cruelties  were  practised 
by  Lord  Broghill,  in  the  counties  of  Cork  and 
Waterford  and  the  neighboring  districts  ;  by 
Coote  in  the  county  of  Wicklow  ;  by  Captains 
Peasly,  Brown,  and  others,  in  the  county  of 
Tipperary ;  and,  in  general,  by  all  the  Pro- 
testant garrisons  of  the  kingdom. 

It  was  not  till  they  heard  of  the  cruelties 
inflicted  on  their  countrymen,  that  the  Irish 
who  had  taken  up  arms  in  the  north  began 
to  revenge  the  death  of  their  fellow-citizens. 
Though  the  chiefs  were  not  so  barbarous  as 
to  wreak  their  vengeance  on  the  innocent, 
they  could  not  restrain  their  men  from  making 
reprisals.  These  were  resolved  to  treat  the 
Protestants  in  the  north  in  the  same  manner 
as  the  Catholics  of  the  other  provinces  had 
been  treated.  It  was  thus  that  each  party, 
in  revenge  for  the  death  of  friends  and 
neighbors,  committed  many  acts  of  cruelty 
in  cold  blood. 

It  would  be  desirable  for  the  honor  of  the 
two  parties,  that  these  atrocities  were  buried 
in  oblivion.  Though,  however,  both  are  with- 
out an  excuse,still  they  who  began  the  trage- 
dy are  most  criminal.  The  barbarous  orders 
of  the  Protestant  commanders  to  their  sol- 
diery, when  sending  them  in  pursuit  of  the 
Catholics,  are  well  known  ;  they  commanded 

*  Ireland's  Case,  page  37,  et  seq.  Account  of 
the  troubles  in  Ireland,  page  3.  Collection  of  the 
massacres  committed  on  the  Irish,  printed  in  Lon- 
don, 1662,  pp.  1,  8,  9,  15,  19,  23,  &c.  Memoirs  of 
Castlehaven,  p.  37. 


574 


HrSTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


them  to  spare  neither  sex  nor  age,  not  even 
a  child,  were  it  but  a  liaud  high  ;  which  was 
the  expression  of  Coote  when  sending  his 
troops  to  scour  the  country.* 

The  conduct  of  the  Catholic  leaders  was 
very  dilTcrent  ;  they  saw  with  horror  the  cru- 
elties that  were  practised  against  Protestants, 
and  those  who  connnilted  them  were  disown- 
ed, and  many  put  to  death  for  disobedience 
of  orders.!  The  truth  of  this  statement  is 
supported  by  the  authority  of  the  earl  of  Cas- 
tlehaven,  who  witnessed  what  was  passing 
in  Ireland  at  that  time.  It  is  also  confirmed 
by  the  remonstrances  presented,  in  the  name 
of  the  nation,  on  the  17th  March,  1642,  by 
Viscount  Gormanstown  and  Sir  Robert  Tal- 
bot ;  and  also  by  the  offers  of  the  Catholic 
agents  in  London,  after  the  restoration  of 
Charles  II.  ;  who  proposed  to  have  the 
murders  committed  on  both  sides  investi- 
gated, and  the  authors  punished  according 
to  the  laws.  The  uneasiness  which  this 
proposal  caused  to  the  Protestants,  proves 
how  much  they  had  to  reproach  themselves 
w^ith  on  that  head.  They  were  not  easy  until 
they  found  that  none  but  a  few  regicides, 
and  the  Catholics  of  Ireland,  were  to  be  ex- 
cluded from  the  amnesty. 

It  cannot  be  calculated  with  precision  how 
many  perished  during  the  twelve  years  that 
this  cruel  scene  lasted,  with  more  or  less  vio- 
lence. Protestant  authors  ascribe  all  the 
infamous  conduct  to  the  Catholics.  The 
absurd  and  exaggerated  catalogue  given  by 
Sir  John  Temple,  and  others,  of  three  hun- 
dred thousand  Protestants  having  been  mas- 
sacred in  a  single  province,  is  both  absurd 
and  impossible. 

Hume  draws  a  horrifying,  but  incorrect 
picture  of  the  Irish  massacre  in  1641,|  in 
which  the  Irish  alone  are  accused.  All  that 
he  advances  is  a  mere  repetition  of  what  had 
been  previously  extracted  by  the  republican 
and  fanatic  writers  of  his  own  country  from 
Sir  John  Temple,  whose  statements  had 
been  already  refuted. 

This  part  of  Hume's  history  is  carefully 
written  :  his  style  is  striking,  his  descrip- 
tions are  lively,  and  it  is  obvious  that  he 
strives  to  convince  ;  but  truth  will  always 
triumph  by  its  own  eloquence.  The  energy 
with  which  he  condemns  the  Irish,  shows 
the  spirit  by  which  he  is  actuated  :  accord- 
ing to  him,  none  of  them  were  massacred  ; 
the  English  alone  were  the  sufferers.  Were 
we    to  resort   to   recrimination,  how  great 

*  Memoirs  of  Castlehaven,  p.  29.  Ireland's 
Case,  p.  53. 

t  Mcnioirsof  Cast.  ibid.     Ireland's  Case,  ibid. 
I  Reign  of  Charles  1. 


would  be  our  advantage  over  Hume  !  we 
would  discover  sufficient  matter  to  confute 
him  in  the  conduct  of  his  country  towards 
Charles  I.  He  that  lives  in  a  glass  house, 
ought  not  to  throw  stones  at  his  neighbor ; 
we  may  be  permitted  to  mention,  with  re- 
gard to  the  remark  of  Hume,  that  the  Irish 
never  either  sold,  or  put  their  king  to  death. 

Although  we  discover,  from  history,  ex- 
amples of  bloody  scenes  in  other  nations, 
the  massacre  of  Ireland  was  one  of  the  most 
cruel  and  barbaroys  that  has  been  recorded 
among  Christians,  both  on  account  of  its 
duration,  and  the  fury  of  those  who  were 
the  authors  of  it.  If  it  be  true,  as  every  one 
believes,  that  both  sides  were  culpable,  it  is 
equally  true  that  the  aggressors  were  more 
criminal  than  those  who  resorted  to  retalia- 
tion by  revenging  the  death  of  their  country- 
men. Hume  ought  to  have  made  some  dis- 
tinction between  the  parties.  Different  opin- 
ions, too,  ought  to  be  quoted  on  a  contested 
subject,  in  order  that  the  impartial  reader 
may  decide  ;  but  the  bad  faith  of  this  author 
has  made  him  pass  over  in  silence  respecta- 
ble writers,  by  whom  his  positions  would 
have  been  refuted. 

We  will  now  give  the  authentic  testimony 
of  Lord  Castlehaven.  "In  the  mean  time," 
says  this  nobleman,  "  the  justices  and  coun- 
cil of  Ireland  sent  detachments  from  Dublin, 
and  other  garrisons  in  Ireland,  with  orders  to 
kill  and  destroy  the  rebels  :  the  officers  and 
soldiers,  without  distinguishing  rebels  from 
subjects,  killed  indiscriminately,  in  many 
places,  men,  women,  and  children  ;  which 
exasperated  the  rebels,  and  induced  them  to 
commit,  in  turn,  the  same  cruelties  upon  the 
English."  It  is  evident,  from  tire  assertion  i 
of  Lord  Castlehaven,  that  the  English  were 
the  aggressors,  by  order  of  their  commanders, 
and  that  the  crime  of  the  Irish  was,  their 
having  followed  so  barbarous  an  example, 

"  I  cannot  believe,"  says  Castlehaven, 
"  that  there  were  at  that  time  in  Ireland, 
without  the  walls  of  the  towns,  a  tenth  part 
of  the  British  subjects  whom  Temple  and 
others  mention  to  have  been  killed  by  the 
Irish.  It  is  evident  that  he  repeats  two  or 
three  times,  in  different  places,  the  names 
of  persons,  and  the  same  circumstances,  and 
that  he  puts  down  some  hundreds  as  having 
been  massacred  at  that  time,  who  lived  for 
several  years  afterwards.  It  is  therefore  right 
that,  notwithstanding  the  unfounded  calum- 
nies which  some  have  circulated  against  the 
Irish,  I  should  do  justice  to  their  nation,  and 
declare  that  it  was  never  the  intention  of 
their  chiefs  to  authorize  the  cruellies  which 
were  practised  among  them." 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


575 


The  author  of  the  "  Catholic  Vindication" 
is  in  accordance  with  Lord  Castlehaven  on 
this  head.  This  writer,  who  is  an  English- 
man of  discernment,  has  done  every  thing 
to  clear  up  the  question ;  after  indefatigable 
researches  he  concludes  by  saying,  "  all  the 
hundreds  of  thousands  who  were  represented 
to  have  been  massacred  in  the  north,  did  not 
exceed  three  thousand." 

Sir  William  Petty,  who  was  an  English 
Protestant,  and  secretary  to  the  usurper, 
Cromwell,  who  appointed  him  surveyor-gen- 
;  eral  of  Ireland,  assures  us,  that  after  the  most 
minute  research,  the  number  killed  on  both 
sides,  either  in  battle  or  by  massacre,  during 
the  civil  war,  did  not  exceed  thirty-six  thou- 
sand. After  these  respectable  authorities, 
we  look  to  the  justice  of  the  reader,  who  will 
balance  the  proofs,  and  not  submit  to  ■  the 
prejudices  of  Hume,  who  is  palpably  guilty 
of  injustice  and  partiality. 

It  is  a  matter  of  surprise  that  a  writer  of 
Hume's  merit  would  descend  to  be  the  echo 
of  English  tumult  and  clamor,  which  have 
been  so  often  refuted  ;  his  character  ought 
to  rank  above  that  of  scribblers,  such  as  Lord 
Castlehaven  speaks  of,  and  whom  he  re- 
proaches with  having  borrowed  their  ac- 
counts from  Temple. 

The  stranger  who  cannot  be  always  on  his 
guard  against  the  false  insinuations  of  an 
accredited  author,  may  be  easily  imposed 
upon.  He  has  not  the  opportunity  to  dis- 
cover the  truth  of  what  is  set  forth  by  either 
the  prejudiced  or  the  partial  historian,  and 
he  only  who  is  acquainted  with  the  history  of 
the  times,  can  discover  the  imposture. 

From  the  manner  in  which  Hume  describes 
the  massacre  of  1641,  it  appears  that  he  was 
determined  to  disparage  the  Irish  at  ihe  en- 
tire expense  of  truth,  which  should  be  ever 
dear  to  the  historian. 

"  The  astonished  English,"  he  says,  "  liv- 
ing in  profound  peace  and  security,  were, 
without  opposition  or  provocation,  massacred 
by  their  nearest  neighbors,  with  whom 
they  had  lived  for  a  long  time  in  habits  of 
mutual  friendship  and  kind  offices.  Neither 
tortures,  such  as  refined  cruelty  could  de- 
vise, nor  the  agonies  of  the  soul,  or  of  de- 
spair, were  sufficient  to  assuage  the  people's 
vengeance,  which  was  excited  without  cause, 
nor  allay  their  cruelties,  which  were  inflict- 
ed without  provocation." 

It  is  not  surprising  that  in  so  horrible  a  com- 
motion some  innocent  people  lost  their  lives 
on  both  sides  ;  nothing  can  be  more  innocent 
than  a  child  of  a  hand  high.  Still,  there 
were  no  exceptions  in  the  barbarous  orders 
which  Coote  and  other  English  officers  had 


given  to  their  soldiery,  who  were  let  loose 
to  make  their  bloody  hints  among  the  Irish 
Catholics. 

We  cannot  but  feel  surprised  at  the  air 
of  confidence  with  which  Hume  speaks  of 
the  massacre  the  Irish  committed  upon  the 
English,  without  provocation,  without  in- 
jury, or  cause  given  by  the  latter ;  but  is 
Hume's  authority  alone  sufficientto  convince 
the  reader  ? 

The  example  of  the  Scotch  in  a  great  de- 
gree caused  the  Irish  Catholics  to  rebel; 
who  were  already  dissatisfied  at  seeing  them- 
selves on  the  eve  of  either  renouncing  their 
religion  or  quitting  their  country.  A  peti- 
tion to  this  efl'ect,  signed  by  many  thousand 
Protestants  of  Ireland,  and  presented  to  the 
English  parliament,  justified  their  fears.  It 
had  been  already  boasted  of  in  public,  that 
before  the  end  of  the  year  there  would  not 
be  a  single  papist  in  Ireland  ,  this  produced 
its  eff'ects  in  England.  The  king  having,  by 
a  forced  condescension,  surrendered  his  Irish 
affairs  to  the  parliament,  that  tribunal  made 
an  ordinance  on  the  8th  December,  which 
promised  the  entire  extirpation  of  the  Irish  ; 
it  was  decreed  that  popery  would  not  be 
any  longer  suffered  in  either  Ireland,  or  any 
other  of  his  majesty's  states.  This  parlia- 
ment likewise  granted,  in  February  follow- 
ing, to  English  adventurers,  in  considera- 
tion of  a  certain  sum  of  money,  two  millions 
five  hundred  thousand  acres  of  profitable 
lands  in  Ireland,  without  including  bogs, 
woods,  or  barren  mountains,  and  this  at  a 
time  when  the  number  of  landed  proprietors 
implicated  in  the  insurrection  was  exceed- 
ingly small.  To  satisfy  the  engagements 
entered  into  with  the  English,  as  above, 
many  honest  men,  who  never  conspired 
against  the  king  or  state,  were  to  be  dispos- 
sessed, and  the  money  raised  by  such  means 
was  subsequently  applied  to  make  that  war 
against  the  king  which  at  last  brought  him 
to  the  block. 

The  Irish,  particularly  those  of  Ulster, 
had  not  forgotten  the  unjust  confiscation  of  six 
whole  counties,  within  the  forty  years  im- 
mediately preceding  ;  they  looked  upon  the 
new  possessors  as  unjust  possessors  of  the 
property  of  others,  and  if  the  means  to  drive 
out  these  intruders  happened  to  arise,  might 
they  not  have  said  what  Simon  the  high 
priest  said  to  the  ambassador  of  Antiochus  ? 
"  We  have  not  usurped  the  lands  of  others, 
we  are  not  keeping  properties  which  belong 
to  others  ;  we  look  only  to  the  inheritance 
of  our  fathers,  which  has  been  for  some 
time  in  the  unjust  possession  of  our  enemies." 
The  ancient  Irish  proprietors  saw  with  pain 


576 


HISTOKY    OP    IRELAND. 


their  inheritance,  which  had  been  for  many 
ccMituries  in  the  possession  of  their  ancestors, 
become  tlie  property  of  a  troop  of  adven- 
turers, taken  for  the  most  part  from  the 
dretjs  of  the  peoph%  whose  prosperity  and 
riciits,  no  doubt,  excited  the  jealousy  of 
those  at  whose  expense  their  fortunes  had 
been  raised.  These  ancient  proprietors  could 
say  with  Jeremiah,  "  Our  inheritance  and 
our  houses  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of 
strangers."  The  grief  of  these  old  proprie- 
tors was  changed  into  revenge  ;  they  seized 
upon  the  houses,  the  Hocks,  and  the  furni- 
ture of  the  new  comers,  whose  fine  and  com- 
modious habitations,  erected  on  the  lands  of 
the  Irish,  were  destroyed  either  by  force  or 
by  the  flames. 

Such  were  the  hostilities  committed  against 
the  English  by  the  Irish  in  1641.  There 
was  not  a  question  about  massacre  until  the 
English  began  to  set  the  example,  which 
then  indeed  was  too  closely  copied  by  the 
Catholics  of  Ulster,  and  the  contagion  soon 
spread  itself  throughout  the  kingdom.  It 
was  no  longer  a  dispute  between  two  neigh- 
bors ;  it  was  a  national  hatred  and  anti- 
pathy between  two  people,  viz.,  the  Irish 
Catholics  and  English  Protestants  ;  this  ha- 
tred was  founded  upon  motives  of  religion 
and  self-interest — motives  which  often  stifle 
every  sentiment  of  humane  and  social  sym- 
pathij  even  between  the  nearest  relatives 
and  friends. 

Such  was  the  origin  of  that  unhappy  war 
that  cost  so  much  blood — such  were  the  mo- 
tives of  the  Irish  insurrection  in  1641,  which 
was  accompanied  with  such  horrible  conse- 
quences. In  support  of  the  truth  of  what 
has  been  set  forth,  writers  whose  testimony 
must  be  conclusive  from  their  having  been 
witnesses  of  what  they  stated,  are  intro- 
duced. Still  they  are  not  to  Mr.  Hume's 
taste  ;  proofs  have  no  influence  on  him  ;  he 
mutilates  and  decides ;  and  according  to 
him,  the  Irish  Catholics  were  the  sole 
actors  in  this  tragedy. 

To  enter  more  deeply  into  its  causes  and 
effects  would  exceed  the  limits  of  our  his- 
tory ;  it  is,  however,  manifest,  that  the  num- 
ber of  Catholics  murdered  during  this  war 
was  six  times  greater  than  that  of  the  Pro- 
testants. They,  being  scattered  through- 
out the  country  parts,  were  of  course  ex- 
posed to  the  rage  of  a  Ucentious  soldiery, 
while  the  Protestants,  who  lived  principally 
within  walled  towns  and  castles,  were  se- 
cured from  the  attacks  of  the  insurgents. 
After  the  rebellion  had  broken  out  too,  a 
great  many  Scotch  and  English  returned  to 
their  own  countries  ;  so  that  those  who  were 


massacred  by  detachments  sent  from  the 
English  garrisons,  whose  orders  were  to 
spare  neither  sex  nor  age,  must  have  been 
infinitely  the  more  numerous.  The  Catho- 
lics who  were  put  to  death  by  the  Cromwel- 
lians  on  account  of  the  massacre  were  not 
very  many ;  consequently,  the  number  of 
Protestants  who  were  killed  in  the  begin- 
ning could  not  have  been  very  great.  So 
soon  as  the  war  had  ended,  courts  of  justice 
were  held  to  convict  the  murderers  of  the 
Protestants.  The  whole  who  were  convict- 
ed amounted  to  one  hundred  and  forty  Catho- 
lics, who  were  chiefly  of  the  lower  classes ; 
though  their  enemies  being  the  judges,  wit- 
nesses were  suborned  to  prosecute,  and  sever- 
al among  those  found  guilty  declared  them- 
selves innocent  of  the  crimes  for  which  they 
were  sentenced  to  suffer.  If  similar  investi- 
gations had  taken  place  against  the  Protest- 
ants, and  witnesses  from  among  the  Catho- 
lics admitted  against  them,  nine  parliamen- 
tarians out  of  every  ten  would  have  been  in- 
evitably convicted  (before  a  fair  tribunal)  of 
murder  upon  the  Catholics. 

The  lords  of  the  English  pale  took  no  part 
as  yet  in  the  disturbances :  they  were  gen- 
erally Catholics,  who,  viewing  the  dangers 
which  threatened  their  religion  and  king, 
were  driven  to  the  sad  alternative  of  rising 
in  their  own  defence  ;  circulars  were  sent  to 
the  Catholic  chiefs  of  the  other  provinces, 
inviting  them  to  assemble  at  Kilkenny  in  the 
beginning  of  May,  1642.*  It  was  there  that 
the  celebrated  association,  called  the  Catholic 
Confederates  of  Ireland,  was  formed.  From 
the  state  of  affairs,  it  was  clearly  proved  that 
the  remedy  must  be  as  violent  as  the  disease ; 
but  to  avoid  precipitancy  at  so  important  a 
crisis,  and  to  act  in  accordance  with  religion 
and  justice,  the  bishops  and  Catholic  clergy 
who  were  present  were  consulted  upon  the 
expediency  of  the  war  which  they  were  about 
to  undertake  :  the  following  was  the  opinion 
of  the  ecclesiastics  :  "  Inasmuch  as  the  war 
which  is  declared  by  the  Catholics  of  Ireland 
against  Sectarians,  and  particularly  against 
the  Puritans,  is  intended  for  the  defence  of 
the  Catholic  religion,  the  preservation  of  our 
sovereign.  King  Charles,  his  just  rights  and 
prerogatives,  and  her  majesty  the  queen,  and 
the  safety  of  the  royal  family,  so  basely 
persecuted  by  the  fanatics,  and  also  for  the 
defence  of  our  lives  and  fortunes,  and  the 
just  liberties  of  our  country,  against  usurpers 
and  oppressors,  particularly  the  Puritans — 
we  consider  and  pronoxmce  this  war  to  be 
just  and  lawful :  if,  however,  any  one  engage 

*  Vindiciarum  Cath.  Hiber.  lib.  1,  cap.  1. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


577 


in  it  through  avarice,  hatred,  revenge,  or 
other  evil  views,  or  from  wicked  advice, 
they  are  guilty  of  mortal  sin,  and  merit  the 
censures  of  the  church,  if,  after  being  ad- 
monished, they  continue  to  be  guided  by  the 
above  motives." 

The  church  having  declared  the  war  to  be 
lawful,  the  assembly  appointed  a  council, 
called  the  supreme  council  of  Kilkenny, 
who  were  invested  with  authority  to  govern 
the  state,  and  whom  all  the  representatives 
of  the  nation  bound  themselves  by  oath  to 
obey.  Orders  were  then  given  for  the  levy- 
ing of  troops,  and  generals  were  appointed 
for  the  four  provinces,  viz.,  Thomas  Pres- 
ton of  the  house  of  Gormanstown  for  Lein- 
ster,  Colonel  James  Barry  of  Barrymore  for 
Munster,  Colonel  John  Burke  of  the  house 
of  Clanriccard  for  Connaught,  and  Owen 
Roe  (Eugenius  Rufus)  O'Neill  for  Ulster  ; 
while  in  order  to  establish  the  confederacy 
on  a  firm  basis,  laws  were  enacted,  which 
were  admitted,  even  by  their  enemies,  to  be 
just  and  equitable. 

The  second  meeting  of  the  confederates 
was  appointed  for  the  24th  of  October  fol- 
lowing ;  it  resembled  a  parliament  without 
distinction  of  houses,  in  which  every  act  of 
the  council  since  May  was  approved  of.  It 
was  settled  that  the  council  should  consist 
of  twenty-four  members,  six  from  each  pro- 
vince, and  that  after  each  general  assembly 
the  council  should  be  confirmed  or  changed 
according  to  the  will  of  members.  It  Avas 
also  decreed  that  each  province  should  have 
a  council,  to  meet  according  to  the  exigency 
of  affairs.  In  order  to  sanction  the  commis- 
sions and  other  public  acts  which  emanated 
from  this  tribunal,  a  seal  was  made,  called 
the  seal  of  the  council. 

The  Catholic  confederates  of  Ireland  hav- 
ing thus  arranged  their  form  of  government, 
wished  by  a  solemn  act  to  secure  the  fidelity 
of  those  who  composed  the  assembly,  and  at 
the  same  time  to  justify  their  proceedings, 
by  proving  to  the  world  that  their  intentions 
were  upright,  and  far  from  being  a  rebellion 
against  their  lawful  prince.  An  oath,  in  the 
following  terms,  was  for  this  purpose  sub- 
scribed to  by  each  member  of  the  confed- 
eracy : 

"  I  swear  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  of 
his  angels  and  saints,  to  defend  the  liberty 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  and  Apostolical  reli- 
gion, the  person,  heirs,  and  rights  of  his 
majesty  King  Charles,  and  the  freedom  and 
privileges  of  this  kingdom,  against  all  usurp- 
ers, at  the  peril  of  my  life  and  fortune."* 

*  Vindiciar.  Cath.  Hib.  c.  1,  p.  6. 


When  the  general  assembly  of  October 
had  broken  up,  the  council  deputed  ambas- 
sadors to  the  courts  of  France,  Spain,  and 
Rome.*  M.  Rochford  was  sent  to  France, 
and  was  succeeded  by  Geoffrey  Barron  ; 
the  reverend  father  James  Talbot,  of  the 
order  of  St.  Augustin,  was  sent  to  Spain ; 
and  Sir  Richard  Belling  to  the  pope  :  he 
was  succeeded  by  Nicholas  French,  bishop 
of  Ferns,  and  the  latter  by  Sir  Nicholas 
Plunket.  These  princes  received  the  am- 
bassadors of  the  confederates  favorably,  and 
sent  representatives  to  Ireland  as  proof  of 
their  satisfaction.  M.  de  la  Monarie  was 
sent  by  Louis  XIII.,  king  of  France  ;  he 
was  succeeded  by  M.  Dumoulin,  and  the 
latter  by  M.  Taloon.  Philip  IV.  of  Spain 
appointed  M'Fuysott,  a  native  of  Burgundy  ; 
O'Sullevan  Bearre,  earl  of  Beerhaven,  was 
deputed  after  him,  and  lastly  Dom  Diego  de 
Los  Torres.  The  envoy  of  Pope  Urban 
VIII.  was  Starampo,  an  ecclesiastic  ;  he 
continued  in  Ireland  till  the  arrival  of  Ri- 
nuccini,  archbishop  and  prince  of  Fermo, 
who  was  sent  as  legate  by  Innocent  X.  in 
1645. 

In  the  mean  time  the  confederate  army 
commenced  their  operations.!  They  were 
in  the  beginning  badly  provided  with  arms, 
artillery,  &c.,  necessary  for  carrying  on  the 
war  ;  and  for  some  time  their  success  was 
doubtful  ;  however,  they  made  themselves 
masters  of  several  towns  that  had  been  in 
the  hands  of  the  Protestants,  and  in  less 
than  two  years  the  latter  were  driven  out  of 
the  interior  of  the  country,  and  forced  to  take 
refuge  in  the  seaports. 

The  king  saw  that  the  Irish  Catholics 
had  no  design  to  withdraw  their  allegiance 
from  him,  and  that  they  were  forced  by  his 
own  and  their  enemies  to  resort  to  arms. 
He  therefore  immediately  recalled  the  lords- 
justices,  and  appointed  the  earl  of  Ormond 
viceroy.! 

The  Catholic  confederates  expected  a 
great  deal  from  this  change  of  government. 
They  consented  to  lay  down  their  arms,  and 
agreed  among  them  to  advance  thirty  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  pounds  to  the  viceroy  for 
the  purpose  of  sending  the  Protestant  army 
to  England. §  The  viceroy,  a  more  zealous 
Protestant  than  an  able  minister,  refused  the 
services  of  the  Catholics,  and  would  scarcely 
permit  two  thousand  of  them  to  proceed  to 
Scotland  to  reinforce  the  royal  party  under 
the  marquis  of  Montrose,  where  they  had  a 

*  Memoirs  of  Castlehaven,  pp.  59,  60. 
t  V'indiciar.  Cath.  Hib.  ibid. 
t  Ireland's  Case,  ibid.  p.  48,  et  scq. 
§  Vindiciarum  Cath.  ibid.  cap.  2. 
73 


578 


IlISTORV    OF    IRELAND. 


share  in  the  heroic  actions  which  that  great 
man  perlbrmed  in  the  services  of  his  king.* 
The  supreme  council  deputCLl  Lord  Mns- 
kerry,  (afterwards  carl  of  Clancarty,)  Sir 
Nicholas  Plunkcl,  and  a  few  others,  to  Eng- 
land, to  lay  their  grievances  before  the  king, 
and  suliiit  liis  majesty  in  behalf  of  their  re- 
ligion and  liberty.  The  king  received  these 
deputies  with  distinction,  and  sent  them  back 
to  the  viceroy,  recommending  to  him  to  se- 
cure a  peace  with  the  Catholic  confederates. 
His  majesty  afterwards  wrote  to  him  to  put 
an  end  to  the  war  in  Ireland,  to  ofler  to  his 
Irish  subjects  the  free  exercise  of  their  re- 
ligion, to  annul  Poyning's  Act,  and  to  grant 
a  general  amnesty  for  the  past  ;  in  fine,  to 
make  peace  on  any  terms.  Charles  judged 
well,  that  this  would  enable  his  Irish  subjects 
to  send  him  assistance  against  his  rebellious 
parliament.  The  viceroy,  however,  neglect- 
ed all  his  orders,  and  would  make  no  peace 
with  the  Irish,  till  the  king's  affairs  became 
irremediable.! 

The  Catholic  confederates  carried  on  the 
war  with  vigor  against  the  Irish  parliamen- 
tarians.]: Murrough  O'Brien,  baron  of  Inchi- 
quin,  was  among  the  number  of  their  ene- 
mies. This  nobleman  had  been  in  the  king's 
service,  and  sought  the  presidency  of  Mun- 
ster  ;  but  the  king  having  given  preference 
to  the  earl  of  Portland,  he  deserted  the  royal 
standard,  and  the  towns  under  his  command, 
and  declared  for  the  parliamentarians,  from 
whom  he  received  the  command  of  the  prov- 
ince of  Munster,  with  the  title  of  president. 
It  may  be  observed,  that  the  houses  of  Thu- 
omoud  and  Inchiquin  had  imbibed,  with  their 
English  titles,  all  the  malignity  of  the  Eng- 
hsh  against  the  Irish.     Under  the  auspices 
of  a  rebellious  parliament,  Inchiquin  fought 
against  his  countrymen  more  like  a  robber 
than  the  general  of  an  army  ;  he  destroyed 
every  thing  with  fire  and  sword  in  his  march 
through  Munster.    The  holy  city  of  Cashel, 
where  the  apostle  of  Ireland  baptized  the 
first  Christian  king  of  the  province,  did  not 
escape  his  fury  ;  in  vain  the  terrified  nihab- 
j  itants  sought  safety  in  the  cathedral  church, 
,,  the  sanctity  of  which  was  no  security  against 
1 1  the  tyrant.     Inchiquin  having  given  orders 
jl  for  an  assauU,  commanded  his  soldiers  to 
jj  give  no  quarter,  so  that,  between  the  carnage 
jj  in  and  outside  of  the  church,  not  one  escaped. 
Twenty  clergymen,  with  a  vast  multitude  of 
people,  perished  on  this  occasion.    He  took 
jj  pleasure  in  burning  whole  villages,  houses, 

*  Hist,  of  the  Life  of  Montrose,  Loud,  edit    in 
1653,  c.  5,  6,7,8,9,  10, 11. 
t  Ireland's  Case,  p.  50,  et  seq. 
\  Memoirs  of  Castkhaven,  pp.  96,  96,  111. 


and  the  properties  of  the  inhabitants  ;  from 
which  he  was  called  Murroiigh  an  toithaine 
— that  is,  Murrough  the  incendiary,  by  which 
name  he  is  still  known  in  tl^at  province, 
where  his  memory  is  execrated. 

The  successes  of  Inchiquin  in  Munster 
alarmed  the  supreme  council  ;*  they  dis- 
patched the  earl  of  Castlehaven  to  take  the 
command  of  that  province,  instead  of  Barry, 
who  was  unsuccessful  and  unfit  to  serve, 
from  his  great  age.  In  order  to  open  the 
campaign  early,  Castlehaven  collected  his 
forces  at  Clonmel,  amounting  to  five  thou- 
sand infantry  and  one  thousand  cavalry,  with 
some  pieces  of  cannon.  Having  set  out  on 
his  march,  he  seized  upon  several  towns 
without  reaching  Inchiquin.  The  principal 
places  he  took  were  Caperquin,  Michaels- 
town,  Mallow,  Donerail,  Liscarrol,  Milltown, 
Rostellan,  Castle-Lyons  ;  and  after  reducing 
the  country  as  far  as  Youghal,  he  returned 
to  Kilkenny  in  November. 

After  the  battle  of  Naseby,  and  other  bat- 
tles which  the  king  had  lost  by  means  of  the 
English  rebels,  he  was  forced,  in  May,  1646, 
to  throw  himself  upon  the  mercy  of  the 
Scotch  rebels  who  were  then  at  Newark.  It 
was  contrary  to  the  interest  of  these  fanatics 
that  the  king  should  make  peace  with  the 
Irish  Catholics,  who  might  assist  him  against 
his  enemies  ;  and  taking  advantage  of  his 
misfortunes,  they  forced  him  to  write  to  Or- 
mond  on  the  11th  of  June,  recalling  all  the 
authority  he  had  previously  given  him  for 
making  peace  with  the  Irish. 

The  council  of  the  Catholic  confederacy, 
alarmed  at  the  postponement  of  the  peace 
which  Ormond  was  commanded  to  make, 
sent  to  demand  a  final  answer.  Ormond 
replied  that  he  had  received  counter-orders 
from  his  majesty  ;  however,  he  changed  his 
decision  soon  afterwards,  being' determined 
to  deny  what  he  found  contrary  to  his  inter- 
est, under  a  pretext  that  his  power  had  been 
annulled  before  the  exchange  of  the  articles. 

Peace  was  at  length  proclaimed  by  Or- 
mond ;  but  the  pope's  legate,  who  had  just 
arrived,  having  called  a  meeting  of  the  pre- 
lates at  Waterford,  the  latter  finding  that  his 
majesty  refused  to  acknowledge  the  commis- 
sion of  the  earl  of  Glamorgan,  as  also  that 
nobleman's  negotiations  with  them,  on  which 
alone  they  could  rely  respecting  the  affairs 
of  the  church,  and  perceiving  that  this  pre- 
tended peace  contained  nothing  to  secure 
freedom  of  conscience,  nor  the  maintenance 
of  the  Catholic  religion,  they  protested  open- 
ly against  it,  and  pronounced  sentence  of  ex- 

*  Memoir.s  of  Castlehaven,  p.  100,  et  seq. 


CHRISTIAX    IRELAND. 


579 


communication  against  all  who  would  agi-ee 
to  it,  as  guilty  of  voluntary  perjury ;  since, 
in  the  beginning  of  the  association,  they  had 
sworn  to  accede  to  no  terms  without  the  ap- 
proval of  all,  in  a  general  assembly,  which 
I  was  held  every  year  for  the  regulation  of 
i  public  aftairs.* 

j       The  opposition  of   the   clergy  operated 

I  powerfully  among  the  officers  of  the  army 

and  nobility  throughout  the  kingdom,  and 

j  the  peace  was  universally  condemned.   The 

I  council  having  examined  the  articles,  rejected 

it,  and  put  the  commissioners  by  whom  it  had 

been  negotiated  into  prison.      Sir  Edward 

Butler,  lord  of  Graig-Duiske,  was  created  a 

peer  of  Ireland  by  the  king  about  this  time, 

under  the  title  of  lord-viscount  of  Galmoy 

The  English  parliamentarians,  and  their 
brethren  the  Scotch  fanatics, were  as  strongly 
opposed  to  any  accommodation  with  the  Irish, 
as  the  Nuncio  and  the  Catholics  had  been 
but  their  motives  differed.  The  refusal  of 
the  latter  to  make  peace,  arose  much  less 
from  a  spirit  of  revolt  than  to  secure  the  free 
I  exercise  of  their  religion  :  while  the  former 
hoped  to  build  their  greatness  upon  the  ruin 
of  others.  They  were  dissatislied  with  the 
conclusion  of  a  war,  the  continuance  of  which 
would  be  productive  of  numerous  confisca- 
tions :  while  a  peace  would  be  contrary  to 
I  their  plans,  since  it  would  raise  assistance  for 
I  the  king  against  themselves.  With  these 
!  views,  the  English  parliament  took  ten  thou- 
j  sand  Scotch  into  their  pay,  a.  d.  1642,  and 
!  sent  them  to  ihe  north  of  Ireland  under  Ma- 
jor-General  Robert  Monroe,  rather  to  watch 
the  movements  of  the  Irish,  than  to  reduce 
them  completely.!  This  reinforcement  was 
joined  by  five  or  six  thousand  Scotch  who 
were  already  settled  in  the  country,  under  Sir 
Robert  Steward,  and  some  English  troops 
under  Sirs  A  wdly  Mervin,  Theophilus  Jones, 
and  others,  who  had  refused  to  agree  to  the 
truce  which  had  been  made  with  the  Irish. 
Their  army  amounted  to  about  twelve  thou- 
sand men.  According  to  the  accounts  of  the 
lords-justices,  they  consisted  of  nineteen 
thousand.  The  English  officers  were  subor- 
dinate to  Monroe,  who  had  the  chief  com- 
mand, according  to  the  agreement  with  the 
English  parliament. 

Monroe  landed  in  Ireland  in  May.  He 
marched  to  Carrickfergus,  and  seized  on  the 
castles  of  Newry  and  Carlingford,  where  he 
placed  garrisons.  The  English  commanders 
represented  to  him  that  the  opportunity  was 
favorable  for  continuing  the  conquest,  and 

*  Ireland's  Case,  pp.  52,  53.     Memoirs  of  Castle- 
haven,  pp.  56,  57,  58,  118,  119. 
t  Memoirs  of  Castlehaven,  p.  81 


reducing  the  whole  province,  but  he  refused 
to  cross  the  river  Bann,  in  which  refusal  he 
followed  the  directions  of  his  masters.  Having 
condemned  sixty  men,  eighteen  women,  and 
two  priests  to  death  in  Newry,  he  returned 
to  Carrickfergus,  and  on  his  march  laid  waste  i 
the  lands  of  Lord  Iveagh  and  Maccartan.  He 
carried  away  four  thousand  head  of  cattle,  ' 
and  other  property :  the  English  forces  ex-  ! 
pected  a  share  in  the  booty,  but  the  Scotch  j 
seized  on  all  during  the  night ;  and  the  Eng-  ! 
lish  seeing  themselves  deceived,  mutinied,  \ 
and  would  no  longer  join  the  Scotch  in  their  j 
robberies. 

The  Scotch  general,  after  refreshing  his 
troops  at  Carrickfergus,  resumed  hostilities 
in  Antrim  :  he  drove  off  with  him  five  thou-  | 
sand  head  of  cattle,  burned  Glenarrae,  and 
devastated  the  estates  of  the  marquis  of  An-  j 
trim.     Instead  of  going  to  fight  an  enemy,  j 
he  enriched  his  country  (Scotland)  with  the  | 
fruits  of  his  plunder.     About  the  same  time,  i 
Sir  Phelim  O'Neill,  together  with  Alexander  | 
Mac-Donnell,    surnamed    Colkittagh,  i.    e.  ; 
left-handed,    collected    some    troops ;    they  ; 
were  attacked  the  19th  of  June,  by  Sir  Wil-  | 
liam  and  Sir  Robert  Steward.     The  action   j 
was  very  brisk,  but  the  former  were  obliged   ! 
to  withdraw  after  losing  five  hundred  men.      jj 

In  the  mean  time  the  Scotch  army  in  Eng- 
land* treated  with  the  parliament  to  sell  them 
the  person  of  their  king.  He  was  accordingly 
given  up  to  his  enemies  for  the  sum  of  two 
hundred  thousand  pounds  sterling,!  on  the 
8th  of  February,  1646  ;  and  in  a  ie\w  months   j 
afterwards,  the  earl  of  Ormond  surrendered    I 
to  the  commissioners  from  the  parliament, 
the  castle  of  Dublin,   with  the  sword  and   i 
other  appendages  of  royalty.      He,  and  the    i 
others  who  guarded  it  for  the  king,  thought 
the  castle  was  no  longer  tenable.     This  act 
procured  for  the  earl  a  chain  and  medal  of 
gold,  besides  the  sum  of  thirteen  thousand 
pounds  sterling,  as  the  earl  of  Anglesey,  one 
of  the  commissioners,  acknowledged.  \ 

Owen  O'Neill  was  commander  of  the  j 
Irish  troops  in  Ulster.  He  agreed  with  the  ' 
pope's  nuncio|  regarding  the  peace  of  1646,  I 
and  the  motives  which  influenced  that  min-  i 
ister  to  oppose  it.  In  the  spring  of  this  j 
year  he  travelled  to  Kilkenny  to  consult  j 
with  that  prelate  on  the  state  of  religion  and  j 
the  country  ;  and  having  received  the  sue-  , 
cors  he  expected,  he  returned  to  Ulster.        ! 

This  general  collected  his  forces  in  the 

I 

*   Ireland's  Case,  pages  54,  55.  | 

t  Commentaries  on  tiic  English  rebellion,  by  R.  | 

Manilas,  part  1,  lib.  2,  p.  175,  published  in  London,  \ 

A.  D.  IfiSG.  j- 

X  Life  of  Ormond,  vol.  1,  hb.  4,  p.  575. 


580 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


month  of   May,    aniouutiufi-    to    about    five 

thousaiul  infaiUry,  ami  livi^  hundred  cavahy, 

with  which  body  lie  nuirched  towards  Ar- 

I  magh.     Monroe"  led  his  army,  consisting  of 

I  six  thousand  infantry  and  eight  hundred 
j  horse,  Scotch  and  English,  and  encamped 

il  within  ten  miles  of  the  same  place.     Being 
•;  informed  that  O'Neill   was  on   his  march, 
jl  with  a  design  of  taking  the  city  by  surprise, 
1!  the  Scotch  general  decamped  on  the  4th  of 
June,  and  advancing  towards  the  city,  ar- 
rived at  midnight  with  a  view  of  attacking 
O'Neill.     Being  informed  that  O'Neill  was 
encamped  at  Bcnburb,  Monroe  marched  the 
next  day  to  attack  him  ;  but  though  superior 
in  numbers  to  O'Neill,  he  sent  orders  to  his 
brother,  George  Monroe,  who  commanded  a 
force  at  Coleraine,  to  come  and  join  him  at 
Glaslough,  near  Benburb.      O'Neill  having 
j!  information  of  the  time  he  was  to  pass,  im- 
mediately dispatched  Colonels  Bernard  Mac- 
■    Mahon,  and  Patrick  Mac-Nenay,  with  their 
regiments,  to  meet  him  and  prevent  a  junc- 
i  tion  with  General  Monroe.     These  two  offi- 
Ij  cers  performed  their  trust  to  the  satisfaction 

II  of  their  commander.  They  cut  the  enemy, 
'}  commanded  by  young  Monroe,  to  pieces, 
Ij  and  returned  next  day  to  Benburb,  where 

they  shared  with  O'Neill  the  honor  of  the 
victory  they  had  gained  over  the  Scotch  and 
Enghsh.  O'Neill  was  favorably  posted  be- 
tween two  hills,  his  rear  being  enclosed 
by  a  wood,  and  his  right  extending  itself 
along  the  Blackwater.  Being  apprized  that 
Monroe  was  at  Glaslough,  O'Neill  moved 
his  cavalry  to  a  height,  from  whence  he 
viewed  the  Scotch  army  on  the  opposite 
banks  of  the  river.  In  the  mean  while*  the 
Scotch  crossed  the  river  where  it  was  ford- 
able,  near  Kinard,  and  were  marching  to 
Benburb.  O'Neill  sent  Colonel  Richard 
O'Ferral  to  occupy  a  deiile  through  which 
the  enemy  had  to  pass,  but  their  cannon  pre- 
vented him  from  keeping  it,  and  he  was 
forced  to  retire,  which  he  did  in  good  order. 
The  two  armies  began  to  prepare  for 
battle  ;  O'Neill  kept  the  enemy  employed 
for  a  while  with  light  skirmishing  and  mus- 
ketry, while  waiting  for  the  sun,  which  an- 
noyed his  troops  during  the  day,  to  go 
down.  He  was  expecting  also  the  arrival 
of  a  detachment,  which  he  sent  the  prece- 
ding evening  against  some  of  the  enemy  at 
Coleraine.  When  Monroe  saw  this  force 
arrive,  he  thought  that  they  were  coming 
to  join  himself  from  the  same  place,  but 
found  his  mistake  on  seeing  them  enter 
O'Neill's  camp.  O'Neill  now  commanded 
his  men  to  advance  within  reach  of  the  pike, 
and  to  beghi  with  close  fighting.  His  or- 
i 


ders  in  this  were  most  valiantly  executed. 
The  English  regiment  commanded  by  Lord 
Blaney,  after  a  vigorous  defence,  was  cut  to 
pieces;  and  the  Scotch  cavalry  being  broken 
by  those  of  O'Neill,  the  rout  became  gene- 
ral. There  was  but  the  one  regiment  of  Sir 
James  Montgomery  that  retired  in  a  body, 
the  remainder  of  the  army  that  escaped  be- 
ing thrown  into  the  greatest  disorder.  Colonel 
Conway,  who  had  two  horses  killed  under 
him,  accompanied  by  Captain  Burke  and 
about  forty  horsemen,  reached  Newry.  Lord 
Montgomery  was  taken  prisoner,  besides 
twenty-one  officers,  and  about  a  hundred 
and  fifty  soldiers  ;  three  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  forty-three  of  the  enemy  fell  on 
the  field  of  battle,  and  several  were  killed 
the  day  following  in  the  pursuit.  The  loss 
on  the  side  of  O'Neill  amounted  to  about 
seventy  men  killed  and  two  hundred  wound- 
ed. The  whole  of  the  Scotch  artillery,  arms, 
tents,  baggage,  and  thirty-two  stand  of  co- 
lors were  taken.  The  booty  was  immense  ; 
it  consisted  of  fifteen  hundred  draught  horses, 
and  provisions  of  every  kind  for  two  months. 
General  Monroe  saved  himself  with  difli- 
culty  on  horseback,  and  fled  without  either 
hat  or  wig.  After  this  defeat  he  burned 
Dundrum,  and  abandoned  Portdown,  Clare, 
Galway,  Downpatrick,  and  other  strong 
places.  The  consternation  of  his  army  was 
so  great,  that  numbers  fled  to  Scotland  for 
safety. 

The  victory  gained  by  General  O'Neill 
seemed  to  portend  the  complete  conquest  of 
Ulster.  His  respect,  however,  for  the  or- 
ders of  the  nuncio,  lost  to  hira  the  fruits  of 
his  success.  His  excellency  wrote  to  him  in 
June,  complimenting  him  on  the  victory  he 
had  gained,  and  beseeching  him  to  march 
into  Leinster,  to  the  support  of  those  who 
opposed  the  peace.  The  messenger  found 
O'Neill  at  Tenrage,  ready  to  fall  upon  the 
Scotch.  However,  in  obedience  to  the  nun- 
cio's request,  he  assembled  a  council  of  war, 
when  it  was  decided  to  march  directly  to 
Kilkenny,  in  conformity  to  which  decision 
he  issued  his  commands.  His  army  was 
considerably  increased  upon  their  march. 
The  general  that  acted  with  Preston,  who 
commanded  the  Leinster  troops,  supported 
during  some  time  the  cause  of  the  nuncio 
against  his  opponents.  Preston,  however, 
though  attached  to  the  cause  of  religion,  did 
not  cease  to  be  a  faithful  servant  to  the  king, 
notwithstanding  that  he  lost  the  battle  of 
Dungan  Hill,  near  Linches-knock,  in  the 
county  of  Meath,  against  Jones,  a  general 
of  the  parliamentarians  ;  he  was- created  by 
Charles  H.  a  peer  of  Ireland,  under  the  title 
of  Viscount  Tara. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


581 


The  confederate  Catholics  being  inform- 
ed that  the  king  was  kept  a  close  prisoner 
in  England,  while  his  enemies  were  seek- 
ing his  destruction,  and  that  the  prince  of 
Wales  fled  to  France,  whither  the  queen 
had  withdrawn  some  time  before,  sent  a 
deputation  to  that  princess  and  her  son. 
The  marquis  of  Antrim  and  Lord  Muskerry 
were  commissioned  to  make  known  to  the 
queen  and  the  prince  of  Wales  how  eager 
they  were  to  conclude  a  peace,  and  to  assist 
in  rescuing  his  majesty  from  imprisonment. 
Upon  this  the  marquis  of  Ormond,  who  was 
then  in  France,  was  sent  back  to  Ireland, 
about  the  close  of  September,  1648,  and  a 
peace  was  concluded,  January  17th,  which 
was  called  the  peace  of  '48.  This  was  im- 
mediately agreed  to  by  the  confederate 
Catholics,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  who 
were  headed  by  Owen  O'Neill.  He  was 
offended  with  Ormond  (who  was  jealous  of 
his  merit)  for  having  refused  him  a  post 
in  the  army,  although  allowed  by  all  who 
knew  him  to  be  the  bravest  and  most  expe- 
rienced general  in  the  kingdom. 

A  scene  of  cruelty  and  barbarism,  of  which 
no  history  furnishes  an  example,  was  now 
going  forward  in  England.  A  king  sold  by 
his  fanatic  subjects  of  Scotland  to  their 
English  brethren  for  a  sum  of  money,  drag- 
ged from  prison  to  prison,  and  at  length  pub- 
licly executed  upon  a  scaffold.  Such  was 
the  scene,  and  such  the  tragical  end  of 
Charles  I.  The  limits  we  have  proposed  to 
observe  in  this  concise  history  of  the  Stuarts, 
do  not  permit  us  to  penetrate  more  deeply 
into  circumstances  which  perpetuate  the  in- 
famy of  the  perpetrators.  "  I  could  wish," 
says  Cox,*  "  to  throw  a  veil  over  the  30th 
day  of  January,  that  frightful  day  on  which 
the  father  of  his  country  suffered  martyr- 
dom. O  !  that  I  could  say  they  were  Irish- 
men who  committed  the  abominable  deed, 
and  that  it  could  be  laid  at  the  door  of  the 
papists  ;  but  though  they  might  have  parti- 
cipated indirectly  in  the  crime,  it  is  at  least 
true  that  others  were  the  actors,  and  we 
may  say  with  the  poet 

'  Pudet  hoc  opprobria  nobis 

Et  dici  potuisse,  et  noii  potuisse  refclli.'  " 

This  exclamation  of  Cox  displays  fully 
his  disposition  towards  a  people  whose  his- 
tory he  attempts  to  write. 

While  these  proceedings  were  being  car- 
ried on  against  Charles  I.  by  his  rebellious 
subjects,  and  during  his  trial  and  execution, 
the  confederate  Catholics  drove  the  war 
vigorously  forward  against  the  parliamenta- 

*  Reign  of  Charles  I.  p.  206. 


rians.*  They  reduced  every  place  in  the 
kingdom  to  the  king's  power,  except  Dublin 
and  Londonderry.  Ormond  .intending  to 
besiege  the  capital,  marched  his  army  in 
June  to  Finglass,  a  village  within  two  miles 
of  Dublin.  The  garrison,  commanded  by 
Colonel  Michael  Jones,  was  reinforced  by 
some  troops  from  England.  These  troops 
consisted  of  a  regiment  of  horse  and  two 
of  infantry,  under  the  command  of  Colonels 
Venables  and  Hunks,  well  provided  with 
provisions  and  warlike  stores.  The  city 
being  difficult  of  attack  from  the  side  of 
Finglass,  Ormond  crossed  the  river  above 
the  bridge  with  his  army,  and  encamped  at 
Rathmines.  By  the  advice  of  his  council 
he  seized  upon  an  old  castle  at  Baggetrath, 
which  commanded  the  entrance  to  the  har- 
bor. This  gave  him  a  twofold  advantage, 
viz.,  it  facilitated  his  approach,  and  pre- 
vented any  succors  arriving  by  sea  to  the 
besieged.  He  next  sent  workmen  to  repair 
the  castle,  and  a  force  to  protect  them.  This 
manoeuvre  greatly  alarmed  the  garrison,  and 
allowed  the  governor  to  see  into  its  design 
and  consequences.  On  the  morning  of  the 
2d  of  August,  he  made  a  sally  in  good  order, 
retook  the  castle,  and  put  the  troops  who 
were  guarding  it  to  the  sword.  This  first 
success  animated  the  garrison,  the  remain- 
der of  which  marched  against  the  camp.  In 
vain  did  Sir  William  Vaughan  oppose  the 
enemy  with  a  body  of  horse  :  they  were 
routed,  and  he  himself  killed  ;  and  the  panic 
having  reached  the  rest  of  Ormond's  army, 
he  himself,  his  cavalry  and  infantry,  were 
all  shamefully  put  to  flight. 

The  monarchy  and  house  of  lords  being 
overthrown  in  England,  the  government  of 
Ireland  became  an  object  of  dispute  to  all 
the  parties.  The  Pi'esbylerians  were  for 
conferring  it  on  Waller,  the  Independents 
were  inclined  towards  Lambert  ;  but  after 
some  debating,  they  all  finally  agreed  that 
Oliver  Cromwell  was  fittest  for  that  impor- 
tant trust.  He  was  accordingly  nominated 
lieutenant.  His  departure  for  that  country 
immediately  followed,  and  accompanied  by 
his  son-in-law  Ireton,  he  set  out  with  a  pow- 
erful army,  consisting  of  seven  regiments 
of  infantry,  four  of  cavalry,  and  one  of  dra- 
goons.! Cromwell  having  landed  in  Dublin, 
marched  straight  to  besiege  Drogheda,  of 
which  Sir  Arthur  Ashton  vv^as  the  command- 
er. A  summons  to  surrender  the  town  being 
rejected,  Cromwell  ordered  a  breach  to  be 

*  Baker,  Chronicles  of  England,  on  the  Reign 
of  Charles  II. 

t  Flegellum,  or  the  Life  of  Crornwell,  published 
in  London,  1C72,  p.  48,  et  seq. 


r)82 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


,  attempted,  and  a  general  assault  made*  He 
was,  however,  twice  repulsed  with  heavy 
loss  :  a  third  attack  succeeded,  and  the  city 
was  taken  on  the  10th  September. f  Orders 
being  issued  to  give  no  quarter,  the  garrison 
was  accordingly  put  to  the  sword.  Ashton 
the  conunander,  Sir  Edmond  Varney,  Colo- 
nels Wale,  ^Varrcn,  Dunne,  Tempest,  Fin- 
glass,  and  several  other  ofliccrs  ol"  distinc- 
tion, besides  three  thousand  soldiers,  were 
slain.  After  this  expedition  Cromwell  re- 
turned with  his  army  to  Dublin. 

The  manjuis  of  Ormond,  who  was  still 
lord-lieutenant  for  the  royal  cause,  appealed 
now  to  General  O'Neill  for  his  assistance, 
offering  to  grant  him  any  terms  he  could 
wish  for,  besides  those  he  had  previously 
refused  him.|  Colonel  Daniel  O'Neill, 
nephew  to  Owen  Roe  O'Neill,  was  appointed 
to  negotiate  the  affair  with  his  uncle  ;  but 
the  untimely  death  of  that  general,  who  was 
alone  able  to  cope  with  the  tyrant  Crom- 
well, rendered  the  hopes  of  Ormond,  and 
those  of  the  Catholic  confederates,  abortive. 
Cromwell  having  refreshed  his  troops  in 
Dublin,  gave  the  command  of  the  city  to 
Colonel  Hewson,  and  marched  through  the 
county  of  Wicklow.  On  his  route  he  took 
Arklow,  Ferns,  Enniscorthy,  and  some  other 
places,  and  on  the  1st  October  he  arrived 
before  Wexford,  and  summoned  it  to  sur- 
render. Colonel  David  Synot,  who  com- 
manded the  town,  in  order  to  divert  Crom- 
well, proposed  terms  of  capitulation,  which 
were  refused.     The  delay  furnished  an  op- 

j  portunity  to  the  earl  of  Castlehaven  to  get 
in  a  regiment  of  infantry,  and  after  a  few 
days  a  further  reinforcement  of  a  thousand 
men  arrived  from  the  marquis  of  Ormond, 
under  the  command  of  Sir  Edmond  Butler. 
The  treachery  of  Captain  Stafford,  however, 
frustrated  all  their  plans  of  defence.  Being 
commander  of  the  castle,  he  surrendered  it 
to  Cromwell  ;  and  the  garrison,  in  their  en- 
deavors to  escape,  were  butchered  by  that 
tyrant  to  the  number  of  about  two  thousand. 
Sir  Edmond  Butler  was  killed  by  a  musket 
ball  while  swimming  to  save  himself.  Every 
step  of  Cromwell  was  marked  by  the  most 
savage  ferocity  ;  two  hundred  ladies  of  Wex- 
ford, who  sought  with  tears,  and  upon  their 

i  knees,  to  propitiate  the  tyrant's  rage,  were 
massacred  at  the  foot  of  the  cross  in  the 
public  square. 

From   Wexford    Cromwell   marched    to 

*  Heath's  Chron.  of  the  Civil  War,  part  1,  an. 
1G49,  p.  244,  et  seq.  edit.  Lond.  an.  lC7(i. 

t  Cox,  Hist,  of  Ireland,  Reign  of  Charles  II.,  p. 
8,  et  seq. 

t  Ireland's  Case,  pages  56,  57. 


Ross,  which  was  commanded  by  Tiuke  Taaff : 
this  place  being  untenable,  and  a  breach  ef- 
fected, terms  were  given  to  the  besieged,  and 
they  were  allowed  to  retire  with  their  arms. 
Cromwell  had  not  the  same  success  before 
Duncannon,  where  Colonel  Edward  Wogan 
connnanded  an  intrepid  garrison  ;  he  was 
forced  to  raise  the  siege  and  return  to  Ross. 
Here  he  had  a  floating  bridge  constructed 
upon  the  river  Barrow,  both  to  watch  the 
moveinents  of  Ormond,  and  keep  up  a  com- 
munication with  Munster,  where  he  had  his 
spies.  Cork,  Youghal,  and  other  places 
garrisoned  by  Englishmen,  who  calculated 
upon  receiving  rewards  and  promotion,  de- 
clared in  favor  of  Cromwell,  and  deserted  in 
bands  to  range  themselves  under  his  stand- 
ard. Martin,  the  commander  of  Carrick, 
also  in  a  cowardly  manner  surrendered  it  to 
him.  Ballyshannon  was  sold  to  him  too, 
but  he  was  repulsed  at  Kilternan.  The 
garrison  of  Kilkenny,  after  making  a  noble 
stand,  surrendered  by  capitulation. 

The  last  expedition  of  Croinwell  in  Ire- 
land was  against  Clonmel,  which  was  de- 
fended by  sixteen  hundred  Ulstermen,  under 
the  command  of  Major-general  Hugh  O'Neill, 
nephew  to  Owen  Roe  O'Neill.  He  served 
under  his  uncle  in  foreign  countries,  and  was 
deemed  an  able  captain.*  Cromwell  now 
cominenced  the  siege,  and  having  effected  a 
breach,  ordered  an  assault,  contrary  to  the 
advice  of  his  council. f  The  bravery  of  the 
besieged  defeated  his  attempts,  and  he  was 
repulsed  with  a  loss  of  two  thousand  fivei 
hundred  of  his  best  soldiers.  The  hypocrite 
was  himself  the  first  to  perceive  his  rashness. 
In  accordance  with  his  usual  phrensy  he 
called  in  religion  to  aid  him  in  his  misfor- 
tune, attributing  his  defeat  to  too  great  a 
confidence  in  human  arms  ;  and  to  atone  for 
such  impiety,  he  commanded  a, fast  to  be 
observed  by  the  whole  army.  Hugh  O'Neill 
still  defended  the  place  with  extraordinary 
valor,  but  seeing  himself  unable  to  hold  out 
for  want  of  powder,  he  crossed  the  river  by 
night  with  his  garrison,  and  withdrew  to- 
wards Waterford.  According  to  authors  of 
the  day,  the  failure  of  powder  in  the  garrison 
of  Clonmel  was* fortunate  for  Cromwell,  who 
would  have  been  otherwise  obliged  to  raise 
the  siege.  The  next  day  after  the  garrison 
retreated,  the  citizens  offered  to  capitulate, 
and  the  besiegers  not  knowing  the  state  of 
things  within, readily  granted  their  demands. 
During  this  siege  Cromwell  received  orders 
from  the  parliament  to  return  speedily  to 
England,  where  his  presence  was  necessary 

*  Scourge  of  Ireland,  page  87. 

t  Heath,  part  1,  an.  1649,  page  252. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


583 


to  make  head  against  the  Scotch  royalists. 
He  therefore  embarked  at  Youglial,  the 
29lh  May,  and  left  the  command  of  the 
army  to  Ireton,  his  son-in-law.* 

Charles,  prince  of  Wales,  son  of  Charles 
I.,  and  true  heir  to  the  crown  of  Great 
Britain,  was  then  at  Breda.  Commissioners 
were  sent  to  him  to  treat  for  his  restoration 
to  the  throne  of  Scotland.!  The  marquis  of 
Montrose,  who  had  laid  down  his  arms  by 
orders  of  the  late  king,  was  at  the  time 
travelling  through  France,  Germany,  and 
the  Low  Countries.  It  was  there  he  heard 
of  the  tragical  end  of  Charles  I.,  and  at  the 
same  time  received  from  the  young  king  the 
commission  of  captain-general  of  the  royal 
army  in  Scotland.  He  then  applied  to  the 
courts  of  Denmark  and  Sweden|  for  assist- 
ance, which  they  gave  him  in  money,  and 
likewise  arms  for  fifteen  hundred  men.  He 
then  sailed  for  Scotland  with  five  hundred 
Germans,  and  after  encountering  a  violent 
storm,  and  losing  two  hundred  of  his  men, 
and  some  warlike  stores,  he  landed  in  the 
Orkney  islands  with  the  remaining  three 
hundred  that  escaped  shipv/reck.  The  in- 
habitants of  the  Orkneys  received  arms  from 
him,  and  with  this  little  force  he  marched  to 
Caithness,  in  the  northern  extremity  of  Scot- 
land.^ The  army  of  Montrose  was  too  small 
for  his  enterprise  ;  and  he  was  abandoned 
and  betrayed  l3y  those  who  had  promised  him 
their  aid  :  Colonels  Ogleby  and  Corkrain 
wasted  the  money  which  he  gave  them  to 
raise  troops  in  Amsterdam  and  Poland  ;|| 
Colonel  King  who  was  commissioned  to  come 
to  his  assistance  with  a  body  of  Swedish 
cavalry,  disappointed  him  ;  Lord  Pluscardy 
was  prevented  by  the  rebels  from  collecting- 
two  thousand  men  that  he  had  promised, 
and  the  Highlanders,  harassed  by  the  war, 
were  not  to  be  relied  upon ;  so  that  the  ruin 
of  Montrose  had  now  become  inevitable. T[ 

The  news  of  his  being  in  Scotland  gave 
great  alarm  to  the  parliament  which  was 
then  sitting  at  Edinburgh.  An  army  was 
immediately  dispatched  against  him  under 
the  command  of  Lesley  and  Holborn,  Colo- 
nel Straughan  being  sent  first  with  an  ad- 
vance guard  of  cavalry.  He  surprised  the 
royalists,  who  were  unable  to  defend  them- 
selves against  this  unexpected  attack,  and 
were  all  either  killed  or  made  prisoners. 
Montrose  striving  to  escape  in  a  Highland 

*  Cox's  Eeign  of  Charles  I.,  p.  17 

t  Baker's  Cliron.  Eng.  aim.  1649. 

t  Baker,  ibid. 

§  Life  of  Montrose,  edit.  Lond.  an.  652,  p.  171. 

II  Heath,  Chron.  part  2,  an.  1649,  165U 

H   Life  of  Montrose,  p.  175. 


dress,  wandered  three  or  four  days  among 
fields,  without  taking  food  ;  till  ho  had  the 
misfortune  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  a  traitor.* 
This  man  was  lord  of  Aston,  formerly  at- 
tached to  the  service  of  Montrose ;  deter- 
mined to  receive  the  reward  which  was 
oflTered,  he  arrested,  and  dishonorably  gave 
him  up  to  his  enemies.  The  trial  of  this 
great  man  was  short ;  he  was  condemned, 
under  the  name  of  James  Graham,  to  death, 
and  hung  on  a  gibbet  thirty  feet  high,  deeply 
regretted  by  the  king  his  master,  and  all 
good  men. 

While  the  fanatics  of  Scotland  were  ex- 
ercising their  rage  against  the  king's  best 
subjects,  their  deputies  were  treating  at  Breda 
for  his  restoration  ;  the  terms  of  which  were 
both  hard  and  insolent.     First,  the  king  was 
to   banish  from  court  all  excommunicated 
persons  ;t  second,  he  should  affirm  by  his 
royal  word,  that  he  would  accept  of  the  cov- 
enant ;|    third,  he   should  bind  himself  to 
ratify  all  the  acts  of  parliament  which  de- 
creed the  government  to  be  Presbyterian, 
and  confirm  the  tenor  of  worship,  the  pro-  ; 
fession  of  faith,  and  catechism  in  the  king-  ' 
dom  of  Scotland,  as  they  had  been  approved  | 
of  by  the  general  assembly  of  the  kirk,  and  j 
by  the  parliament  of  the  kingdom,  and  should  > 
himself  conform  to  all  these  matters  in  his 
private    and    domestic    habits ;    fourth,    he  , 
should  admit  all  civil  causes  to  be  decided  | 
by  the  parliament  of  Scotland,  and  all  eccle- 
siastical affairs  by  the  kirk.^ 

Charles  was  placed  in  an  embarrassing 
dilemma.  His  friends  were  divided  in  opin- 
ion what  plan  would  be  most  prudent  for 
him  to  pursue  ;  some  being  opposed  to  such 
hard  and  disgraceful  terms,  while  others, 
who  had  suffered  banishment  in  his  cause, 
and  were  desirous  of  returning  to  their 
country,  urged  him  to  accept  of  the  condi- 
tions. The  queen-dowager  and  prince  of 
Orange  were  of  this  opinion  ;  he  therefore 
adopted  their  advice,  which  was  in  accord- 
ance with  bis  own  wishes,  and  submitted  to 
the  terms  proposed  by  the  commissioners. 
A  frigate  commanded  by  Van  Tromp  the  | 
younger,  was  ready  to  receive  him  at  Ter- 
heyden,  near  the  Hague.  Van  Tromp  him- 
self accompanied  the  prince  on  board,  and 
enjoined  his  son  to  use  all  skill  in  his  voyage 

*  Life  of  Montrose,  pages  178,  179. 

t  Those  wlio  had  exposed  their  lives  in  defence 
of  the  king  were  excommunicated. 

t  The  covenant  signified  a  solemn  compact  made 
by  the  Puritans  or  Scotch  fanatics  for  their  mutual 
defence :  its  object  was  the  extirpation  of  popery 
and  prelacy. 

§  This  was  an  assembly  of  ministers  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 


584 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


with  the  prince  ;  there  were  but  two  men-of- 
war  to  escort  the  frigate,  and  the  English 
fleet  was  at  sea  ready  to  oppose  tlicin.  The 
able  coinnvandor, however,  surmounted  every 
obstacle  ;  and  after  encountering  a  heavy 
gale,  which  cast  them  on  the  coast  of  Den- 
mark, the  prince  was  landed  safe  on  the  16th 
of  June,  1650,  in  a  place  called  the  Spey, 
in  the  north  of  Scotland. 

Charles  was  received  by  his  unkind  sub- 
jects of  Scotland  with  much  show,  but  little 
sincerity :  he  was  obliged  to  sign  the  cove- 
nant, and  dismiss  his  faithful  followers  ;  he 
submitted,  however,  in  every  thing  to  these 
fanatics,  without  security  for  either  his  life 
or  freedom.  In  either  spiritual  or  temporal 
matters  the  king  was  not  consulted,  so  that 
he  was  treated  more  like  a  school-boy  who 
feared  the  authority  of  his  master,  than  as  a 
king  Avho  was  to  govern  his  subjects. 

The  news  of  the  arrival  of  prince  Charles 
soon  reached  England.  The  republicans 
being  alarmed,  collected  an  army,  the  com- 
mand of  which  devolved  on  Lord  Fairfax  ; 
but  he  refused  it,  under  the  plea  of  infirmity, 
and  thus  laid  the  foundation  of  Cromwell's 
greatness.  On  this  general's  return  from 
Ireland,  where  he  left  the  command  to  Ireton, 
his  son-in-law,  he  was  appointed  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  army  intended  for  Scotland, 
and  about  the  end  of  June  he  marched 
towards  Berwick,  in  order  to  be  near  the 
frontiers. 

The  people  of  Scotland  determined  to 
raise  an  army  to  oppose  Cromwell,  and  having 
but  a  small  regular  force,  ten  thousand  foot 
and  twenty-seven  troops  of  cavalry  were 
ordered  to  be  levied.*  Generals  were  ap- 
pointed ;  the  earl  of  Levan  was  to  command 
the  infantry  ;  Holborn  was  to  act  under  him 
as  major-general ;  David  Lesley  was  nomi- 
nated lieutenant-general  of  the  cavalry,  and 
Montgomery  major-general ;  the  chief  com- 
mand was  reserved  for  Prince  Charles,  who 
was  proclaimed  king  of  Scotland  on  the 
15th  July,  at  the  cross  of  Edinburgh. 

Cromwell  entered  Scotland  towards  the 
end  of  July,  at  the  head  of  sixteen  thousand 
men,  and  marched  through  Mordington,  as 
far  as  Haddington  ;  the  Scotch  army,  con- 
sisting of  six  thousand  horse,  and  fifteen 
thousand  foot,  being  encamped  between 
Edinburgh  and  Leith.  Cromwell  saw,  that 
besides  their  superiority  in  numbers,  the 
Scotch  were  advantageously  posted ;  he 
marched  therefore  towards  Musslebouro-h, 
and  from  thence  to  Dunbar,  closely  pursued 
by  the  Scotch  army.    The  English  forces,  to 

*  Mem.  Hist.  ibid.  Baker's  Cliron.  Reign  of 
Charles  II. 


the  number  of  twelve  thousand,  arrived  at 
Dunbar  on  Sunday  the  1st  of  September; 
the  Scotch,  amounting  to  twenty-four  thou- 
sand men,  encamped  the  same  day  on  a 
height  near  the  town.  The  English  were  at 
first  dismayed,  but  as  despair  often  inspires 
courage,  they  drew  up  in  order  of  battle,  and 
spent  that  and  the  next  night  under  arms  ; 
on  Tuesday  morning  the  attack  began  ;  the 
engagement  was  bloody,  and  the  ground 
bravely  disputed ;  the  English  remained 
masters  of  the  field  of  battle  ;  and  the  loss 
of  the  Scotch  amounted  to  four  thousand 
slain,  nine  thousand  prisoners,  with  all  their 
arms  and  baggage.  In  consequence  of  this 
signal  victory,  Cromwell  took  possession  of 
Edinburgh,  Leith,  and  other  places,  but  was 
prevented  from  continuing  his  conquests  by 
the  approach  of  winter. 

The  portion  of  the  Scotch  army  that  es- 
caped withdrew  to  Stirling.  Having  deter- 
mined to  crown  their  king,  the  ceremony 
was  performed  on  the  1st  of  January  follow- 
ing, at  Scone,  with  the  approbation  of  all 
the  royalists.  Charles  supposed  he  ought  to 
be  then  his  own  master,  but  he  soon  discov- 
ered that  he  was  subject  to  the  most  rigid 
covenanters  and  capricious  fanatics.  Weary, 
therefore,  of  his  subjection,  he  determined 
to  return  to  the  continent,  preferring  his 
freedom  to  the  empty  title  of  king.*  For 
this  purpose  he  withdrew  secretly  to  Middle- 
ton,  who  commanded  some  royalists  in  the 
mountains,  but  he  was  persuaded  by  Mont- 
gomery and  other  friends,  to  abandon  an 
enterprise  which  might  injure  his  cause. 

The  royalist  army  was  still  encamped  at 
Torwood,  near  Stirling,  which  was  an  ad- 
vantageous post,  and  from  which  Cromvv'ell 
strove  in  vain  to  dislodge  them.f  He  made 
different  movements,  all  tending  to  straiten 
the  royal  troops.  The  prince,  in  conse- 
quence, resolved  to  carry  into  effect  a  pro- 
ject he  had  contemplated  for  some  time.  He 
relied  much  upon  his  friends  in  England, 
but  the  tyranny  of  the  parliament  entirely 
obstructed  their  interference. 

While,  therefore,  Cromwell  was  besieging 
Johnston  and  some  places  north  of  Stirling, 
the  king  decamped  on  the  last  day  of  July, 
with  his  army,  amounting  to  fourteen  thou- 
sand men,  and  advanced  by  forced  marches 
towards  England.  Having  arrived  at  Car- 
lisle, he  was  proclaimed  king  of  Great  Brit- 
ain ;:|:  he  then  published  manifestoes  grant- 
ing a  general  amnesty  to  his  English  sub- 

*  Higgins'  Short  View,  p.  270.  Baker,  Cliron. 
ibid. 

t  Heath's  Chron.  ibid.  p.  292.     Baker,  ibid. 
t  Heath's  Chron.  ibid.  p.  294. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


585 


jects,  except  Cromwell,  Bradshaw,  and 
Cook,  being  the  most  criminal  in  the  mur- 
der of  the  king  his  father.  Among  the  Eng- 
lish who  accompanied  the  prince  in  this 
expedition  were,  the  duke  of  Buckingham, 
the  earl  of  Cleveland,  Lords  Wentworth 
and  Wilinot,  Colonels  Wogan  and  Bointon, 
Major-general  Massey,  and  some  others. 

The  king  continued  his  march  to  Worces- 
ter. He  was  pursued  by  detachments  com- 
manded by  Lambert  and  Harrison,  who  also 
proceeded  by  forced  marches  from  Scotland. 
They  were  joined  by  the  militia  and  some 
troops  newly  raised  by  orders  of  the  parlia- 
ment. Cromwell  having  left  General  Monk 
and  seven  thousand  men  to -complete  the 
conquest  of  the  Scotch,  marched  likewise 
in  pursuit  of  the  king.  Worcester  was 
speedily  reduced  by  him,  and  on  September 
3d  the  royal  troops  were  defeated  near  that 
city.  The  king  escaped  and  fled,  and  hav- 
ing encountered  in  disguise  a  variety  of 
adventures,  he  found  a  vessel  ready  to  sail, 
and  by  this  means  got  safe  to  France. 

The  Irish  royalists,  among  whom  were 
Catholics  as  well  as  Protestants,  still  kept 
themselves  under  arms.  The  marquis  of 
Ormond,  who  was  commander-in-chief,  be- 
sides being  lord-lieutenant,  always  mani- 
fested a  distrust  of  the  former,  and  was  dis- 
pleased that  the  king  had  granted  them  any 
freedom  in  their  religion.  Finding  himself 
unable  to  oppose  Ireton,  he  surrendered  the 
command  of  the  army  to  the  earl  of  Clan- 
riccard,  and  embarked  for  France,  A.  d. 
1650.  Ireton,  in  the  mean  time,  laid  siege 
to  Limerick,*  but  was  obliged  to  abandon  it 
on  account  of  the  winter.  The  English 
general  resumed  the  siege  soon  after,  but 
the  noble  defence  made  by  Hugh  O'Neill, 
who  had  previously  caused  a  heavy  loss  to 
Cromwell's  army  before  Clonmel,  made  him 
feel  dearly  the  taking  of  Limerick. 

The  parliament  of  England  saw  how  im- 
portant it  would  be  to  their  object  to  detach 
the  Irish  from  the  cause  of  the  king  ;t  they 
therefore  made  them  such  ofl'ers  as  appeared 
fair  and  reasonable  ;  but  these  zealous  roy- 
alists rejected  them  unanimously,  at  a  meet- 
ing which  was  held  at  Loughreagh.  It  was 
debated  whether  the  war  should  be  pro- 
longed, in  order  to  favor  the  king's  march 
into  England.^  Under  this  hope,  the  Irish 
continued  under  arms  till  1653,  when  it  was 
found  impracticable  to  protract  the  war  any 
longer.     Most  of  the  Irish  army  then  pre- 

*  Heath's  Chron.  part  2,  an.  1651,  p.  305. 
t  Memoirs  of  Castlehaven,  p.  164. 
I  Ireland's  Case,  part  1,  pp.  57,  58,  59,  60  ;  part 
2,  pp.  68,  69. 


ferred  to  leave  their  country,  rather  than  to 
live  beneath  the  rule  of  regicides  who  had 
stained  their  hands  in  the  blood  of  their 
prince.  They  therefore  sought  permission 
to  depart  from  the  kingdom,  being  deter- 
mined to  render  those  services  to  their  king 
in  a  foreign  country  that  they  could  not  at 
home.  Circumstances  favored  their  pro- 
posal, Cromwell  being  busily  employed  in 
forming  a  new  mode  of  government  called 
the  protectorship.  By  his  own  authority  he 
granted  the  Irish  army  their  request,  and  in 
consequence,  many  of  them  embarked  for 
France  and  Spain  ;  those,  however,  whom 
age  and  infirmities  rendered  unable  to  ac- 
company their  countrymen,  and  share  in  the 
fortunes  of  the  prince,  were  treated  with  the 
most  savage  barbarity  ;  from  fourteen  to 
twenty  thousand,  both  soldiers  and  country 
people,  were  sold  as  slaves  and  transported 
to  America,  as  had  been  previously  done 
with  the  Scotch  prisoners  taken  at  the  battle 
of  Worcester.  The  Catholic  officers  and 
nobility  were  forced  to  abandon  their  estates 
in  the  other  provinces  and  cross  the  Shan- 
non into  Conn  aught  and  the  county  Clare, 
where  Cromwell  enjoined  them  to  remain, 
under  pain  of  death,  without  express  per- 
mission to  leave  them.  Here  they  were  sub- 
jected to  the  insolence,  oppression,  and  cru- 
elty of  the  tyrants  who  ruled  over  them. 

Cromwell,  in  the  mean  time,  either  wish- 
ing to  conciliate  the  Irish  by  kindness,  or 
give  them  a  favorable  opinion  of  his  be- 
nevolence, established  at  Athlone  a  court 
of  claims,  by  which  it  was  decreed  to  grant 
in  those  parts  of  the  kingdom,  to  the  pro- 
scribed proprietors  of  lands,  (who  would  be 
found  not  to  have  been  implicated  in  the 
rebellion.)  a  portion  of  land  sufficient  for 
their  subsistence,  and  befitting  their  quality 
and  pretensions.  By  this  regulation  it  hap- 
pened that  some  of  these  noblemen  enjoyed 
in  Connaught  and  the  county  of  Clare  a 
fourth,  others  a  third,  and  some  one-half  of 
the  revenues  they  possessed  at  home.  Such 
grants,  though  moderate,  excited  the  enmity 
of  their  persecutors.*  They  often  determined 
to  cut  off  at  a  blow  the  wretched  remains  of 
the  unhappy  Irish,  and  it  was  by  a  peculiar 
favor  of  Providence  that  they  escaped  their 
wicked  designs. 

The  Catholics  of  Ireland  groaned  for  many 
years  beneath  the  yoke  of  tyranny.  Their 
only  consolation  was  in  a  hope  of  seeing 
their  prince  restored.  They  anticipated  from 

*  The  soldiers  of  Cromwell,  who  were  put  into 
the  possession  of  the  estates  and  properties  of  the 
Catholics,  felt,  while  seeing  them  exist,  self-con- 
demnation and  reproach. 

7-1 


580 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


SO  happy  an  event  the  end  of  thoir  suflcr- 
injjs  ;  and  calcnlaling  npon  his  jurilice,  they 
calcuhitod  also  upon  a  restitution  of  property, 
so  jienerally  sacriliced  in  his  cansc  ;  but, 
ludiappily,  the  event  produced  a  sorrowful 
reverse  in  their  hopes.* 

Oliver  (^roniwell,  who  had  been  the  in- 
strunieut  of  abolishing  monarchy  in  the  three 
kingdouis,  now  turned  liis  arms  against  his 
masters.  He  suppressed,  by  his  own  au- 
thority, the  parliament  to  which  he  was  in- 
debted for  his  power  :  attended  by  armed 
men  he  entered  the  hall,  and  after  expatia- 
ting upon  its  necessity,  and  his  motives  for 
dissolving  them,  they  were  ordered  to  with- 
draw, and  the  doors  of  the  house  were  closed 
— guards  being  stationed,  at  the  same  time, 
to  cut  off  all  communication  with  the  ave- 
nues that  led  to  the  house.  He  ordered  the 
mace  to  be  taken  away  as  a  mere  bauble, 
and  forbade  it  to  be  used  at  any  of  their 
ceremonies.  The  only  sensation  which  this 
unexpected  event  produced  among  the  Eng- 
lish, was  one  of  raillery  ;  it  became  a  sub- 
ject of  amusement  at  their  meetings,  and 
songs  were  composed,  accompanied  with  the 
chorus  of  '•  Twelve  parliament  men  for  a 
penny."  Cromwell  after  this  assumed  the 
thle  of  Protector.  The  English,  who  would 
not  bear  the  mild  and  peaceful  government 
of  their  lawful  king,  submitted  to  the  despot- 
ism of  a  tyrant,  which  continued  till  his  death, 
September  3d,  1 658 — a  day  memorable  in 
his  history  for  the  victories  he  obtained  over 
the  king's  forces  at  Dunbar  and  Worcester. 

After  the  death  of  the  usurper,  the  pro- 
ceedings of  General  Monk  seemed  to  por- 
tend the  speedy  restoration  of  the  prince. 
Public  aflairs  were  in  too  desperate  a  state 
to  continue  as  they  stood  :  at  such  a  crisis, 
some  of  course  had  their  fears,  some  their 
hopes,  according  to  their  respective  interests. 
Among  the  former  were  the  Cromwellians 
in  Ireland.  Broghil  and  Coote,  their  lead- 
ers, dispatched  emissaries  to  England  to 
sound  the  disposition  of  the  people,  in  order 
that  they  might  act  as  would  best  suit  their 
own  views.  Having  found  that  they  were 
for  the  most  part  in  favor  of  General  Monk, 
and  inclining  towards  the  restoration,  they 
repaired  to  Dublin,  where  they  called  a  meet- 
ing of  the  parliament,  which  was  composed 
of  their  own  creatures  and  united  by  the 
same  niterest— they  being  all  usurpers  of 
the  goods  of  others.  They  deliberated  on 
the  means  of  sustaining  their  usurpation,  and 
preventing  the  Irish  nobility  from  regaining 
their  estates,  so  liberally  bestowed  upon 
themselves  by  Cromwell'.  They  foresaw 
*  Ireland's  Case,  p.  60. 


that  as  soon  as  the  king  would  ascend  the 
throne  of  his  ancestors,  he  would,  or  at  least 
ought,  to  reinstate  the  ancient  propri(!tors  in 
thtiir  rights ;  they  resolved,  therefore,  to 
counteract  this  by  putting  in  confinement  all 
the  Irish  who  had  any  claims,  with  the  view 
of  preventing  them  from  aflbrding  succor  to 
their  prince  in  the  event  of  the  parliamenta- 
rians forcing  him  to  recur  to  arms.  To  give 
a  color  of  justice  to  their  proceedings.  Sir 
.John  Clotworthy,  an  intriguing  character, 
and  very  influential  among  the  Presbyteri- 
ans, was  sent  to  England  to  excite  alarm 
among  the  English  by  insinuating  how  dan- 
gerous it  would  be  to  restore  the  Irish  to 
their  ancient  possessions  to  the  prejudice  of 
the  English  Protestants  already  settled  in 
the  country.  Clotworthy,  who  was  an  ar- 
dent persecutor  of  the  Catholics,  and  op- 
posed to  the  monarch,  acquitted  himself  ably 
of  his  commission.  On  his  arrival  in  Lon- 
don a  report  was  spread  that  a  rebellion  had 
broken  out  in  Ireland,  in  confirmation  of 
which,  letters  of  the  same  import  were  sent 
to  merchants  at  the  exchange,  and  copies  of 
them  circulated  in  every  quarter  of  the  city. 
This  imposture  gave  rise  to  a  proclamation 
against  the  Irish  papists,  which  the  parlia- 
ment presented  to  Charles  II.  on  his  restora- 
tion, though  it  was  well  understood  that  the 
report  of  an  insurrection  was  founded  only  on 
the  eagerness  which  some  Catholics  evinced 
in  taking  possession  oftheir  estates  without 
any  formality  of  law,  which  they  considered 
as  useless  in  resuming  what  they  had  been 
despoiled  of  a  few  years  before,  by  a  tyrant 
who  acknowledged  no  law  but  that  of  the 
strongest. 

The  writers  of  this  party  boast  of  the  ex- 
ertions which  Broghil,  Coote,  Clotworthy, 
and  other  Cromwellians  in  Ireland,  made  in 
favor  of  the  restoration.  They' sent  com- 
missioners to  the  king  at  Breda,  to  assure 
his  majesty  of  their  allegiance  and  devoted- 
ness  to  his  cause.  He  received  them  with 
apparent  kindness,  but  afterwards  manifested 
displeasure  towards  Broghil,  when  he  went 
to  congratulate  him  on  his  restoration.  The 
submission  of  those  traitors  was  caused  by 
the  determination  of  the  English  to  restore 
their  lawful  prince,  and  was  made  at  a  time 
when  they  could  not  oppose  his  return. 

Cox,  and  other  writers  of  his  party,  speak 
in  a  difTerent  tone.  "  The  convention,"  says 
Cox,  "  published  a  decree  on  the  r2th  of 
March  for  a  free  parliament  to  assemble  on 
the  14th  of  May  ;  they  consented  to  the 
declaration  made  by  the  king  at  Breda  on 
April  14,  and  joyfully  agreed  to  his  restora- 
tion.    The  Irish  papists  had  no  part  in  this 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


587 


great  revolution,  but  wishing  to  enjoy  the 
fruit  of  the  labors  of  other  people,  many  of 
them  took  possession  of  their  patrimonies. 
The  evil  became  so  general  that  the  conven- 
tion was  obliged  to  issue  a  proclamation  on 
-the  20th  of  May,  1660,  for  the  security  of 
peace  and  property."  May  not  we  ask  these 
writers,  what  was  the  nature  of  the  posses- 
sions which  the  convention  was  obliged  to 
secure  by  a  decree,  and  what  were  the  titles 
of  those  who  held  them  ?  The  length  of  pos- 
session did  not  exceed  ten  or  twelve  years, 
and  they  had  been  given  by  Cromwell  as  a 
reward  to  the  accomplices  of  his  crimes.  The 
right  of  the  possessors  was  the  same  as  that 
which  had  authorized  the  tyrant  to  have  his 
lawful  sovereign  beheaded.  We  leave  the 
reader  to  decide  on  the  right  which  could  be 
derived  from  such  a  title  and  possession.  As 
to  the  Irish  who  resunied  their  estates,  the 
complaint  of  Cox  is  both  unjust  and  absurd  ; 
he  allows  that  they  were  the  ancient  patri- 
monies of  those  Irish  papists.  According  to 
Carte,  they  were  generally  Irish  noblemen 
who  had  been  dispossessed  by  Cromwell, 
notwithstanding  their  acquittal  by  the  tri- 
bunal which  that  tyrant  established  at  Ath- 
lone,  to  investigate  the  crimes  of  those  who 
had  been  concerned  in  the  rebellion.*  Having 
been  banished  to  Connaught,  and  the  county 
of  Clare,  continues  Carte,  they  considered 
themselves  authorized  to  take  possession  of 
their  estates  and  expel  the  usurpers  on  the 
death  of  the  tyrant.  The  only  claim  of  these 
men  on  the  properties  of  the  Irish  was  founded 
on  rebellion :  they  all  served  against  their 
king  under  Cromwell,  from  whom  they  held 
their  commissions.  Broghil  was  a  member 
of  parliament  for  the  county  of  Cork.  He 
continued  the  faithful  servant  of  the  tyrant, 
and  after  his  death  became  a  firm  supporter 
of  his  son  Richard  Cromwell ;  he  was  like- 
wise member  of  the  privy  council  of  the  new 
protector,  till  the  extinction  of  his  power. f 
No  longer  supported  by  the  power  of  the 
Cromwells,  and  viewing  the  dispositions  of 
the  English  towards  their  king,  he  then  re- 
turned to  Ireland,  and  in  union  with  others 
of  his  faction,  went  over  to  the  strongest  side. 
The  prejudice  of  Cox  makes  him  ascribe  the 
resumption  of  their  properties  by  the  Irish, 
to  the  labors  of  other  people. 

In  the  month  of  ]May,  1660,  Charles,  eldest 
son  of  Charles  I.,  ascended,  by  the  wise  and 
disinterested  conduct  of  General  Monk,  the 
throne  of  his  ancestors,  under  the  name  of 
Charles  II.    He  was  received  by  all  states  as 

*  Life  of  tli£  duke  of  Ormond,  vol.  2,  lib.  6,  p. 
205. 

t  Harris's  History  of  Ireland. 


lawful  heir  to  the  crown  of  Great  Britain. 
In  gratitude  Charles  restored  the  house  of 
lords,  and  had  a  general  amnesty  passed 
which  was  received  with  universal  applause. 
The  monarch  gave  his  consent  that  the  par- 
liament alone  should  punish  the  murderers 
of  his  father,  and  out  of  so  many  who  had 
contributed  to  the  catastrophe  of  Charles  I., 
ten  only  were  executed,  the  rest  being 
judged  worthy  of  the  king's  pardon. 

Although  the  majority  of  the  Scotch  peo- 
ple were  guilty  of  disloyalty  to  Charles,*  the 
marquis  of  Argyle,  Guthry,  a  celebrated 
minister,  and  Captain  Giffan,  were  the  only 
victims.  The  marquis  sold  the  king  to  the 
English,  and  consented  to  the  usurpation ; 
Guthry  was  a  preacher  of  sedition,  and 
known  to  have  been  violently  opposed  to 
Montrose  and  the  royalist  party,  and  Giffan 
was  entirely  devoted  to  Cromwell.  The 
two  last  were  hanged  at  Edinburgh. 

Charles  ascended  the  throne  under  very 
flattering  auspices.  The  people,  struck  with 
a  conviction  of  their  barbarous  treatment  to 
the  late  king,  thought  they  could  not  praise 
the  son  too  much  foj  his  clem.ency  ;  they  had 
groaned  also  for  many  years  under  the  sway 
of  tyranny,  while  now  peace,  liberty,  order, 
and  the  laws,  were  re-established  in  Eng- 
land and  Scotland,  so  that  no  prince  ever 
enjoyed  more  fully  the  affections  of  his 
subjects  than  Charles  II. 

The  restoration  of  a  legitimate  sovereign 
would  seem  likely  to  terminate  the  misfor- 
tunes oflrelandtoo.  Many  of  her  people  nobly 
participated  in  the  sufferings  of  their  prince. 
From  twenty-five  to  thirty  thousand  of  his 
faithful  Irish  subjects  having  crossed  the  seas 
to  escape  from  the  tyranny  of  their  rulers, 
crowded  to  receive  his  orders.  While  the 
prince  remained  in  France,  they  signalized 
themselves  in  the  service  of  that  crown. 
When  it  became  necessary  for  the  English 
monarch  to  seek  an  asylum  among  the  Span- 
iards, his  command  to  all  his  Irish  regiments 
to  follow  him  to  the  Low  Countries  was  in- 
stantly obeyed,  at  a  time  when  all  his  other 
subjects  had  abandoned  him.  Their  fidelity 
drew  upon  them,  in  his  exile,  the  admiration 
and  esteem  of  strangers.  The  words  of  the  I 
prince  himself,  in  his  address  to  both  houses,  I 
after  his  restoration,  sufliciently  attest  these  \ 
truths,  so  praiseworthy  in  the  Irish  people,  j 

On  the  27th  of  July,  1660,  King  Charles  ! 
II.  thus  expressed  himself:   "  I  think  it  is  | 
not  necessary  to  observe,  that  the  people  of 
Ireland  deserve  to  be  partakers  of  our  cle- 
mency ;  they  have  displayed  their  affection 

*  Heath's  Chron.  p.  4,  ad  an.  1661,  p.  497. 


588 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


for  US  in  foreign  countries  :  you  will  there- 
fore pay  a  regard  to  our  honor  and  the  prom- 
ises which  we  have  made  to  them."  On 
the  30th  of  November,  in  the  same  year,  the 
king's  remarks  on  the  aflairs  of  Ireland  were 
as  follows :  "lastly  we  are  mindful,  and  shall 
alwavs  remember  the  deep  afTcction  which  a 
great  part  of  that  nation  had  manifested  for 
us  during  our  sojourn  beyond  the  seas  :  the 
Irish  troops  have  always  received  our  com- 
mands with  alacrity  and  obedience,  submit- 
ting to  the  services  which  have  been  pointed 
out  to  them  as  beneficial  for  our  interests, 
which  conduct  on  their  part  is  most  worthy 
of  our  protection,  favor,  and  justice."  It  is 
right  now  to  investigate  what  was  the  extent 
of  that  protection,  justice,  and/cvor,  which 
the  Irish  had  merited  from  the  prince's  own 
acknowledgment,  and  what  were  the  benefits 
which  accompanied  their  merit.  Charles, 
when  in  possession  of  the  throne,  resolved  to 
compensate  by  his  pleasures  for  the  years  of 
his  exile.  For  this  end,  he  reposed  all  his 
confidence  in  a  wicked  ministry,  which  had 
its  own  interests  more  deeply  at  heart  than 
the  honor  and  glory  of  so  good  a  master. 
The  matter  to  be  decided  was,  whether  the 
Cromwellians  who  brought  Charles  I.  to  the 
scaffold,  and  compelled  Charles  II.  to  pass 
twelve  years  in  sorrowful  exile,  ought  to  be 
supported  in  peaceful  enjoyment  of  those 
estates  conferred  upon  them  for  their  hos- 
tility to  the  crown  ;  or  Avhether  the  ancient 
proprietors,  who  had  proved  their  loyalty  to 
the  king,  ought  to  have  their  estates  restored 
to  them,  which  they  had  lost  for  their  zeal  in 
the  royal  cause.  The  right  of  the  former  to 
properties  which  they  had  been  in  possession 
of  but  about  twelve  years,  was  founded  on 
regicide  ;  that  of  the  latter,  on  an  uninter- 
rupted possession  of  many  centuries,  which 
was  confirmed  by  the  public  sanction  of  a 
solemn  treaty  with  Charles  I.,  called  the 
peace  of  1648,  and  the  repeated  promises  of 
Charles  II.  during  his  exile  ;  no  question 
therefore  could  be  more  easily  determined. 
In  the  beginning,  the  king  seemed  disposed 
to  be  just,  but  through  the  influence  of  Cla- 
rendon, the  prime  minister,  and  a  few  nobles 
of  the  court,  his  opinions  became  biased  by 
degrees  in  favor  of  the  opposite  party, 
who  made  him  gradually  abandon  to  theii 
enemies,  those  who  had  been  the  faithful 
adherents  of  his  misfortune.  Not  content 
with  ibrgiving  his  sworn  enemies,  the  mur- 
derers of  his  father,  the  cruel  persecutors  of 
all  the  royal  family,  from  whom  he  himself 
had  a  miraculous  escape,  he  granted  them 
favors,  and  loaded  them  with  the  estates, 
honors,  and  dignities  of  his  most  loyal  sub- 


jects, many  of  whom  had  lost  both  their 
lives  and  fortunes  in  supporting  his  interests 
against  these  new  favorites.  Such  were  the 
protection,  justice,  and  favor,  with  which 
the  zeal  and  loyalty  of  the  Irish  were  re- 
warded, by  the  king's  proclamation  for  the 
settlement  or  regulation  of  Ireland,  at  White- 
hall, on  the  30th  of  November,  1660. 

The  declaration  of  the  king  for  the  settle- 
ment of  Ireland,  was,  in  reality,  the  settle- 
ment of  rebels  and  traitors,  and  consequently 
the  ruin  of  his  majesty's  most  faithful  sub- 
jects :*  it  was  followed  by  orders  to  have  it 
put  into  force  ;  then  came  the  commentary 
of  the  parliament,  and  to  crown  the  whole, 
the  famous  explanation  act,  which  was  well 
calculated  to  complete  the  destruction  of 
those  whose  right  appeared  to  be  incon- 
testable. 

The  Irish  Catholics  who  should  have  been 
reinstated  in  their  inheritance,  were  distin- 
guished into  three  classes  ;f  the  first  was 
called  innocent,  signifying  those  who  had 
never  joined  the  confederates  before  the 
peace  of  1648 ;  the  second  comprised  what 
were  called  ensignmen,  implying  such  as  had 
served  beyond  the  seas,  under  his  majesty's 
standard  during  his  exile  ;  the  third  was 
composed  of  the  confederates,  whom  the 
faith  of  a  solemn  treaty  authorized  to  recover 
their  patrimonies.  The  king  appeared  deter- 
mined to  do  justice  to  the  three  classes.  With 
respect  to  the  innocent,  even  their  enemies 
could  not  oppose  the  restitution  of  their 
properties.  The  claims  of  those  who  had 
distinguished  themselves  in  a  military  capa- 
city in  the  services  of  their  prince,  were  so 
recent  and  present  to  the  mind,  that  none 
would  dare  to  demand  their  exclusion  from 
his  majesty's  favors.  There  remained,  there- 
fore, but  a  third  class,  viz.,  the  confederates, 
whose  pretensions  were  founded  on  the 
peace  of  1648,|  that  could  not  seek  in- 
dulgence. The  king  felt  the  injustice  that 
would  be  caused  by  a  dereliction  of  his  en- 
gagements to  fulfil  a  peace  in  which  his  con- 
science and  his  honor  were  concerned,  as 
he  himself  had  expressed  in  his  declaration. 
"  We  cannot,"  said  the  prince,  "  forget  the 
peace  which  we  were  ourselves  necessitated 
to  make  with  our  Irish  subjects,  at  a  time 
when  those  who  wickedly  usurped  the  gov- 
ernment of  this  country  had  erected  the 
odious  tribunal  which  took  away  the  life  of 
our  dear  father.  We  cannot  therefore  but 
consider  ourselves  bound  to  the  fulfilment  of 
peace   towards  those  who  have  honorably 

*  Ireland's  Ca.se,  ibid,  page  85. 
t  Ireland's  Case,  ibid,  page  87. 
t  Ireland's  Case,  page  88. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


589 


and  faithfully  performed  what  they  pro- 
mised," &c. 

The  Cromwellians,  on  the  other  hand,  and 
the  partisans  whom  they  purchased  at  court, 
seeing  the  king  so  decided  on  this  point, 
and  not  daring  to  oppose  in  a  direct  way 
such  generous  and  worthy  motives,  pretend- 
ed to  enter  into  the  opinions  of  the  prince, 
being  convinced  that  their  unjust  policy 
would  not  fail  in  the  moment  of  need,  and 
that  this  would  furnish  them  with  the  oppor- 
tunity of  bringing  the  prince  into  their  views. 
It  was  first  affirmed  by  his  wicked  ministers 
that  there  were  more  confiscated  lands  in 
Ireland  than  ought  to  satisfy  all  those  whose 
pretensions  were  just.  It  was  next  ad- 
vanced, that  the  Protestant  adventurers 
(which  implied  those  recently  established 
in  the  country)  should  be  preferred  to  the 
other  pretenders,  or,  at  least,  that  they  were 
entitled  to  the  next  place  after  the  innocent 
papists.  On  the  faith  of  these  two  articles, 
which  were  granted  as  the  foundation  of  the 
whole  edifice,  these  sectarians,  the  most 
savage  and  decided  fanatics  of  the  three 
kingdoms,  whose  principles  were  always 
equally  fatal  to  the  true  religion  and  monar- 
chical government,  became,  all  of  a  sudden, 
beneath  the  mantle  of  Protestantism,  the 
minions  of  the  church  and  state — a  conver- 
sion far  too  sudden  to  be  sincere. 

The  Protestants  who  were  to  be  made 
secure  in  their  possessions  in  Ireland,*  were 
also  of  three  sorts  :  the  first  consisted  of 
adventurers, t  who  had  been  merchants  and 
citizens  of  London,  and,  relying  on  acts 
made  in  the  17th  and  18th  years  of  the  reign 
of  Charles  I.  for  the  reduction  of  Ireland, 
had  advanced  considerable  sums  upon  the 
lands  of  that  country,  the  acquirement  of 
which  cost  themselves  very  little.  The 
money  thus  obtained  was  never  sent  to  Ire- 
land, but  was  applied  by  the  rebellious  par- 
liament to  the  raising  of  an  army,  which 
defeated  the  king's  forces  at  Edgehill  ;  and 
the  application  of  the  money  in  that  way 
was  approved  of  by  the  adventurers  them- 
selves, assembled  at  Grocers'  Hall,  in  Lon- 
don. This  was  no  secret;  Charles  I.  was 
not  ignorant  of  it,  since  he  reproached  the 
commissioners  of  the  parliament  with  the 
treaty  of  Uxbridge,  and  their  perfidy  was 
the  reason  why  the  prince  never  mentioned, 
in  his  difi'erent  projects  for  pacifying  the 
Irish  confederates,  any  title  which  the  con- 
federates could  advance  to  the  said  lands, 
and  that  he  took  care  to  make  no  provision 
for  them.  Charles  II.  was  equally  convinced 

*  Ireland's  Case,  ibid,  page  90. 

t  Recit.  exacte  et  fiddle,  p.  39,  «fec  suiv. 


of  the  defect  of  their  titles.  His  declaration 
is  illustrative  of  his  notions  on  that  head  : 
"  In  the  first  place,  if,  to  satisfy  those  who 
have  advanced  their  money,  we  examine 
into  the  titles  by  which  they  enjoy  their 
possessions,  they  would  be  found  defective 
and  invalid,  not  being  in  conformity  with 
the  acts  of  parliament  on  which  they  rest  ; 
still,  as  we  are  strongly  inclined  to  provide,'' 
&c.  Notwithstanding,  however,  the  enor- 
mity of  their  crimes,  and  the  invalidity  of 
their  titles,  they  were  to  be  upheld  in  their 
unjust  possessions.  The  claims  of  these 
first  adventurers  being  so  unfounded,  what 
opinion  can  we  form  of  those  who  afterwards 
advanced  their  money  to  excite  rebellion, 
without  any  other  authority  than  that  of  the 
lower  house,  which  usurped  the  government? 
According  to  the  laws  of  the  state,  the  com- 
mons had  neither  the  power  of  effecting  loans 
in  the  name  of  the  nation,  nor  of  governing 
without  the  consent  of  the  king  and  the  other 
house  ;  the  king  was  in  exile  at  the  time,  and 
the  upper  house  suppressed,  still  the  latter 
class  was  placed  on  an  equal  footing  with 
the  former,  and  both  parties  (viz.,  the  ad- 
venturers and  those  who  lent  their  money 
to  excite  rebellion)  made  secure  in  their  pos- 
sessions, acquired  in  the  manner  described. 
Thus  have  these  persecutors  of  their  king 
been  liberally  rewarded  at  the  expense  of 
the  faithful  Irish. 

Cromwell's  soldiers  were  the  next  to  re- 
ceive rewards.  The  tyrant  was,  it  is  true, 
deeply  indebted  to  them,  since,  with  the 
assistance  of  their  brethren  in  England, 
they  had  raised  him  from  obscurity  to  abso- 
lute power  over  the  three  kingdoms.*  His 
gratitude  was  equal  to  their  zeal  ;  he  divided 
twelve  entire  counties  between  these  fana- 
tics, the  cruel  ministers  of  his  tyranny,  and 
the  avowed  enemies  of  the  king.  It  would 
seem,  however,  that  it  was  by  mortgages  he 
settled  with  those  mercenary  miscreants,  in 
payment  of  arrears  due  to  them,  and  that  he 
would  never  grant  patents  to  confirm  their 
possessions.  These  precarious  tenures  in- 
duced several  of  the  new  nobility  to  sell  their 
titles  to  estates  for  a  trifle,  whenever  an  op- 
portunity occurred  ;  and  in  the  sequel  the 
purchasers  were  confirmed  for  ever  in  pos- 
session of  the  rewards  of  their  infamy  by  the 
king's  declaration  !  It  can  scarcely  be  con- 
ceived how  Charles  II.,  on  being  restored  to 
the  throne  of  his  ancestors,  could  bring  him- 
self, as  he  did,  (unfortunately  for  his  family,) 
to  reward  the  murderers  of  his  father  by  an 
unbounded  donation  of  lands,  while  he  per- 

*  Ireland's  Case,  ibid,  pages  92,  93.  A  correct 
account,  page  48,  et  seq. 


590 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


mitted  their  true  and  lawful  owners  (of 
whose  fuUdity  lie  boasted)  to  die  in  want 
and  misery. 

AHusion  is  next  made  to  the  oflicers  who 
had  served  the  king  before  June  5th,  1G19, 
and  whose  arrears,  according  to  their  own 
calculations,  aniountcul  to  one  million  eight 
hundred  thousand  pounds  sterling.  Thou'gh 
this  appears  to  have  been  an  unfair  and  an 
enormous  demand,  still  it  was  admitted  by 
the  adventurers,  whose  maxim  was,  "  Do  us 
a  kindness  and  ire  will  do  you  another.''  Un- 
der pretence  of  repaying  these  arrears,  all 
the  confiscated  lands  in  four  counties  border- 
ing the  Shannon  were  bestowed  upon  forty- 
nine  officers,  besides  houses  and  other  privi- 
leges in  every  town  and  city  of  the  kingdom. 
These  kindnesses  are  the  more  surprising, 
as  they  were  conferred  on  men  who  were, 
during  and  antecedent  to  the  summer  of 
1649,  in  actual  rebellion  against  their  king : 
among  them  were  the  earls  of  Orrery,  Moun- 
trath,  Lords  Kingston  and  Coloony,  Sirs 
Jones,  Saint  George,  Coles,  &c.,  who  de- 
serted the  king's  standard  to  join  the  usurper. 
Those  who  were  principally  instrumental  in 
surrendering  the  towns  and  fortresses  to 
Cromwell,  were  singularly  included  in  the 
act  of  settlement  as  entitled  to  have  their 
arrears  allowed.  No  distinction  was  made 
between  the  forty-nine  officers  and  the  Cath- 
olics, in  the  king's  declaration  for  the  pay- 
ment of  arrears  ;  with  the  exception,  how- 
ever, of  the  marquis  of  Clanriccard  and  Sir 
George  Hamilton,  the  Catholics  (who  never 
deserted  the  standard  of  their  king,  and  who 
were  always  opposed  to  the  usurper)  were 
excluded  by  subsequent  acts  of  parliament 
from  all  favor. 

Thus  these  ministers  of  iniquity  found 
means  to  lead  the  king  to  commit,  against 
his  will,  the  most  crying  acts  of  injustice. 
He  himself,  so  far  from  wishing  to  despoil 
the  Catholics  of  Ireland  of  their  patrimonies, 
evinced  from  the  beginning  an  inclination  to 
do  them  justice  ;  but  he  suffered  himself  to 
be  deceived  by  those  in  whom  he  reposed 
confidence,  and  who,  under  the  specious 
show  of  loyalty,  always  preferred  their  own 
interests  to  the  glory  of  their  prince. 

A  court  of  claims  was  established  in  Dub- 
lin, after  the  same  plan  as  that  which  Crom- 
well established  at  Athlone  in  1645,  in  favor 
of  the  Catholics  transplanted  into  Connaught 
and  the  county  of  Clare,  with  this  difference, 
that  the  court  of  the  usurper  was  the  less 
partial  of  the  two  ;  for,  whether  from  want 
of  money  to  suborn  false  witnesses,  or  being 
unacquainted  with  the  art  of  employing  mis- 
creants who  live  by  perjury,  it  is  well  known 


that  few  or  none  of  such  characters  were 
made  use  of  at  Cromwell's  court,  and  that 
they  were  seen  in  crowds,  and  employed  by 
the  court  of  claims  in  Dublin.  The  court 
at  Atldoiie  was  not  limited  as  to  time,  while 
that  of  Dublin  had  but  from  February  15, 
1663,  till  the  August  following,  allowed  to 
any  claimant  from  any  part  of  the  kingdom 
to  make  his  appearance.  During  that  short 
interval  almost  a  thousand  Catholics  were 
examined,  of  whom  at  least  one  half  were 
declared  innocent,  notwithstanding  the  rigor 
of  the  qualifications  required,  and  the  unbri-, 
dledlicenseof  false  witnesses.  One  example 
out  of  a  hundred  will  be  sufficient  to  develop 
the  profligacy  of  both  witnesses  and  judges. 

Mr.  Francis  Betagh  of  Moynalty,  who 
lived  in  1663  at  the  court  of  St.  Germain- 
en-Laye,*  and  whose  ancestors  possessed 
considerable  landed  property  in  the  county 
of  Meath  during  many  centuries,  was  ac- 
cused of  having,  at  the  head  of  a  company  of 
foot,  sacked  and  pillaged  in  1641  his  Pro- 
testant neighbors  ;t  although  '\\\  the  month  of 
October  of  the  same  year  it  was  well  known 
that  he  was  but  nine  years  old,  an  age  at 
which  he  was  very  unlikely  to  be  concerned 
in  a  crime  of  that  nature.  Besides  this,  one 
of  the  witnesses  produced  against  him  was 
but  three  years  old  in  1641.  Neither  this 
obvious  perjury,  nor  the  innocence  of  the 
gentleman,  of  which  the  nobles  of  the  coun- 
try were  witnesses,  could  make  any  impres- 
sion upon  the  judges  ;  and  though  Sir 

Rainsford,  one  of  the  commissioners  of  the 
court,  expressed  his  conviction  of  the  pro- 
ceedings being  unjust,  the  marquis  of  Antrim, 
the  earl  of  Limerick,  and  others  who  were 
present,  restrained  him  by  their  rebukes  from 
making  reparation.  By  such  abominable 
proceedings  some  hundreds  of  ancient  fami- 
lies, equally  eminent  for  their  noble  extraction 
as  for  their  loyalty  to  their  king,  have  been 
robbed  of  their  patrimonies,  and  reduced  to 
the  dire  necessity  of  either  begging  or  em- 
bracing occupations  unsuited  to  their  birth. 

The  time  tor  examining  those  interested 
having  expired,  Rainsford,  the  chief  com- 
missioner, thought  to  continue  the  court  till 
further  prorogation  would  be  obtained,  to  do 
justice  to  all  whose  rights  could  not  have 
been  discussed  within  the  time  prescribed. 
There  were  seven  thousand  to  be  still  heard, 
whose  claims  deserved  to  be  attended  to 
equally  with  the  others,  since  "  every  man 
should  be  looked  upon  as  innocent  till  the 
contrary  be  proved,"  particularly  when  he 

*  His  son  is  major  in  the  Irish  regiment  of  the 
chevalier  Fitz-James,  in  the  service  of  France. 
t  Ireland's  Case,  pages  102,  103. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


591 


submits  to  so  severe  a  tribunal.  However, 
Clarendon,  the  prime  minister,  refused  any 
further  length  of  time  to  the  court,  which 
was  thus  forced  to  cease  its  functions  and  to 
separate.  Clarendon  then  instituted  another 
tribunal,  whose  members  were  all  usurpers, 
from  whom  the  lawful  proprietors  were  to 
seek  restitution.  When  the  judges  and  the 
party  consist  of  such  characters,  what  hope 
could  there  be  for  a  claimant  ?  To  shut 
against  him  the  doors  of  justice  altogether, 
the  parliament  next  made  a  law  to  interdict 
for  the  future  every  appeal  for  the  restora- 
tion of  property  or  the  recovery  of  estates. 

The  Cromwellians  having  gained  their 
point,  and  secured  to  the  adventurers  and 
soldiers  the  enjoyment  of  their  possession  of 
the  estates  of  the  Catholics,  began  to  bestow 
the  confiscated  lands  upon  the  earls  of  Or- 
mond,  Anglesy,  Orrery,  and  upon  Lords 
Coote,  Kingston,  and  other  favorites,  Avho 
had  been  bad  servants  to  the  crown.  To 
create  more  friends  by  the  mammon  of  ini- 
quity, large  donations  of  land  were  appro- 
priated to  pious  uses  ;  the  revenues  of  the 
university  of  Dublin  were  increased,  and 
free  schools  established.  Some  bishops  and 
ministers  were  enriched,  and  extensive  hold- 
ing conferred  on  many,  though  they  derived 
no  titles  from  the  king's  declaration.  The 
estates  that  were  possessed  for  some  time  by 
Miles  Corbet  and  other  regicides,  were 
given  to  the  king's  brother,  the  duke  of 
York.  Thus  vere  the  lands  wasted  by  pro- 
fuse largesses,  whereby  resumptions  were 
defeated,  and  consequently  the  Cromwel- 
lians continued  in  the  enjoyment  of  their 
usurpations.  Fifty-four  persons,  called  the 
denominated,  were  not  better  treated  than 
others,  for  want  of  lands  to  be  given  them. 
They  were  called  denominated,  because  a 
clause  was  inserted  in  the  explanation  act, 
(specifying  the  names,)  which  entitled  them 
to  repossess  their  baronial  houses  and  two 
thousand  acres  of  land  adjoining.  The  earl 
of  Orrery  sarcastically  remarked,  that  they 
had  a  name  but  not  the  reality.  In  or- 
der to  defeat  every  future  prospect,  a  law 
was  made,  "  that  when  any  doubt  should 
arise  upon  the  clauses  of  said  act,  it  should 
be  explained  in  favor  of  Protestants,  who 
it  was  intended  should  remain  secure  and 
undisturbed."* 

It  is  incredible  to  think  how  the  king  was 
influenced  to  act  contrary,  not  only  to  jus- 
lice,  but  even  to  the  interests  of  his  house. f 
Princes  have  been  often  known,  from  mo- 
tives of  policy,  to  pardon  rebellious  subjects, 

»   Statutes  of  Ireland,  p.  38. 
t   Ireland's  Case,  pp.  73,  74. 


after  returning  to  their  duty  and  submis- 
sion ;  but  to  heap  upon  them  the  rich  patri- 
monies of  faithful  subjects,  by  Avhich  the 
latter  are  reduced  to  the  extreme  of  indi- 
gence, is  unexampled  in  history. 

Policy,  it  will  be  said,  precluded  Charles 
from  acting  otherwise,  on  account  of  the 
great  number  of  parliamentarians  wickedly 
disposed  towards  him,  and  whom,  being  at 
the  time  possessed  of  new  properties,  it 
might  be  dangerous  to  irritate  with  arms  in 
their  hands. 

This  mode  of  reasoning  was  often  urged 
in  council  by  the  chancellor  Clarendon. 
Might  we  not  ask  the  earl,  why  he  did  not 
observe  the  same  conduct  towards  England 
and  Scotland  ?  Was  the  party  less  formi- 
dable in  these  countries  than  in  Ireland  ? 
The  minister  forgot  that  his  political  reason- 
ing gave  the  same  ground  for  confirming 
the  Cromwellians  in  their  usurpations  in 
England.  They  had  usurped  the  royal  au- 
thority ;  they  were  in  possession  of  the  lands 
of  the  crown,  of  the  church,  and  of  those 
of  many  English  nobles  and  gentlemen ; 
they  appropriated  to  themselves,  by  crime, 
rebellion,  and  parricide,  the  properties  of 
others  ;  and  notwithstanding  all  this,  were 
they  not  put  down  without  danger  or  oppo- 
sition, though  they  at  the  time  had  arms  ixv 
their  hands,  possessed  likewise  all  the  for- 
tresses of  the  kingdom,  were  superior  in 
numbers,  well  provided  with  eveiy  thing, 
and  consequently  more  formidable  than  their 
brethren  in  Ireland  ?  If  the  king,  before  his 
departure  from  Breda,  had  promised  to  pay 
the  arrears  of  the  ofllcers  and  soldiers  of 
General  Monk,  could  they  not  have  satisfied 
them  in  Ireland  by  public  taxes  as  they  did 
in  England,  without  depriving  so  many 
widows  and  orphans  of  subsistence,  and  so 
many  gentlemen  of  their  inheritance,  who 
by  signal  services  merited  rewards,  instead 
of  being  stripped  of  their  patrimonies  ?  So 
crying  an  injustice  could  not  be  the  result  of 
a  sound  policy,  nor  even  of  common  pru- 
dence, which  frequently  made  Clarendon 
say  before  the  king,  "  do  good  to  your  ene 
mies,  your  friends  will  not  i?ijure  you."  To 
proceed  in  this  way  was  contrary  to  sound 
policy,  honor,  and  justice.  The  king,  how- 
ever, acted  in  all  this  according  to  the  ad- 
vice of  his  council  and  his  courtiers. 

We  cannot  find  in  history  the  example  of 
a  king  so  generous  and  beneficent  to  infa- 
mous rebels,  as  Charles  11.  has  been  to  the 
Cromwellians  of  Ireland — but  so  far  from 
their  gratitude  being  proportioned  to  the 
goodness  of  their  prince,  they  were  con- 
thiually  plotting  against  him.     Conspiracies 


592 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


were  got  up  against  his  person,  one  in  1663, 
another  in  1671  ;  these  were  put  down  in 
their  l)irth,  and  three  of  the  meanest  of  the 
conspirators  put  to  death,  while  the  princi- 
pal were  pardoned,  who  were  always  full  of 
the  spirit  of  republicanism,  and  Avere  avow- 
ed enemies  to  monarchical  government. 
Such  was  the  fruit  of  Clarendon's  policy, 
"  do  good  to  rjour  cncmicsy 

The  injustice,  or  rather  the  indolence  of 
Charles  II.,  was  felt  not  only  in  Ireland, 
but  also  in  England,  where  the  cavaliers 
were  treated  with  deep  ingratitude.  "  The 
foulest  stain,"  says  Hume,  "  attached  to  the 
character  of  Charles  II.  in  the  opinion  of 
judges,  was  his  neglect  of  the  cavaliers, 
whose  zeal  and  sufferings  in  his  cause 
knew  no  bounds.  Poverty,  to  which  the 
most  zealous  royalists  were  reduced,  dimin- 
ishing their  respectability,  rendered  them 
less  fit  to  support  the  measures  of  the  king, 
and  made  him  look  on  them  as  a  useless 
burden.  The  greatest  number  of  the  royal- 
ists were  still  laboring  under  distress  and 
disappointment,  aggravated  by  the  loss  of 
their  lawful  hopes,  and  the  torment  of  see- 
ing favors  and  influence  heaped  upon  their 
deadly  enemies.  With  respect  to  the  acts 
of  indemnity  and  oblivion,  the  first  was  in- 
tended for  the  enemies  of  the  king,  the  lat- 
ter for  his  friends."*  Our  author  discovers 
in  the  character  of  Charles  the  cause  of  his 
conduct  towards  his  faithful  subjects.  Some 
people  of  penetratior^,  he  says,  began  to  re- 
mark that  his  virtues,  by  which  he  had  at 
first  dazzled  and  almost  enchanted  the  na- 
tion, possessed  less  solidity  than  splendor  ; 
that  his  judgment  lost  much  of  its  power 
from  want  of  application  ;  that  his  goodness 
appeared  rather  the  effect  of  an  easy  dispo- 
sition than  true  generosity  of  character ; 
that  although  he  displayed  good-will  to  all 
who  approached  him,  his  heart  was  incapa- 
ble of  sincere  friendship,  and  that  he  se- 
cretly nurtured  a  wicked  opinion  of,  and 
distrust  in  mankind.  The  English  cavaliers 
had  less  to  complain  of  than  the  Irish  royal- 
ists. Some  of  the  principal  of  them  receiv- 
ed pensions,  and  the  parliament  distributed 
sixty  thousand  pounds  among  the  rest,  while 
the  Irish  were  excluded  from  all  favor  or 
consideration. 

The  reign  of  Charles  II.  was  moderately 
long.  Though  the  Catholics  of  Ireland 
were  loaded  with  severe  oppression,  they 
were  always  faithful  to  that  prince.  Charles 
in  order  to  allay  somewhat  of  their  suf- 
ferings,  undertook   to   indemnify   them    on 

*  Hist,  of  Great  Britain.  Charles  II.,  chan.  ].  n 
158.  ^    ^' 


the  score  of  religion,  as  far  as  circumstances 
would  permit.  During  his  reign  he  had  the 
administration  of  the  penal  laws  suspended, 
which  the  parliaments  renewed  from  time  to 
time  in  all  their  rigor.  The  Catholic  peers 
were  allowed  to  sit  in  parliament ;  ecclesi- 
astics instructed  in  public,  and  taught  the 
youth  the  principles  of  their  religion,  which 
all  were  allowed  to  practise,  though  the 
penal  laws  had  not  been  repealed. 

Charles  II.,  after  a  few  days  illness,  died 
the  6th  of  February,  1685.  li  is  said  that 
he  manifested  great  indifference  for  the  bish- 
ops of  the  English  Church,  who  displayed 
their  zeal  about  him  by  their  intense  ex- 
hortations. Some  Catholic  priests  were 
brought  to  him,  from  whom  he  received  the 
sacraments  according  to  the  rites  of  the  Ro- 
man Church ;  thus  making  it  appear  that  he 
dared  not  to  die  in  that  religion  which  he 
professed  upon  the  throne.  As  soon  as 
Charles  II.  breathed  his  last,  his  brother, 
the  duke  of  York,  received  the  homage  of 
the  lords.  He  was  proclaimed  king  in  Lon- 
don and  all  the  provinces,  under  the  name  of 
James  II.  Public  rejoicings  were  made  in 
all  the  towns,  in  which  inclination  and  duty 
seemed  to  combine.  The  news  of  James 
II. 's  accession  to  the  British  throne  having 
reached  Ireland,  the  duke  of  Ormond,  being 
lord-lieutenant,  assembled  the  council  in 
Dublin,  and  the  day  following  the  king  was 
proclaimed  with  great  solemnity  in  the  city. 

The  new  sovereign  convened  his  council 
in  England ;  he  made  a  speech  to  them 
which  delighted  all  his  subjects,  and  in- 
creased their  attachment  to  his  person.  "  I 
will  endeavor,"  he  said,  "  to  preserve  the 
government  of  church  and  state,  in  the  man- 
ner by  law  established :  I  know  that  the 
Church  of  England  is  favorable  to  mon- 
archy, and  those  who  are  members  of  it 
have  made  it  appear  on  various  occasions 
that  they  were  faithful  subjects  :  I  will  take 
particular  care  to  defend  and  support  it.  I 
know,  likewise,  that  the  laws  of  the. king- 
dom are  sufficient  to  make  the  king  as  great 
as  I  could  wish.  As  I  am  determined  to 
preserve  the  prerogatives  of  my  crown,  so  I 
will  never  deprive  others  of  what  belongs  to 
them.  I  have  often  hazarded  my  life  in  de- 
fence of  the  nation  :  I  am  still  ready  to  ex- 
pose it  to  preserve  its  rights."  These  prom- 
ises were  preceded  by  bitter  complaints 
against  the  malice  of  his  enemies,  who  were 
the  authors  of  impressions  that  were  spread 
concerning  the  principles  of  despotic  power 
with  which  they  asserted  him  to  be  imbued. 

This  address  of  the  king  was  received 
with  pleasure  ;  it  was  universally  considered 


CHRISTIAli    IRELAND. 


593 


condescending,  noble,  and  sublime.  Soon 
after  this,  addresses  poured  in  from  every 
quarter,  filled  with  assurances  of  loyalty 
and  gratitude  for  his  solicitude  respecting 
the  Church  of  England  and  the  liberty  of 
the  people.  Cities,  corporations,  and  imi- 
versities,  were  all  lavish  in  their  praises 
and  congratulations. 

The  parliament  of  England  and  Scotland 
met  at  the  same  time,  to  the  great  satisfac- 
tion of  both  nations.  That  of  Scotland,  of 
which  the  duke  of  Queensbury  was  presi- 
dent, having  confirmed  the  acts  that  had 
been  passed  in  the  preceding  reign  for  the 
security  of  the  Protestant  religion,  granted 
to  his  majesty  the  same  revenues  which  his 
brother  had  enjoyed  :  it  was  enacted,  that 
the  duty  on  all  domestic  and  foreign  goods 
should  be  annexed  to  the  crown  of  Scotland. 
In  the  same  session,  the  sum  of  two  hundred 
and  sixty  thousand  pounds  a  year,  for  life, 
was  voted  to  his  majesty. 

England  vied  with  Scotland  in  generosity ; 
the  parliament  secured  to  the  king,  during 
life,  the  revenues  which  his  brother  had  en- 
joyed at  his  death,  together  with  the  funds 
which  were  allowed  him  while  duke  of  York. 
It  was  proposed  to  take  down  the  names  of 
those  who,  in  the  pai'liaments  of  the  pre- 
ceding reign,  had  voted  to  exclude  him  from 
succeeding  to  the  throne  ;  but  one  of  the 
secretaries  having  declared  that  the  king 
pardoned  all  who  had  been  opposed  to  him, 
the  declaration  elicited  new  praises.  On 
receipt  of  the  intelligence  of  the  rebellion 
of  Argyle,  and  the  invasion  of  the  duke  of 
Monmouth,  they  were  both  declared  guilty 
of  high  treason ;  and  being  taken  in  arms, 
the  earl  of  Argyle  was  put  to  death  in 
Edinburgh,  and  Monmouth  in  England. 
The  parliament  renewed  the  trial  of  Gates, 
who  had  been  brought  to  justice  in  the  pre- 
ceding reign  on  charge  of  perjury,  and  never 
was  a  culprit  more  clearly  convicted.  He 
was  condemned  to  pay  an  exorbitant  fine, 
to  be  flogged,  to  stand  in  the  pillory,  and  to 
be  imprisoned  for  life. 

This  auspicious  beginning  seemed  to 
promise  to  the  king  a  happy  sway.  His  ene- 
mies defeated,  a  powerful  army  on  foot,  his 
subjects  submissive  and  kind,  and  foreign 
princes  seeking  his  alliance,  these  were 
happy  omens  of  a  peaceful  and  glorious 
reign.  During  the  first  six  months  he 
reigned  in  the  hearts  of  his  people,  but  the 
aspect  of  his  affairs  was  soon  changed. 

James  was  a  Catholic,  and  protected  that 
religion  ;  he  was  very  partial  to  those  who 
professed  it,  and  caused  mass  to  be  said  in 
the  palace.     This  zeal  for  the  true  religion 


was  contrary  to  his  worldly  policy  ;  but  his 
real  imprudence  was  the  unbounded  confi- 
dence he  reposed  in  some  members  of  his 
council,  who  secretly  betrayed  him.  He 
considered  it  an  imperative  duty  to  protect 
his  own  faith,  and  he  also  considered  that 
the  Catholics  ought  to  take  advantage  of  his 
reign  to  rescue  themselves  from  the  oppres- 
sion to  which  they  had  been  so  long  exposed. 
James  had  two  objects  in  view  :  first,  to 
grant  the  Catholics  freedom  in  the  exercise 
of  their  religion  ;  and  secondly,  to  enable 
them  to  hold  public  oflices,  from  which  they 
had  been  unjustly  excluded.  The  English 
became  alarmed,  and  the  last  step  the  king 
took  in  favor  of  his  religion  was  considered 
by  the  Protestants  as  the  destruction  of  their 
own.  Some  noblemen  busied  themselves 
in  fomenting  discontent  among  the  people, 
and  James  was  ruined  by  a  plot  which  Lord 
Shaftsbury  had  projected  under  Charles  II. 

The  duke  of  Ormond,  lord-lieutenant  of 
Ireland,  having  confided  the  government  to 
the  primate  and  the  earl  of  Granard,  set  out 
for  London  in  March,  1685.  Shortly  after- 
wards the  court  sent  over  to  Ireland  the  earl 
of  Clarendon,  the  king's  brother-in-law,  as 
lord-lieutenant,  and  Sir  Charles  Porter  as 
chancellor.  Clarendon  was  recalled  in 
February,  1686,  and  Richard  Talbot,  earl 
of  Tirconnel,  who  already  commanded  as 
lieutenant-general,  was  appointed  lord-dep- 
uty of  Ireland.  The  Catholic  religion  began 
to  be  openly  professed,  the  priests  and  friars 
appeared  in  public  in  the  dress  of  their  or- 
der, the  ancient  proprietors  took  possession 
of  their  estates,  which  had  been  usurped 
by  the  Cromwellian  soldiers,  and  Catholics 
as  well  as  Protestants  were  appointed  to 
public  offices. 

The  league  against  the  king  gained 
strength  every  day  in  England.  The  Eng- 
lish nobles  belonging  to  the  faction  had  al- 
ready crowded  to  Holland,  to  the  prince  of 
Orange,  the  king's  son-in-law  ;  and  the  con- 
spirators solicited  him  to  come  to  their  as- 
sistance for  the  defence  of  their  religion  and 
liberty.  Henry  Sidney,  and  Sir Pey- 
ton, and  Sir Gwyn,  arrived  secretly 

at  the  Hague,  where  they  were  favorably 
received.  The  intercourse  being  free,  other 
noblemen  proceeded  to  Holland  under  vari- 
ous pretexts. 

The  prince  of  Orange,  well  convinced  of 
his  finding  partisans  in  England,  and  con- 
spirators to  favor  his  views;  commanded  an 
armament  to  be  got  ready,  and  gave  the 
necessary  orders  for  an  expedition  to  Eng- 
land. Before  he  embarked  he  published  a 
manifesto,  dated  October  1st,  specifying  his 


594 


HrSTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


motives,  and  what  induced  him  to  undertake 
it.  The  complaints  of  the  EngHsh  Protest- 
ants against  thoir  Iving  were  enumerated  ;  the 
means  that  were  taken,  but  in  A-ain,  to  remedy 
the  disorder,  were  pointed  out,  and  the  object 
of  the  present  enterprise  set  Ibrth.  Many 
charges  were  artfully  embodied,  in  order  to 
prove  that  the  king  intended  to  destroy  the 
religion,  laws,  and  liberty  of  the  nation. 

France  saw  the  misfortunes  that  threaten- 
ed the  king  of  England.  Louis  XIV.,  of  glo- 
rious memory,  apprized  him  of  them  often. 
The  French'monarch  loved  dearly  the  un- 
happy king  of  England,  and  gave  proofs  of 
it  by  offering  to  assist  him.  M.  Bonrepos 
was  commissioned  to  propose  to  send  thirty 
thousand  troops,  and  vessels  to  carry  them 
to  England.  This  offer  was  rejected  by  the 
advice  of  the  earl  of  Sunderland,  who  point- 
ed out  that  to  introduce  a  foreign  army  into 
England  would  destroy  the  confidence  of  the 
people  ;  but  this  was  already  lost,  inasmuch 
as  bribery  and  a  spirit  of  revolt  pervaded 
both  the  troops  and  other  portions  of  them. 
Though  Sunderland  was  secretary  of  state 
and  president  of  the  king's  privy  council,  he 
was  not  loyal.  He  was  a  determined  foe  to 
the  policy  of  his  master,  and  had  urged  more 
anxiously  than  any  other  the  exclusion  of 
that  prince  from  the  throne,  when  that  ques- 
tion was  debated  in  the  preceding  parliament. 
He  was,  however,  resolved  to  follow  the 
ruling  power  while  it  would  be  his  interest, 
and  under  James  H.  he  professed  himself  a 
Catholic,  to  be  enabled  to  serve  the  Protest- 
ants by  betraying  his  master.  All  things 
being  prepared  for  the  expedition  to  Eng- 
land, the  prince  of  Orange  took  leave  of  his 
states,  and  put  to  sea  with  a  favorable  wind, 
about  the  end  of  October.  Fifty  ships  of 
war,  followed  by  four  hundred  transport 
vessels,  besides  twenty  frigates  and  some 
smaller  craft,  composed  the  fleet  ;  from 
twelve  to  thirteen  thousand  troops,  and  arms 
for  twenty  thousand  men,  were  on  board. 
Admiral  Herbert,  an  Englishman,  com- 
manded the  van  ;  in  the  rear  was  vice-ad- 
miral Evertzen,  and  the  prince  was  in  the 
centre.  All  these  vessels  bore  the  English 
flag  with  the  arms  of  the  prince  of  Orange, 
around  which  were  these  words,  "For  reli- 
gion and  liberty,"  and  at  bottom  was  the  de- 
vice of  the  house  of  Nassau,  "  I  will  main- 
tain." A  great  number  of  English  noblemen 
were  on  board  the  fleet.  Among  the  gen- 
eral officers  was  Count  Schomberg,  marshal 
of  France,*  accompanied  by  his  son  Count 

■*  Marihal  Sclioinbtrg  left  France  on  account  of 
his  religion,  and  catered  tlie  service  of  tlie  elector 
of  Brand'.'nburgh,  in  the  country  of  Cleves. 


Charles  Schomberg,  Monsieur  Caillemolte, 
son  of  the  marquis  of  Ruvigny,  and  about 
three  hundred  French  officers  who  were 
refugees  in  Holland.  The  fleet  had  pro- 
ceeded to  sea,  when  a  violent  storm,  which 
lasted  for  twelve  hours,  dispersed  the  ships, 
and  forced  them  to  take  shelter  in  their  own 
ports  ;  several  foundered  with  their  cargoes  ; 
one  man  only,  however,  and  five  hundred 
horses,  perished.  This  loss  being  soon  re- 
paired, and  the  wind  favorable,  they  put  to 
sea  a  second  time,  on  the  1 1th  of  November. 
Admiral  Dartmouth,  an  Englishman,  assured 
the  king  that  he  would  intercept  the  enemy, 
instead  of  which  he  did  not  appear  against 
them,  and  the  prince  of  Orange  having  gained 
Torbay  road,  landed  without  opposition. 

Immediately  after  landing,  the  prince  be- 
gan his  march  ;  but  on  arriving  at  Exeter, 
he  discovered  the  tardiness  of  the  people  to  j 
declare  for  him.  The  bishop  and  dean  of  1 
Exeter,  with  the  inferior  clergy,  had  fled  ;  ! 
the  magistrates  kept  aloof;  and  after  the 
reading  of  the  manifestoes  few  of  the  people 
offered  him  their  aid  ;  and  the  commissions, 
too,  that  had  been  given  for  the  raising  of 
troops,  produced  but  a  moderate  efl'ect. 
The  appearance  of  things,  however,  soon 
changed.  The  prince  marched  to  Salis- 
bury, where  several  noblemen,  distinguished 
for  their  birth,  riches,  and  the  oflices  they 
held,  flocked  to  his  standard.  Among  them 
were  Lords  Colchester  and  Wharton,  Colonel 
Godfrey,  and  others,  together  with  some 
troops.  The  earl  of  Abuigdon,  Captain  Clar- 
ges,  and  several  others,  soon  followed  their 
example  ;  but  that  which  produced  most  sur- 
prise, was  the  conduct  of  Lord  Cornbury,  the 
earl  of  Clarendon's  eldest  son,  who  havingleft 
the  royal  camp  with  his  regiment  of  dragoons 
and  three  others,  under  pretence  of  driving 
the  enemy  from  an  outpost,  joined  the  prince. 

The  king  being  determined  to  oppose  the 
prince  of  Orange,  marched  at  the  head  of  thir- 
ty thousand  men  towards  Salisbury,  where 
his  presence  was  much  needed.  Here  his 
principal  officers  sent  him  a  communication 
l3y  their  general.  Lord  Feversham,  that  their 
conscience  would  not  permit  them  to  serve 
in  opposition  to  the  prince  of  Orange,  since 
the  security  of  religion  and  the  national  privi- 
leges were  his  objects.  By  this  conduct 
of  the  officers,  James  lost  his  principal  sup- 
port. Lord  Churchill,  (afterwards  duke  of 
Marlborough,)  lieutenant-general  and  captain 
of  the  guards,  and  one  of  his  most  intimate 
favorites,  deserted  him.  He  was  follow- 
ed by  the  duke  of  Grafton,*  Colonel  Bar- 

*  One  of  the  natural  sons  of  Charles  II.  and  the 
duchess  of  Cleveland. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


595 


clay,  and  other  officers.  Their  example  was 
soon  imitated  by  the  prince  of  Denmark,  the 
king's  son-in-law,  the  duke  of  Ormond,  Lord 
Drumlanerick,  the  duke  of  Queensbury's 
eldest  son,  and  many  others,  who  joined  the 
prince  of  Orange  at  Sherburn. 

So  general  a  desertion  made  the  king  look 
to  his  own  safety ;  he  returned  to  London, 
and  in  order  to  secure  an  asylum  for  himself, 
the  queen,  and  his  son,  the  prince  of  Wales, 
he  prevailed  on  the  Count  de  Lausun,  who 
was  then  negotiating  some  affairs  iii  England, 
to  conduct  his  family  to  France.  The  queen, 
attended  by  the  earl  and  countess  of  Powis, 
the  Countesses  de  Dalmon  and  Montecucully, 
and  several  other  persons  of  distinction,  left 
Whitehall  in  the  night  of  December  19  ;  got 
on  board  a  vessel  on  the  Thames,  and  having 
escaped  the  notice  of  the  English,  reached 
Gravesend,  where  a  ship  was  in  readiness  to 
receive  them.  After  a  few  hours  the  queen 
landed  at  Calais,  from  whence  she  proceeded 
to  Versailles.  The  king  continued  for  some 
time  longer  in  England ;  but  reflecting  on 
the  deplorable  state  of  his  affairs,  he  found 
it  impossible  to  improve  them  by  force,  and 
saw  that  he  would  be  compelled  either  to 
resign  the  sceptre,  or  retain  it  under  severe 
and  disgraceful  terms.  The  English  nobility 
were  undecided  respecting  the  treatment 
they  should  adopt  towards  him ;  some  insist- 
ed that  he  had  no  longer  any  right  to  the 
throne,  and  ought  to  be  removed  from  the 
capital ;  others  were  for  securing  his  person 
and  sending  him  a  prisoner  to  Breda. 
Protestant  historians  boast  of  the  generous 
sentiments  of  the  Prince  of  Orange  on  this 
subject ;  according  to  them,  he  evinced  the 
greatest  horror  for  any  attempt  against  the 
person  of  his  father-in-law. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  guards  of  the  prince 
of  Orange  took  possession  of  the  palaces  of 
Whitehall  and  St.  James,  after  which  some 
noblemen  were  deputed  to  the  king  to  recom- 
mend to  him  to  retire  to  Ham.  The  king 
preferring  to  go  to  Rochester,  was  obliged 
to  wait  for  the  permission  of  William,  which 
arrived  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.  He 
left  Rochester  for  France,  in  the  beginning 
of  January,  1689  ;  and  arrived  at  the  port  of 
Ambleteuse,  attended  by  the  duke  of  Ber- 
wick, and  Messrs.  Sheldon  and  Abbadie.  He 
then  proceeded  to  St.  Germain-en-Laye,  to 
join  the  queen  and  prince  of  Wales,  where 
he'  was  received  by  King  Louis  with  that 
beneficence  and  greatness  of  mind  which  so 
eminently  characterized  that  mbnarch.  Ac- 
I  cording  to  Latrey,  bishop  of  Salisbury,  and 
j  other  English  writers,  the  reign  of  James  II. 
ended  with  his  flight.     They  allege  that  the 


king  had  deserted  his  kingdom,  and  thereby 
had  in  reality  abdicated  his  crown. 

Two  documents,  written  by  the  king  of 
England,  copies  of  which  are  given,  will 
sufficiently  vindicate  his  retreat :  the  first 
was  dated  Rochester,  22d  December,  1688, 
and  contains  the  cause  and  motives  of  his 
going.  The  second  is  a  letter  to  the  mem- 
bers of  his  privy  council  in  England,  dated 
St.  Germain-en-Laye,  January,  1689. 

The  motives  which  obliged  the  king  of  Eng- 
land to  withdraw  to  Rochester,  as  written 
by  himself,  and  published  by  his  order. 
"It  cannot  be  a  matter  of  surprise  that  I 
have  retired  from  my  country  a  second  time. 
I  might  have  expected  that  the  Prince  of 
Orange  would  have  acted  otherwise,  from 
the  letter  which  I  wrote  to  him  by  Lord  Fe- 
versham.  But  instead  of  answering  me,  he 
not  only  had  ihe  earl  arrested,  contrary  to 
the  rights  of  men,  but  sent  his  guards  at 
eleven  o'clock  at  night,  to  seize  on  all  the 
avenues  leading  to  Whitehall,  and  without 
giving  me  any  notice,  sent  three  noblemen, 
after  midnight,  when  I  was  in  bed,  with  an 
order  to  leave  my  palace  before  twelve  the 
next  day.  How  could  I  think  myself  secure 
in  the  power  of  a  man  who  could  treat  me 
in  this  manner  ?  He  seized  upon  my  kingdom, 
and  in  his  first  proclamation  has  published 
the  most  malicious  observations  respecting 
the  birth  of  my  son.  I  appeal  to  those  who 
know  me,  and  to  himself,  if  in  conscience, 
they  could  suspect  me  of  such  baseness,  or  j 
that  I  were  so  simple  as  to  be  imposed  upon 
in  a  matter  of  such  moment.  What  then 
could  be  expected  from  a  man  who  has  used 
every  means  to  make  me  appear  to  my  sub- 
jects and  the  whole  world,  the  most  wicked 
of  men,  in  which  he  has  so  well  succeeded 
as  to  corrupt  my  army,  and  stir  up  my  sub- 
jects to  rebellion  ? 

"  I  was  born  free,  and  I  wish  to  preserve 
my  freedom  ;  as  I  have  willingly  risked  my 
life  on  many  occasions,  for  the  welfare  and 
honor  of  my  country,  I  am  still  ready  to  do 
the  same,  with  the  hope,  though  advanced  in 
years,  to  deliver  England  from  the  slavery 
which  threatens  it,  convinced  that  it  would 
be  imprudent  to  subject  myself  to  a  prison, 
which  would  prevent  me  from  carrying  my 
plans  into  execution.  I  have  been  therefore 
induced  to  withdraw,  but  shall  remain  near 
enough  to  return,  when  the  nation  will  have 
discovered  that  it  has  been  deceived,  under 
the  specious  pretext  of  religion  and  liberty. 
I  hope  that  God  will,  in  his  mercy,  move  the 
hearts  of  my  people  to  perceive  their  unhappy 
condition,  and  dispose  them  to  consent  to  the 


596 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


the  people  began  to  reflect  and  return  to  their 
duty ;  and  anticipating,  likewise,  that  if  the 
parliament  met  at  the  time  specified,  they 
would  in  all  probability  adopt  measures 
necessary  for  the  safety  of  church  and  state, 
which  would  tend  to  destroy  his  ambitious 
and  unjust  designs,  resolved  to  prevent  by 
every  means  the  assembling  of  parliament. 
To  effect  this,  he  considered  nothing  would 
be  better  than  to  seize  our  royal  person,  and 
deprive  us  of  our  liberty.  For  as  a  parlia- 
ment cannot  be  termed  free  when  either 
house  suffers  violence,  neither  can  it  be 
said  that  it  can  act  if  the  sovereign,  by 
whose  authority  it  has  been  assembled, 
and  whose  sanction  alone  imparts  validity 
to  the  laws,  be  actually  a  prisoner. 

"  You  need  not  be  reminded  with  what 
haste  the  prince  of  Orange  obliged  us  by  his 
guards  to  leave  London,  when  he  discovered 
the  city  to  be  returning  to  its  duty,  and  that 
he  could  not  confide  in  the  inhabitants :  with 
what  indignity  he  has  insulted  us  in  the  per- 
son of  Earl  Feversham,  whom  we  deputed  to 
that  we  formed  the  resolution  of  retiring  for  [  him,  and  how  inhumanly  he  caused  us  to  be 
some  time,  our  motives  for  thus  acting  were  arrested.  We  doubt  not  but  these  matters 
left  to  be  communicated  to  you  and  to  our  j  are  already  too  well  known  ;  we  hope  like- 
other  subjects.  It  was  also  our  intention  to  wise,  that  when  it  is  seen  how  the  laws  and 
leave  you  our  commands  respecting  what  i  liberties  of  England,  which  he  has  pretended 
would  be  best  adapted  to  the  present  state  of]  to  secure  by  his  invasion,  have  been  violated, 
affairs.  As  this,  however,  could  not  have '  nothing  more  will  be  wanting  to  open  the 
been  done  without  danger,  we  deem  it  right; eyes  of  our  subjects,  and  let  them  see  what 
to  inform  you  now,  although  it  be  obvious  j  each  one  has  to  expect,  and  what  treatment 
that  since  our  accession  to  the  crown  all  care  they  will  receive  from  him,  who,  to  carry  his 
has  been  applied  to  govern  our  people  with  designs  into  execution,  has  treated  with  such, 
such  moderation  and  justice  as  to  remove  indignity  a  sovereign  prince,  an  uncle,  and  a 
every  pretext  for  complaint,  that-  we  had '  father.  However,  the  resentment  which  we 
given  to  these  matters  a  greater  regard  since  '  feel  for  these  outrages,  and  our  apprehensions 
the  last  invasion.  We  know  that  conspiracies  ;  that  he  would  drive  matters  still  further,  as 
\.„..^   been   plotted,  and  we   fear    that  our  i  well  as  the  atrocious  calumnies  with  which 


convening  of  a  free  parliament,  in  which, 
among  other  things,  liberty  of  conscience 
to  all  sects  will  be  granted  ;  that  those  of  my 
religion  may  be  permitted  to  live  in  peace, 
as  becomes'  all  good  Englishmen,  and  true 
Christians;  and  that  they  will  not  be  com- 
pelleil  to  leave  their  country,  to  which  they 
are  so  strongly  attached. 

"  Those  who  have  a  knowledge  of  the  pre- 
sent state  of  things,  will  admit,  that  nothing 
would  contribute  more  to  make  England 
prosper,  than  freedom  of  conscience,  which 
causes  some  of  our  neighbors  to  fear  it 
would  be  granted. 

"If  time  would  permit,  many  things  could 
be  added  in  vindication  of  what  I  have  said. 

"  Rochester,  Uecembcr  22d,  1688." 

Letter  of  the  King  of  England  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Privy  Council. 
"  James  R. 
"  My  Lords, — So  soon  as  we  discovered 
that  there  was  no  longer  any  security  for  us 
to  remain  in  our  kingdom  of  England,  and 


hav( 

subjects,  Avho  could  not  be  destroyed  but 
through  themselves,  may  be  drawn,  under 
light  and  imaginary  pretexts,  into  certain  and 
inevitable  ruin.  To  obviate  this  evil,  we 
removed  not  only  every  cause  of  complaint, 
but  even  the  smallest  pretext  for  it.  For 
these  purposes,  and  to  bring  to  light  any 
thing  that  could  justify  this  invasion,  it  had 
been  determined  by  us  to  convene  a  free 
parliament,  wherein  the  advice  and  opinion 
of  our  subjects  can  be  obtained,  and  causes 
for  the  measures  that  have  been  taken  as- 
signed. To  attain  these  objects,  we  granted 
to  the  city  of  London,  and  to  other  bodies 
and  communities,  their  ancient  charters  and 
privileges,  and  our  letters  were  issued  for  the 
assembling  of  a  parliament  to  be  held  from 
the  15th  to  the  25th  of  January.  But  the 
Prince  of  Orange,  finding  that  the  ends  of 
his  declaration  had  been  attained,  and  that 


he  asperses  our  reputation,  bring  to  our  re- 
collection the  words  of  our  dear  father,  that 
'  the  way  from  the  prison  of  a  prince  to  his 
tomb  is  short,'  and  convince  us  that  we  ought 
to  recover  that  freedom  which  the  laws  of 
nature  allow,  even  to  our  meanest  subject ; 
besides,  our  person  being  in  safety,  it  will  be 
in  our  power  thereby  to  contribute  our  efforts 
to  the  peace  and  tranquillity  of  our  kingdom. 
As  adverse  fortune  never  will  influence  us  to 
act  in  any  way  derogatory  to  the  royal  dig- 
nity, to  which  God  has  raised  us  by  the 
legitimate  succession,  neither  shall  the  re- 
bellion nor  the  ingratitude  of  our  subjects 
ever  make  us  act  contrary  to  the  true  inter- 
ests of  the  English  nation,  which  have  been 
and  ever  will  be  equally  dear  to  us  as  our 
ov/n.  It  is  therefore  our  wall,  that  you,  our 
privy  council,  take  very  special  care  to  make 
known  our  favorable    intentions  to  all  the 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND 


597 


spiritual  and  temporal  lords  in  our  cities  of 
London  and  Westminster,  to  the  lord-mayor 
and  commonalty  of  London,  and  to  all  our 
subjects  generally,  and  to  assure  them  that 
we  desire  most  eagerly  to  return  to  our  king- 
dom, and  to  convene  a  free  parliament,  where 
we  may  be  able  to  undeceive  our  people,  and 
convince  them  of  the  sincerity  of  our  decla- 
rations which  have  been  so  often  renewed 
by  our  avowal  to  preserve  the  liberties  and 
properties  of  our  subjects  inviolate  ;  to  pre- 
serve the  Protestant  religion  and  church  of 
England,  as  established  by  law  ;  and  at  the 
same  time  to  obtain  for  nonconformists,  and 
all  our  subjects,  all  the  indulgence  which 
justice  and  a  care  for  the  general  good  of  our 
people  oblige  us  to  require.  At  the  same 
lime,  you  of  our  privy  council  will  communi- 
cate to  us  your  opinions  and  advice  respect- 
ing the  means  you  will  consider  best  and 
most  prudent  to  pursue  to  promote  our  return 
and  the  success  of  our  good  intentions,  which 
you,  from  being  in  the  country,  have  in  your 
power  to  perform.  We  moreover  command 
you  to  prevent,  in  our  name  and  by  our  royal 
authority,  all  disorders  and  commotions  which 
might  arise,  and  to  endeavor  to  preserve  the 
nation  and  all  our  subjects  against  any  losses 
from  the  present  revolution.  As  we  entertain 
no  doubt  of  your  loyalty  and  obedience  to 
our  commands,  we  bid  you  farewell.  Given 
at  St.  Germain-en-Laye,  the  4th  of  January, 
1689,  and  the  fourth  of  our  reign. 
"  By  command  of  his  Majesty, 

"  MEELFORT. 

"  To  the  Lords  and  others  of  our  Privy  ) 
Council  of  our  kingdom  of  England."  ^ 

In  the  height  of  this  astonishing  revolu- 
tion, the  prince  of  Orange  being  informed  of 
the  state  of  things  in  Scotland,  commanded 
the  peers  of  that  country,  several  of  who: 
were  in  London,  to  repair  to  St.  James's. 
Thirty  peers  and  eighty  gentlemen  met  ac- 
cordingly. William  made  them  the  same 
offers  he  had  done  to  the  English,  and  sought 
their  advice  in  the  present  conjuncture  of 
affairs,  and  the  means  necessary  for  the  pro- 
tection of  religion  and  the  laws.  They  then 
withdrew  to  AVhitehall,  where,  after  appoint- 
ing the  duke  of  Hamilton  president  of  the 
meeting,  they  began  to  discuss  the  terms 
they  had  to  propose  to  the  prince.  The 
proposal  of  the  earl  of  Arran  was  unani- 
mously rejected  ;  he  was  son  to  the  duke  of 
Hamilton,  and  proposed  to  invite  the  king  to 
return  to  Scotland,  and  laid  down  terms  for 
him  to  submit  to.  It  was  arranged  instead, 
at  the  meeting,  to  surrender  the  government 
of  their  kingdom  to  the  prince  of  Orange, 


and  to  pray  that  he  would  appoint  the  14th 
March  for  the  states  of  Scotland  to  meet. 
In  consequence,  their  address  was  present- 
ed, and  a  favorable  answer  received ;  not- 
withstanding which,  some  highland  lords 
continued  still  devoted  to  the  king. 

Ireland  was  the  only  part  of  the  three 
kingdoms  that  continued  faithful  to  the  sove- 
reign, and  opposed  to  usurpation.  The  earl 
of  Tirconnel  was  the  lord-lieutenant.  There 
was,  however,  a  number  of  wicked  characters 
in  Ireland  ;  namely,  the  English  and  Scotch 
fanatics  whom  the  king's  grandfather,  James 
I.,  established  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  and 
on  whom  he  bestowed  the  estates  of  the  an- 
cient proprietors ;  and  also  the  parricides  and 
soldiers  to  whom  Cromwell  gave  the  lands 
of  those  who  supported  the  royal  cause,  and 
whom  Charles  II.,  brother  to  the  present 
king,  confirmed  in  their  unjust  possessions. 
These  men,  incapable  of  gratitude,  on  the 
first  news  of  the  prince  of  Orange  having 
landed  in  England,  ran  to  arms  and  declared 
in  his  favor  against  the  grandson  and  broth- 
er of  the  benefactors  to  whom  they  were 
indebted  for  their  fortunes.  This  conduct 
was  diflerent  from  what  the  king  expected  ; 
it  was  in  direct  opposition  to  every  sentiment 
of  gratitude  which  a  generous  mind  ought  to 
manifest  for  benefits  received,  and  falsified 
the  detestable  maxim  of  Clarendon,  "  Do 
good  to  your  enemies  to  gain  them,"  &c., 
a  maxim  which  that  minister  of  iniquity  often 
applied  to  Charles  II.  to  secure  his  protec- 
tion for  the  nefarious  usurpers  of  the  proper- 
ties of  his  faithful  subjects.  The  proteges 
of  Clarendon  were  the  first  to  raise  the 
standard  of  rebellion  in  Ireland,*  and  favor 
the  usurpation  of  the  prince  of  Orange. 
Major  Pooe,  an  officer  of  Cromwell,  opened 
the  scene  and  began  hostilities.  He  was 
commander  of  two  companies  of  cavalry,  and 
wishing  to  levy  contributions  on  the  country, 
he  applied  to  the  tenants  of  Lord  Bellew. 
Under  pain  of  military  law,  he  ordered  them 
to  have  five  hundred  pounds  sterling  made 
up  for  him.  Lord  Bellew,  apprized  of  what 
was  going  on,  sent  his  second  son,  aged 
eighteen  years,  to  assist  the  farmers,  with  a 
company  of  dragoons  of  which  he  was  lieu- 
tenant. The  two  corps  having  met,  they 
fought  with  determined  bravery,  till  young 


*  In  our  history  of  this  war  we  made  use,  among 
other  memoirs  that  are  in  our  possession,  of  a  jour- 
iial  which  the  late  Edmond  Butler  of  Kilcop,  mar- 
shal-general of  the  Irish  cavalry,  left  after  him.  He 
is  the  more  worthy  of  belief  as  he  was  an  eye-wit- 
ness of  what  he  sets  forth.  He  died  in  17^5,  at  St. 
Germain-en-Laye,  quarter-master  of  cavalry  in  the 
service  of  France. 


598 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


Bellew  having  killed  Major  Pooe  with  a 
blow  of  his  pistol  on  the  head,  his  two  troops 
were  clefoatod  ;  several  of  whom  fell  in  the 
action,  and  the  rest  were  put  to  flight. 

Soon  after  this  occurrence.  Lord  Blancy* 
made  an  attempt  to  surprise  the  town  and 
castle  of  Ardce.  A  troop  of  cavalry  which 
Dominick  Sheldon  commanded,  and  which 
belonged  to  the  regiment  of  Tirconnel,  was 
in  the  place,  and  the  grenadiers  of  the  earl 
of  Antrim's  regiment,  which  was  command- 
ed by  Henry  Fleming,  was  stationed  in  the 
castle.  Blaney  finding  his  project  discov- 
ered, and  the  little  garrison  determined  to 
defend  themselves,  desisted  from  the  attack. 
The  remainder  of  the  year  1689  was  spent 
in  raising  troops  and  preparing  for  the  en- 
suing campaign. 

It  was  then  that  the  nobility  of  Ireland 
raised,  clothed,  equipped,  and  armed,  partly 
at  their  own  expense,  thirty  thousand  men 
for  the  king's  service.  There  were  already 
some  old  corps  in  Ireland,  viz.,  the  regiments 
of  Mountcashel,  Tirconnel,  Clancarty,  An- 
trim, and  of  some  others.  The  viceroy  gave 
the  commissions  of  colonels  to  several  of  the 
nobles.  The  country  gentlemen  raised  some 
companies,  which,  when  united  with  those 
of  the  colonels,  were  formed  into  regiments. 
The  regiments  of  Inniskillen,  of  HughMac- 
Mahon,  Edward  Boy  O'Reilly,  Mac-Donnel, 
Magennis,  Cormac  O'Neill,  Gordon  O'Neill, 
Felix  O'Neill,  Brian  O'Neill,  Connact  Ma- 
guire,  O'Donnell,  Nugent,  Lutterell,  Fitz- 
Gerald,  Galmoy,  O'Morra,  and  Clare,  &c., 
soon  appeared  in  the  field.  There  was  no 
want  of  soldiers,  but  the  soldiers  were  in 
Avant  of  almost  every  thing  except  courage 
and  good  will ;  and  the  nobles,  who  under- 
went the  first  expense,  were  not  able  to  sup- 
port it  long.  There  were  also  but  few  ofli- 
cers  who  knew  military  tactics,  and  who  had 
time  to  train  and  discipline  the  new  levies. 
In  the  month  of  March,  the  earl  of  Tirconnel 
sent  Richard  Hamilton,  lieutenant-general 
of  the  king's  army,  at  the  head  of  2000  men, 
against  Hugh  Montgomery,  Lord  Mount 
Alexander,  who  had  raised  a  regiment  for 
the  prince  of  Orange,  and  was  at  the  head 
of  8000  rebels  in  Ulster.  Hamilton  set  out 
from  Drogheda  on  the  8th  of  March  with  the 

*  Edward,  father  of  Lord  Blaney,  was  one  of 
I  those   adventurers  to  whom  James  "l.  gave  estates 
j  in  the  county  of  Monaghan  ;  this  monarch  created 
'  him  afterwards  lord-baron.     His  son,  who  is  intro- 
duced here,  was  one  of  James  II. 's  greatest  ene- 
mies, who  was  the  grandson  of  his  benefactor.    He 
commanded  a  body  of  troops  in  Ulster  against  his 
king.     He  proclaimed  everywhere  William  king  of 
Great  Britain,  in  opposition  to  his  legitimate  sove- 
reign. 


above  force.  Having  passed  Dimdalk  and 
Newry,  he  stopped  at  Lough  Bricklan,  from 
whence  he  dispatched  Butler  of  Kilcop,  a 
cornet,  to  reconnoitre  the  enemy.  This 
officer  performed  his  commission  valiantly. 
He  brought  an  account  to  his  general,  that 
Lord  Montgomery  was  within  three  miles, 
at  the  head  of  8000  men,  at  a  place  called 
Dromore-Iveagh.  Hamilton  set  out  on  his 
march,  and  came  up  with  the  enemy,  who 
were  boldly  drawn  up  in  order  of  battle,  at 
Cladyfort.  Notwithstanding  the  superior 
number  of  the  rebels,  the  royalists  attacked 
them  so  vigorously  that  they  took  to  flight, 
and  retreated  in  disorder  towards  Hillsbo- 
rough, where  Montgomery  left  two  compa- 
nies of  infantry  in  garrison.  He  sent  the 
remainder  of  his  forces  to  Coleraine  under 
Sir  Arthur  Rydon,  and  sailed  for  England 
from  Donaghadee. 

In  order  to  iollow  up  his  victory,  General 
Hamilton  went  in  pursuit  of  the  rebels  ;  pass- 
ing through  Hillsborough,  and  taking  the 
troops  Montgomery  had  left  there,  at  their 
own  request  he  dismissed  them.  He  still 
followed  the  rebels  through  Belfast  and  An- 
trim, as  far  as  Coleraine,  on  the  river  Bann, 
but  without  being  able  to  come  up  with  them. 
Having  encamped  at  Ballimony,  near  Cole- 
raine, he  remained  there  three  days,  to  re- 
fresh his  troops  after  their  long  march  ;  he 
then  examined  into  the  situation  and  strength 
of  the  town,  which  in  those  times  was  con- 
sidered to  be  strongly  fortified.  Having 
neither  artillery  nor  ammunition  to  carry  on 
a  siege,  he  returned  to  Ballimony.  The  day 
following,  which  was  Good  Friday,  a  strong 
body  of  rebels  sallied  forth  to  make  booty 
of  the  cattle  in  the  neighborhood,  and  take 
provisions  necessary  for  a  place  threatened 
with  a  siege  ;  but  Hamilton,  with  his  cav- 
alry, drove  them  back  to  the  gates  of  the 
town. 

The  king  was  still  in  France,  and  saw 
how  favorably  disposed  his  Irish  subjects 
were  towards  him,  the  greater  part  of  whom 
had  continued  faithful ;  oidy  three  small 
town.s — Londonderry,  Coleraine,  and  Cul- 
mor — having  rebelled  in  favor  of  the  prince 
of  Orange.  The  English  pressed  him  strong- 
ly to  send  the  necessary  succors  to  support 
these  towns.  The  royalists  thought  his  pres- 
ence might  be  a  check  to  the  enemy  ;  and 
being  encouraged  and  assisted  by  France, 
he  set  sail  with  the  celebrated  Gabaret,  and 
landed  at  Kinsale  in  March.  At  Cork  he 
was  joined  by  the  earl  of  Tirconnel,  whom 
he  created  duke,  and  proceeded  to  Dublin. 

The  duke  of  Berwick,  accompanied  by 
several  officers,  arrived  in  the  camp  of  Ham- 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


599 


ilton  before  Coleraine,  and  the  same  night 
the  general  was  informed  that  the  enemy 
had  abandoned  the  place,  after  having  bro- 
ken the  bridge.  The  day  following  he  en- 
tered Coleraine,  and  having  repaired  the 
bridge  and  given  the  command  of  the  place 
to  Colonel  O'Morra,  who  commanded  a  regi- 
ment of  infantry,  he  marched  to  Strabane, 
where  he  refreshed  his  troops  and  held  a 
council  of  war.  Here  it  was  understood, 
through  a  letter,  that  the  troops  of  Innis- 
killen  and  Derry,  making  in  the  whole  about 
10,000  men,  were  collected  at  Clodybridge, 
on  the  river  Finn,  under  the  orders  of  Major- 
General  Lundee,  for  the  purpose  of  oppo- 
sing the  royal  army.  After  the  contents  of 
t.his  letter  were  communicated,  the  council 
determined  to  march  and  attack  the  rebels. 
Hamilton  set  out  with  his  army,  and  found 
on  his  arrival  that  the  first  arch  of  the 
bridge  was  broken,  and  a  fort  built  on  the 
other  side,  defended  by  2,000  men  drawn 
out  in  order  of  battle  upon  an  eminence 
near  the  fort.  To  surmount  these  difficul- 
ties. General  Hamilton  posted  six  companies 
of  musketeers,  with  orders  to  fire  on  those 
who  were  guarding  the  fort,  for  the  purpose 
of  covering  some  workmen  sent  to  repair  the 
bridge.  Every  thing  was  done  with  the 
greatest  order ;  the  arch  being  repaired  with 
planks  and  pieces  of  wood,  the  infantry 
I  passed  over  without  difficulty,  while  the 
j  cavalry  was  crossing  the  river  in  view  of  the 
I  enemy.  This  intrepid  act  disconcerted  the 
rebels  ;  not  only  those  who  were  guarding 
the  fort,  but  the  whole  army  took  to  flight, 
some  of  whom  retreated  to  Derry,  and  some 
to  Inniskillen.  They  were  pursued  to  Ra- 
phoe  by  the  royalist  troops,  who  killed  many 
of  them  without  any  loss  on  their  own  side 
except  that  of  Robert  Nangle,  major  in  the 
regiment  of  Tirconnel.  Afterthis  advantage 
over  the  rebels,  Colonel  Dundee,  who  com- 
manded them,  surrendered  at  Culmor  and 
embarked  for  England. 

Hamilton  found  abundance  of  provisions 
at  Raphoe  where  he  stopped,  and  was  joined 
by  Lord  Galmoy  at  the  head  of  eight  hun- 
dred men  from  the  garrison  of  Trim.  During 
his  stay  there,  he  received  some  deputies 
from  Derry,  who  offered  to  capitulate.  This 
garrison  consisted  of  6,000  men ;  and  the 
I  general,  who  knew  the  importance  of  the 
place,  promised  them  their  lives,  properties, 
and  protection,  on  condition  that  the  city 
would  surrender  at  twelve  o'clock  next  day, 
which  terms  were  accepted  and  ratified  on 
both  sides. 

The  king,  who  had  stopped  in  Dublin, 
wishing  to  benefit  by  the  first  moments  of 


ardor  which  his  presence  excited  among 
those  of  his  own  communion,  marched  to- 
wards the  north.  The  rebels  were  not  a 
little  alarmed  at  this,  having  previously  given 
up  Coleraine  and  Culmor.  The  prince,  ac- 
companied by  M.  Rose,*  Lord  Melford,  and 
some  troops,  arrived  at  Saint- Johnstown, 
between  Raphoe  and  Derry,  the  same  day 
Hamilton  was  in  treaty  with  the  deputies. 
The  eagerness  of  the  general  to  compliment 
the  king  on  his  arrival,  made  him  likewise 
eager  to  give  him  an  account  of  the  cam- 
paign. The  monarch  signified  to  General 
Hamilton  his  displeasure  at  the  terms  he 
was  about  to  grant  to  the  rebels  of  Derry, 
and  marched  himself  directly  for  that  town 
with  the  fresh  troops  he  had  with  him,  and 
immediately  summoned  it  to  surrender  at 
discretion.  This  change  made  by  the  king 
from  the  terms  previously  agreed  upon,  gave 
great  alarm  to  tne  garrison.  It  had  been 
stipulated  that  the  king's  troops  should  not 
advance  till  the  place  would  be  evacuated, 
and  now  they  began  to  doubt  his  sincerity. 
It  was  determined  therefore  to  defend  the 
town  to  the  last  extremity,  while  waiting 
for  succors  that  were  expected  from  Eng- 
land, and  a  Protestant  minister  named 
Walker  took  the  command  of  the  garrison. 

The  king  ordered  Hamilton  to  begin  the 
siege.  Artillery  was  accordingly  sent  for  in 
April,  and  did  not  arrive  till  June  ;  it  con- 
sisted of  two  bad  pieces  of  cannon,  and  two 
mortars,  with  which  came  some  powder. 
The  insurgents,  in  the  mean  time,  collected 
in  bodies  in  the  county  of  Down  ;  but  they 
were  dispersed  by  some  troops  under  Major- 
General  Bohan. 

During  the  siege  of  Derry  the  besieged 
made  several  sallies  against  the  besiegers, 
of  which  the  first  remarkable  one  occurred 
on  a  Sunday,  with 5,000  men.  King  James's 
army,  who  were  but  2,000  in  number,  re- 
ceived them  with  such  firmness  that  they 
were  forced  to  retreat  with  loss.  The  be- 
sieged made  two  more  sallies,  but  they 
were  unsuccessful  as  before. 

The  royal  army  was  reinforced  a  few 
days  afterwards  by  some  newly-raised  troops, 
who  were  as  yet  undisciplined.  The  whole 
then  amounted  to  10,000  men.  The  trenches 
were  opened  before  the  place,  and  the  gar- 
rison was  so  straitened  for  provisions  that 
they  were  forced  to  eat  dogs,  cats,  and  leath- 
er. To  lighten  their  numbers,  six  companies 
belonging  to  Lord  Mountjoy's  regiment  of 
infantry  were  embarked  and  sent  away. 
It  was  well  provided  with  warlike  stores  of 

*  Deputy-Marshal  of  France. 


600 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


every  kind,  and  it  had  forty  pieces  of  cannon 
planted  upon  the  walls,  which  annoyed  the 
besiegers  considerably.  'I'lic  succors  by 
whicii  the  prince  of  Orange  intended  to  re- 
lieve l^crry,  soon  made  their  appearance. 
An  English  fleet  of  twenty  ships  of  war, 
and  three  hundred  transport  vessels  laden 
with  provisions,  warlike  stores,  and  six  thou- 
sand troops,  luuler  the  command  of  Major- 
General  l\.irke,  appeared  in  Loughfoyle  in 
the  beginning  of  August ;  but  as  some  days 
were  requisite  to  enter  the  town  with  safety, 
one  Roche  was  dispatched  to  inform  the 
garrison  that  succors  were  at  hand.  Afraid 
to  venture  by  land,  he  swam  a  distance  of 
two  miles,  and  fulfilled  his  commission  to 
the  satisfaction  of  his  employers  ;  for  which 
he  was  afterwards  amply  rewarded  with  the 
estate  of  Glinn,  within  two  miles  of  Carrig- 
nashure,  which  belonged  to  a  gentleman 
named  Everard.  Two  days  after  Roche's 
exploit,  Captain  James  Hamilton  entered 
Deny  with  two  vessels  laden  with  provi- 
sions, which  enabled  it  to  hold  out  till  the 
arrival  of  the  aid  they  were  expecting  with 
Major-General  Kirke.  This  officer  succeed- 
ed, in  a  few  days,  in  breaking  through  the 
obstacles  which  had  been  placed  in  the  har- 
bor by  the  royalists  to  prevent  him  from 
entering.  Having  relieved  the  besieged, 
just  as  they  were  on  the  point  of  surrender- 
ing, the  royalists  were  forced  to  withdraw 
on  the  tenth  of  August,  after  a  siege  of  sev- 
enty-three days.  The  king  then  ordered 
Hamilton  to  lead  the  army  towards  Dublin, 
in  order  to  oppose  Marshal  Schomberg,  who 
was  expected  to  laud  with  an  army  in  the 
neighborhood  of  that  city.  Hamilton  obey- 
ed the  king's  orders,  after  placing  a  garri- 
son in  Charlemont,  under  Captain  O'Regan, 
an  officer  of  high  repute. 

M.  Rose  not  thinking  the  king's  troops 
sufficient  to  oppose  Schomberg,  advised  him 
to  collect  his  forces  about  the  centre  of  the 
kingdom,  and  invite  all  his  faithful  subjects 
to  join  him.  Inconsequence  of  this,  he  soon 
had  an  army  of  twenty  thousand  men  as- 
sembled at  Drogheda. 

In  the  mean  time,  Schomberg  landed  be- 
tween Carrickfergus  and  Belfast,  and  be- 
sieged the  former  town,  which  was  under  the 
command  of  Mac-Carty  More,  nephew  to  the 
earl  of  Antrim,  and  Ueutenant-colonel  of  his 
regiment  which  was  in  the  town.  Mac-Carty 
having  but  one  barrel  of  powder,  was  forced 
to  surrender  the  castle  after  a  feeble  defence. 
Schomberg  then  proceeded  to  wards  Dundalk . 

The  king  being  arrived  at  Drogheda,  sent 
two  lieutenants,  Butler  of  Kilcop,  and  Gar- 
land, each  at  the  head  of  a  detachment,  to 


reconnoitre  the  enemy.  One  took  the  route 
to  Slane,  and  advanced  through  the  moun- 
tains towards  Ardee,  the  other  proceeded  on 
the  side  of  Lurgan  Race.  They  brought  back 
word  to  the  king  that  Schomberg  was  en- 
camped ;  that  his  right  wing  was  stretched 
along  Castle-Bellew,  his  centre  extended 
towards  Dundalk,  and  his  left  towards  the 
sea.  Upon  this  the  king  marched  towards 
Ardee,  where  he  stopped  ;  and  the  day  fol- 
lowing sent  General  Hamilton  with  the  whole 
of  the  cavalry  to  the  village  of  Aphene, 
where  he  was  separated  from  the  enemy  by 
a  bog  and  a  small  river.  The  king  arrived 
after  a  few  hours  with  the  infantry,  and  en- 
camped, for  some  days,  in  presence  of  the 
enemy.  The  duke  of  Tirconnel,  M.  Rose, 
and  other  general  officers  of  the  army,  were 
for  attacking  the  enemy.  The  opportunity 
was  a  favorable  one,  as  sickness  had  got  in 
among  Schomberg's  troops,  and  out  of 
twelve  thousand  men,  of  whom  his  ai-my 
was  at  first  composed,  there  were  not  more 
than  three  thousand  remaining,  so  that  if  the 
proposed  attack  had  been  undertaken,  Schom- 
berg would  have  been  forced  to  decamp, 
and  return  to  his  ships,  three  of  which  were 
in  the  harbor  of  Dundalk. 

The  king,  by  the  advice  of  his  general 
officers,  put  his  army  in  order  of  battle,  and 
marched  with  a  design  of  turning  the  enemy, 
on  the  side  of  the  morass.  This  proved  only 
an  ostentatious  parade  ;  as  scarcely  had  they 
marched  a  league,  when  the  prince  ordered 
the  troops  to  return  to  their  camp,  where  they 
continued  till  October,  without  making  any 
attempt  against  the  enemy.  If  it  were  per- 
mitted to  censure  the  conduct  of  a  wise  and 
virtuous  king,  James  11.  mightbe  reproached 
with  having  committed  two  egregious  over- 
sights, which  deeply  affected  his  cause,  and 
eventually  caused  the  loss  of  Irel-and.  At 
Derry  he  rejected,  contrary  to  sound  policy, 
a  capitulation  entered  into  between  General 
Hamilton  and  the  garrison  of  that  city.  This 
would  have  put  into  his  hands  that  important 
place.  It  was  the  magazine  of  the  north, 
and  besides  being  an  arsenal,  it  afforded  to 
his  enemies,  by  its  situation,  an  easy  entrance 
into  the  kingdom.  At  Dundalk  he  showed 
a  weak  compassion  for  the  English,  and  an 
imprudent  clemency  towards  subjects  armed 
against  their  sovereign,  and  ready  to  tear  the 
sceptre  from  his  hands,  after  they  had  vio- 
lated all  the  respect  due  to  royalty.  It  was 
in  these  circumstances  that  Monsieur  Rose, 
according  to  Larrey,  observed  to  the  king : 
"  Sire,  if  you  possessed  a  hundred  kingdoms, 
you  would  lose  them." 

The  royal  army  at  Aphene  decamped  the 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


601 


lOth  October,  in  view  of  Schomberg.  They 
marched  to  Ardee,  where  they  remained  till 
the  25th  of  the  month,  after  which  they  went 
into  winter  quarters.  The  infantry  was  di- 
vided among  the  garrisons,  and  the  cavalry 
stopped  in  the  vicinity  of  Tara  and  Killeen, 
in  the  county  of  Meath.  Schomberg  also 
took  up  his  winter  quarters  with  the  small 
portion  of  his  troops  that  had  escaped  the 
contagion. 

In  the  month  of  February,  1690,  the  king 
being  informed  that  a  body  of  insurgents  had 
assembled  near  Cavan,  sent  the  duke  of 
Berwick  with  troops  to  disperse  them.  The 
duke  found  them  much  superior  to  him  in 
numbers — being  in  fact  three  to  one.  A 
brisk  battle  was  fought  between  some  Eng- 
lish cavalry  and  the  king's  infantry,  the  latter 
of  whom  retired  with  loss.  Colonel  William 
Nugent*  had  a  leg  broken,  and  died  of  his 
wounds  after  a  few  days.  Coidy  Mac-Geo- 
ghegan,t  who  was  a  colonel,  and  several 
others,  were  killed ;  after  this  engagement 
the  duke  of  Berwick  returned  to  Dublin. 

Louis  XIV.  sent,  at  this  time,  seven 
French  battalions  to  Ireland,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Count  Lausun,  who  was  to  act  as 
general  under  King  James.  Six  Irish  bat- 
talions, forming  the  brigade  of  Mountcashel 
were  sent  to  France  in  exchange  ;  they 
embarked  on  board  the  fleet  of  Monsieur 
Chateaurenaud,  and  arrived  at  Brest  in  the 
beginning  of  May. 

The  prince  of  Orange  landed  in  spring 
in  the  north  of  Ireland,  with  a  formidable 
army.  King  James  marched  in  June  to 
Dundalk.  The  enemy's  forces  amoimted  to 
forty-five  thousand  men,  well  provided  with 
every  thing,  and  well  trained,  and  had  with 
them  sixty  pieces  of  heavy  cannon.  The 
troops  of  King  James  amounted  to  only 
twenty-three  thousand  men,  lately  raised  ; 

*  He  was  brother  to  the  earl  of  Westmeath  ;  he 
was  an  intrepid  soldier,  but  rash. 

t  He  was  son  of  Charles  Mac-Geoghegan  of 
Sionan,  a  branch  of  the  Mac-Geoghegans  of  Kin- 
alj-agh,  in  the  county  of  Westmeath.  Conly  studied 
the  military  art  in  France,  where  he  served  for  some 
time,  and  passed  as  a  good  officer.  The  father  and 
seven  sons,  of  whom  Conly  was  the  eldest,  served 
underKing  James  with  distinction  in  his  war  against 
the  Prince  of  Orange.  Of  the  ^ven  brothers,  five 
were  killed  in  this  war  ;  the  other  two  followed  the 
fortunes  of  their  king  into  France,  the  eldest  of  whom, 
named  Anthony,  was  created  a  chevalier,  or  knight. 
Charles,  the  youngest,  died  while  captain  of  grena- 
diers in  the  regiment  of  Berwick  ;  he  left  three  sons  : 
there  is  still  living  one  named  Alexander,  in  the 
regiment  of  Lally  ;  he  distinguished  himself  in  the 
Indies,  September  .30th,  1759,  at  the  battle  of  Van- 
davichi,  where  he  commanded  in  the  absence  of 
Lally,  and  had  the  honor  of  defeating  the  English 
army,  much  superior  to  his  in  number. 


they  were  badly  provided  with  arms,  and 
not  well  disciplined  ;  their  artillery  consisted 
of  but  twelve  field-pieces  that  were  brought 
from  France.  This  great  disproportion  of 
numbers  induced  the  ro}^al  army  to  endeavor 
to  take  some  posts  and  prevent  the  prince  of 
Orange  from  advancing,  or  at  least  to  fight 
him,  under  disadvantage.  It  was  therefore 
proposed  to  encamp  on  the.  heights  adjoining 
Dundalk,  which  it  would  be  difiicult  for  him 
to  pass.  The  enemy,  however,  by  making 
a  small  circuitous  movement,  woidd  be  able 
to  gain  the  flat  country  at  the  rear  of  the  royal 
army  ;  and  therefore,  in  order  to  cut  off*  the 
communication,  it  was  resolved  that  they 
should  encamp  beyond  the  Boyne  river,  near 
Drogheda. 

The  prince  of  Orange  followed,  and  en- 
camped opposite  King  James  on  the  29th 
June.  On  the  day  following,  the  enemy  di- 
vided their  army.  The  prince  of  Orange 
with  one  half  marched  along  the  river  as  far 
as  Slane,  where  he  was  opposed  by  two  regi- 
ments of  dragoons,  commanded  by  Sir  Neale 
O'Neill,  who  guarded  the  pass,  but  these 
being  forced  to  give  way,  he  advanced  to- 
wards the  royal  army.  The  king,  who  wit- 
nessed this  manoeuvre,  marched  also  on  the 
same  side,  with  the  greatest  part  of  his  army, 
and  left  eight  battalions  commanded  by  Lieu- 
tenant-general Hamilton,  to  guard  the  pass  at 
Oldbridge  ;  .he  cavalry,  which  forsned  the 
right  wing,  was  commanded  by  the  duke  of 
Berwick.  Schomberg,  who  continued  on 
the  opposite  site,  attacked  Oldbridge,  and 
meeting  a  feeble  resistance  from  some  newly 
raised  and  inexperienced  corps,  particularly 
two  regiments  of  Clare  dragoons,  commanded 
by  Charles  O'Brien,  second  son  of  Lord 
Clare,  he  made  himself  master  of  the  place. 
Upon  this,  Hamilton  proceeded  down  with 
seven  other  battalions  to  drive  away  the 
enemy  :  but  their  cavalry  having  discovered 
another  ford  which  they  crossed,  advanced 
upon  the  infantry  with  the  hope  of  cutting 
the  royal  army  into  two,  whereupon  the  duke 
of  Berwick  moved  his  cavalry  to  cover  the 
retreat  of  the  battalions  ;  but  he  had  to  begin 
a  very  unequal  attack,  both  from  the  number 
of  their  squadrons,  and  the  disadvantage  of 
the  ground,  which  was  greatly  intersected, 
and  made  more  embarrassing  by  the  enemy's 
having  slipped  some  infantry  into  it.  The 
charge  was  renewed  ten  times,  and  at  length 
the  infantry  making  an  obstinate  stand,  the 
cavalry  halted  ;  after  which  they  formed 
again  and  marched  at  a  slow  pace  to  join 
the  king. 

The  king  in  the  mean  time  having  re- 
formed his  troops,  in  order  to  attack  the 

76 


602 


HISTORY   OP    IRELAND. 


prince  of  Orange,  found  himself  embarrass- 
ed by  a  bog'  that  separated  the  two  armies  ; 
whereupon,  fearing  that  lie  would  be  sur- 
rounded by  the  army  that  had  succeeded  in 
j  taking  the  pass  at  Oldbridge,  he  wheeled  to 
I  the  left,  to  gain  tlie  river  at  Duleek,  called 
the  Nanny  Water.  The  duke  of  Berwick 
arrived  with  the  cavalry  at  the  moment  the 
king  had  crossed  the  stream  with  the  troops  ; 
but  those  of  the  prince  of  Orange,  who  were 
continually  advancing,  arrived  at  the  same 
time,  which  obliged  the  duke  of  Berwick  to 
pass  a  defde,  in  full  gallop  and  in  disorder. 
The  whole  army  having  rallied  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river,  put  themselves  in  order  of 
battle.  The  enemy  did  the  same  opposite 
to  them,  but  did  not  dare  to  attack  them. 
After  some  pause  they  began  to  march,  and 
were  followed  by  a  part  of  the  enemy.  Upon 
their  reaching  a  defile,  and  halting,  even  the 
enemy  did  the  same.  This  inactivity  of  the 
latter  might  have  been  caused  by  the  death 
of  Schomberg,  who  was  killed  at  the  passage 
of  Oldbridge  ;  he  was  the  best  general  in  the 
army  of  the  prince  of  Orange.  Whatever 
might  have  been  the  cause,  the  enemy  suf- 
fered the  king's  army  to  withdraw,  who  were 
now  ordered  (the  night  having  come  on)  to 
march  to  Dublin.  This  they  effected  the 
following  morning,  and  thence  the  duke  of 
Tirconnel  led  his  troops  to  Limerick.  Each 
colonel  received  orders  to  lead  his  regiment 
by  whatever  route  he  thought  best,  which 
they  executed  in  good  order.  Brigadier 
Surlauben  formed  the  rear-guard  with  his 
brigade,  and  the  French  whom  Monsieur 
Lausun  brought  to  Ireland  the  year  before, 
marched  through  Cork  for  Kinsale,  and  em- 
barked for  France. 

The  king  seeing,  from  the  ill-success  he 
had  in  the  battle  of  the  Boyne,  that  he  could 
not  save  Dublin,  thought  it  best  to  give  the 
command  to  Tirconnel  and  return  to  France. 
After  this  he  stopped  in  the  city  but  one 
night ;  he  then  proceeded  direct  to  Water- 
ford,  where  he  was  received  by  Sir  Nicholas 
Porter,  the  mayor,  and  embarked  for  France. 
The  dukes  of  Tirconnel  and  Lausun  ar- 
rived in  Limerick.  They  were  pursued  by 
the  prince  of  Orange,  which  obliged  Tir- 
connel to  send  most  of  his  cavalry  across  the 
Shannon,  and  quarter  them  in  the  county  of 
Clare.  The  infantry  he  placed  in  the  gar- 
risons of  Limerick,  Athlone,  Cork,  and  Kin- 
sale.  It  was  then  that  Lausun  said,  with 
an  oath,  while  viewing  the  fortifications  of 
Limerick,  "  that  his  master  would  take  it 
with  roast  apples."  The  prince  of  Orange, 
in  the  mean  time,  having  collected  his  forces, 
encamped  within  cannon  shot  of  Limerick, 


on  the  19th  of  August.  The  duke  of  Tir- 
connel having  given  the  necessary  orders 
for  its  defence,  appointed  Monsieur  Boissc- 
leau,  a  captain  of  the  French  guards,  and 
four  Irish  officers  to  act  as  brigadiers  under 
him,  to  command  the  garrison.  M.  do  Lau- 
sun proceeded  to  Galway  with  the  remainder 
of  the  French  troops,  to  embark  for  France. 
The  prince  of  Orange  summoned  the  com- 
mander of  Limerick  to  surrender  the  city, 
but  the  answer  of  this  brave  ofiicer  soon  led 
him  to  believe  that  the  siege  would  be  long 
and  obstinate.  Heavy  artillery,  therefore,  was 
then  ordered  for  carrying  it  on.  Colonel 
Sarsfield,  who  commanded  a  body  of  500 
cavalry,  being  informed  that  the  enemy  were 
bringing  a  part  of  the  artillery  by  land, 
crossed  the  Shannon  at  Killaloe,  and  by 
forced  marches  arrived  before  day  at  Cul- 
lin,  where  he  surprised  the  convoy.  He 
put  the  soldiers  who  were  guarding  it  to  the 
sword,  and  having  then  spiked  the  cannon 
and  broken  the  copper  boats  that  were  in- 
tended for  the  construction  of  a  bridge  across 
the  Shannon,  to  facilitate  the  crossing  of 
troops,  he  blew  up  the  remaining  part  of  the 
artillery  with  the  powder  taken  with  the 
convoy.  The  explosion  was  so  great  that 
it  was  heard  at  the  distance  of  fifteen  miles 
around.  Sarsfield,  after  making  a  great 
booty  in  horses  and  other  things,  marched 
through  Banaghir,  where  he  crossed  the 
Shannon  and  returned  to  his  camp. 

The  expedition  of  Sarsfield  amazed  the 
prince  of  Orange,  and  considerably  deranged 
his  operations  ;  he  was  heard  to  say,  that 
he  did  not  imagine  that  Sarsfield  was  capa- 
ble of  so  able  a  manoeuvre.  The  prince, 
however,  still  continued  the  siege.  The 
besiegers  and  the  besieged  were  brave  in 
their  attacks  and  defence.  A  breach  being 
at  length  effected  by  the  English  airtillery, 
six  thousand  men,  supported  by  an  equal 
number,  having  mounted  to  the  assault, 
were  immediately  hurled  back,  attended 
with  a  loss  of  many  lives.  Thirty  pieces 
of  cannon  played  incessantly  upon  the  place, 
and  the  breach  being  increased,  the  enemy 
returned  to  the  assault,  but  with  less  success 
than  at  first.  They  were  pursued  to  their 
very  camp,  to  the  heavy  disappointment  of 
the  prince  of  Orange,  who  rebuked  his  sol- 
diers with  bitterness.  Boisseleau,  the  com- 
mander of  the  place,  made  the  English  feel 
what  the  Irish  when  well  disciplined  and 
conmianded  were  able  to  do.  The  prince 
of  Orange  raised  the  siege  after  fourteen 
days  ;  the  army  decamped  under  General 
Giiikle  in  great  disorder,  after  setting  fire  to 
the  houses  in  which  the  sick  and  wounded 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


603 


lay.  They  marched  from  thence  to  Birr, 
while  in  the  mean  time  the  prince  of 
Orange  had  himself  escorted  to  Waterford, 
and  embarked  for  England. 

As  soon  as  the  prince  of  Orange  landed 
in  England,  Lord  Churchill,  afterwards  duke 
of  Marlborough,  was  sent  to  Ireland  with  a 
reinforcement  of  troops  and  artillery,  to  lay 
siege  to  Kinsale  and  afterwards  to  Cork. 
Both  towns  capitulated.  The  former  was 
commanded  by  Colonel  Scot,  the  latter  by 
Brigadier  Mac-Elligot ;  they  and  their  gar- 
risons surrendered  prisoners  of  war,  and  the 
officers  were  sent  to  England.  The  duke 
of  Tirconnel,  the  count  of  Lausun,  and  Mon- 
sieur Boisseleau,went  at  this  time  to  France, 
having  confided  the  affairs  of  the  kingdom  to 
the  duke  of  Berwick.  A  misunderstanding 
began  now  to  break  out  between  the  Catho- 
lic leaders  of  the  royal  army  and  the  duke 
of  Tirconnel.  Without  consulting  him,  agents 
were  deputed  to  France  where  King  James 
was  residing,  to  solicit  aid,  and  to  know 
from  the  prince  himself  in  whom  they  were 
to  confide.  The  agents  were,  Colonels 
Purcell,  baron  of  Luoghne,  Lutterel,  and 
Macclesfield.  In  consequence  of  this  depu- 
tation, M.  de  Saint  Ruth*  was  sent  in  the 
spring  to  take  the  command,  and  the  Chev- 
alier do  Tesse  in  quality  of  field-marshal, 
with  warlike  stores  and  provisions. 

The  campaign  began  about  the  end  of 
June,  1691,  by  besieging  Ballymore  and 
Athlone.  Colonel  Ulick  Burke  was  com- 
mander of  the  former  of  these  two  places : 
the  Marquis  d'Usson,  and  the  Chevalier 
Tesse  commanded  Athlone.  Baron  Ginkle, 
who  was  commander  of  the  Protestant  army, 
left  Mullingar  the  6th  of  June.  He  march- 
ed towards  Ballymore,  which  he  summoned 
to  surrender,  and  having  received  a  doubt- 
ful answer  from  the  governor,  he  ordered  an 
attack.  A  breach  being  effected,  and  the 
garrison  finding  themselves  unequal  to  de- 
fend the  place,  surrendered  at  discretion. 
The  general  after  this  put  it  into  a  state  of 
defence,  and  marched  towards  Athlone.  This 
place,  one  of  the  most  important  in  the 
kingdom,  is  situated  on  the  river  Shannon, 
which  divides  it  into  two,  forming  thereby 
two  towns,  separated  by  a  bridge  ;  that  on 
the  east  is  called  the  English ;  that  on  the 
west,  the  Irish  town.  The  English  town, 
being  the  weaker,  was  attacked  first — the 
fire  of  the  cannon  and  musketry  was  so  w^ell 
kept  up  that  it  surrendered  29th  June.  Be- 
fore the  attack,  the  duke  of  Tirconnel  ad- 

*  He  was  after  returning  from  Savoy,  where  he 
commanded  with  distinction  the  troops  of  his  mas- 
ter. 


vised  Saint  Ruth  to  destroy  the  fortifications 
of  the  Irish  town,  and  to  lead  the  army  to 
oppose  and  prevent  Ginkle  from  crossing 
the  bridge  over  the  Shannon,  as  by  this 
means  he  would  be  able  to  arrest  his  pro- 
gress. But  his  advice  being  neglected  by 
Saint  Ruth,  Ginkle  had  time  to  erect  bat- 
teries against  the  Irish  town,  and  his  army 
having  crossed  by  a  ford,  in  presence  of  St. 
Ruth,  who  was  encamped  near  the  place,  a 
general  assault  was  made  the  10th  of  July. 
The  place  was  immediately  carried,  after  a 
vigorous  defence.  More  than  a  thousand  of 
the  Irish  were  killed,  and  three  hundred 
taken  prisoners. 

After  Athlone  was  taken  the  army  of  King 
James  marched  to  Ballinasloe,  where  they 
stopped  the  day  following.  It  was  here 
that  Tirconnel  gave  up  the  command.  He 
surrendered  it  to  the  Marquis  de  Saint  Ruth. 
This  general  marched  his  army  the  day  fol- 
lowing, and  having  crossed  the  river  Suck, 
he  encamped  at  Aughrim,  which  was  a  very 
advantageous  position.  The  castle  of  Augh- 
rim, situate  at  the  head  of  a  causeway,  being 
the  only  place  through  which  the  enemy 
could  pass,  protected  its  front ;  on  the  other 
side  it  was  surrounded  by  a  bog  of  great  ex- 
tent. The  enemy,  who  were  in  pursuit  of 
the  Irish  array,  appeared  on  Monday  the 
22d,  within  view  of  the  camp,  and  began 
to  defile  through  the  causeway.  Colonel 
Walter  Burke  was  posted  with  his  regiment 
in  the  castle  to  oppose  their  passage,  but, 
through  some  error  fatal  to  the  cause  he 
was  engaged  in,  he  was  prevented  from  ac- 
complishing his  object.  Having  ordered  the 
necessary  ammunition  to  be  sent  for  to  the 
camp,  four  barrels  of  powder,  and  as  many 
of  ammunition  were  forwarded  ;  but  instead 
of  musket  he  found  cannon  balls,  which  were 
of  no  use.  In  consequence  of  this,  the  ene- 
my's cavalry  passed  safely  through  the  cause- 
way, while  the  infantry  were  crossing  the 
bog,  and  were  drawn  up  in  order  of  battle 
before  the  Irish  army.  Saint  Ruth,  like  a 
skilful  general,  omitted  nothing  to  resist 
them  with  effect.  The  battle  began  at  one 
o'clock  with  equal  fury  on  both  sides,  and 
lasted  till  night.  James's  infantry  perform- 
ed prodigies  of  valor,  driving  the  enemy 
three  times  back  to  their  cannon.  It  is  said 
that  at  the  third  repulse  Saint  Ruth  threw 
his  hat  into  the  air  with  joy ;  but  imme- 
diately after  he  unfortunately  fell  by  a  can- 
non-ball. His  death  soon  changed  the  for- 
tune of  the  day  ;  dreadful  disorder  followed ; 
the  soldiers  being  left  without  a  commander, 
the  infantry,  unsupported  by  the  cavalry, 
were  crushed  by  the  enemy's  horse,  and  the 


604 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


rout  became  general.  The  flower  of  the 
Irish  army  perished  on  this  unhappy  day, 
and  liad  it  not  been  for  the  presence  of  mind 
of  the  ahnonorof  a  rcgiinent,  called  O'Reilly, 
who  made  a  drum-major  beat  to  the  charge 
on  a  hill  near  the  bog  through  which  James's 
army  was  to  march,  the  loss  would  have 
been  still  greater.  By  this  stratagem  the 
vanquished  gained  sufficient  time  to  take 
the  road  for  Limerick. 

After  the  defeat  of  James's  armyat  Augh- 
rim,  Galway  and  Sligo  surrendered  to  the 
English,  and  Ginkle  laid  siege  to  Limerick 
on  the  5th  of  September.  Monsieur  D'Us- 
son  had  connnanded  the  garrison  since  the 
death  of  Tirconnel,  which  took  place  on  the 
24th  of  August,  from  excessive  grief  for  the 
late  reverses  in  the  affairs  of  the  king.  D'Us- 
son  defended  himself  with  a  bravery  equal 
to  that  of  Boisseleau,  but  not  with  the  same 
success.  General  Sarsfield  attempted  in  vain 
to  get  four  thousand  horses  into  the  town  : 
the  cannon  and  bombs  of  the  enemy  played 
day  and  night  upon  the  place,  and  after  a 
siege  of  five  weeks,  the  money  and  provi- 
sions of  the  garrison  being  exhausted,  D'Us- 
son  thought  it  more  prudent  to  accept  the 
conditions  proposed  by  the  enemy,  and  to 
save  what  troops  he  had  remaining,  than  to 
let  all  perish  by  an  obstinate  resistance. 
The  treaty  was  entered  into,  and  the  capitu- 
lation signed  on  the  13th  of  October,  on 
terms  which  could  not  be  more  honorable 
or  advantageous  to  the  vanquished. 

The  treaty  of  Limerick  contained  forty- 
two  articles,  twenty -nine  of  which  had  refer- 
ence to  the  military.  By  this  treaty  the 
partisans  of  James  had  permission  not  only 
to  leave  Limerick,  but  also  the  kingdom, with 
the  most  glorious  testimony  which  can  be 
accorded  to  the  brave,  that  of  having  made 
a  gallant  defence.  They  were  permitted  to 
take  with  them  all  they  possessed,  viz., 
chattels,  plate,  jewels,  &c.  The  like  privi- 
leges were  granted  to  other  garrisons,  and 
to  every  Irish  family  who  wished  to  go  to 
France.  Vessels  were  also  to  be  provided 
for  the  removal  of  their  persons  and  proper 
ties,  and  nothing  was  omitted  from  the  stip 
ulation  which  could  contribute  to  the  safety 
and  convenience  of  their  voyage. 

After  the  treaty  was  concluded,  the  Irish 
army  collected  near  Quine  Abbey,  in  the 
county  of  Clare,  where  it  was  resolved,  that, 
in  conformity  with  the  articles  of  capitula- 
tion, those  who  wished  to  go  to  France 
should  send  in  their  names  to  Monsieur  Ta- 
meron,  who  had  been  sent  to  Ireland  by 
the  French  court.  The  English  generals 
thought  that  very  (ew  would  willingly  go 


into  exile,  but  they  were  surprised  to  wit- 
ness the  mmibers  who  signed  for  their  re- 
moval, preferring  to  share  the  fate  of  their 
king,  and  enter  the  service  of  a  foreign 
prince  who  had  favored  their  cause,"  rather 
than  submit  to  the  laws  of  a  usurper  at  home. 
Then  it  was  that  these  generals  regretted 
havingconsented  to  their  emigration.  Four  ! 
thousand  five  hundred  men  marched  direct  I 
to  Cork,  under  Sarsfield,  Lord  Lucan,  and  j 
other  general  officers,  where,  after  remaining  | 
about  a  month,  they  sailed  for  France,  and 
landed  at  Brest  on  the  3d  of  December.  At 
the  same  time,  D'Usson  and  Tesse  arrived 
from  Limerick  on  board  the  squadron  of 
M.  de  Chateau  Renaud,  with  four  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  thirty-six  Irish  soldiers, 
besides  officers.  Major-General  Wachop 
sailed  soon  afterwards  with  about  three 
thousand  men  on  board  English  vessels,  and 
these  were  followed  by  two  companies  of 
the  king's  body  gnards.  According  to  the 
report  of  the  commissioners,  the  whole  of 
the  Irish  troops,  including  the  officers,  who 
followed  James  to  France,  amounted  to 
nineteen  thousand  and  fifty-nine  men.  Louis 
XIV.  received  them  with  kindness,  and  of- 
fered them  honorable  terms,  which  they  ac- 
cepted. They  frequently  received  the  most 
flattering  praises  from  this  great  monarch 
for  their  zeal  and  attachment.  Lord  Mount- 
cashel  always  commanded  the  Irish  brigade, 
which  bore  his  name. 

Louis  XIV.  having  sent  seven  French 
battalions  to  Ireland  in  the  beginning  of 
the  year  1690,  whether  that  he  required  the 
same  number  of  Irish  troops  in  return,  or 
that  James  IL,  who  was  at  that  time  in  the 
country,  thought  proper  to  send  them,  three 
Irish  regiments  arrived  at  Brest  in  the  be- 
ginning of  May,  on  board  French  ships, 
under  the  command  of  Justin  Mac-Carty, 
Viscount  Mountcashel,  a  lieutenant-general 
in  England,  and  who  still  retained  his  rank 
in  France.  The  regiments  composing  this 
brigade  were,  Mountcashel's — an  old  regi- 
ment of  long  standing — O'Brien's,  and  Dil- 
lon's, each  consisting  of  two  battalions,  con- 
taining one  thousand  six  hundred  men,  di- 
vided into  sixteen  companies.  On  their  ar- 
rival in  France,  Mountcashel  entered  into 
an  arrangement  for  this  corps,  by  which  the 
officers  were  to  be  paid  as  they  are  at  pre- 
sent :*  and  the  soldiers  a  penny  a-day  more 
than  the  French. 

This  corps  was  sent  to  Savoy,  where  they 
distinguished  themselves  under  Marshal  de 
Catinat,  in  the  reduction  of  that  province  ; 

*  A.  D.  1754. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


605 


particularly  at  the  battle  of  Marseilles,  gain- 
ed by  the  French  on  the  4th  of  November, 
1693.     Daniel  O'Brien,  colonel  of  the  regi- 
ment that  bore  his  name,  having  inherited 
liis  father's  title,  who  had  lately  died,  called 
it  the  Clare  regiment.     He  died  at  Pignerol ; 
Monsiem*  de  Lee  succeeded  to  his  command. 
Having  quarrelled  with  Squiddy,  the  major 
of  the  regiment,  he  had  him  confined  in  the 
castle  of  Brianyon,  and  expelled  the  year 
following,  and  the  majority  given  to  Mur- 
rough  O'Brien,  who,  after  serving  first  in 
Hamilton's  regiment,  entered  that  of  Greder, 
a  German.     He  had  the  rank  of  captain  in 
Greder's,  from  which  he  exchanged  into  the 
;  Clare  regiment,  still  retaining  his  rank. 
I       Lord  Mountcashel  having  died  at  Barege, 
j  from  a  wound  in  the  chest  which  he  received 
I  in  Savoy  the  year  he  went  to  France,  his 
regiment  was  given  to  De  Lee,  and  after- 
j  wards  called  Bulkley's  regiment.     Talbot, 
brigadier-colonel  of  the  Limerick  regiment, 
I  was  appointed  to  the  one  De  Lee  had  left. 
j  Talbot  was  natural  son  of  the  duke  of  Tir- 
;  connel  ;  he  had  served  in  France  from  his 
!  youth,  and  was  deemed  an  able  officer  ;  he 
i  went  to  court  in  the  March  following  his 
:  appointment,  where  he  was  arrested  and  sent 
j  to  the  Bastille,  for  some  inconsiderate  ob- 
servations which  were  communicated  to  the 
king.     He  remained  a  year  in  prison,  and 
his  regiment  was  given  to  Charles  O'Brien, 
Viscount  Clare,  brother  to  him  who  died  at 
Pignerol  after  the  battle  of  Marseilles. 
Charles  O'Brien  went  to  France  in  1691, 
I  after  the  surrender  of  Limerick,  as  captain 
I  of  James  II. 's  body-guard.     It  is  probable 
that  his   regiment  of   dragoons,  which  he 
j  commanded  at  the  battle  of  the  Boyne,  had 
I  been  disbanded  in  Ireland.     After  the  battle 
i  of  Marseilles,  he  was  appointed  to  the  queen 
I  of  England's  regiment'of  dragoons  ;  O'Car- 
!  rol,  the  colonel,  having  been  killed.    He  re- 
I  vived  the  name  of  the  Clare  regiment ;  he 
I  was  killed  in  1706,  at  the  battle  of  Ramillies, 
!  and  his  regiment  given  to  Lieutenant-colonel 
Murrough  O'Brien,  who  was  descended  from 
'-  the  house  of  Carrigogoiniol,  a  branch  of  the 
i  O'Brien  family.      When  lieutenant-colonel, 
!  he  distinguished  himself  at  the  battle  of  Ra- 
millies by  taking  two  stand  of  colors  from 
I  the   enemy,  which  were  deposited  in  the 
I  house  of  the  Irish  Benedictines  at  Ypres. 
j  His  skilful  manoeuvre  at  Pallue,  by  which 
jhe  saved  Cambray,  is  still  greater  proof  of 
j  his  talents  ;  after  it  he  received  the  rank 
!  of  field-marshal  of  the  king's  army.    "  If  the 
i  Marshal  de  Montesquieu  had  done  him  the 
I  justice  due  to  him  for  the  affair  at  Pallue," 
says   Thuomond,   "  he   would  have  had  a 


greater  share  in  the  king's  favor  than  he 
possessed."*  Murrough  O'Brien  retained 
the  command  of  this  regiment,  under  the 
name  of  O'Brien's  regiment,  till  his  death, 
which  took  place  in  1720.  He  left  a  son 
called  Daniel,  a  colonel  of  foot  in  the  ser- 
vice of  King  Louis,  who  was  created  a 
knight  of  St.  Lazarus  in  1716,  a  peer  of 
Ireland,  under  the  title  of  earl  of  Lismore, 
in  1747,  and  received  the  grand  cross  of 
the  royal  and  military  order  of  St.  Louis  in 
1750.     He  died  at  Rome  in  1759. 

Dillon's  was  the  only  regiment  of  Lord 
Mountcashel's  brigade  that  retained  its  name. 
It  was  raised  in  Ireland  by  Lord  Dillon's 
grandfather,  and  commanded  by  Arthur  Dil- 
lon, his  second  son,  lieutenant-general  of 
the  king's  army.  He  died  at  St.  Germain- 
en-Laye,  in  1734.  This  nobleman  added 
to  his  illustrious  birth  superior  skill  in  the 
art  of  war,  and  his  exploits  have  been  cele- 
brated in  the  annals  of  France.  He  left 
several  sons,  the  eldest  of  whom  succeeded 
his  uncle.  Lord  Dillon.  Two  were  killed 
at  the  head  of  their  regiments,  at  the  battles 
of  Fontenoy  and  Lawfeld  ;  and  the  last  has 
been  lately  translated  from  the  archbishopric 
of  Toulouse  to  that  of  Narbonne. 

The  troops  which  had  lately  arrived  in 
France,  after  the  treaty  of  Limerick,  were 
new-modelled  in  1 695,  and  reduced  to  twelve 
regiments,  the  command  of  which  was  given 
to  those  who  had  most  influence  at  the  court 
of  St.  Germain.  These  regiments,  called  the 
troops  of  the  king  of  England,  were, 

The  king's  regiment  of  cavalry  : — Domi- 
nick  Sheldon,  colonel ;  Edmond  Prendergast, 
lieutenant-colonel  ;  Edmond  Butler,  major; 
4  captains,  6  lieutenants,  6  cornets. 

The  queen's  regiment  of  cavalry  : — Lord 
Galmoy,  colonel  ;  Rene  de  Carne,  a  French- 
man, lieutenant-colonel ;  James  Tobin,  ma- 
jor ;  4  captains,  6  lieutenants,  6  cornets. 

The  king's  regiment  of  dragoons : — Lord- 
viscount  Kilmallock,  (Sarsfield,)  colonel  ; 
Turenne  O'Carroll,  lieutenant-colonel ;  De 
Salles,  a  Frenchman,  major  ;  5  captains,  14 
lieutenants,  14  cornets. 

The  queen's  regiment  of  dragoons  : — 
Charles  Viscount  Clare,  colonel ;  Alexander 
Barnewal,  lieutenant-colonel;  Charles  Max- 
well, major  ;  5  captains,  14  lieutenants,  14 
cornets. 

The  king's  infantry  regiment  of  guards : — 
William  Dorington,  colonel  ;  Oliver  O'Gara, 
lieutenant-colonel ;  John  Rothe,  major  ;  12 
captains,  28  lieutenants,  28  sub-lieutenants, 
14  ensigns. 

The  queen's  regiment  of  infantry  : — 
*  Memoirs  of  Thuomond,  on  the  year  1712. 


606 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


Simon  Luttrel,  colonel ;  Francis  Wachop, 
lieutenant  colonel  ;  James  O'Brien,  major  ; 
12  captains,  28  lieutenants,  28  sub-lieuten- 
ants. It  ensigns. 

An  infantry  regiment  of  marines  : — The 
Lord  Grand-prior,  colonel  ;  Nicholas  Fitz- 
gerald, lieutenant-colonel  ;  Richard  Nugent, 
second  lieutenant-colonel  ;  Edmond  O'Mad- 
den,  major  ;  11  captains,  28  lieutenants,  28 
sub-lieutenants,  14  ensigns. 

The  Limerick  regiment  of  infantry : — Sir 
John  Fitzgerald,  colonel  ;  Jeremiah  O'Ma- 
hony,  lieutenant -colonel  ;  William  Thessy, 
major  ;  12  captains,  28  lieutenants,  28  sub- 
lieutenants, 14  ensigns. 

The  Charlemont  regiment  of  infantry  : — 
Gordon  O'Neill,  colonel ;  Hugh  Mac-Mahon, 
lieutenant-colonel ;  Edmond  Murphy, major; 
12  captains,  28  lieutenants,  28  sub-lieuten- 
ants, 14  ensigns. 

Dublin  regiment  of  infantry : — John  Pow- 
er, colonel :  John  Power,  lieutenant-colonel ; 
Theobald  Burke,  major  ;  12  captains,  28 
lieutenants,  28  sub-lieutenants,  14  ensigns. 
The  Athlone  regiment  of  infantry : — 
Walter  Burke,  colonel  ;  Owen  Mac-Carty, 
lieutenant-colonel  ;  Edmond  Cantwell,  ma- 
jor ;  12  captains,  28  lieutenants,  28  sub- 
lieutenants, 14  ensigns. 

Clancarty  regiment  of  infantry  : — Roger 
Mac-Elligot,  colonel  ;  Edward  Scott,  lieu- 
tenant-colonel ;  Cornelius  Murphy,  major  ; 
6  captains,  16  lieutenants,  16  sub-lieuten- 
ants, 8  ensigns. 

Out  of  the  regiments  which  the  Irish  no- 
bility had  raised  in  1689,  for  the  service  of 
James  IL,  several  were  disbanded  in  Ire- 
land. Most  of  those  who  went  to  France, 
were  embodied  with  those  we  have  just 
been  enumerating  ;  the  colonels  descending 
to  the  rank  of  captain,  and  the  captains  to 
that  of  lieutenants.  The  regiments  of 
O'Neill,  O'Donnel,  Mac-Donnel,  Maguire, 
Mac-Mahon,  Magennis,  were  formed  into 
one  ;  Edmond  (Bouy)  O'Reilly's  (chief  of 
the  ancient  tribe  of  the  O'Reillys  of  Cavan) 
shared  the  same  fate.  He  had  raised  two 
regiments  in  Ireland  for  the  king's  service 
— one  of  dragoons,  the  other  of  infantry  : 
the  former  was  disbanded  in  Ireland,  and 
the  latter,  which  he  brought  to  France,  was 
embodied  with  others  ;  consequently  this 
nobleman  remained  without  any  regiment. 
His  grandson,  a  captain  in  the  regiment  of 
Dillon,  was  considered  chief  of  the  O'Reillys. 
The  first  change  made  in  the  Irish  troops 
continued  till  the  peace  of  Ryswick  in  1697. 
In  1698,  James  II.'s  body-guard  and  Gal- 
moy's  regiment  were  disbanded.  Sheldon's, 
which  was  afterwards  known  as  Nug-ent's, 


and  then  as  Fitzjames's,  was  reduced  to  two 
squadrons.  The  infantry  regiments  and  foot 
dragoons,  consisting  of  seventeen  battalions, 
were  reduced  to  live,  of  one  battalion  each, 
and  the  companies  which  had  previously 
consisted  of  one  hundred  men,  were  reduced 
to  fifty.  These  regiments  were  known  by 
the  names  of  Dorington,  (who  had  belonged 
to  the  foot-guards,)  Rothe,  Burke,  Albemarle, 
Fitzgerald,  Berwick,  and  Galmoy,  their  com- 
manders. The  regiments  of  Lee,  Clare,  and 
Dillon,  underwent  a  similar  change,  in  which 
state  they  continued  till  1701,  when  a  sub- 
lieutenant was  added  to  each  company. 

From  1705  to  1711,  each  company  of  fifty 
men  had  a  foot-captain,  a  second  captain,  a 
lieutenant,  two  second  lieutenants,  a  sub- 
lieutenant, and  ensign.  In  1712  each  com- 
pany was  restored,  with  respect  to  officers, 
to  the  footing  on  which  it  had  been  in  1701 , 
and  a  brigade  formed  of  the  half-pay  oflicers. 

The  regiments  of  Burke  and  Dillon  were 
engaged  at  the  battle  of  Cremona,  February, 
1702,  in  which  they  particularly  distinguish- 
ed themselves,  and  contributed  mainly  to  the 
defeat  of  the  enemy.  As  a  mark  of  his  satis- 
faction, the  king  increased  the  pay  of  the 
foot-captains,  not  only  of  these  regiments, 
but  of  three  others  which  were  on  a  footing 
with  the  French,  to  twenty-five  pence  a  day, 
and  the  lieutenants  to  twelve  pence.  The 
pay  of  the  second  captains  and  lieutenants 
was  increased  in  proportion.  The  soldiers 
also  received  one  penny  a-day  additional. 
Dillon's  regiment  received  their  reward  in 
hand,  as  they  already  had  high  pay. 

Sheldon's  regiment  of  cavalry,  to  which 
a  squadron  was  added,  consisted  of  three 
squadrons  in  the  war  of  1700.  They  dis- 
tinguished themselves  at  the  battle  of  Spire, 
on  the  24th  November,  1703  ;  and  the  half- 
pav  captains  and  lieutenants  who  served 
with  it,  received  an  increase  of  pay. 

In  1708,  the  king  of  Spain  began  to  raise 
two  regiments  of  dragoons,  and  three  Irish 
battalions,  consisting  of  the  prisoners  taken 
from  the  English  army  in  the  battle  of  Al- 
manza.  These  corps  were  officered  by  the 
half-pay  officers  who  had  served  with  the 
Irish  regiments  in  France. 

Peace  having  been  concluded  at  Radstadt, 
on  the  6th  of  March,  1714,  between  France 
and  the  emperor,  the  regiments  of  Lee,  Clare, 
Dillon,  Rothe,  and  Berwick,  were  increased 
from  twelve  to  fifteen  companies,  consisting 
each  of  forty  men.  In  order  to  make  up  the 
three  new  companies,  the  regiments  of 
O'Donnel,  which  had  previously  belonged  to 
Fitzgerald  and  Galmoy,  and  a  second  bat- 
talion which  was  added  to  Berwick's,  were 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


607 


disbanded.  O'Donnel's  was  divided  between 
the  regiments  of  Lee  and  Clare  ;  Galmoy's 
and  Berwick's  second  battalions  were  joined 
to  those  of  Dillon,  Rothe,  and  Berwick. 

From  calculations  and  researches  that 
have  been  made  at  the  war-office,  it  has  been 
ascertained,  that,  from  the  arrival  of  the 
Irish  troops  in  France,  in  1691,  to  1745, 
the  year  of  the  battle  of  Fontenoy,  more 
than  four  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  Irish- 
men died  in  the  service  of  France. 

Burke  applied  for,  and  obtained  permission 
for  his  regiment,  which  had  often  served  in 
Spain,  (in  order  to  avoid  shifting,)  to  offer 
its  services  to  the  king  of  Spain.  This  being 
granted,  he  proceeded  to  that  country,  and 
subsequently  served  with  distinction  in 
Sicily,  Africa,  and  Italy,  during  the  war  of 
1733,  under  the  king  of  the  two  Sicilies,  to 
whom  his  father,  the  king  of  Spain,  had  sent 
him  in  1758.  Burke's  regiment  remained 
in  Naples  ;  it  was  called  the  king's  corps, 
and  received  an  addition  of  two  battalions. 

Through  the  changes  which  took  place 
among  the  Irish  troops  in  France,  the  king 
of  Spain  was  enabled  to  increase  his  three 
Irish  regiments  of  foot  by  a  battalion  each, 
so  that  he  had  six  made  up  of  the  supernu- 
merary men  Avho  remained  unemployed  in 
France.  They  served  at  Oran  in  Sicily,  and 
in  Italy  in  1733,  1734,  with  the  highest  dis- 
tinction— four  of  these  battalions,  with  the 
Walloon  guards,  Avere  successful  in  1713,  in 
repulsing  the  enemy  at  Veletry,  and  in  saving 
Don  Philip,  who  was  in  danger  of  being 
taken  prisoner. 

ARTICLES  AGREED  UPON  THE  THIRD  DAY  OF 
OCTOBER,    ONE    THOUSAND    SIX    HUN- 
DRED   AND    NINETY-ONE. 

Between  the  Right  Honorable  Sir  Charles 
Porter  Knight,  and  Tbomas  Coningsby, 
Esq.,  lords-justices  of  Ireland  ;  and  his 
Excellency  the  Baron  de  Ginklc,  lieu- 
tenant-general, and  commander-in-chief 
of  the  English  army ;  on  the  one  part 

And  the  Right  Honorable  Patrick  Earl  of 
Lucan,  Piercy  Viscount  Galmoy,  Colonel 
Nicholas  Purcel,  Colonel  Nicholas  Cu 
sack.  Sir  Toby  Butler,  Colonel  Garret 
Dillon,  and  Colonel  John  Brown  ;  on  the 
other  part : 

In  the  behalf  of  the  Irish  inhabitants  in  the 
city  and  county  of  Limerick,  the  counties 
of  Clare,  Kerry,  Cork,  Sligo,  and  Mayo. 

In  consideration  of  the  surrender  of  the  city 

of  Limerick,  and  other  agreements  made 

between    the     said     Lieutenant-General 

Giiikle,  the  governor  of  the  city  of  Lim- 

[I       erick,  and  the  generals  of  the  Irish  ar- 


my,  bearing  date  with  these  presents,  for 
the  surrender  of  the  said  city,  and  sub- 
mission of  the  said  army :  it  is  agreed, 
That, 

I.  The  Roman  Catholics  of  this  kingdom 
shall  enjoy  such  privileges  in  the  exercise  of 
their  religion,  as  are  consistent  with  the 
laws  of  Ireland  ;  or  as  they  did  enjoy  in  the 
reign  of  King  Charles  the  Second  :  and  their 
majesties,  as  soon  as  their  affairs  will  permit 
them  to  summon  a  parliament  in  this  king- 
dom, will  endeavor  to  procure  the  said  Ro- 
man Catholics  such  farther  security  in  that 
particular,  as  may  preserve  them  from  any 
disturbance  upon  the  account  of  their  said 
religion. 

II.  All  the  inhabitants  or  residents  of  Lim- 
erick, or  any  other  garrison  now  in  the 
possession  of  the  Irish,  and  all  officers  and 
soldiers,  now  in  arms,  under  any  commis- 
sion of  King  James,  or  those  authorized  by 
him  to  grant  the  same  in  the  several  coun- 
ties of  Limerick,  Clare,  Kerry,  Cork,  and 
Mayo,  or  any  of  them  ;  and  all  the  commis- 
sioned officers  in  their  majesties'  quarters 
that  belong  to  the  Irish  regiments  now  in 
being,  that  are  treated  with,  and  who  are 
not  prisoners  of  war,  or  have  taken  protec- 
tion, and  who  shall  return  and  submit  to 
their  majesties'  obedience  ;  and  their  and 
every  of  their  heirs,  shall  hold,  possess,  and 
enjoy,  all  and  every  their  estates  of  free- 
hold and  inheritance  ;  and  all  the  rights, 
titles,  and  interests,  privileges  and  immuni- 
ties, which  they,  and  every  or  any  of  them 
held,  enjoyed,  or  were  rightly  and  lawfully 
entitled  to  in  the  reign  of  King  Charles  II., 
or  at  any  time  since,  by  the  laws  and  stat- 
utes that  were  in  force  in  the  said  reign  of 
King  Charles  II.,  and  shall  be  put  in  posses- 
sion, by  order  of  the  government,  of  such  of 
them  as  are  in  the  king's  hands,  or  the  hands 
of  his  tenants,  without  being  put  to  any  suit 
or  trouble  therein  ;  and  all  such  estates  shall 
be  freed  and  discharged  from  all  arrears  of 
crown-rents,  quit-rents,  and  other  public 
charges,  incurred  and  become  due  since  Mi- 
chaelmas, 1 688,  to  the  day  of  the  date  hereof: 
and  all  persons  comprehended  in  this  article 
shall  have,  hold,  and  enjoy  all  their  goods 
and  chattels,  real  and  personal,  to  them,  or 
any  of  them  belonging,  and  remaining  either 
in  their  own  hands,  or  the  hands  of  any  per- 
sons whatsoever,  in  trust  for,  or  for  the  use 
of  them,  or  any  of  them  :  and  all,  and  every 
the  said  persons,  of  what  profession,  trade, 
or  calling  soever  they  be,  shall  and  may  use, 
exercise,  and  practise  their  several  and  re- 
spective professions,  trades,  and  callings,  as 
freely  as  they  did  use,  exercise,  and  enjoy  the 


608 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


same  in  the  reign  of  King  Charles  II . ,  provided 
that  nothing  in  this  article  contained  be  con- 
strued to  extend  to,  or  restore  any  forfeiting 
person  now  out  of  the  kingdom,  except  what 
are  hereafter  comprised  :  provided  also,  that 
no  person  whatsoever  shall  have  or  enjoy  the 
benefit  of  this  article,  that  shall  neglect  or 
refuse  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  made 
by  act  of  parliament  in  England,  in  the  first 
year  of  the  reign  of  their  present  majesties, 
when  thereunto  required. 

III.  All  merchants,  or  reputed  merchants 
of  the  city  of  Limerick,  or  of  any  other  gar- 
rison now  possessed  by  the  Irish,  or  of  any 
town  or  place  in  the  counties  of  Clare  or 
Kerry,  who  are  absent  beyond  the  seas,  that 
have  not  borne  arms  since  their  majesties' de- 
claration in  February,  1688,  shall  have  the 
benefit  of  the  second  article,  in  the  same 
manner  as  if  they  were  present ;  provided 
such  merchants,  and  reputed  merchants,  do 
repair  into  this  kingdom  within  the  space 
of  eight  months  from  the  date  hereof. 

IV.  The  following  officers,  viz..  Colonel 
Simon  Lutterel,  Captain  Rowland  White, 
Maurice  Eustace  of  Yermanstown,  Chievers 
of  Maystown,  commonly  called  Mount-Lein- 
ster,  now  belonging  to  the  regiments  in  the 
aforesaid  garrisons  and  quarters  of  the  Irish 
army,  who  were  beyond  the  seas,  and  sent 
thither  upon  affairs  of  their  respective  regi- 
ments, or  the  army  in  general,  shall  have  the 
benefit  and  advantage  of  the  second  article, 
provided  they  return  hither  within  the  space 
of  eight  months  from  the  date  of  these  pres- 
ents, and  submit  to  their  majesties'  govern- 
ment, and  take  the  above-mentioned  oath. 

V.  That  all  and  singular  the  said  persons 
comprised  in  the  second  and  third  articles, 
shall  have  a  general  pardon  of  all  attainders, 
outlawries,  treasons,  misprisions  of  treason, 
premunires,  felonies,  trespasses,  and  other 
crimes  and  misdemeanors  whatsoever,  by 
them,  or  any  of  them,  committed  since  the 
beginning  of  the  reign  of  King  James  II . ;  and 
if  any  of  them  are  attainted  by  parliament, 
the  lords-justices,  and  general,  will  use  their 
best  endeavors  to  get  the  same  repealed  by 
parliament,  and  the  outlawries  to  be  reversed 
gratis,  all  but  writing-clerks'  fees. 

VI.  And  whereas  these  present  wars  have 
drawn  on  great  violences  on  both  parts  ;  and 
that  if  leave  were  given  to  the  bringing  all 
sorts  of  private  actions,  the  animosities  would 
probably  continue,  that  have  been  too  Ion"- 
on  foot,  and  the  public  disturbances  last : 
for  the  quieting  and  settling  therefore  of  this 
kingdom,  and  avoiding  those  inconveniences 
which  would  be  the  necessary  consequence 
of  the  contrary,  no  person  or  persons  what- 


soever, comprised  in  the  foregoing  articles, 
shall  be  sued,  molested,  or  impleaded  at  the 
suit  of  any  party  or  parties  whatsoever,  for 
any  trespasses  by  them  connnitted,or  for  any 
arms,  horses,  money,  goods,  chattels,  mer- 
chandises, or  provisions  whatsoever,  by  them 
seized  or  taken  during  the  time  of  the  war. 
And  no  person  or  persons  whatsoever,  in  the 
second  or  third  articles  comprised,  shall  be 
sued,  impleaded,  or  made  accountable  for 
the  rents  or  mesne  rates  of  any  lands,  tene- 
ments, or  houses,  by  him  or  them  received, 
or  enjoyed  in  this  kingdom,  since  the  begin- 
ning of  the  present  war,  to  the  day  of  the 
date  hereof,  nor  for  any  waste  or  trespass 
by  him  or  them  committed  in  any  such 
lands,  tenements,  or  houses  :  and  it  is  also 
agreed,  that  this  article  shall  be  mutual  and 
reciprocal  on  both  sides. 

VII.  Every  nobleman  and  gentleman  com- 
prised in  the  said  second  and  third  articles, 
shall  have  liberty  to  ride  with  a  sword,  and 
case  of  pistols,  if  they  think  fit ;  and  keep  a 
gun  in  their  houses,  for  the  defence  of  the 
same,  or  for  fowling. 

VIII.  The  inhabitants  and  residents  in  the 
city  of  Limerick,  and  other  garrisons,  shall 
be  permitted  to  remove  their  goods,  chattels, 
and  provisions,  out  of  the  same,  without  be- 
ing viewed  and  searched,  or  paying  any 
manner  of  duties,  and  shall  not  be  com- 
pelled to  leave  the  houses  or  lodgings  they 
now  have,  for  the  space  of  six  weeks  next 
ensuing  the  date  hereof. 

IX.  The  oath  to  be  administered  to  such 
Roman  Catholics  as  submit  to  their  majesties' 
government,  shall  be  the  oath  abovesaid,  and 
no  other. 

X.  No  person  or  persons  who  shall  at  any 
time  hereafter  break  these  articles,  or  any  of 
them,  shall  thereby  make,  or  cause  any  other 
person  or  persons  to  forfeit  or  lose  the  benefit 
of  the  same. 

XI.  The  lords-justices  and  general  do 
promise  to  use  their  utmost  endeavors,  that 
all  the  persons  comprehended  in  the  above- 
mentioned  articles,  shall  be  protected  and 
defended  from  all  arrests  and  executions  for 
debt  or  damage,  for  the  space  of  eight  months 
next  ensuing  the  date  hereof. 

XII.  Lastly, the  lords-justices  and  general 
do  undertake,  that  their  majesties  will  ratify 
these  articles  within  the  space  of  eight 
months,  or  sooner,  and  use  their  utmost  en- 
deavors that  the  same  shall  be  ratified  and 
confirmed  in  parliament. 

XIII.  And  Avhereas  Colonel  .Tohn  Brown 
stood  indebted  to  several  Protestants,  by 
judgments  of  record,  which  appearing  to  the 
late  government,  the  Lord  Tyrconnel,  and 


FAT SiS c m  --B A :ii ■:)  i^' i z^ iiu 


EARL    or    LUCATir-, 


^^eA^- 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


609 


Lord  Lucan,  took  away  the  effects  the  said 
John  Brown  had  to  answer  the  said  debts, 
and  promised  to  clear  the  said  John  Brown 
of  the  said  debts  ;  which  effects  were  taken 
for  the  pubUc  use  of  the  Irish  and  their 
army,  for  freeing  the  said  Lord  Lucan  of  his 
said  engagement,  passed  on  their  public  ac- 
count, for  payment  of  the  said  Protestants, 
and  for  preventing  the  ruin  of  the  said  John 
Brown,  and  for  satisfaction  of  his  creditors, 
at  the  instance  of  the  Lord  Lucan,  and  the 
rest  of  the  persons  aforesaid — it  is  agreed, 
that  the  said  lord-justices,  and  the  said  Baron 
de  Ginkle,  shall  intercede  with  the  king  and 
parliament,  to  have  the  estates  secured  to 
Roman  Catholics,  by  articles  and  capitulation 
in  this  kingdom,  charged  with,  and  equally 
liable  to  the  payment  of  so  much  of  the  same 
debts  as  the  said  Lord  Lucan,  upon  stating 
accounts  with  the  said  John  Brown,  shall 
certify  under  his  hand,  that  the  effects  taken 
from  the  said  Brown  amount  unto  ;  which 
account  is  to  be  stated,  and  the  balance 
certified  by  the  said  Lord  Lucan  in  one-and- 
twenty  days  after  the  date  hereof. 

For  the  true  performance  hereof,  we  have 
hereunto  set  our  hands, 

Char.  Porter,  Tho.  Coningsby, 
Bar.  De  Ginkle, 
Present — 

Scravenmore,  H.  Maccay,  T.  Talmash. 

And  whereas  the  said  city  of  Limerick 
hath  been  since,  in  pursuance  of  the  said 
articles,  surrendered  unto  us.  Now  know  ye, 
that  we  having  considered  of  the  said  arti- 
cles, are  graciously  pleased  hereby  to  de- 
clare, that  we  do,  for  us,  our  heirs,  and  suc- 
cessors, as  far  as  in  us  lies,  ratify  and  confirm 
the  same,  and  every  clause,  matter,  and  thing 
therein  contained.  And  as  to  such  parts 
thereof  for  which  an  act  of  parliament  shall 
be  found  to  be  necessary,  we  shall  recom- 
mend the  same  to  be  made  good  by  parlia- 
ment, and  shall  give  our  royal  assent  to  any 
bill  or  bills  that  shall  be  passed  by  our  two 
houses  of  parliament  to  that  purpose.  And 
whereas  it  appears  unto  us,  that  it  was  agreed 
between  the  parties  to  the  said  articles,  that 
after  the  words  Limerick,  Clare,  Kerry,  Cork, 
Mayo,  or  any  of  them,  in  the  second  of  the 
said  articles,  the  words  following,  viz.,  "  And 
all  such  as  are  under  their  protection  in  the 
said  counties,"  should  be  inserted,  and  be 
part  of  the  said  articles.  Which  words  hav- 
ing been  casually  omitted  by  the  writer,  the 
omission  was  not  discovered  till  after  the 
said  articles  were  signed,  but  was  taken 
notice  of  before  the  second  town  was  sur- 
rendered ;  and  that  our  said  justices,  and 


general,  or  one  of  them,  did  promise  that 
the  said  clause  should  be  made  good,  it  being 
within  the  intention  of  the  capitulation,  and 
inserted  in  the  foul  draught  thereof.  Our 
further  will  and  pleasure  is,  and  we  do  here- 
by ratify  and  confirm  the  said  omitted  words. 
Adz.,  "  And  all  such  as  are  under  their  pro- 
tection in  the  said  counties,"  hereby  for  us, 
our  heirs  and  successors,  ordaining  and  de- 
claring, that  all  and  every  person  and  per- 
sons therein  concerned,  shall  and  may  have, 
receive,  and  enjoy  the  benefit  thereof,  in  such 
and  the  same  manner  as  if  the  said  words 
had  been  inserted  in  their  proper  place  in 
the  said  second  article  ;  any  omission,  de- 
fect, or  mistake  in  the  said  second  article, 
in  any  wise  notwithstanding.  Provided  al- 
ways, and  our  will  and  pleasure  is,  that 
these  our  letters  patent  shall  be  enrolled  in 
our  court  of  chancery  in  our  said  kingdom 
of  Ireland,  within  the  space  of  one  year  next 
ensuing.  In  witness,  &c.,  witness  ourself  at 
Westminster,  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  Feb- 
ruary, anno  regni  regis  &  reginse  Gulielmi 
&  Mariae  quarto  per  breve  de  privato  sigillo. 
Nos  autem  tenorem  premissor.  predict.  Ad 
requisitionem  attornat.  general,  domini  regis 
&,  dominae  reginae  pro  regno  Hiberniae. 
Duximus  exemplificand.  per  presentes.  In 
cujus  rei  testimonium  has  literas  nostras  fieri 
fecimus  patentes.  Testibus  nobis  ipsis  apud 
Westmon.  quinto  die  Aprilis  annoq.  regni 
eorum  quarto. 

Bridges. 
Examinat.  per  nos 

S.  Keck,  >  In  Cancel. 

Lacon  Wm.  Childe.  J  Magistros. 

Military  Articles  agreed  upon  between 
the  Baron  de  Ginkle,  lieutenant-general 
and  commander-in-chief  of  the  English 
army,  on  the  one  side, 

And  the  Lieutenant-generals  DeUssoon  and 
De  Tesse,  com.manders-in-chief  of  the 
Irish  army,  on  the  other  ;  and  the  general 
officers  hereunto  subscribing. 

I.  That  all  persons  without  any  excep- 
tions, of  what  quality  or  condition  soever, 
that  are  willing  to  leave  the  kingdom  of  Ire- 
land, shall  have  free  liberty  to  go  to  any  coun- 
try beyond  the  seas  (England  and  Scotland 
excepted)  where  they  think  fit,  with  their 
families,  household-stuff,  plate,  and  jewels. 

II.  That  all  general  officers,  colonels,  and 
generally  all  other  officers  of  horse,  dragoons, 
and  foot-guards,  troopers, dragooners,  soldiers 
of  all  kinds,  that  are  in  any  garrison,  place, 
or  post,  now  in  the  hands  of  the  Irish,  or 
encamped  in  the  counties  of  Cork,  Clare,  and 
Kerry,  as  also  those  called  Rapparees,  or 


610 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


volunteers,  that  are  willing  to  go  beyonil  seas 
as  aforesaid,  sliall  have  free  leave  to  embark 
themselves  wherever  tlie  ships  are  that  are 
appointed  to  transport  them,  and  to  come  in 
■whole  bodies  as  they  are  now  composed,  or 
in  parties,  companies,  or  otherwise,  without 
having  any  impediment,  directly  or  indirectly. 

III.  That  all  persons  above-mentioned, 
that  are  willing  to  leave  Ireland  and  go  into 
France,  shall  have  leave  to  declare  it  at  the 
times  and  places  hereafter  mentioned,  viz.: 
the  troops  in  Limerick,  on  Tuesday  next  in 
Limerick  ;  the  horse  at  their  camp  on 
Wednesday  ;  and  the  other  forces  that  are 
dispersed  in  the  counties  of  Clare,  Kerry,  and 
Cork,  on  the  8th  instant,  and  on  none  other, 
before  Monsieur  Tameron,  the  French  in- 
tendant,  and  Colonel  Withers  ;  and  after  such 
declaration  is  made,  the  troops  that  will  go 
into  France  must  remain  under  the  command 
and  discipline  of  their  officers  that  are  to  con- 
duct them  thither  ;  and  deserters  of  each  side 
shall  be  given  up,  and  punished  accordingly. 

IV.  That  all  English  and  Scotch  officers 
that  serve  now  in  Ireland,  shall  be  included 
in  this  capitulation,  as  well  for  the  security 
of  their  estates  and  goods  in  England,  Scot- 
land, and  Ireland,  (if  they  are  willing  to  re- 
main here,)  as  for  passing  freely  into  France, 
or  any  other  country  to  serve. 

V.  That  all  the  general  French  officers, 
the  intendant,  the  engineers,  the  commissa- 
ries at  war,  and  of  the  artillery,  ihe  treas- 
urer, and  other  French  officers,  strangers,  and 
all  others  whatsoever,  that  are  in  Sligo,Ross, 
Clare,  or  in  the  army,  or  that  do  trade  or 
commerce,  or  are  otherwise  employed  in 
any  kind  of  station  or  condition,  shall  have 
free  leave  to  pass  into  France,  or  any  other 
country,  and  shall  have  leave  to  ship  them- 
selves, with  all  their  horses,  equipage,  plate, 
papers,  and  all  their  effects  whatever  ;  and 
that  General  Ginkle  will  order  passports  for 
them,  convoys,  and  carriages  by  land  and 
water,  to  carry  them  safe  from  Limerick  to 
the  ships  where  they  shall  be  embarked, 
without  paying  any  thing  for  the  siid  car- 
riages, or  to  those  that  are  employed  therein, 
with  their  horses,  cars,  boats,  and  shallops. 

VI.  That  if  any  of  the  aforesaid  equi- 
pages, merchandise,  horses,  money,  plate,  or 
other  moveables,  or  household-stuff'  belong- 
ing to  the  said  Irish  troops,  or  to  the  French 
officers,  or  other  particular  persons  whatso- 
ever, be  robbed,  destroyed,  or  taken  away 
by  the  troops  of  the  said  general,  the  said 
general  will  order  it  to  be  restored,  or  pay- 
ment to  be  made  according  to  the  value  that 
is  given  in  upon  oath  by  the  person  so  robbed 
■or  plundered  ;  and  the  said  Irish  troops  to  be 


transported  as  aforesaid  ;  and  all  other  per- 
sons belonging  to  them,  are  to  observe  good 
order  in  their  march  and  quarters,  and  shall 
restore  whatever  they  shall  take  from  the 
country,  or  make  restitution  for  the  same. 

VII.  That  to  facilitate  the  transporting 
the  said  troops,  the  general  will  furnish  fifty 
ships,  each  ship's  burden  two  hundred  tons  ; 
for  which  the  persons  to  be  transported  shall 
not  be  obliged  to  pay  ;  and  twenty  more,  if 
there  shall  be  occasion,  without  their  paying 
for  them  ;  and  if  any  of  the  said  ships  shall 
be  of  lesser  burden,  he  will  furnish  more 
in  number  to  countervail  ;  and  also  give  two 
men-of-war  to  embark  the  principal  officers, 
and  serve  for  a  convoy  to  the  vessels  of 
burden. 

VIII.  That  a  commissary  shall  be  imme- 
diately sent  to  Cork  to  visit  the  transport 
ships,  and  what  condition  they  are  in  for 
sailing  ;  and  that  as  soon  as  they  are  ready, 
the  troops  to  be  transported  shall  march  with 
all  convenient  speed,  the  nearest  way  in  order 
to  embark  there  ;  and  if  there  shall  be  any 
more  men  to  be  transported  than  can  be  car- 
ried off  in  the  said  fifty  ships,  the  rest  shall 
quit  the  English  town  of  Limerick,  and 
march  to  such  quarters  as  shall  be  appointed 
for  them,  convenient  for  their  transporta- 
tion ;  Avhere  they  shall  remain  till  the  other 
twenty  ships  be  ready,  which  are  to  be  in  a 
month  ;  and  may  embark  on  any  French 
ship  that  may  come  in  the  mean  time. 

IX.  That  the  said  ships  shall  be  furnished 
with  forage  for  horse,  and  all  necessary  pro- 
visions to  subsist  the  officers,  troops,  dra- 
goons, and  soldiers,  and  all  other  persons 
that  are  shipped  to  be  transported  into 
France  ;  which  provisions  shall  be  paid  for 
as  soon  as  all  are  disembarked  at  Brest  or 
Nants,  upon  the  coast  of  Brittany,  or  any 
other  port  of  France  they  can  make. 

X.  And  to  secure  the  return  of  the  said 
ships,  (the  danger  of  the  seas  excepted,)  and 
payment  for  the  said  provisions,  sufficient 
hostages  shall  be  given. 

XI.  That  the  garrisons  of  Clare-castle, 
Ross,  and  all  other  foot  that  are  in  garrisons 
in  the  counties  of  Clare,  Cork,  and  Kerry, 
shall  have  the  advantage  of  this  present  ca- 
pitulation ;  and  such  part  of  those  garrisons 
as  design  to  go  beyond  seas,  shall  march 
out  with  their  arms,  baggage,  drums  beating, 
ball  in  mouth,  match  lighted  at  both  ends, 
and  colors  flying,  with  all  the  provisions, 
and  half  the  ammunition  that  is  in  the  said 
garrisons,  and  join  the  horse  that  march  to 
be  transported  ;  or  if  then  there  is  not  ship- 
ping enough  for  the  body  of  foot  that  is  to 
be  next  transported  after  the  horse,  General 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


611 


Ginkle  will  order  that  they  be  furnished 
with  carriages  for  that  purpose,  and  what 
provisions  they  shall  want  in  their  inarch, 
they  paying  for  the  said  provisions,  or  else 
that  they  may  take  it  out  of  their  own  maga- 
zines. 

XII.  That  all  the  Voops  of  horse  and 
dragoons  that  are  in  the  counties  of  Cork, 
Kerry,  and  Clare,  shall  also  have  the  bene- 
fit of  this  capitulation  ;  and  that  such  as  will 
pass  into  France,  shall  have  quarters  given 
them  in  the  counties  of  Clare  and  Kerry, 
apart  from  the  troops  that  are  commanded 
by  General  Ginkle,  until  they  can  be  ship- 
ped ;  and  within  their  quarters  they  shall 
pay  for  every  thing,  except  forage  and  pas- 
ture for  their  horses,  which  shall  be  fur- 
nished gratis. 

XIII.  Those  of  the  garrison  of  Sligo  that 
are  joined  to  the  Irish  army,  shall  have  the 
benefit  of  this  capitulation  ;  and  orders  shall 
be  sent  to  them  that  are  to  convey  them  up, 
to  bring  them  hither  to  Limerick  the  shortest 
way. 

XIV.  The  Irish  may  have  liberty  to  trans- 
port nine  hundred  horse,  including  horses  for 
the  officers,  which  shall  be  transported  gratis ; 
and  as  for  the  troopers  that  stay  behind,  they 
shall  dispose  of  themselves  as  they  shall 
think  fit,  giving  up  their  horses  and  arms  to 
such  persons  as  the  general  shall  appoint. 

XV.  It  shall  be  permitted  to  those  that 
are  appointed  to  take  care  for  the  subsist- 
ence of  the  horse  that  are  willing  to  go  into 
France,  to  buy  hay  and  corn  at  the  king's 
rates  wherever  they  can  find  it,  in  the  quar- 
ters that  are  assigned  for  them,  without  any 
let  or  molestation,  and  to  carry  all  necessary 
provisions  out  of  the  city  of  Limerick  ;  and 
for  this  purpose,  the  general  will  furnish 
convenient  carriages  for  them  to  the  places 
where  they  shall  be  embarked. 

XVI.  It  shall  be  lawful  to  make  use  of 
the  hay  preserved  in  the  stores  of  the  county 
of  Kerry,  for  the  horses  that  shall  be  em- 
barked ;  and  if  there  be  not  enough,  it  shall 
be  lawful  to  buy  hay  and  oats  wherever  it 
shall  be  found,  at  the  king's  rates. 

XVII.  That  all  prisoners  of  war,  that 
were  in  Ireland  the  28th  of  September, 
shall  be  set  at  liberty  on  both  sides  ;  and  the 
general  promises  to  use  his  endeavors  that 
those  that  are  in  England  and  Flanders 
shall  be  set  at  liberty  also. 

XVIII.  The  general  will  cause  provisions 
and  medicines  to  be  furnished  to  the  sick  and 
wounded  officers,  troopers,  dragoons,  and 
soldiers  of  the  Irish  army  that  cannot  pass 
into  France  at  the  first  embarkment  ;  and 
after  they  are  cured,  will  order  them  ships 


to  pass  into  France,  if  they  are  willing 
to  go. 

XIX.  That  at  the  signing  hereof,  the 
eneral  will  send  a  ship  express  to  France  ; 

and  that  besides,  he  will  furnish  two  small 
ships  of  those  that  are  now  in  the  river  of 
Limerick,  to  transport  two  persons  into 
France  that  are  to  be  sent  to  give  notice  of 
this  treaty  ;  and  that  the  commanders  of  the 
said  ships  shall  have  orders  to  put  ashore 
at  the  next  port  of  France  where  they  shall 
make . 

XX.  That  all  those  of  the  said  troops, 
officers,  and  others,  of  what  character  so- 
ever, that  would  pass  into  France,  shall  not 
be  stopped  upon  the  account  of  debt,  or  any 
other  pretext. 

XXI.  If  after  signing  this  present  treaty, 
and  before  the  arrival  of  the  fleet,  a  French 
packet-boat,  or  other  transport-ship,  shall 
arrive  from  France  in  any  other  part  of  Ire- 
land, the  general  will  order  a  passport,  not 
only  for  such  as  must  go  on  board  the  said 
ships,  but  to  the  ships  to  come  to  the  near- 
est port  to  the  place  where  the  troops  to  be 
transported  shall  be  quartered. 

XXII.  That  after  the  arrival  of  the  said 
fleet,  there  shall  be  free  communication  and 
passage  between  it  and  the  quarters  of  the 
above  said  troops  ;  and  especially  for  all 
those  that  have  passes  from  the  chief  com- 
manders of  the  said  fleet,  or  from  Monsieur 
Tameron,  the  intendant. 

XXIII.  In  consideration  of  the  present 
capitulation,  the  two  towns  of  Limerick  shall 
be  delivered  and  put  into  the  hands  of  the 
general,  or  any  other  person  he  shall  appoint, 
at  the  time  and  days  hereafter  specified, 
viz  :  the  Irish  town,  except  the  magazines 
and  hospital,  on  the  day  of  the  signing  of 
these  present  articles  ;  and  as  for  the  Eng- 
lish town,  it  shall  remain,  together  with  the 
island,  and  the  free  passage  of  Thuomond- 
bridge,  in  the  hands  of  those  of  the  Irish 
army  that  are  now  in  the  garrison,  or  that 
shall  hereafter  come  from  the  counties  of 
Cork,  Clare,  Kerry,  Sligo,  and  other  places 
above  mentioned,  until  there  shall  be  con- 
venience found  for  their  transportation. 

XXIV.  And  to  prevent  all  disorders  that 
may  happen  between  the  garrison  that  the 
general  shall  place  in  the  Irish  town,  which 
shall  be  delivered  to  him,  and  the  Irish 
troopers  that  shall  remain  in  the  English 
town  and  the  island,  (which  they  may  do 
until  the  troops  to  be  embarked  on  the  first 
fifty  ships  shall  be  gone  Xor  France,  and  no 
longer,)  they  shall  intrench  themselves  on 
both  sides,  to  hinder  the  communication  of 
the  said  garrisons  ;  and  it  shall  be  prohibit- 


612 


HISTORY   OF    IRELAND. 


ed  on  both  sides,  to  offer  any  thing  that  is 
offensive  ;  and  the  parties  offending  shall 
be  jiiuusIkhI  on  eitlun-  side. 

XXV.  That  it  sliali  l)e  lawful  for  the  said 
garrison  to  march  out  all  at  once,  or  at  dif- 
ferent times,  as  they  can  be  embarked,  with 
arms,  baggage,  drums  beating,  match  lighted 
at  both  ends,  bullet  in  mouth,  colors  dying, 
six  brass  guns,  such  as  the  besieged  will 
choose,  two  mortar-pieces,  and  half  the  am- 
munition that  is  now  in  the  magazines  of 
the  said  place  ;  and  for  this  purpose,  an  in- 
ventory of  all  the  ammunition  in  the  garrison 
shall  be  made,  in  the  presence  of  any  person 
that  the  general  shall  appoint,  the  next  day 
after  these  present  articles  shall  be  signed. 

XXVI.  All  the  magazines  of  provisions 
shall  remain  in  the  hands  of  those  that  are 
now  employed  to  take  care  of  the  same,  for 
the  subsistence  of  those  of  the  Irish  army 
that  will  pass  into  France  ;  and  if  there  shall 
not  be  sufficient  in  the  stores  for  the  support 
of  the  said  troops  while  they  stay  in  this 
kingdom,  and  are  crossing  the  seas,  that, 
upon  giving  up  an  account  of  their  numbers, 
the  general  will  furnish  them  with  sufficient 
provisions  at  the  king's  rates  ;  and  that  there 
shall  be  a  free  market  at  Limerick,  and  other 
quarters  where  the  said  troops  shall  be  ; 
and  in  case  any  provisions  shall  remain  in 
the  magazines  of  Limerick  when  the  town 
shall  be  given  up,  it  shall  be  valued,  and  the 
price  deducted  out  of  what  is  to  be  paid  for 
the  provisions  to  be  furnished  to  the  troops 
on  ship-board. 

XXVII.  That  there  shall  be  a  cessation 
of  arms  at  land,  as  also  at  sea,  with  respect 
to  the  ships,  whether  English,  Dutch,  or 
French,  designed  for  the  transportation  of 
the  said  troops,  until  they  shall  be  returned 
to  their  respective  harbors  ;  and  that,  on 
both  sides,  they  shall  be  furnished  with  suf- 
ficient passports  both  for  ships  and  men  ; 
and  if  any  sea-commander,  or  captain  of  a 
ship,  or  any  officer,  trooper,  dragoon,  soldier, 
or  any  other  person,  shall  act  contrary  to  this 
cessation,  the  persons  so  acting  shall  be  pun- 
ished on  either  side,  and  satisfaction  shall 
be  made  for  the  wrong  that  is  done  ;  and 
officers  shall  be  sent  to  the  mouth  of  the 
river  of  Limerick,  to  give  notice  to  the  com- 
manders of  the  English  and  French  fleets 
of  the  present  conjuncture,  that  they  may 
observe  the  cessation  of  arms  accordingly. 

XXVIII.  That  for  the  security  of  the 
execution  of  this  present  capitulation,  and  of 
each  article  therein  contained,  the  besieo-ed 

j  shall  give  the  following  hostages 

I  And  the  general  shall  give 

I       XXIX.  If  before  this  capitulation  is  fully 


executed,  there  happens  any  change  in  the 
government,  or  command  of  the  army,  which 
is  now  commanded  by  General  Ginkle  ;  all 
those  that  shall  be  appointed  to  command 
the  same,  shall  be  obliged  to  observe  and 
execute  what  is  specified  in  these  articles, 
or  cause  it  to  be  executed  punctually,  and 
shall  not  act  contrary  on  any  account. 

In  faith  of  which  we  have  subscribed  our 
names,  the  13th  of  October,  1691.  Signed 
— Dussen,  le  chevalier  De  Tesse,  Lucan, 
Wachop,  and  La  Tour-Montfort.  Charles 
Porter,  Thomas  Coningsby,  Baron  Ginkle. 

However  willing  the  prince  of  Orange 
might  have  been  to  support  the  Irish  Catho- 
lics in  the  enjoyment  of  the  privileges  which 
were  granted  to  them  by  the  treaty  of  Lim- 
erick, it  is  certain  that  the  English  govern- 
ment did  not  fulfil  the  articles  of  capitulation. 
After  a  disastrous  war,  in  which  their  chief 
objects  were  the  interest  of  their  religion 
and  the  inviolable  fidelity  which  they  thought 
due  to  their  king,  they,  however,  had  at  least 
the  satisfaction  of  having  the  freedom  of 
conscience  conceded  by  this  celebrated 
treaty.  The  honor  and  good  faith  of  the 
I  prince  of  Orange  were  the  only  guarantees 
of  this  compact ;  he  had  affixed  the  great 
seal  of  England  to  it ;  he  ratified  in  the 
most  solemn  manner  the  agreement  of  his 
!  generals  with  the  chiefs  of  the  Irish  army, 
I  and  bound  himself  and  his  successors  to  use 
every  effort  to  have  all  the  articles  of  the 
treaty  fulfilled  and  ratified  by  the  parliament. 
According  to  the  first  of  these  articles — 
The  Roman  Catholics  of  this  kingdom  shall 
enjoy  such  privileges  in  the  exercise  of  their 
religion  as  are  consistent  with  the  laws  of 
Ireland,  or  as  they  did  enjoy  in  the  reign  of 
King  Charles  the  Second  ;  and  their  majes- 
ties, as  soon  as  their  affairs  will  permit  them 
to  summon  a  parliament  in  this  kingdom,  will 
endeavor  to  procure  the  said  Roman  Catho- 
lics such  farther  security  in  that  particular, 
as  may  preserve  them  from  any  disturbance 
upon  the  account  of  their  said  religion. 

However,  numerous  acts  of  parliament 
were  passed,  by  which  this  article  was  annul- 
led. By  the  provisions  of  the  statute  called, 
An  act  to  prevent  the  increase  of  Popery,  it 
was  prohibited,  under  pain  of  prcEmunire*  to 
convert  or  be  converted  to  the  Catholic  re- 
ligion ;  and  also  to  give  children  a  foreign 

*  Tliis  is  a  species  of  law  that  strips  the  crimi- 
nal  of  all  his  goods,  deprives  him  of  his  liberty  and 
the  protection  of  the  laws,  exposes  him  to  every 
insult  and  bad  treatment,  without  any  remedy  ;  it 
renders  him  infamous,  and,  in  fine,  leaves  him  noth- 
ing but  the  life  he  is  to  lose. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


613 


education,  while  the  Catholics  had  neither 
schools  nor  colleges  to  have  them  instructed 
at  home,  and  Catholics  were  prohibited  from 
teaching  under  the  most  rigorous  penalties. 

At  almost  every  meeting  of  parliament, 
the  Catholics  experienced  some  new  proofs 
of  its  severity.  In  1697,  all  archbishops, 
bishops,  vicars-general,  deans,  and  other 
ecclesiastics,  as  also  all  monks,  of  whatso- 
ever order  they  were,  were  commanded  to 
quit  the  kingdom  before  the  first  of  May, 
1698  ;  it  being  ordained  that  those  who 
should  be  discovered  after  the  expiration  of 
that  time,  should  be  closely  imprisoned  in 
the  public  jail  of  the  place  in  which  they 
would  be  taken,  till  they  could  be  sent  beyond 
the  seas,  and  that  if  any  who  had  been  thus 
transported  had  the  boldness  to  return,  they 
should  be  punished  as  guilty  of  high  treason. 

By  other  acts  the  Irish  nobility  were  de- 
prived of  their  arms  and  horses  ;  they  were 
debarred  from  purchasing  land,  from  be- 
coming members  of  the  bar,  or  filling  any 
public  office  ;  and,  contrary  to  the  ninth  ar- 
ticle of  the  treaty,  they  were  made  subject 
to  infamous  oaths. 

Thus  were  the  Irish  Catholics  treated,  in 
violation  of  a  solemn  compact,  rendered  sa- 
cred by  every  necessary  formality.  But,  to 
the  disgrace  of  mankind,  experience  proves 
that  power  has  more  influence  in  the  fulfil- 
ment of  treaties  than  the  good  faith  of  those 
by  whom  they  are  signed. 

After  the  celebrated  treaty  of  Riswick,  in 
1697,  by  which  peace  was  restored  to  all 
Europe,  the  greater  part  of  the  standing 
army  in  England  was  to  have  been  dis- 
banded, but  money  was  wanting  to  pay  the 
arrears  due  to  the  officers,  provision-con- 
tractors, &.C.  The  English,  however,  soon 
discovered  means  for  these  purposes,  with- 
out any  cost  to  themselves.  A  supply  of 
one  million  sterling  was  granted  by  parlia- 
ment, to  be  raised  by  the  confiscation  of  the 
estates  of  the  Irish  Catholics  who  had  taken 
up  arms  for  James  II.  after  the  year  1688  ; 
commissioners  being  appointed  to  inquire 
into  the  nature  of  these  estates,  and  to  as- 
certain what  they  would  produce  for  the 
above-mentioned  purposes. 

The  reports  of  the  commissioners  to  the 
house  of  commons  on  the  affairs  for  which 
they  had  been  nominated,  are  subjoined. 
They  were  printed  in  London  in  1700,  by 
order  of  parliament.  They  contain  in  all 
ninety  paragraphs  ;  but  we  pass  over  here,  | 
those  from  the  first  to  the  twelfth,  the  rest 
being  only  accounts  of  the  difficulties  which 
the  commissioners  had  to  contend  with  in 
the  fulfilment  of  their  trust. 


By  these  reports  it  will  be  seen  that  three 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  twenty-one  Irish- 
men, and  fifty-seven  Englishmen  were  pro- 
scribed. If  the  sacrifices  made  by  both 
were  the  same,  how  different  has  been  the 
number  of  victims.  It  will  also  appear  from 
them,  how  much  those  who  followed  the 
fortunes  of  James  II.  had  lost ;  how  their 
estates  were  plundered  and  laid  waste  ;  what 
abuses  were  commilted  in  the  confiscations, 
by  men  of  the  highest  rank  ;  what  immense 
fortunes  were  unjustly  acquired  at  that  time 
by  the  most  obscure  characters  ;  and  lastly, 
what  inconsiderable  advantages  accrued  to 
William,  and  to  the  crown  of  England,  by 
these  confiscations.  We  will  also  discover 
the  manner  in  which  these  proceedings  were 
conducted,  and  get  some  knowledge  of  the 
forms  and  customs  of  the  inferior  courts  of 
law  in  Great  Britain.  An  idea,  also,  may 
be  arrived  at  of  English  and  Irish  parlia- 
ments at  the  time,  and  of  the  nature  of  their 
deliberations. 

Report  of  the  commissioners  appointed  by  the 
parliament  of  England  to  take  cognizance 
of  the  properties  that  were  confiscated  upon 
the  Irish  who  were  concerned  in  the  rebellion 
of  IQSS*  to  the  honorable  house  of  com- 
mons, December  15,  1699. 

1st.  Gentlemen, — In  virtue  of  the  power 
granted  to  us  by  a  late  act  of  parliament, 
made  in  the  tenth  and  the  eleventh  years  of 
his  majesty's  reign,  styled.  An  act  for  the 
granting  to  his  majesty  the  sum  of  one  mil- 
lion four  hundred  and  eighty-four  thousand 
and  fifteen  pounds  one  shilling  and  eleven  i 
pence  three  farthings,  to  enable  him  to  dis- 
band the  troops,  and  provide  for  the  main- 
tenance of  the  fleet,  and  other  necessary 
expenses,  we  have  inquired  into  the  state  of 
the  properties  which  have  been  confiscated 
in  Ireland. 

12. — On  account  of  the  late  rebellion, 
fifty-seven  persons  have  been  proscribed  in 
England,  since  the  13th  February,  1688, 
and  three  thousand  nine  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-one in  Ireland.  The  aggregate,  with  the 
names  of  the  counties  in  which  they  were 
attainted,  is  inserted  in  a  book  presented 
with  this  report.  No.  1. 

13. — The  lands  which  belonged  to  the 
said  persons  since  the  13th  February,  1688, 
with  the  name  of  the  owners,  the  number 
of  acres  confiscated,  the  names  of  the  coun- 
ties and  baronies  in  which  they  are  situated, 
the  annual  revenue,  and  the  value  of  capital, 

*  They  stifrmatize  with  the  name  of  rebellion  the 
efforts  of  the  Catholics  of  Ireland  in  favor  of  their 
legitimate  king. 


614 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


are  contained  in  a  book*  presented  with  this 
report,  No.  2. 

14. — We  calculate  that  the  confiscated 
lands  in  the  following  counties  are  of  the 
value  and  extent  as  subjoined  : 


Antrim  .  .  . 
Armagh  .  . 
Cork  .... 
Carlovv  .  .  . 
Clare  .... 
Cavan  .  .  . 
Dublin  .  .  . 
Down  .... 
Fermanagh . 
Galway  .  .  . 
Kildare  .  .  . 
King's  Co.  . 
Kilkenny  .  . 
Kerry  .... 
Limerick  .  . 
Longford  .  . 
Louth  and  ) 
Drogheda  ^ 
Meath  .  .  . 
Mayo  .... 
Monaghan  . 
Queen's  Co. 
Roscommon 
Sligo  .... 
Tipperary  . 
Wicklow  .  . 
Westmeath 
Wexford  .  . 
Waterford    . 


A.  AnnualViihie.       Real  Value, 


1010.3 

49  G2 

2443:20 

2G.3()3 

72246 

3830 

34546 

9079 

1945 

60825 

44281 

30459 

30152 

90116 

14882 

2067 


92452 
19294 

3832 
22657 
28933 

5562 
31960 
18164 
58083 
55882 
21343 


£ 

1944 

588 

.321.33 

7913 

12060 

478 

16061 

1016 

389 

10225 

16551 

6870 

5243 

3652 

4728 

348 


s.  d. 
18  6 
0  0 
12  6 

11  6 

17  0 

12  6 
6  0 
6  6 
0  0 
4  0 

18  6 
18  0 

3  6 
11  9 
10  0 

9  9 


£ 

25284 

7644 

417737 

95872 

156791 

6222 

208796 

1.3212 

5057 

83528 

215175 

89321 

68161 

47483 

61470 

4530 


s.  d. 
0  6 
0  0 
2  6 
2  0 
0 
6 


1 
o 

18  0 


4  6 
0  0 

18  0 

0  6 

14  0 

5  6 
12  9 
10  0 

6  9 


22508  0  6331  11  0  82310  3  0 


0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

3  8888 

0  2719 

014633 

2|  7551 

0|  4190 


31.546 
3186 

558 
5002 

5808 
998 


4  6410100 

5  0,  37598 

16  0   7264 
8  9  65031 

15  O'  69767 

17  6  12985 
12  6115552 

3  0  35348 
12  6  190237 
10  6  98169 

0  0    54476 


19  0 

2  6 

16  6 

10  0 


According  to  this  calculation  there  were  one 
million  and  sixty  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  ninety-two  acres,  producing  an  annual 
income  of  two  hundred  and  eleven  thousand 
six  hundred  and  twenty-three  pounds  six 
shillings  and  three  pence  sterling  ;  the  real 
value  of  which  amounts  to  two  millions  six 
hundred  and  eighty-five  thousand  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  pounds  sterling,  independ- 
ently of  several  other  estates  confiscated,  of 
which  v>'Q  cannot  undertake  to  give  a  valua- 
tion, from  their  not  having  been  accurately 
surveyed.  We  consider  the  above  to  be  the 
value  of  the  estates  confiscated  since  the 
13th  February,  1688. 

15. — We  deem  it  our  duty  now  to  inform 
you  of  the  number  of  acres  that  have  been 
restored  to  their  former  owners,  in  virtue 
of  the  treaties  of  Limerick  and  Galway,  or 
through  the  particular  favor  of  his  majesty. 

*  Every  effort  has  been  used  by  us  to  discover 
that  book  in  which  are  contained  the  names  of  the 
proprietors,  in  order  to  introduce  them  here  in  favor 
of  their  descendants,  many  of  whom  are  still  living  ; 
but  our  efforts  to  find  it  have  been  in  vain. — J. 
M'Geoghegan. 


16. — Three  letters — one  from  the  late 
Queen  Mary,  dated  March  15th,  to  Lord  Sid- 
ney, Sir  Charles  Porter,  and  Mr.  Thomas 
Coningsby,  lords-justices  and  governors  of 
the  kingdom  of  Ireland  ;  another  from  the 
same  queen,  dated  6th  May,  1693,  to  the 
same  Lord-viscount  Sidney,  then  viceroy 
and  governor-general  of  that  kingdom,  and 
to  the  privy  council  ;  and  a  third  letter  from 
the  king,  April  24,  1694,  to  Lord  Henry 
Capel,  Sir  Cyrillwick,  and  Mr.  Duncombe, 
then  lord-justice  of  Ireland,  and  to  the  privy 
council,  authorizing  them  to  attend  to  the 
representations  of  those  who  considered 
themselves  entitled  to  take  advantage  of  the 
treaties  of  Limerick  and  Galway,  and  to  do 
them  justice.  It  was  therefore  decided  that 
four  hundred  and  ninety-one  persons  should 
have  the  benefit  of  the  above-named  treaties. 
Their  names,  rank,  the  lime  they  were  put 
into  possession  of  what  they  had  lost,  are 
contained  in  the  book  presented  to  you,  gen- 
tlemen, endorsed  No.  3. 

17. — Further,  a  commission  dated  Feb- 
ruary 25,  in  the  eighth  year  of  his  majesty's 
reign,  with  the  great  seal  of  Ireland  affixed 
to  it,  empowering  the  judges  of  the  several 
courts,  or  five  of  them,  to  inquire  into  the 
claims  of  the  proscribed  ;  in  consequence  of 
which,  seven  hundred  and  ninety-two  per- 
sons were  found  entitled  to  the  benefit  of  the 
above-named  articles.  The  names  of  those 
persons,  their  rank,  and  the  nature  of  the 
estates  which  have  been  restored  to  them, 
and  the  periods,  are  specified  in  a  book 
added  to  the  report.  No.  4. 

18. — The  estates  thus  restored,  contain 
two  hundred  and  thirty-three  thousand  one 
hundred  and  six  acres,  producing  an  annual 
income  of  fifty-five  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  sixty-three  pounds  six  shillings  and  six 
pence  sterling,  and  are  valued  at  seven  hun- 
dred and  twenty-four  thousand  nine  hundred^ 
and  twenty-three  pounds  and  four  pence 
sterling.  An  account  of  the  rent  and  value 
of  each,  the  names  of  the  counties  or  baro- 
nies in  which  the  above-named  estates  lie, 
with  the  names  and  rank  of  the  owners,  are 
specified  in  No.  4. 

19. — We  do  not  presume  to  question,  if 
their  majesties'  letters  above  named,  to  the 
lords-justices  and  council,  or  the  commission 
to  which  the  great  seal  has  been  affixed, 
could  invest  any  person  with  a  power  neces- 
sary for  summoning  his  majesty's  subjects, 
and  oblige  them  to  come  from  any  part  of 
the  kingdom,  to  take  an  oath  and  try  them 
without  any  judicial  form,  and  raise  money 
under  the  name  and  pretext  of  a  salary,  &c.,  ! 
without  any  act  of  parliament  to  authorize  [ 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


61J 


sucli  proceedings.     We  humbly  submit  this 
observation  to  your  Avisdom. 

20. — We  consider  it  our  duty,  gentlemen, 
to  inform  you,  that  in  these  courts,  establish- 
ed in  the  extraordinary  manner  we  have 
named,  exorbitant  salaries  were  required  : 
that  Palmer,  Avho  held  the  office  of  register 
under  Mr.  Poultney,  with  whom  he  shared 
the  profits,  demanded  from  Mr.  Luke  Dil- 
lon, when  his  father's  property  was  restored 
to  him,  the  sum  of  eighty-six  pounds  ster- 
ling ;  and  Mr.  Steel,  the  crier  of  the  same 
court,  fifteen  pounds,  besides  ten  pounds 
he  had  given  to  Palmer  at  different  periods 
while  the  trial  was  pending  for  two  years. 
This  is  not  an  individual  instance ;  many 
others  have  paid  large  sums  in  similar  cases. 
Previously  to  our  being  appointed  commis- 
sioners, nearly  five  pounds  was  paid  on  pre- 
senting the  first  petition,  though  it  was  for- 
mally declared,  in  the  articles  of  the  treaty 
of  Limerick,  that  none  but  clerks  were  to 
receive  payment  for  their  writings. 

21. — We  may  add,  that  complaints  be- 
came general,  and  we  can  say  with  justice, 
against  the  last  court  that  was  established 
for  receiving  petitions.  Many  have  been 
tried  without  their  petitions  being  heard  ; 
others,  a  day  or  two  after  they  had  been 
received,  before  the  king's  counsel  or  the 
witnesses  had  been  heard,  which  is  contrary 
to  the  rules  of  the  court  itself,  according  to 
which  there  should  be  fourteen  days  between 
the  admission  of  the  claim  and  the  trial.  In 
general,  it  appears  that  many  abuses  have 
been  committed,  and  that  the  articles  of 
Limerick  and  Galway  have  often  been  too 
favorably  interpreted  towards  the  proscri- 
bed ;  so  that  one  witness  has  been  often 
sufficient  to  determine  in  their  favor;  we 
are,  therefore,  of  opinion,  that  many  have 
been  reinstated  in  the  possession  of  property, 
which,  if  matters  were  well  investigated, 
should  belong  to  his  majesty ;  for  this  pur- 
pose we  sent  to  Palmer  for  his  minutes,  but 
as  he  had  only  written  them  in  notes,  wc 
could  not  obtain  sufficient  information  to 
lay  before  you.  We  will  observe  one  thing 
which  seems  singular  to  us,  that,  since  we 
received  our  commission,  the  court  has  re- 
stored more  persons  to  their  properties  than 
they  had  previously  done  since  the  treaty  of 
Limerick. 

22. — We  have  also  to  inform  you,  gen- 
tlemen, that  many  ancient  proprietors  have 
been  reinstated,  by  the  repeal  of  their  sen- 
tence, or  by  a  pardon  from  his  majesty. 

23. — This  is  of  two  kinds  ;  that  which 
has  been  the  result  of  trial  is  specified  in  the 
books  marked  3  and  4,  and  in  separate 
columns. 


24.--The  other,  granted  as  favors  by 
his  majesty,  or  letters  from  the  late  queen, 
or  by  orders,  subsequently  to  the  battle  of  the 
Boyne,  are  in  a  book  joined  to  tliis  report. 
No.  5. — The  number  of  these  persons  is 
sixty-five.  The  estates  thus  restored  con- 
tain seventy-four  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  thirty-three  acres,  producing  an  annual 
income  of  twenty  thousand  and  sixty-six 
pounds  eight  pence  three  farthings,  sterling, 
and  worth  two  hundred  and  sixty  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  sixty-three  pounds  seven 
pence  three  farthings,  sterling.  The  names 
of  the  counties,  baronies,  persons,  and  rank, 
are  specified  in  a  book.  No.  2. 

25. — We  now  think  it  necessary  to  in- 
form you  of  what  we  have  discovered  in  the 
different  provinces,  and  which  appears  very 
probable,  that  many  have  obtained  favors 
from  his  majesty,  by  giving  money,  who  had 
enjoyed,  and  have  abused  his  confidence  ; 
but  in  our  endeavors  to  investigate  this 
matter,  we  were  unable  to  overcome  the 
difficulty ;  these  arrangements  had  been 
made  in  the  most  private  manner,  and  be- 
tween those  who  are  not  at  present  in  the 
kingdom.  We  shall,  nevertheless,  lay  proofs 
before  you,  gentlemen,  of  money  having 
been  the  means  of  restoring  many  persons 
to  their  properties. 

26. — Lord  Belle w  gave  Lord  Raby*  one 
thousand  pounds,  besides  seven  or  eight 
hundred  pounds  which  were  due  to  him,  on 
condition  that  he  would  use  his  influence 
with  the  king  to  obtain  his  pardon,  which 
he  received  in  consequence.  The  same 
Lord  Bellew  gave  up  to  Lord  Romney  the 
rent  of  his  estate,  amounting  to  about  three 
thousand  pounds,  which  he  had  enjoyed  for 
nearly  three  years,  on  condition  that  he 
would  not  be  opposed  to  him  in  applying 
for  his  pardon. 

27. — John  Kerdiff,  a  gentleman  of  the 
county  of  Dublin,  gave  Mrs.  Margaret  Uni- 
ack  two  hundred  pounds,  to  induce  her  to 
prevail  on  Lord  Romney  to  obtain  a  letter 
annulling  his  proscription,  which  was  grant- 
ed. However,  the  particular  circumstances 
of  this  man  merited,  in  our  opinion,  the 
greatest  compassion. 

28. — Sir  John  Morris  gave  two  hundred 
pounds  to  Mr.  Richard  Uniack,  and  three 
hundred  to  Mrs.  Margaret  Uniack,  for  his 
pardop,  which  she  obtained  through  the  in- 
fluence of  Lord  Romney. 

29. — Harvey  Morris,  Esq.,  gave  Mrs.  M. 
Uniack,  one  hundred  pounds,  for  having 
procured  him  his  majesty's  pardon. 

*   He  was  called  Wciitworth. 


616 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


30. — John  Hussey,  of  Leixlip,  being  in- 
formed by  Messrs.  Bray  and  Briscoe,  agents 
to  Lord  Athlone,  who  had  the  confiscation 
of  Lord  Limerick's  estate,  that  he  could  not 
succeed  in  having  his  sentence  removed,  if 
he  did  not  give  the  present  owner  a  mort- 
gage of  three  hundred  pounds  which  he 
owed  on  the  property  of  Lord  Limerick, 
was  obliged  to  do  so  in  order  to  get  his 
pardon. 

3L — Edmond  Roche  gave  Richard  Dar- 
ling, Lord  Romney's  steward,  five  hundred 
pounds  for  having  procured  him  his  pardon. 
This  gentleman,  who  had  been  proscribed 
by  virtue  of  the  law  enacted  against  those 
who  were  guilty  of  treason  in  foreign  coun- 
tries, was  proved  never  to  have  left  the 
kingdom. 

32. — John  Bourk,  commonly  called  Lord 
Bophin,  agreed  to  pay  seven  thousand  five 
hundred  pounds  sterling  to  Andrew  Card, 
for  the  use  of  Lord  Albemarle,  on  condition 
that  he  would  procure  a  letter  from  the  king 
to  remove  his  sentence  of  proscription  and 
restore  him  to  his  property ;  three  thousand 
pounds  were  to  be  paid  on  taking  posses- 
sion, and  the  rest  soon  afterwards.  His 
majesty  therefore  wrote  a  letter  to  the  lords- 
justices  in  favor  of  Lord  Bophin,  to  be 
communicated  to  the  commissioners  and 
court  of  claims  ;  a  decree  was  accordingly 
passed,  which  made  it  appear  that  it  was 
to  enable  this  nobleman  to  bring  up  his 
children  in  the  Protestant  religion,  and  to 
secure  his  property  to  Protestants.  The 
decree  specified  also,  that  nine  thousand 
pounds  sterling  should  be  raised  on  the 
whole  estate,  for  the  payment  of  his  debts 
and  the  maintenance  and  education  of  his 
children  ;  but,  in  truth,  to  pay  the  seven 
thousand  five  hundred  pounds  to  Lord  Albe- 
marle, and  the  remainder  was  to  be  divided 
among  others  concerned  in  this  iniquitous 
transaction.  This  decree  was  presented  to 
the  Irish  House  of  Commons,  to  have  it 
passed  into  a  law,  but  the  secret  purposes 
for  the  money  having  transpired,  the  hou 
determined  that  their  power  should  not  be 
made  use  of  to  authorize  such  clandestine 
and  unjust  proceedings,  and,  therefore,  re- 
jected it.  This  failure  produced  another 
settlement,  by  which  the  estates  of  Lord 
Bophin  were  mortgaged  to  Lord  Ross  ;  the 
money  which  was  to  be  given  for  this  should 
first  be  raised  upon  the  property,  and  the 
rents  applied  to  the  payment  of  debts,  and 
to  the  wants  of  the  house  of  Clanriccard. 
In  consequence  of  this  new  arrangement,  a 
letter  was  given  by  his  majesty,  confirmin 
it,  and  three  thousand  pounds  were  paid  to 


John  Broderick  on  account  of  Lord  Albe- 
marle. 

33. — Thus,  gentlemen,  have  we  given 
you  an  account  of  the  estates  which  have 
been  confiscated  since  February  13,  1688, 
and  those  that  have  been  restored  to  the 
proprietors,  either  by  the  treaties  of  Lim- 
erick and  Galway,  or  by  the  king.  We 
shall  now  introduce  those  to  whom  his  ma- 
jesty has  given  these  confiscated  lands,  or 
to  whom  they  have  been  mortgaged. 

34. — Since  the  battle  of  the  Boyne,  sixty 
patents  have  been  given,  sealed  with  the 
great  seal  of  Ireland,  to  sixty  persons,  as 
grants  or  mortgages  of  estates  confiscated  in 
Ireland.  The  dates  of  the  above  patents, 
and  the  causes  that  produced  them,  are 
contained  in  a  book  marked  No.  6.  The 
following  is  a  list  of  the  most  considerable 
of  these  grants,  the  number  of  acres  they 
contain,  and  the  motives  for  giving  them. 

35. — Lord  Romney  received  three  grants, 
of  which  he  is  in  possession,  containing 
forty-nine  thousand  five  hundred  and  seven- 
teen acres,  on  account  of  his  services. 

36. — Two  grants  to  Lord  Albermarle,  of 
one  hundred  and  eight  thousand  six  hundred 
and  thirty-three  acres,  on  account  of  his 
services. 

37. — William  Bentick,  commonly  called 
Lord  Woodstock,  received  one  hundred  and 
thirty-five  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  for  which  no  motive  is  assigned  in  the 
letters  patent. 

38. — To  Lord  Athlone,  twenty-six  thou- 
sand four  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  as  a 
reward  for  his  services  in  the  reduction  of 
Ireland  ;  these  grants  were  afterwards  con- 
firmed by  an  act  of  the  Irish  parliament. 

39. — 'To  Lord  Galway,  thirty-six  thou- 
sand one  hundred  and  forty-eight  acres,  on 
account  of  his  faithful  services. 

40. — To  Lord  Rochford,  two  grants  of 
thirty-nine  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-one acres,  as  a  reward  for  his  services. 

41. — To  the  marquis  of  Puizar,  three 
thousand  five  hundred  and  twelve  acres, 
f^r  his  services. 

42. — To  Lord  Coningsby,  five  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  sixty-six  acres,  with  the 
rights  of  lord-ships,  titles,  and  houses  in 
Dublin,  and  a  mortgage  of  one  thousand 
pounds  sterling,  as  a  reward  for  his  services. 

43. — To  Lord  Mountjoy,  eleven  thousand 
and  seventy  acres,  for  twenty-one  years, 
on  account  of  his  services  during  the  war  in 
Ireland,  the  losses  he  had  sustained  in 
property,  the  imprisonment  of  his  father  in 
the  Bastille,  and  his  having  been  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Steinkerque. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


617 


44. — -To  Mr.  Thomas  Keightly,  for  ninety- 
nine  years,  two  grants,  containing  tweh'e 
thousand  three  hundred  and  eighty-one 
acres,  as  a  portion  for  his  daughter,  Cathe- 
rine Keightly,  who  had  been  an  attendant 
on  the  late  Queen  Mary,  after  whose  death 
she  lost  a  pension  of  four  hundred  pounds, 
and  in  consideration  of  her  father's  losses 
during  the  war. 

45. — To  Colonel  Gustavus  Hamilton,  five 
thousand  three  hundred  and  eighty-two 
acres,  (nineteen  hundred  of  which  were  not 
confiscated  lands,)  as  a  reward  for  his  valua- 
ble services  during  the  war  in  Ireland,  for 
having  forded  the  river  Shannon,  and 
mounted  the  breach  in  the  taking  of  Ath- 
lone,  at  the  head  of  the  English  grenadiers. 

46. — To  Doctor  John  Lesly,  sixteen 
thousand  and  seventy-seven  acres,  on  ac- 
count of  his  active  and  diligent  services 
in  the  commencement  of  the  war  in  Ire- 
land, the  expenses  he  had  incurred  in  arm- 
ing a  numerous  body  of  men,  and  having 
fought  at  their  head  on  many  occasions. 

47. — To  Sir  Thomas  Pendergast,  two 
grants  of  seven  thousand  and  eighty-two 
acres,  for  having  discovered  a  conspiracy  to 
assassinate  the  king,  to  destroy  the  liberties 
of  Great  Britain,  and  consequently  the  Pro- 
testant religion  throughout  Europe. 

48. — To  Mr.  John  Baker,  sixteen  hun- 
dred and  forty-seven  acres,  as  a  reward  for 
the  memorable  services  of  his  father  in  his 
defence  of  Londonderry. 

49. — To  Mr.  James  Corry,  two  grants, 
one  a  mortgage  of  two  thousand  pounds 
sterling  on  several  landed  properties  in  the 
county  of  Wicklow,  due  to  Sir  Edward 
Scott  by  the  earl  of  Tyrone  :  the  other  con- 
taining seventeen  hundred  and  twenty-five 
acres,  for  which  the  following  causes  are 
given,  viz.,  the  burning  of  his  house  ;  his 
having  provided  the  garrison  of  Inniskillen 
with  provisions  and  ammunition,  to  the 
amount  of  three  thousand  pounds  sterling, 
at  his  own  expense  ;  however,  it  has  been 
proved  that,  so  far  from  having  assisted 
the  garrison  of  Inniskillen  in  any  manner, 
he  said  in  public  that  he  hoped  to  see  all 
those  who  had  taken  up  arms  in  favor 
of  the  prince  of  Orange,  hanged.  His 
house  was  burned  by  the  garrison  for  this 
observation. 

50. — The  remainder  of  these  grants  are 
inserted  in  book  No.  6. 

51. — It  should  be  observed  that  all  the 
lands  mentioned  in  this  report  are  plantation 
measure,  two  hundred  and  sixty-four  of 
which  are  equal  to  four  hundred  and  forty- 
one  English  acres. 


52. — We  shall  also  observe  that  those  es- 
tates are  not  of  so  much  value  to  the  per- 
sons to  whom  they  have  been  granted  as  we 
have  estimated  them  :  whereas  impositions 
have  been  practised  upon  his  majesty,  by 
underrating  them,  from  selfish  considera- 
tions ;  and  their  agents,  who  sold  or  rented 
those  lands  below  their  value,  have  prac- 
tised similar  deceptions  towards  their  em- 
ployers. 

53. — The  greater  part  of  these  estates  has 
been  conceded  under  the  seal  of  the  Exche- 
quer, for  a  limited  number  of  years,  or  du- 
ring the  king's  pleasure,  from  which  his  ma- 
jesty has  derived  but  little  profit.  Most  of 
the  terms  have  expired  ;  those  that  have  not 
are  contained  in  book  No.  6. 

54. — We  shall  now  humbly  inform  you  of 
the  costs  that  have  been  incurred  on  the 
confiscated  lands,  which  have  not  been  re- 
stored to  the  proprietors  ;  we  will  point  out 
those  only  that  have  been  discovered  from 
researches  made  in  his  majesty's  court  of 
Exchequer.  This  has  been  done  in  conse- 
quence of  his  majesty's  letter  to  the  lords- 
justices  of  Ireland,  ordering  all  the  Protest- 
ants to  prove,  in  the  most  expeditious  man- 
ner, the  extent  of  the  costs  to  which  they 
have  been  subjected. 

55. — All  statutes,  judgments,  mortgages, 
or  other  debts  on  the  above-named  estates, 
which  have  not  been  restored  to  the  ancient 
proprietors,  amount  to  one  hundred  and 
sixty-one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  pounds  sterling,  an  account  of  which  is 
annexed  to  this  report  in  book  No.  7.  It  is 
probable  that  since  our  investigation  many 
of  these  costs  have  been  removed  by  various 
arrangements ;  but  we  have  had  neither 
time  nor  aid  in  forming  a  correct  estimate ; 
therefore,  we  think  that  sufficient  money 
can  be  deducted  from  the  latter  for  the  fol- 
lowing purposes. 

56. — We  have  mentioned  only  the  first 
and  real  sum  of  costs,  not  having  been  able 
to  discover  how  much  interest  might  have 
been  due  by  each  individual. 

57. — We  have  often  thought  it  probable 
that  the  judgment  and  mortgage  were  one 
and  the  same  debt. 

58. — It  is  likewise  probable,  that  many  of 
these  judgments  were  issued  only  for  the 
execution  of  private  contracts. 

59. — la  many  instances,  the  Protestants 
and  Papists  were  equally  concerned ;  how- 
ever, the  whole  debt  was  laid  on  the  lands 
of  the  proscribed. 

60. — It  appears  that  several  contracts  and 
copies  of  judgments  have  been  issued  by  in- 
ferior courts  of  law,  and  no  proofs  afforded 


6]8 


HISTORY    OF    IRELAND. 


of  their  execution,  or  the  roasous  why  they 
were  griinteil. 

61. — On  the  other  hand,  it  is  obvious,  that 
in  many  instances,  the  statutes  and  judg- 
ments have  been  carried  into  execution  ;  but 
there  is  no  proof  of  it  upon  record. 

G2. — Many  of  those  debts  have  been  pur- 
chased, either  by  the  donors  or  their  stew- 
ards, or  small  farmers  at  very  low  prices, 
while  they  allowed  them  to  exist  nominally, 
to  cover  the  profits  which  the  possession  of 
such  lands  produced. 

63. — Several  persons  who  got  possession 
of  these  encumbered  estates,  in  consequence 
of  his  majesty's  letters,  have  received  the 
whole,  or  at  least  the  greatest  portion  of  the 
debts. 

64. — It  is  probable  that  many  of  these 
debts  are  imaginary,  and  in  'favor  of  the 
proscribed,  for  which  purpose  there  have 
been  many  secret  arrangements  entered  into. 
65.— It  is  our  opinion  that  nothing  has 
been  omitted  by  the  donors  and  their  stewards 
to  make  the  debts  on  their  estates  appear 
heavy,  although  we  think,  that  if  a  correct 
investigation  were  made,  it  would  appear 
they  are  very  inconsiderable,  and  that  several 
are  liquidated  by  the  profits  ;  but  it  is  our 
opinion,  that  they  will  be  more  than  re- 
munerated by  other  confiscations,  of  which 
the  following  is  an  account. 

66. — Soon  after  the  battle  of  the  Boyne, 
as  we  have  already  had  the  honor  of  in- 
forming you,  a  patent,  to  which  the  great 
seal  of  Ireland  was  affixed,  was  issued,  es- 
tablishing commissioners,  with  authority  to 
seize  upon  and  dispose  of  the  estates  and 
flocks  which  were  confiscated  for  his  ma- 
jesty's use.  These  commissioners  appointed 
deputies  in  the  different  counties,  subject  to 
the  king,  who  took  possession  of  immense 
tract's  of  land  and  cattle,  which  they  valued 
at  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  thousand  five 
hundred  and  fifty -two  pounds  sterling ;  but 
the  valuation  of  each  article  forming  the 
above  total  was  so  moderate,  that  a  horse 
was  valued  at  twenty  shillings,  a  sheep  two 
shillings  and  sixpence,  and  the  rest  in  pro- 
portion ;  we  are  therefore  of  opinion,  that  if 
thhigs  had  been  sold  at  a  fair  value,  they 
would  have  produced  between  two  and  three 
hundred  thousand  pounds  sterling  ;  but  be- 
fore this  could  be  effected,  the  clerks  ap- 
pointed for  the  collection  of  his  majesty's 
revenues,  furnished  accounts,  Avhich  prO' 
duced  a  letter  from  the  king,  suspending  the 
power  of  the  commissioners,  nine  days  after 
they  had  entered  into  office,  and  investing 
the  clerks  with  power  of  the  revenues  ;  by 
these  means,  some  time  elapsed  before  the 


money,  effects,  property  that  had  been  seized 
upon  by  the  deputies,  could  come  into  the 
hands  of  the  clerks  of  the  revenue  ;  the 
accounts  also  became  so  complex,  added  to 
the  plunder  made  among  the  small  farmers 
by  the  troops  when  going  into  winter  quar- 
ters, that  from  all  the  above-naiued  spoils, 
the  king  received  only  about  forty-four  thou- 
sand pounds.  We  have  likewise  discovered, 
that  several  properties  have  been  confiscated, 
by  which  the  king  has  gained  nothing,  and 
which  have  been  seized  upon  by  many  indi- 
viduals for  their  own  account.  It  is  true, 
that  robbery  and  plunder  were  so  frequent 
at  that  time,  men  inihe  highest  offices  have 
not  escaped  the  censure  of  being  implicated, 
which  may  perhaps  have  prevented  such 
abuses  from  being  properly  inquired  into  : 
as  an  example.  Lord  Coningsby  took 
three  hundred  head  of  horned  cattle,  and 
several  horses,  that  were  left  on  the  field 
after  the  battle  of  the  Boyne,  and  we  do  not 
find  that  any  account  of  them  was  given  to 
his  majesty.  He  also  seized  upon  the  plate 
and  chattels  of  Sir  Michael  Creagh,  lord- 
mayor  of  Dublin,  in  1689  :  these  were  con- 
sidered to  have  been  of  great  value  ;  it  is  in- 
deed affirmed,  that  they  were  given  to  him 
by  the  king.  The  clerks  of  the  revenue  gave 
up  to  the  lords-justices.  Lords  Sidney  and 
Coningsby,  many  effects  of  great  value,  for 
which  his  majesty  has  received  no  return, 
nor  have  any  of  them  been  discovered  in  the 
castle  of  Dublin,  where  they  were  deposited. 

67. — We  have  likewise  discovered,  that 
the  clerks  of  the  revenues  have  delivered 
great  quantities  of  valuable  effects  to  Sir 
Charles  Porter,  Major-General  Kirk,  and 
several  others,  who  have  given  no  account 
whatever  of  them  to  the  king.  The  officers 
of  the  army  have  likewise  pillaged  ;  it  is 
said  that  his  majesty  has  conferred  upon 
them  the  fruits  of  their  plunder. 

68. — If  we  can  believe  general  opinion  in 
the  country,  many  persons  have  derived  con- 
siderable profits  from  these  confiscations ; 
but  as  some  time  has  now  elapsed,  it  would 
be  very  difficult  to  bring  proofs  against  them, 
and  even  in  such  case,  it  is  probable  we 
would  find  it  impossible  to  procure  the  resti- 
tution of  what  was  seized  upon  so  long  since  ; 
we  therefore  thought  it  more  prudent  to 
apply  ourselves  to  examine  matters  of  more 
importance,  and  confine  ourselves  to  remarks 
necessary  on  that  head. 

69. — From  the  impossibility  of  forming  a 
just  estimate  of  the  value  of  these  chattels, 
flocks,  and  other  effects,  we  shall  point  out 
at  present  some  debts  which  were  decreed 
by  the  courts,  and  some  mortgages  belonging 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


619 


to  the  proscribed,  to  whom  restitution  of 
their  properties  has  not  been  made,  which 
amounted  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  thou- 
sand and  thirteen  pounds,  as  appears  in  a 
book  annexed  to  this  report,  No.  8. 

70. — We  take  the  liberty  to  remark  here, 
that  those  debts  are  subject  to  the  aboA^e- 
named  objections — as  to  the  circumstances, 
there  is  this  difference  only,  that  on  one  side 
they  have  been,  as  we  think,  liquidated  by 
the  profits  of  the  receipts,  while  several  of 
the  creditors  were,  by  his  majesty's  letters, 
in  possession  of  the  encumbered  estates  ; 
on  the  other,  the  principal  sum  is  still  due 
on  the  estates  in  question,  as  it  does  not 
appear  that  any  of  the  interest  has  been  paid 
since  the  confiscations  ;  we  calculate,  there- 
fore, that  this  would  bring  the  accounts  to 
a  balance. 

71. — Permit  us,  gentlemen,  to  observe, 
that  the  cases  adjudged  in  these  matters, 
have  been  found  only  in  the  court  of  ex- 
chequer ;  and  that  we  have  been  unable  to 
procure  them  in  the  other  courts  of  law,  as 
a  clause  has  been  omitted  in  the  patent  of 
our  commission,  to  einpower  us  to  obtain 
them  ;  from  this  we  are  of  opinion  that  there 
is  much  more  due  to  the  proscribed,  whose 
properties  have  not  been  restored,  than  we 
have  been  able  to  discover. 

72. — We  should  also  calculate,  among  the 
confiscated  property,  two  hundred  and  nine- 
ty-seven houses  in  the  city  of  Dublin,  thirty- 
six  in  Cork,  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  in 
different  towns  and  villages  of  the  kingdom, 
sixty-one  mills,  twenty-eight  fairs  and  mar- 
kets, seventy-two  rectorships,  with  tithes  and 
rents,  six  ferries,  and  a  great  number  of 
fisheries,  producing  in  the  whole  two  thou- 
sand and  thirty-eight  pounds  sterling  per 
annum,  and  valued  to  be  worth  fifty  thousand 
pounds.  If,  as  we  have  observed,  we  add 
to  these  the  moneys  due  to  the  proscribed 
whose  properties  have  not  been  restored, 
we  are  persuaded  that  there  would  be  suffi- 
cient to  liquidate  the  debts,  particularly  if  we 
count  the  flocks  and  chattels  of  those  who 
have  benefited  by  the  treaty  of  Limerick, 
who,  according  to  these  articles,  had  no 
claim,  after  having  been  at  first  deprived  of 
them. 

73.  —  According  to  our  observations 
throughout  the  country,  it  appears  to  us  that 
several  estates  marked  down  fallow-lands, 
are  now,  with  the  exception  of  those  in  the 
county  of  Kerry,  as  highly  cultivated,  and 
equal  in  value  to  any  lands  in  the  kingdom  ; 
nevertheless,  we  have  not  comprised  them 
in  our  valuations,  though  there  are  many  of 
them  to  be  met  with. 


74. — We  have  valued  the  confiscated 
properties  according  to  what  they  would  be 
let  for  in  farms,  if  such  were  the  intention. 

75. — We  think  that  the  trees  at  present 
on  the  confiscated  estates  which  have  not 
been  restored,  may  be  estimated  at  sixty 
thousand  pounds  sterling. 

76. — There  were  several  small  portions 
of  land,  each  under  an  acre,  and  of  different 
qualities,  according  to  situation,  of  which  we 
could  form  no  correct  estimate,  not  finding 
any  thing  to  guide  us,  either  in  the  leases 
of  the  families,  the  papers  of  the  commis- 
sioners who  preceded  us,  or  the  rolls  of  the 
surveyors  ;  we  consider  that  these  scattered 
portions  of  land  may  contain  about  seventy 
or  eighty  thousand  acres,  amounting  in  value 
to  a  very  considerable  sum. 

77. — We  shall  remark  in  this  place,  that 
dreadful  havoc  has  been  committed  upon  the 
w^oods  of  the  proscribed,  particularly  on  those 
of  Sir  Valentine  Brown,  in  the  county  of 
Kerry,  in  which  trees  to  the  value  of  twenty 
thousand  pounds  have  been  cut  down  or  de- 
stroyed. The  loss  on  the  estates  of  Lord 
Clancarty,  now  in  possession  of  Lord  Wood- 
stock, is  estimated  at  twenty-seven  thousand 
pounds.  Those  on  whom  the  confiscated 
lands  have  been  bestowed,  or  their  agents, 
have  been  so  greedy  to  seize  upon  the  most 
trifling  profits,  that  several  large  trees  have 
been  cut  down  and  sold  for  sixpence  each. 
This  destruction  is  still  carried  on  in  many 
parts  of  the  country  ;  at  the  present  moment. 
Sir  John  Hely,  chief-justice  of  the  common 
pleas,  and  Peter  Goodwin,  who  together 
purchased  from  Lord  Coningsby  the  estate 
of  Feltrim,  within  six  miles  of  Dublin,  are 
cutting  down  all  the  avenues  and  groves 
around  the  castle.  Great  destruction  and 
waste  has  been,  and  is  still  committed  in  the 
forest  of  Oshogness,  in  the  county  of  Galway, 
which  has  been  purchased  by  Mr.  Toby 
Butler  for  two  thousand  five  hundred  pounds, 
which,  it  is  said,  was  worth  twelve  thousand. 
We  sent  persons  to  survey  and  value  this 
forest ;  but  Toby  Butler  had  them  summoned 
and  brought  to  trial  for  executing  the  com- 
mission with  which  we  had  intrusted  them. 

78. — Besides  the  above-mentioned  confis- 
cations, there  are  several  persons  concerned 
in  the  last  rebellion  who  have  not  been  pro- 
ceeded against,  and  who  are  debarred  from 
all  benefit  of  any  treaty  or  article  :  several 
of  them  were  summoned  to  answer  for  their 
crimes,  and  have  given  bail,  which  is  still 
in  force  ;  a  few  have  been  tried  at  the  as- 
sizes of  last  summer,  but  were  acquitted. 

79. — The  death  of  several  of  the  accused, 
whose  trials   and   condemnation  were  de- 


620 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


layed,  has  deprived  the  king  of  many  ex- 
tensive estates. 

80. — Nevertheless,  we  think  it  likely,  from 
the  informations  which  several  persons  offer- 
ed to  give  if  they  were  encouraged,  and  the 
necessary  measures  adopted,  that  a  large  sum 
might  be  derived  from  the  lands   subject  to 
confiscation,  which  are  carefully  concealed. 
81. — The   king's   interest   has    been    so 
much  neglected,  that  no  research  has  been 
made  into  the  number  of  estates  which  might 
:  or  ought  to  be  liable  to  confiscation  in  Con- 
1  naught  before  the  year  1695,  by  which  every 
I  indulgence  was  allowed  for  the  security  of 
such  property.    There  are  fifty  Catholics  for 
I  one  Protestant  in  this  province,  so  that  it  is 
impossible  for  the  latter  to  obtain  justice, 
and  scarcely  does  that  province  seem  to  be 
subject  to  the  king,  of  which  the  following  is 
a  proof.     At  the  last  assizes  in  the  county  of 
Galway,  nearly  forty  persons  were  accused 
of  having  been  concerned  in  the  late  rebel- 
lion ;  but  as  most  of  the  judges  had  been 
officers  in  the  army  of  James  II.,  and  had 
taken  advantage  of  the  treaty  of  Limerick, 
it  is  needless  to  add  that  they  were  all  ac- 
quitted. 

82. — The  house  of  Clanriccard  has  an 
extensive  estate  in  this  district,  on  which 
there  are  very  few  Protestant  farmers.  This 
property  fell  into  the  king's  hands,  by  the 
proscription  of  Lord  Bophin,  to  whom  his 
majesty  has  allowed  the  proceeds  for  his 
life  only.  We  are  of  opinion,  that  were 
these  lands  sold  or  rented  to  Protestants,  it 
would  tend  greatly  to  favor  the  interest  of 
the  Protestant  religion. 

83. — We  must  also  observe,  gentlemen, 
that  many  of  those  on  whom  the  confiscated 
lands  have  been  bestowed,  have  received  im- 
mense sums  for  several  estates  comprised  in 
these  grants.  The  whole  of  the  money  thus 
received  amounts  to  sixty-eight  thousand  one 
hundred  and  fifty-five  pounds  three  pence 
farthing  :  for  instance,  Lord  iVthlone,  whose 
grant  was  confirmed  to  him  by  an  act  of  the 
Irish  parliament,  has  sold  land  to  the  amount 
of  seventeen  thousand  six  hundred  and 
eighty-four  pounds  twelve  shillings  sterling. 
Lord  Romney  has  sold  some  for  thirty 
thousand  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  pounds 
eleven  shillings  ;  Lord  Albemarle  for  thir 
teen  thousand  pounds  ;  Lord  Coningsby 
for  two  thousand  two  hundred  pounds  ;  Mr. 
Thomas  Keightly,  for  five  thousand  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-three  pounds  ten  shillings 
84. — Several  proclamations  have  been  is- 
sued, offering  a  quarter  of  the  lands  liable  to 
confiscation,  to  those  who  would  point  them 
out.     Some  informers  have  been  thus  re- 


warded, as  appears  in  the  book  No.  6 ;  others 
say  they  have  not  been  paid  their  quarter  for 
having  informed,  which  amount,  in  the  whole, 
to  about  two  thousand  pounds  per  aimum. 

85. — We  must  observe  here,  that  the  con- 
fiscations, however  considerable  they  may 
appear,  have  been  rather  an  injury  than  an 
advantage  to  his  majesty.  This  might  appear 
extraordinary,  were  we  not  to  remark,  that 
several  obscure  persons,  who  possessed  no 
property  at  the  time  that  Ireland  was  reduced, 
are  at  present  masters  of  large  estates.  It 
is  impossible  that  they  could  have  acquired 
them  without  seizing  on  confiscated  lands, 
either  by  intrigue  or  collusion,  from  which 
they  have  derived  considerable  advantage, 
while  the  king  was  defrauded.  His  majesty 
has  been  frequently  deceived  in  the  value 
of  the  grants  which  he  has  bestowed. 

86. — Nothing  seems  to  have  contributed 
more  to  this  abuse,  than  the  sale  of  confis- 
cated lands  by  auction  in  the  city  of  Dublin 
exclusively,  instead  of  in  the  chief  towns  of 
the  counties  in  which  they  were  situate. 
Few  people  took  the  trouble  of  coming  to 
the  capital  from  the  provinces,  at  a  heavy 
expense,  and  of  neglecting  their  domestic 
affairs,  when  they  felt  persuaded  that  the 
agents  of  men  in  office  would  prevail  against 
them,  and  knowing  that  these  would  have 
the  countenance  of  his  majesty. 

87. — When  they  had  succeeded- by  their 
haughtiness  and  power  in  removing  all  com- 
petition, they  placed  their  rates  on  the  estates 
they  were  desirous  of  having,  and  gave  what- 
ever price  they  pleased,  by  an  understanding 
not  to  oppose  each  other,  of  which  the  fol- 
lowing fact  is  a  proof.  Thomas  Broderick 
and  William  Connelly,  who  acquired  vast  es- 
tates, and  were  partly  masters  of  these  auc- 
tions, no  one  having  confidence  to  enter  into 
competition  with  them,  have  been  partners 
in  all  the  lands  they  obtained,  during  1695 
and  the  following  years.  They  have  since 
set  them  in  farms  to  greater  advantage  than 
they  had  been  before.  It  must  be  observed, 
that  their  conduct  appeared  very  extraordi- 
nary, particularly  that  of  Mr.  Broderick,  who 
was  a  privy  counsellor,  and  put  in  nomina- 
tion by  Lord  Capel  for  the  office  of  inspector 
of  the  auctions,  though  he  was  well  aware 
of  the  abuses  Avhich  he  had  been  guilty  of. 

88. — It  was  impossible  that  matters  could 
have  been  described  more  correctly,  whereas 
several  of  these  estates  were  purchased  by 
the  receivers  and  commissioners  of  the  reve- 
nues of  the  crown,  under  borrowed  names. 
Mr.  CuHiford,  under  the  name  of  Fernley, 
seized  upon  several  estates  for  the  king,  which 
I  he  appropriated  afterwards  to  his  own  use. 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


621 


89. — ^Besides  these  abuses,  we  shall  take 
the  liberty  of  observing,  that  an  extensive 
estate  has  been  let  in  farms,  without  being 
put  up  for  sale,  by  order  of  the  lords-justices, 
for  at  least  one  thousand  pounds  a  year  under 
its  value  :  the  lease  was  drawn  for  sixty-one 
years,  though  by  a  letter  from  his  majesty, 
dated  March  8th,  1698,  it  was  prohibited  to 
give  leases  for  more  than  twenty-one  years. 
The  above  lands  belonged  to  Sir  Valentine 
Brown,  and  Nicholas  Brown,  commonly 
called  Lord  Kenmare,  situate  in  the  coun- 
ties of  Kerry  and  Limerick,  and  let  to  John 
Blenerhasset  and  George  Rogers,  members 
of  the  Irish  parliament. 

90. — Having  now  given  an  account  of  the 
most  essential  points  of  our  commission,  we 
beg  leave,  gentlemen,  to  lay  before  you  an 
abridgment  of  our  estimates,  before  we  con- 
clude our  report. 

The  whole  of  the  lands  confiscated  since 
February  13th,  1688,  amount  in  real  value, 
according  to  our  calculation,  to  two  millions 
six  hundred  and  eighty-five  thousand  one 
hundred  and  thirty-five  pounds  five  shillings 
and  ninepence,  sterling. 

The  estates  restored,  in  consequence  of 
the  treaties  of  Limerick  and  Gal  way,  amount 
to  seven  hundred  and  twenty-four  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  twenty-three  pounds  four 
shillings  and  sixpence. 

Those  restored  by  favor,  are  worth  two 
hundred  and  sixty  thousand  eight  hundred 
sixty-three  pounds  seven  shillings  and  three- 
pence. 

The  debts  on  the  confiscated  estates,  dis- 
covered by  researches,  or  acknowledged  as 
legal  by  the  court  of  Exchequer,  amount  to 
one  hundred  and  sixty-one  thousand  nine 
hundred  and  thirty-six  pounds  fifteen  shil- 
lings and  sixpence. 

To  the  credit  of  the  above  debts,  we  place 
what  is  due  to  the  proscribed,  amounting  to 
one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  and  thir- 
teen pounds  thirteen  shillings  and  tenpence, 
sterling ;  as  also  the  houses,  thhes,  mills, 
fairs,  markets,  rights  of  lordship,  ferries, &c., 
which  we  estimate  at  fifty  thousand  pounds. 
To  counterbalance  the  proceeds  of  the  leases 
made  as  large  presents,  we  put  down  the  fal- 
low lands  and  forests  on  the  confiscated  es- 
tates, which  we  estimate  at  about  sixty  thou- 
sand pounds,  to  which  we  add  the  flocks  of 
those  who  have  had  the  benefit  of  the  articles 
of  the  capitulation  of  Limerick,  but  from 
whom  no  accounts  have  been  required. 

In  order  to  bring  matters  to  a  balance,  we 
shall  add  those  lands  (of  which  the  number 
of  acres  is  not  known)  according  to  the  valua- 
tion of  the  other  estates  :  these  amount  to, 


at  least,  one  hundred  and    forty  thousand 
pounds. 

If  it  were  known  how  many  estates  are 
subject  to  confiscation,  it  would  be  of  con- 
siderable importance  ;  but  it  is  impossible 
to  form  a  correct  account  of  them. 

The  money  received  for  lands  sold  by 
those  on  whom  the  confiscated  estates  were 
conferred,  amounts  to  sixty-eight  thousand 
one  hundred  and  fifty-five  pounds  three  shil- 
lings and  a  penny.  We  have  made  no  men- 
tion of  what  is  due  to  the  proscribed  whose 
properties  have  been  restored,  nor  to  the 
encumbrances  which  affect  their  estates. 

After  all  that  has  been  observed,  there 
remain  still  one  million  six  hundred  and 
ninety-nine  thousand  three  hundred  and 
forty-three  pounds  fourteen  shillings,  which 
we  deem  to  be  the  gross  value  of  the 
estates  confiscated  and  not  restored,  since 
February  13,  1688. 

We  shall  conclude  this  report  by  laying  be- 
fore you  another  very  valuable  grant,  though 
it  may  not  immediately  come  within  our  com- 
mission ;  but  as  it  contains  some  of  the  con- 
fiscated lands,  we  think  it  prudent  to  mention 
the  extent  of  it,  lest  we  should  incur  the  re- 
proach of  having  been  negligent  in  the  dis- 
charge of  our  duty,  or  in  any  part  of  what 
you  and  the  public  expect  from  us. 

All  the  personal  property  of  King  James 
II.,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  part  given 
to  Lord  Athlone,  was  granted  by  letters 
patent,  under  the  great  seal  of  Ireland,  on 
the  30th  May,  1695,  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Vil- 
liers,  at  present  countess  of  Orkney ;  this 
property  consisted  of  ninety-five  thousand 
six  hundred  and  forty-nine  acres,  producing 
an  annual  rent  of  twenty-five  thousand  nine 
hundred  and  ninety-five  pounds  eighteen 
shillings  ;  the  real  value  of  which  amounts 
to  three  hundred  and  thirty-seven  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  forty-three  pounds  nine 
shillings.  An  exact  account  of  this  prop- 
erty, with  the  number  of  acres  in  each 
county  and  barony,  is  given  in  a  book  join- 
ed to  this  report,  marked  No.  9. 

The  same  property  pays  an  annuity  for 
life  of  two  thousand  pounds,  to  Lady  Susanna 
Bellasis,  and  one  thousand  yearly  to  Mrs. 
Godfrey  :  all  the  leases  of  these  estates  ex- 
pire in  May,  1701,  when  they  are  to  be  re- 
newed, and  will  bring,  at  least,  the  rents  at 
which  we  have  estimated  them. 

Francis  Annesley,  James  Hamilton, 

John  Trenchard,    Henry  Longford, 
Dublin. 

The  complaints  of  the  commissioners 
about  the  innumerable  abuses  committed  at 


G22 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND 


the  time  the  lands  of  the  Irish  Catholics  were 
confiscated,  and  the  injuries  sustained  by  the 
king  and  crown,  were  not  now,  as  will  ap- 
pear by  extracts  from  the  proceedings  of  the 
English  parliaineut,  in  which  serious  remon- 
strances were  made  to  William  upon  the 
manner  in  which  these  confiscations  were 
squandered  and  applied  ;  his  majesty's  an- 
swers, and  the  replies  of  parliament,  are  sub- 
joined, by  which  it  will  be  seen  that  these 
altercations  were  carried  on  with  acrimony. 

Extract  from  the  proceedings  of  the  English 
parliament,  Friday,  April  4,  1690. 

Resolved, — That  a  bill  be  drawn  up  to 
banish  all  those  who  have  been  guilty  of  re- 
bellion in  Ireland  or  elsewhere,  against  their 
majesties  King  William  and  Queen  Mary; 
and  their  estates  shall  be  confiscated,  sold, 
and  applied  to  the  reduction  of  Ireland.  The 
attorney-general,  Trenchard  the  chief  reg- 
ister, Sir  Richard  Reynell,  Sir  Thomas 
Charges,  Sir  William  Poultney,  Colonel 
Birch,  or  any  three  of  them,  shall  see  that 
this  decree  of  parliament  be  carried  into 
execution. 

Extract  from  the  sitting  of  parliament,  Jan- 
uary 5th,  1690.  The  king''s  speech  to 
both  houses. 

My  Lords  and  Gentlemen, — Having  in 
formed  you  lately  that  it  would  be  necessary 
for  me  to  pass  into  Holland  about  this  time, 
I  must  express  myself  pleased  at  the  suce 
ful  issue  of  those  things  that  have  en 
your  time,  and  to  find  that  you  are  now  at 
liberty  to  separate,  and  that  it  is  possible 
for  us  to  undertake  our  voyage. 

I  thank  you  with  all  my  heart  for  the  sup- 
plies which  you  have  granted  for  continuing 
the  war.  I  shall  take  care  that  they  be  fitly 
applied  to  the  purposes  for  which  they  have 
been  intended.  I  think  it  meet  to  assure 
you,  that  none  of  the  confiscated  estates, 
either  in  England  or  in  Ireland,  shall  be  dis- 
posed of,  until  this  affair  be  regulated  by  the 
parliament  in  such  manner  as  will  be  ap- 
proved of  by  them. 

Sitting  of  Ath  March,  1692. 
The  very  humble  address  of  the  house  of 
commons  to  his  majesty. 
We,  your  majesty's  very  humble  and  very 
faithful  subjects,  and  commons  in  parliament 
assembled,  having  taken  into  our  most  serious 
consideration  the  state  of  your  kingdom  of 
Ireland,  think  that  it  is  a  duty  we  owe  to 
your  majesty,  to  place,  with  all  possible  re- 


spect and  zeal,  before  your  eyes  the  great 
abuses  to  which  the  evil  administration  of 
afijxirs  in  that  kingdom  has  given  birth. 

Your  Protestant  subjects  are  exposed  in 
it  to  every  species  of  distress  that  a  licentious 
soldiery  and  free  quarters  can  produce.  In 
our  opinion,  the  withholding  payment  from 
the  troops,  for  which  we  hoped  and  calcu- 
lated that  ample  provisions  had  been  made, 
has  been  the  cause  of  these  disorders  and 
oppression. 

Your  majesty's  troops  have  been  re- 
cruited and  made  up  from  among  the  Irish 
Papists  and  others,  who  have  been  engaged 
in  rebellion  against  your  majesty ;  which 
circumstance  has  not  only  discouraged 
your  good  and  loyal  Protestant  subjects, 
but  has  likewise  exposed  them  to  many 
imminent  dangers. 

Your  protection  has  been  extended  to  the 
Papists,  which  has  debarred  the  Protestants 
from  resorting  to  those  laws  which  were 
favorable  to  them,  and  which  has  suspended 
the  course  of  justice. 

The  banishment  of  many  rebels  out  of  the 
kingdom,  who  were  excluded  from  benefiting 
by  the  articles  of  the  capitulation  of  Limerick, 
has  been  revoked,  to  the  great  dissatisfaction 
of  your  majesty's  Protestant  subjects. 

The  confiscated  estates  have  been  farmed 
considerably  under  their  value,  to  the  heavy 
loss  of  your  majesty's  revenue. 

The  stores  and  chattels  that  have  be^n  left 
by  King  James  II.  in  the  garrisons  and  towns 
of  the  kingdom,  have  been  wasted.  The 
same  is  to  be  observed  of  the  confiscated 
lands,  chattels,  and  other  effects  which  they 
contained,  that  might  have  been  applied  to 
the  security  and  better  preservation  of  your 
majesty's  kingdom. 

We  also  beg  leave  very  humbly  to  repre- 
sent to  your  majesty,  that  the  clauses  in 
favor  of  the  Catholics,  which  have  been 
added  to  the  treaty  of  Limerick  after  it  had 
been  definitively  concluded,  signed,  and  the 
city  surrendered,  have  given  great  en- 
couragement to  them,  and  have  tended  to 
weaken  the  Protestant  interest. 

Having  with  the  most  humble  submission 
and  ardent  zeal  for  your  majesty's  service, 
laid  open  the  abuses  and  illegal  practices 
which  have  been  carried  on  in  your  kingdom 
of  Ireland,  we  submit  our  representations  to 
your  great  wisdom,  and  beseech  you  with 
profound  respect,  to  put  a  stop  to  them. 

Let  every  soldier  be  paid  the  arrears  due 
to  him,  and  let  the  provinces  be  reimbursed 
for  what  they  have  suffered,  and  no  Papists 
be  admitted  into  the  army. 

And  as  the  reduction  of  Ireland  has  cost 


CHRISTIAN    IRELAND. 


623 


England  a  great  deal,  we  humbly  beseech 
your  majesty,  which  you  have  had  the  good- 
ness to  promise,  to  allow  none  of  the  confis- 
cated properties  in  Ireland  to  be  disposed  of, 
until  this  matter  be  regulated  by  parliament 
in  the  best  manner. 

We  beseech  of  you  to  order  a  statement 
of  the  confiscated  estates,  stores,  and  effects, 
that  have  been  left  by  James  II.,  to  be  laid 
before  your  house  of  commons,  that  the 
abuses  which  have  been  committed,  and  the 
waste  which  has  occurred,  may  be  investi- 
gated. 

We  beseech,  likewise,  that  in  future  none 
of  the  proscribed  Papists  shall  be  suffered  to 
return  without  the  advice  of  parliament,  and 
that  no  protection  be  given  to  Irish  Papists, 
which  might  impede  the  course  of  justice. 

As  to  the  article  added  to  the  treaty  of 
Limerick,  which  gives  so  great  an  oppor- 
tunity to  Irish  papists  to  resume  possession 
of  the  estates  which  formerly  belonged  to 
them,  and  which  they  forfeited  by  their  re- 
bellion, we  humbly  beg  of  your  majesty  to 
have  the  articles  of  the  treaty  of  Limerick, 
and  those  that  have  been  added,  laid  before 
us,  in  order  that  we  may  learn  by  what 
means,  and  under  what  pretext,  they  have 
been  granted,  and  why  the  said  articles  have 
been  extended,  and  the  value  of  the  proper- 
ties to  which  they  are  entitled  to  lay  claim. 

As  your  majesty  has  most  graciously  as- 
sured us,  with  that  goodness  with  which 
you  always  join  in  every  thing  tending  to 
the  peace  and  welfare  of  the  kingdom,  we 
make  no  doubt  of  your  acting  in  the  same 
manner  towards  Ireland,  the  safety  and 
preservation  of  which  are  so  important  to 
England. 

The  King^s  answer,  March  10th,  1692. 

Gentlemen, — I  have  always  paid  particu- 
lar regard  to  any  communication  from  the 
House  of  Commons,  and  shall  take  care  that 
all  abuses  shall  be  reformed. 

Sitting  of  Thursday,  18th  January,  1699. 

Resolved, — That  those  by  whose  advice 
the  confiscated  estates  in  Ireland  have  been 
given  to  individuals,  and  who  have  been  the 
cause  of  granting  these  gifts,  have  involved 
the  nation  in  heavy  debts,  and  made  it 
necessary  to  lay  heavy  taxes  on  the  people. 

That  they  have  been  guilty  of  a  crime 
which  reflects  considerable  disgrace  upon 
the  king  ;  that  the  officers,  or  those  who 
had  been  instrumental  in  the  conferring  of 
these  grants,  are  guilty  in  the  highest  de- 
gree of  having  betrayed  the  confidence  that 
was  reposed  in  them. 


Sitting  of  February  15th,  1699. 

Resolved, — That  a  very  humble  address 
be  presented  to  the  king,  containing  the 
resolutions  of  the  house  of  the  18th  of 
January  last,  respecting  the  confiscated 
lands  in  Ireland. 

His  Majesty^ s  answer,  February  26th,  1699. 

Gentlemen — I  have  been  induced,  not 
only  by  inclination,  but  through  a  love  of 
justice,  to  reward  faithful  services,  (particu- 
larly in  those  who  assisted  in  the  reduction 
of  Ireland,)  out  of  the  properties  in  that 
country,  the  confiscation  of  which  has  de- 
volved upon  me. 

The  length  of  the  war  which  we  have 
maintained  has  obliged  us  to  levy  taxes,  and 
has  involved  the  nation  in  debt.  The  just 
and  efficacious  measures  that  shall  be  adopt- 
ed to  lighten  the  national  burden  and  sup- 
port the  public  credit,  will,  in  my  opinion, 
be  more  beneficial  than  any  other  thing,  to 
the  honor,  interests,  and  safety  of  this  king- 
dom. 

Resolved, — That  whoever  hath  advised 
the  king  to  give  the  above  reply  to  the  ad- 
dress of  the  House  of  Commons,  has  done 
every  thing  to  create  a  disunion  and  jealousy 
between  the  king  and  his  people. 

We  now  conclude  the  history  of  Ireland 
with  an  obvious  and  convincing  remark  from 
a  modern  author.  "  The  prince  of  Orange 
would  have  thought  himself  but  half  king, 
were  he  not  to  rule  over  Ireland,  as  well  as 
over  England  and  Scotland  ;  or,  rather,  he 
looked  upon  Ireland  as  belonging  to  him  by 
right,  and  the  loyalty  of  the  Irish  to  James 
II.  as  an  act  of  high  treason  that  he  should 
not  leave  unpunished.  Still,  what  right  had 
this  prince  to  a  country  which  had  not  called 
him  to  her  aid  ?  It  is  admitted  that  he 
reigned  lawfully  over  England  and  Scotland, 
because  these  kingdoms  had  transferred 
their  crown  to  him,  but  of  which  they  had 
no  right  to  dispose  ;  however,  could  they 
make  an  agreement  for  a  distinct  people, 
and  against  the  will  of  that  people  ?  Let 
William  III.  govern  those  parts  of  Great 
Bj;itain  that  no  longer  acknowledge  their 
king  ;  but  if  Ireland  do  not  wish  to  change 
her  sovereign,  is  this  first  sovereign  to  for- 
feit his  claim,  and  are  his  faithful  subjects 
to  be  dealt  with  like  traitors  and  rebels  to 
their  country  ?  It  will  be  said  that  James 
II.  sapped  the  foundation  of  the  monarchy 
by  obstinately  favoring  the  papists,  and  by 
an  arbitrary  sway  of  power.  However 
false  this  accusation  may  be,  I  shall  pass  it 


624 


HISTORY    OP    IRELAND. 


over  in  silence  ;  it  only  concerns  England 
i'  and  Scotland,  which  have  taken  ample  ad- 
1  vantage  of  it.     Was   Ireland  in  the   same 

I  situation  ?     And  if  then  this  people  wished 
i    to  continue  Papists,  if  they  desired  to  invest 

I I  their  king  with  an  absolute  authority,  who 
'has  a  right  to  prevent  them  ?  The  world 
!  has  seen  that  England  and  Scotland  de- 
|;  throned  .lames  II.,  and  that  Ireland  refused 
ji  to  follow  their  example  ;  Ireland  would  have 
ii  erred  in  her  allegiance,  if  the  whole  of  Great 
■  Britain  had  belonged  to  William  III.  pre- 
viously to  the  revolution.     On  the  contrary, 

I    William  could  not  lawfully  ascend  the  throne 
n  without  an  express  law  calling  him  to  the 
]'•  succession  and  declaring  James  to  be  de- 
throned :    William   III.,  therefore,  had  no 
right  or  claim  upon  the  Irish,  who  neither 
sent  for  him  nor  dethroned  their  own  king. 


But,  as  we  have  already  observed,  he  did 
not  consider  his  kingdom  complete  without 
Ireland,  where  James  II.  still  held  out ;  but 
it-  has  been  the  will  of  Providence  that  he 
should  succeed  in  expelling  him." 

We  discover,  nevertheless,  by  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  Irish  are  and  have  been 
treated,  that  it  is  contrary  to  the  principles 
of  Magna  Charta,  that  celebrated  code  in 
which  the  English  nation  glories,  and  of 
which  they  boast  :  the  Irish  are  deprived  of 
that  liberty  which,  according  even  to  their 
oppressors,  should  be  the  portion  of  all  man- 
kind. They  are  forced  to  submit  to  a  hate- 
ful yoke  ;  they  have  exerted  themselves  in 
favor  of  their  lawful  prince  ;  their  resistance 
to  usurpation  is  considered  as  rebellion,  and 
the  confiscation  of  their  estates  and  proper- 
ties is  the  consequence. 


THE  END  OF  MAC-GEOGHEGAN  S  HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Abercromby,  a  Scotch  historian,  refuted  .  223 
Abbe  de  Fleury  speaks  of  Scotia  and  Ireland  125 
Abbey  of  Achmacart  founded  by  the  O'Demp- 

scys 309 

Athlone 145 

Aughrim 309 

Baltinglass 243 

Beanbee,  county  Meath       .         .         .  305 

Bangor 156 

Boyle 243 

Carrick-on-Suir  .         .         .         .309 

Cluan  Dolchain,  near  Dublin      .         .  183 

Dunbrady 294 

Eunach 241 

Fennoy      ......  245 

Founded  by  O'Moore,  Queen's  County  294 

Jerpoint,  county  Kilkenny  .         .  290 

Innis  Phadruig 237 


St.  Suirbarry,  Cork 

Kilconnell,  county  Tipperary 

—  Kilrush       .... 

—  Kirie  Eleison,  county  Kerry 

—  Lake  Erne 

—  Meliifont    .... 

—  Moiiaster-Oie,  county  Antrim 

Navan         .... 

Nenagh,  county  Limerick 

Shroule       .... 

Tintern,  county  Wexford  . 


Abbeys  built 

founded  in  Conn  aught 


242 
302 

245 
170 
242 
291 
299 
245 
245 
302 
300 
307 
595 
47 
55G 


Abdication  of  James  II 
Absurdities  of  English  criticism 
Accusation  against  Mary  Queen  of  Scots 
Accordance  of  the  Irish  and  Scotch  language  110 
Acts  of  Queen  Elizabeth  concerning  the  church  458 
Act  of   confiscation  against  the   adherents  of 

the  earl  of  Kildare 508 

.  329 
.  289 
.     18 


Adam  de  Nangle  hanged 
Adam  de  Rupe  de  la  Roche   . 
Adrian,  Pope  .... 

Adjective  Mac  and  Fitz    used   by  the    Irish 

and  Saxons  .... 

Advice  of  O'Neill  to  the  earl  of  Essex  .  .  523 
Advice  of  the  earl  of  Kildare  to  his  son  .  .412 
Aghavoe  in  Ossory  .....  105 

Agilbert,  bishop  of  Paris  ....  205 

Agricola  sailed  round  Britain  . 
Airtre,  king  of  Munster,  defeats  these  Normans  215 
Airgiod  Stone,  a  tax  imposed  on  the  Irish  .  224 
Alfred,  king  of  the  Northumbrians  .         .     70 

Alfred,  Edward,  and  their   mother  sent  off  to 

avoid  the  fury  of  the  Danes  .         .         •  233 

Alfred  the  Great  sent  to  Ireland  .  .  .  205 
Alliance  between  Scotland  and  France  .  223 

Allen,  John,  ch'  :plain  to  Cardinal  Wolsey        .  399 

Allen,  chancellor 441 

Alliance  between  Charlemagne  and  the  Irish 

kings 220 

Allicia  Pierce 349 


PAOB 

Ahcia,  daughter  of  the  carl  of  Kildare,  sent 

on  a  secret  embassy  to  Ireland    .         .         .  399 
Alexander  McDonnell  the  murderer  of  Shane 
O'Neill  killed       .         .         .         .         .         .469 

Alphabet  of  the  Irish 40 

Annals  of  Ulster,  Ambition  of  Wolsey  .  ,  43 
Annals  written  by  an  English  priest  .  .  361 
Ancestors  of  the  Scotch  ....  223 
Andrew  McBrady,  his  descent,  &c.  .  .  379 
Ann  BuUen,  created  marchioness  of  Pem- 
broke   411 

Ancestors  of  the  Milesians  .  .  .  .57 
Ancestors    of  the    Irish    instructed     by    the 

Egyptians 58 

Anglo-Irish  at  Mullingar  ....  512 

Anglo-Saxons,  their  education  in  Ireland  .  204 
Anthony  St.  Leger  sent  by  Queen    Mary   as 

lord  deputy 448 

Anointing  at  the  coronation  .  .  .  .75 
Ante-Milesian  history  .  .  .  .  .37 
Antiquaries  appointed  by  011am  Fodhia  .  .  43 
Antiquity  of  the  Scoto-Mllesians  .  .  .34 
Antiquity  of  the  Scotch  doubted  .  .  .  114 
Aongus  on  the  arrival  of  St.  Patrick  .  .  154 
Apostacy  and  treachery  of  Ormond  .  .  486 
Arcadians  and  Silicians,  boast  of  their  an- 
tiquity   34 

Archbishop    of  Dublin  enlarged    the   church 

of  the  Holy  Trinity 345 

Archbishops    of  Armagh    and    Dublin,   con- 
cerning the  Primacy 337 

Archbishop  of  Dublin  appointed  lord  justice    .  359 
Arbogast,  St.,  bishop  of  Strausburgh       .         .  201 
Archbishopric  of  Canterbury  refused  to  Bur- 
nett      22 

Archbishops  and  bishoprics  established  .  .  240 
Archives  put  into  the  library  of  St.  Patrick  .  444 
Armagh  plundered  .....  215 

Ardpatrick  castle  built 301 

Argonauts       .......     42 

Armada  to  invade  Ireland       ....  498 

Arms  taken  from   the  Protestants  in  Ulster 

in  1641 573 

Army  under  Cromwell 584 

Army  of  12,000  Scotchmen  landed  in  Ulster  .  579 
Arms  of  the  Queen  torn  down         .         .         .  476 

Army  of  O'Neill 466 

Army    raised     to    attack     Dcrmod    and    his 

English  adventurers 360 

Arrest  of  the  earl  of  Kildare  .         .         .  358 

Arrest  of  several  English  noblemen  .  .  336 
Arrest  of  Anglo-Irish  noblemen  .  .  .  360 
Arthur,  prince  of  Wales  ....  379 

Articles  and  treaty  of  Limerick  .  .  •  607 
Athlone,  its  situation,  &c.  ....  603 
Assassination  of  O'Neill  and  his  followers  by 

the  Scotch .468 

Assurances    held  out  to  the  Irish  of  having 

succors  from  Spain 546 

Aughrim,  battle  of 603 

TO 


626  INI 

PAGE 

Bale  preached  against  tlie  Catholic  doctrine  .  448 
Bailynamoney  belonging  to   the   Knights   of 

Malta 393 

Bangor  Abbey — when  fo  muled  .  •  •  ^J"^ 
Banners  of  the  Gadeliuns        .         .  .         .76 

Bards  of  Irehuul 35 

Baron  of  Slane,  Fleming  ....  348 
Basilia,  sister  of  Strongbow  ....  283 
Battle  of  Allen,  county  Kildare       .         .         .  185 

Battle  of  Bannockburn 322 

Battle  of  Clontarf 232 

Battle  near  Castlcdermod  ....  359 
Battle  fought  near  Athenry  .  .  .  .91 
Battle  of  Dnnn-Conla  with  the  Normans  .  210 
Battle  between  the  English  and  Irish  .  .  266 
Battle  of  Shannon-harbor        ....   170 

Battle  of  Hastings 239 

Battle  of  Kill  Omack,  county  Carlow  .  .  160 
Battle  between  the  O'Neills    .  .  .  .450 

Battle  at  Northampton 367 

Battle  at  Stamford 238 

Battle  between  the  O'Neills  and  Scotch  .  384 

Battle  of  Waterford 263 

Ballintubcr  Abbey 307 

Baron  of  Athenry  ...  ...  326 

Barons  and   bishops  interfere  for   the  carl   of 

Kildare 376 

Barony  of  Forth,  county  Wexford  .         .261 

Bede,  on  the  Scots,  Britons,  and  Picts     .         .221 

Bernard,  St HO 

Becknor  consecrated  bishop  of  Dublin  .  .  341 
Bellingham,  commander  of  an   expedition   to 

Ireland 438 

Bishop,  king  of  Cashel 225 

Bishopric  of  Kilfenora,  county  Clare  .  .  179 
Bishopric  of  Lismore       .         .         .  .         .181 

Bishopric  of  Meath 305 

Bishop  of  Hereford   carries  away  booty  from 
county  Carlow    ......  337 

Bishops  fined  for  non-attendance  in  parliament  365 

Bishop  Fisher 396 

Bishop  Cranmer,  and  his  character  .         .  409 

Bishops  and  priests  maintained   by  the  king 

of  Cashel 154 

Birr  besieged  by  the  earl  of  Kildare  .         •  409 

Birth  and  death  of  our  Saviour  foretold  by  a 

Druid 102 

Blasphemies  of  Henry  II.  -      .         .  .         .279 

Blarney  Castle  taken  by  the  English       .  .  549 

Boats  used  by  the  ancient  Irish       .         .         .69 
Book  of  Common  Prayer  printed  in  Irish,  by 
order  of  Queen  Elizabetii     ....  473 

Body-guards  first  appointed  by  Henry  VII.     .  375 
Booty  taken  from  tlie  Scotch  by  O'Neill         .  580 
Boyne  river     .         .         .         .         .         .         .601 

Bribery  practised  by  Henry  VIII.  .  .         .107 

Brien  Boroimhe  declared  monarch  of  Ireland  .  231 

Bridget,  St.,  of  Kildare 165 

Bridges  built 242 

Bridges  built  in  KilcuUen  and  Leighlin  .         .   326 

Britain,  why  so  called 55 

Britons  apply  to  the  Romans  for  aid        .         .   107 
Brown,  Thomas,  appointed  by  Cranmer   bish- 
op of  Dublin 420 

Brown,  Archbishop,  obliged  to   surrender  his 

see 448 

Brown,  family  of,  county  Kerry  .  .  .  450 
Brunchant,  queen  of  Burgundy  .  .  .196 
Buchanan,  the  Scottish  historian  .  .  .221 
Burkes  of  Connauglit  .....  446 
Butler,  the  name  derived  from  being  butler 
to  Henry  II 302 


FAnE    I 

Caher  Castle  attacked  by  the  earl  of  Essex    .  520 
Cain  Phadruic,  a  tax  paid  to  St.  Patrick  .   146 

Calumnies  of  Abcrcromby       ....   117 

Calvin,  and  Calvinism     .....  439 

Cambrensis  stops  in  Ireland     ....  295 

Camden  refuted       .         .  .         .         .         .  473 

Canterbury,  bishop  of,  apostatized  .         .         .  446 
Captivity  of  St.  Patrick  ....   153 

Carlow  besieged  and  taken      .         .         .         .419 

Carrickfergus — why  so  called  .  .         .112 

Carroll,  prince  and  general      ....  226 

Cashel  suffered  by  the  tyranny  of  Inchiquin    .  578 

Cashel,  the  Psalter  of 43 

Castle  Carberry,  county  Kildare      .         .         .  346 

Castle  Connell 304 

Castle  of  Dublin  built 307 

Castle  of  Temaghs,  Queen's  county  .  .  292 
Castle  of  Ferns  destroyed  ....  260 
Castlehavcn  on  Irish  sufferings  .  .  .  571 
Castlchaven  on  the  rebellion  of  1641        .  .  574 

Castle  of  Sligo  built  .....  314 
Cataldus,  St.,  educated  at  Lismore  .•         .   146 

Cathedral  church  founded  ....  156 
Cathedral  church  of  St.  Patrick  .  .  .451 
Cathedral  church  of  Cashel  burned  by  the  earl 

of  Kildare 428 

Catherine   Boren,  who  had  been  a  nun,  mar- 
ried to  M.  Luther 394 

Catholic  clergymen  persecuted  .  .  .  470 
Catholic  schools  suppressed  ....  470 
Causes  of  the  death  of  Mary  Stuart  .  .  557 
Cavanagh's  party  treacherously  put  to  death  .  451 
Cecil,  secretary  of  state  .  ....  561 
Change  of  language  in  the  celebration  of  the 

mass  ........  443 

Character  of  Dermod,  king  of  Leinster  .  .  264 
Character  of  Queen  Elizabeth         .         .         .  553 

Charles  I.,  beheaded 581 

Charles  II.  lands  in  Scotland  .         .         .  584 

Character  of  Charles  II 592 

Christ's  church,  Dublin,  founded  .  .  .  235 
Clement,  an  Irishman  .....  209 
Clergy  of  Ireland,  their  chastity      .         .         .  255 

Cluan  Mac  Noisk 171 

Colgan,  on  the  Annals  of  the  Four  Masters  .  235 
Colleges  on  the  continent  for  the  education  of 

Irish  youth  ......  487 

Columbanus,  St.     .....         •   186 

Columb-Kill,  death  of 195 

Commerce  introduced  by  the  Normans  .  .  220 
Commission   issued  for  the   death  of  Queen 

Mary 557 

Conditions  between  Richard  III.,  and  some 

Irish  chiefs  ......  353 

Confiscation  of  Desmond's  estate  .  .  .  487 
Confiscation  of  six  counties  in  Ulster     -.         .  563 

Cong  abbey 182 

Connelly  the  traitor 571 

Conspiracy  against  James  I.  .  .  .  .  561 
Contempt    displayed    towards    the    pope,    by 

Henry  IL 251 

Contributions  of  the  faithful  to  build  churches  160 
Conquest  of  Ireland  disputed  ....  552 
Coote's  orders  to  his  soldiers  to  massacre  man, 

woman,  and  child  .....  574 
Convents  of  the  Dominican  order  .  .  .  310 
Conversion  of  the  Danes  ....  229 

Convent  of  St.  Augustine,  founded  in  Dubhn    315 
Council  held  at  Usneach,  Westmeath      .         .  240 
Cranmer  supports  the  reformation  . 
Cromwell  lands  in  Ireland       .         .         .         .581 
Crown  of  Ireland  presented  to  the  pope  .  237 


627 


PAGE 

Cruelties  of  Fitz-Adelin  .         .         .         .304 

Cullenswood,  massacre  of  the  English  .  .  305 
Culhbert,  St.,  born  at  Kells     .         .         .         .201 

Danes  stripped  of  their  spoils  ....  229 
Dathy,  monarch  of  Ireland,  killed  .  .  .  101 
Davis   accuses  the   English   and  justifies  the 

Irish 567 

David  Rizzio  stabbed  by  Darnley    .         .         .  554 

Death  of  Charles  II 592 

Death  of  the  earl  of  Desmond  .         .         .  370 

Death  of  James  1 568 

Death  of  Queen  Elizabeth  ....  552 
Debaucheries  of  Henry  VIII.  .         .         .403 

Defeat  of  De  Courcy 302 

Defeat  of  the  Danes 226 

Defeat  of  the  Scotch  islanders         .         .         .  452 

Defeat  of  the  Normans 215 

Deicol,  St.,  memoirs  of    .         .         .         .         .   197 
De  Lacy  appointed  to  the  government  of  Dub- 
lin        289 

Departure  of  St.  Patrick  from  Ulster  .  .  147 
Descent  of  the  Fitzgeralds  ....  324 
Deserters  to  the  cause  of  James  II.  .  .  595 
Desmond  repairs  to  England  ....  425 
Desmond,  John,  commands  the  Catholic  army  479 
Desmond  taken  prisoner  and  belieaded  .  .  483 
Desolating  strifes  between  O'Neill  and  O'Don- 

nell 396 

Derry  garrisoned  against  O'Neill  .  ,  .  466 
Derry,  siyrendcr  of  ....         .  599 

Destruction  of  property  in  the  county  Wicklow  533 
Devastations  in  Leix,  Queen's  county  .  .  527 
Devastations  committed  by  the  Scotch  .  .  317 

Difference   between  the  sees  of  Armagh  and 

Dublin  terminated       ..... 
Different  divisions  of  Ireland  .         .         .         .124 
Di.spute  on  the  validity  of  Baptism  .         .  203 

Disputes    between    O'Brien    and    Sir    Pierce 

Butler 383 

Disunion    of  the  pope   and   cardinals  on  the 

conduct  of  Henry  VIII.  ....  415 
Division  of  districts  between  the  O'Neills  .  451 
Divorce  between  Henry  and  Catherine  .  .  408 
Doctrine  of  Martiu  Luther  spreads  widely  .  395 
Dominican  order     ......  313 

Dom  Juan  at  Xinsale 543 

Dominicnn  and  Franciscan  convents,  Cork     .  311 

Donald  McMurrough 329 

Donations  to  the  church  of  Mellifont  .  .  237 
Donations  of  land  given  to  English  soldiers  .  474 
DowdaJ,  George,  opposed  the  language  of  the 

mass  ........  443 

Drogheda  attacked  by  the  insurgents  .  .  572 
Drogheda  garrison  and  citizens  massacred  by 

Cromwell    ....  .         .  582 

Drogheda  tiireatened  by  O'Neill  .  .  .  466 
Dublin,  Cashcl,  and  Tuam      .         .  .427 

Dublin  taken  by  assault  .         .  .  264 

Duleek  a  bishopric 141 

Dukes  of  Richmond  and  Somerset  .         .  400 

Duke  of  York  defeated  and  slain  .  .  .  367 
Dundalk  besieged  by  O'xXcill  .  .  .  .466 
Dynasties  formed    ......  125 

Earthquake  in  England  and  Ireland  .  .313 
Easter  observed  by  the  Scots  .  .  .  .122 
Ecclesiastics  arrested  for  debt  .         .         .  443 

Ecclesiastical  supremacy  of  Queen  Elizabeth  470 

\  Edam  O'Reilly,  bishop 243 

1  Edgar,  king,  powerful  at  Lea 
Edward  the  Confessor    .        .        .        .        .238 


438 
446 
123 

57 
106 
223 
450 
226 
1.^)8 

29 
233 
543 


317 

262 
261 


210 
476 
325 


Edward  VI.,  proclaimed  . 

Edward  VI.,  death  of      ...         . 
Eigfoid,  king  of  Northumberland    . 
Egyptians  drowned  in  tlie  Red  Sea 
Eliph,  St.,  son  to  (he  king  of  Ireland 
Embassy  from  Ireland  to  France    . 
Embassy  to  Rome  from  Queen   Mary     . 

Emly  near  Cashel 

Emly  united  to  Cashel    .... 

Emperor  Lothaire   ..... 

England  under  the  Danes 

English  army  in  Ireland 

English  laws  prevailed  only  within  the  Eng. 

lish  pale 

English  force  with  Dermod  march  for  Dublin 

English  abhorred  in  Ireland    . 

Englishmen    act    treacherously    in    favor    of 

Cromwell  ..... 
English,  the  enemies  of  the  Irish  . 
Eugena,  John  .... 

Essex,  earl  of,  his  death 
Estates  of  De  Lacy  confiscated 
Europa,  Princess  of  Tyre 
Examples    of  treachery    to   be   found   in  the 

Histories  of  France  and  England         .         .  220 
Excesses  committed  by  the  Danes  in  Wa 

ford 263 

Excesses  committed  by  the  Danes  .         .  228 

Execution  of  28  Welsh  children  by  King  John  307 
Excommunication  against  the  king  of  Meath    244 
Excommunication  of  Queen  Elizabeth    .         .471' 
Expedition  of  the  Prince  of  Orange  to  England  594 
Exports  of  Ireland  ......     29 

Eyes  of  O'Brien's  son  put  out  .         .         .301 


Fabius  PiCTOR 48 

Fabulous  history  of  the  Gadelians  .  .         .54 

Families,  Anglo-Irish       .....  276 

Famine  in  Ireland 91 

Famine,  dreadful,  in  1552       ....  445 

Fasting  observed  by  the  Scots         .         .         .   124 
Fatal  end  of  Darnley       .....  554 

Fate  and  end  of  the  house  of  Desmond  .         .  487 
Father  de  Orleans  ......     22 

Feargus,  first  king  of  Dalriads,  Scotland  .     56 

Fcdlim  converted    ......   149 

Felix  O'Buodan,  archbishop  of  Tuam  .  .  312 
Fergus  and  his  brother  slain  in  battle       .  .     93 

Fergus  chosen  king  of  Scotland  .  .  .  108 
Ferinus,  first  king  of  the  Scythians         .         .     56 

Fermoy,  county  Cork 305 

Fiech, 'disciple  of  St.  Patrick  .  .  .  .39 
Fiech,  bishop  of  Sletty,  Queen's  county  •  .  141 
Findan,  St.,  made  prisoner  ....  204 
Firbolgs  in  Coimaught  .....  60 
Fire  kindled  before  the  tent  of  St.  Patrick  .  148 
Fitzgeralds  reinstated      .....  444 

Fitz- Henry  Meyler 309 

Fitzmaurice  sailed  from  Portugal  .  .  .  478 
Fitzmaurice  of  Kerry  .....  268 
Fitzpatrick,  baron  of  Upper  Ossory  .  .  441 
Fitz  and  3Inr,  Irish  adjectives  .  .  .346 
Fleet  of  the  Milesians  dispersed  .  .  .59 
Flocks  and  crops  destroyed  by  the  English  .  527 
Fomorians  and  Firbolgs  .         .         .         .54 

Fox,  Parker,  and  Burnett  .  .  .  .408 
France  sends  a  fleet  against  the  Scotch  .  .  442 
Franciscan  convents  taken  by  the  English  530 
Francis  Cosby,  of  Stradbally  .  .  .  .478 
Francis  Porter,  Irish  historian  .  .  .53 
French  kindness  towards  the  Irish  .         .  487 

Fridolinus,  son  of  an  Irish  king       .         .         .   194 


628 


Fulk,  archbishop  of  Dublin 
Funerals  of  the  Milesians 


PAOE 

317 

,     72 


Gadeuans  fly  out  of  Egypt  .  .  •  .57 
Game,  the  various  kinds  of  .  .  .  .28 
Garrison  of  Athlone  pillages  a  church      .         .  445 

Garrison  of  CI uanroad 445 

Garrison  of  Enniskillen  attacked  by  O'Donnell  506 
Gall,  St.,  sets  fire  to  a  temple         .         .         -196 

Gall,  St.,  death  of 197 

General  peace  in  Leinster  and  Munster  .         .  384 

Geoffry  McMorris 305 

GeofTry  of  Monmouth,  an  English  monk  .  35 
Gerald,  earl  of  Kildare  .....  357 
Germain,  St.,  master  to  St.  Patrick         .         .   145 

Gertrude,  St 202 

Giant's  Causeway  ......     32 

Gilbert,  bishop  of  Limerick,  on  the  mass  .  187 

Gilbert,  Urgale 335 

Gildas  quoted  by  Abercromby  .         .         .   115 

Gold  and  silver  mines 28 

Golden  calf  worshipped  by  the  Pagan  Irish     .     65 
Golden  chain  an  order  of  distinction        .         .     80 
Golden  Vale  on  the  river  Suir  ,         .         .  148 

Gormanstown,  Viscount,  true  to  the  Catholic 
cause  and  to  Desmond         ....  481 

Gospel  preached  in  Ireland  before  St.  Patrick  104 
Grants  made  to  the  Irish  by  Cromwell    .         .  585 
Gratianus  Lucius    ......  353 

Graves  first  used  for  the  dead  .         .         .73 

Great  men  have  their  defects  .         .         .  257 

Gregory  O'Maghan,  archbishop  of  Tuam         .  352 
Gregory,  bishop  of  Elphin        ....  352 

Grey,  Lady  Jane,  proclaimed  queen  .  .  447 
Grey,  lord  deputy,  defeated     ....  484 

Haruis,  the  Irish  historian  .  .  .  .53 
Hebrew  and  Irish  languages  .  .  .  .40 
Herman  lands  in  Ireland  .  .  .  .59 
Henry  VIII.  proclaimed  king  .  .  .  387 
causes  many  of  the  nobility  to  be 

executed 429 

Henry  II.,  of  France 442 

Heptarchy  of  the  Saxons         .         .         •         .74 
Hermes,  first  inventor  of  letters       .         .         .34 
Hibernians  and  Scots      .         .         .         .         .113 
Higgins,  the  historian,  his  probity  . 
Holy  Cross,  prior  of         .         .         .  .172 

Honors  paid  to  St.  Bridget  .  .  .  .165 
Hospitality  of  the  ancient  Irish  .  .  .71 
Houses  founded  for  Franciscans  .  .  .  366 
Howth,  formerly  called  Benneadair  .  •  54 
Hugh  Wood,  Irish  historian  .  .  .  .51 
Human  victims  offered  in  sacrifice  .         •     67 

Hume,  the  historian,  refuted  by  MacGeoghe- 

gan 567  to  576 

Idolatry  introduced  into  Ireland  .  .  .63 
Inhabitants  of  Ireland,  first  .  .  .  .54 
Innes,  a  Scotch  priest  .....  22 
Innisfail,  an  early  name  for  Ireland  .  .  55 
Innisfail,  annals  of  .....     43 

Ireland  afflicted  by  domestic  wars  .  .  .  318 
Ireland  called  the  Island  of  Saints  .         .  251 

Irish  divide  into  tribes  .....  68 
Irish,  and  the  Welsh,  oppressed  by  England  .  356 
Irish  language,  why  called  the  Gaelic      .         .     37 

Jkalousies  of  the  Fitzgeralds  and  Butlers  .  388 
Jesuits  introduced  into  Ireland         .         .         .  431 

John  de  Courcy 272 

John  Cummin,  archbishop  of  Dublin  .  .  296 
Joseph  us,  the  Jewish  historian         .         .         .19 


PAGE 

Keallacuan,  king  of  Cashcl  ....  227 

Keating,  the  Irish  historian     ....  304 

Kieran,  St.,  meets  St.  Patrick  in  Rome  .         .   105 
Kelisoncc  a  city     .         .         .         .         .         .167 

Kcrmeda — his  prime  minister  .         .         .277 

Kenneth,  king  of  the  Scots      ....  221 

Kerry  visited  by  St.  Patrick    .         .         .         .155 

Kilcarbain  convent 363 

Kilcrea  convent,  Cork 369 

Kildare — why  so  called  .         .         .         .         .161 

Kildare — its  priory  ......  304 

Kildare,  earl  of,  killed  at  the  battle  of  Benburb  513 
Kilda-Luana,  at  present  Killaloe  .  .  .  182 
Kilfeacle,  garrison  of      ....  .  301 

Killian,  St.,  bishop,  &c 202 

Kilkenny,  parliament  of  ....  325 

Kilkenny  made  a  noble  stand  against  Cromwell  582 
Kilkenny — its  religious  houses         ,         .         .  307 

Killarney,  lakes,  &c .32 

Kilmallock  rebuilt 475 

Kilmichael,  Westmeath  .         .         .         .366 

Kilmore,  bishopric  of  ....  .  378 
King  Ciiarles  sold  by  tlie  Scotch  .  .  .  578 
Kings  deposed  and  put  to  death  .  .  .  79 
Kirkpatrick,  and  St.  Patrick    .         .         .         .143 

Labors  of  St.  Patrick 160 

Ladies  of  Wexford  butchered  by  Cromwell       .  585 
Lake  on  Mount  Mangerton     .         .         .         .32 

Lancaster  and  York,  the  houses  of  ,         .  355 

Lancaster  arrests  Kildare         ....  358 

Lands  conferred  on  the  bards  .         .         .77 

Lands    near    the     Shannon    conferred    upon 

Cromwellian  officers    .         ,  .         .  590 

Lands  bestowed  on  soldiers     .  .         .  473 

Languages  of  Europe      .         .  .         .     38 

Laogare  II.,  king  of  Ireland    .         .         .         .64 

Laogare — Scots  and  Picts  invade  Britain         .  107 
Latin  language  introduced  by  St.  Patrick        .   153 
Laurence,  St.,  baron  of  Howth        .         .         .  369 
Laurence,  St.,  baron   of  Howth,  endeavors  to 
entrap  the  Catholics  '.....  562 

Laws  respecting  the  bards       .         .         .         .36 

Laws  sanctioning  the  murder  of  Irishmen       .  567 
Laws  regarding  hospitality      .         .         .         .71 

Legate  from  the  pope      .....  288 

Leo  X.,  pope    .......  394 

Lerha,  near  Granard       .....  305 

Lettftr  of  James  II.  from  France  to  his  privy 
council         .         .         .         .  .         .         .  596 

Letter  of  Pope  Urban  VIII.  to  Mary  O'Donnell  565 
Liberator  of  iiis  country  ....  515 

Limerick  defended  against  the  English  .  .  24 
Limerick,  siege  of .         .         .         .         .         .  602 

Limerick  surrendered 604 

Lionel,  duke  of  Clarence  .         .         .  345 

Literature  revived 94 

Liturgy  of  the  Irish  Church  taken  from  Saint 

Mark  . 187 

Livery  and  coin      ......  371 

Lombard,  Peter 50 

Longford,  district  of,  burned  by  O'Donnel       .  507 

Lord  Stanley 374 

Lough  Derg   .......  356 

Loughs  and  likes    .         .         .         .         .         .31 

Louis  XI.  of  France 402 

Louis  XIV.  established  houses  for  the  educa- 
tion of  the  Irish  ......  488 

Louis  XIV.  favorable  to  James  II.  .         .         .  594 

Louth  once  a  city    ......  153 

Loyalty  of  the  Irish         .....  168 

Lugadius,  son  of  Ith       .         .         .         '  .58 


PAGE 

Mac-Mahons  persecuted  ....  500 
MacGepghegan  killed  in  defending  Dunboy  .  548 
MagLiire  defeats  an  English  force    .         .         .  505 

Malahide,  Talbots  of 278 

Malachi  II 230 

Malachi  O-Relly 384 

Malachi,  archbishop  of  Armagh      .         .         .  283. 

Malta,  the  order  of 28G 

March  of  O'Donnel  for  Kinsale  .  .  .540 
March  of  the  French  after  the  battle  of  the 

Boyne 24 

Mardulphus,  an  Irish  monk    ....  201 
Marriages  arranged         .....     71 
Marian  O'Laghnan          .         .         .         .         .315 
Martin  betrayed  to  Cromwell  the  town  of  Car- 
rick     582 

Martyrdom  of  Dermod  Mac-Carty,  priest  .  551 
Mary  O'Donnel,  a  heroine,  princess  of  Tyrone  565 


Mary,  Queen  of  Scots 
Massacres  by  the  English  in  several  counties 
Massacre  of  the  nobility  by  the  plebeians 
Massacre  at  luniskillen  by  Bingham 
Massacre  of  the  Irish  in  the  villages  of  Santry, 


&c. 


Matthew  Stewart,  earl  of  Lennox  . 
Maurice  Regan,  interpreter,  &c.     . 

Maurice  Fitzgerald 

Meath  visited^  by  St.  Patrick  .... 
Mechanics  formed  into  bodies 
Men,  women,  and  priests  murdered  in  Newry 
Merchants  of  London  obtain  confiscated  lands 
belonging  to  the  Irish  ..... 
Messingham,  an  Irish  historian 
Michael  O'Clery,  an  Irish  historian 
Milesians  known  to  the  ancient  Greeks  . 
Milesius's  sons  divide  Ireland 
Milicho,  St.  Patrick's  old  master,  burned 

Miracle  by  St.  Patrick 

Missionaries  to  St.  Patrick      .... 

Monaghan  castle  surrendered  to  O'Donnel,     . 
Monaster  Eoris        ...... 

Monstrous  corpulency  of  Henry  VIII.     . 
Montrose,  marquis  of,  put  to  death 
Mountjoy  acts  vigorously  against  O'Neill     .   . 
Munster  visited  by  St.  Patrick 
Munster,  names  of  families  portrayed 

Munster  in  rebellion 

Murchard.  son  of  O'Brien        .... 

Murray  appointed  regent  of  Scotland 

Music  of  the  ancient  Irish       .... 

Naas,  a  parliament  held  at      . 

Naas  once  a  city    ...... 

Names  of  the  old  proprietors   .... 

Nathi  opposed  to  St.  Patrick  .... 

Natural  history  of  Ireland       .... 

Naval  combat  at  Dundalk       .... 

Nemedius  succeeds  Partholan 

Netterville  family 

Nial  Garve  O'Donnel 

Nial  Glandulph        .         .         .         •         • 
Nice,  council  of,  on  the  celebration  of  Easter  . 
Nicholas  V.,  pope    .         .         •         • 
Nicholas  Maguire,  bishop  of  Leighlin 
Nicholas  Fleming,  archbishop 

Noah  and  the  Ark 

Nobles  who  declared  in  favor  of  the  prince  of 

Orange        .         •         •         •         • 
Noblemen,  Irish,  several  hanged  in  Connaught 


Oath  taken  by  the  Catholic  confederates  of 
Kilkenny     .         .  ....  577 


50 
50 
23 
125 
147 
161 
145 
508 
327 
436 
583 
527 
154 
278 
315 
238 
555 
71 

367 
154 
126 
146 

25 
228 

54 
274 
552 
226 
189 
378 
385 
357 

35 

594 
491 


EX.  620 

PAGE 

O'Birnes  and  O'TooIes 358 

O'Birnes  rebel  against  the  English  .         .  438 

O'Briens,  O'Connors,  &c 231 

O'Connors  descended  from  Duach  .  .  .  150 
O'Connor,  Sligo,  traitor  to  his  countrymen  .  521 
Occupations  of  the  Irish  ....  212 

O'Doghertv  takes  some    castles,   and   defeats 

the  Engfish 563 

O'Donnels,  princes  of  Tyrconnell  .  .  .  185 
O'Donnel  marches  to  the  relief  of  Kinsale  .  540 
O'Donnel  at  the  court  of  Spain  .  .  .549 
O'Hurly,  archbishop  of  Cashel,  hanged  .  .  489 
O'Kelly  attacked,  and  effected  his  escape  .  491 
O'Kelly's  note  upon  De  Wale  .  .  .  276 
O'Morras,  O'TooIes,  and  O'Connor  .  .  438 
O'Morra  successful  in  Wexford  .  .  .  512 
O'Ferral  is  defeated  by  Maurice  .  .  .  505 
O'Neill  forms  his  plans  against  Queen  Eliza- 
beth      

O'Neill  proclaimed  to  be  an  enemy  and  ; 

tor 

O'Neill  marched  through  Leinster  at  the  head 

of  7,000  men        .... 
Opposition  of  the  Scotch  to  regal  power 
Opposition  to  St.  Patrick  by  the  Pagans 

O'Reillys 

O'Rourke,  prince  of  Brefny     . 
O'Rourke,  and  Mac-Sweeny   . 
O'Sullivan  unable  to  obtain  his  pardon 
O'Toole,  archbishop  of  Dublin 
Overtures  for  a  peace  with  O'Neill 

Palladius,  first  missionary  to  Ireland     . 

Parentage  of  St.  Bridget  .... 

Pardon  to  manj'  of  the  Irish  chiefs 

Parliament  decreed  that  the  Catholics  should 
be  extirpated 

Partiality  of  English  historians 

Patrick,  St.,  consecrated  at  Rome  . 

preached  at  Slane  and  Tara 

assists  at  the  council  of  Laoaraire 


Pearls  found  in  Lake  Lene      .... 

Peculiarity  of  the  Irish  language     . 

Pedigree  of  King  James,  successor  to  Queen 

Elizabeth 

Penance  of  St.  Columb-Kill     .... 

Pepin,  king  of  France 

Perkin,  Warbeck 

Perjury  obvious,  in  depriving  some   Catholics 

of  their  properties 

Persecution  of  the  Irish  clergy 

Petty,  Sir  William,  on  the  numbers  massacred 

in  1641 

Philip  de  Barry 

Philip  of  Spain  assisted  the  Irish  Catholics     . 
Phcenicians  trade  with  Ireland 
Plans  of  Essex  to  subjugate  Ireland 

Plantagenet,  Edward 

Plunket's  cruel  fate         .         .         .         .         . 
Policy  of  Camden  ...... 

Pope  Pascal  II 

Pope  Clement  writes  to  O'Neill 

PrendergHst,  Maurice 

Presbyterianlsm       ...... 

Preston,  Robert 

President  Carcw  commits  great   devastations 

in  Munster 

Priests,  Irish,  particularly  favored  in  France  . 
Princes    of    Ulster  combine  and   declare  war 

against  Queen  Elizabeth      .... 
Prince  Charles  escapes  to  France    . 
Prince  of  Orange  lands  with  a  powerful  army 


497 
508 

524 

569 
146 
320 
244 
499 
552 
264 
514 

138 
165 
552 

575 
515 
145 

148 
155 
32 

40 

560 
167 
220 
375 

590 
489 

575 

289 
498 
213 
521 
374 
484 
21 
240 
526 
261 
395 
274 

529 

488 

507 
585 
6ul 


630  IN) 

PAOK 

Properties  of  the  Irish  conferred  upon  the  Eng- 
lish       281 

Protestants,  when  so  called     ....  394 
Psalter  of  Teamor  examined  by  St.  Patrick    .     76 
Puritans  in   Ireland   intended  to  exterminate 
the  Catholics 570 

Qualification  for  admission  into  the  Milesian 

militia 81 

Quarrels  between  the  Scots  and  Picts     .         .112 
Queen's  county  formerly  called  Leix       .         .  512 
Queen  and  other  nobles,  converted  at  Tara     .   148 
Queen  Elizabeth's  interference  foments  discord 
in  other  nations  .         .         .         .         .         .  559 

Quincy,  Robert  de 280 

RATnEsofthe  Danes 217 

Ratli-Hugh  in  Westmeath       .         .         .         .220 

'  Reformation,  its  causes  and  effects  .         .  558 

Re^riments  of  the  Irish  brigade        .         .  .  605 

Rejjistries  of  Tara  .         .....   155 

Religion  of  the  Pagan  Irish      .         .         .         .63 

Religion   nobly  adhered   to  by  O'Rourke,  who 

was  martyred  for  exercising  hospitality         .  499 
Reply  of  Ailmer  to  Henry  VIII,      .         .         .421 
Retreat  of  O'SulIivan  Bearre  ....  550 

Retreat  of  the  English  army  from  before  Sligo  512 
Reward  offered  for  the  head  of  O'Neill  .  .531 
Rewards  offered  for  the  head  of  Desmond        .  475 

Roscrea,  battle  of 228 

Rivers  of  Ireland 26 

Richard  Creagh,  archbishop  of  Armagh  .         .  494 

Salamanca  College  for  Irish  priests  .  .  488 
Sacrilegious  oath  of  Queen  Elizabeth      .         .  559 

Saxons 190 

Shannon  river 19 

Siege  of  Inniskillen  .....  506 

Siege  of  Kinsale      ......  539 

Sisters  of  St.  Eliph  put  to  death  .  .  .106 
Sitrick,  chief  of  the  Danes  of  Dublin        .         .  235 

Sixtus  v.,  pope 388 

Slings  made  use  of  .....     68 

Stafford  betrayed  to  Cromwell  .         .         .  582 

Stanihurst 304 

Statutes  of  Kilkenny        .....  357 

Strafford  viceroy     ......  276 

Stukely  betrayed  the  cause  of  Ireland  .•  .  478 
Spaniards  treacherously  put  to   death  by  the 

English  498,  499 

Submission  of  O'Neill  to  the  deputy  .  .  552 
Swords,  abbey  of     .  .         .         .         .173 


Teamor  ...... 

Thuomond,  Ormond,  &c. 
Throgmorton  defends  Mary  Stuart'.s  authori 
Tin  and  other  mines  near  Lake  Lone 
Titles  unknown  among  the  Milesians 
Tonsure  introduced  by  St.  Patrick  . 
Tarriiigton,  archbishop  of  Cashel    . 
Transportation  of  the  Irish  to  America  . 
Treachery  of  Bingham    .... 

Treachery  towards  hostages    . 
Tribes  choose  their  own  chiefs 
Trimlestown,  baron  .... 

Trinity  College,  Dublin,  founded    . 
Troops  raised  for  James  II.     . 
Tuam  plundered  and  burned  . 
Tuatha  de  Danains  .... 

Tuathal  defeats  the  plebeians 

Tuathal  killed 

Tumult  of  the  Scotch  fanatics 
Turgesius         ...... 

Tyranny  in  establishing  the  reformation 
Tyrconnell      ...... 

Tyrrell's  pass,  victory  gained  at 


PAOE 
,        60 

,  516 
55.5 

,     32 

,  74 
188 

,  350 

,  585 
492 
482 
126 

,  515 
501 
598 
345 

,  55 
87 
170 
569 
216 
559 
387 
513 

301 


Ulster  ...... 

Ulick  Burke  slew   Bingham  in  the  castle  of 

Sligo 510 

Usher 48 

University  of  Dublin,  its  revenues  increased   .  591 
Uriel 289 


Vesey,  William  de 

Victories  of  O'Neill 

Victories  obtained  by  the  French 

Viscount  Gormanstown  . 

Virtues  of  the  Irish  clergy 

Vision  of  St.  Patrick 


315 
509 
47 
389 
213 
145 


Ware,  the  historian 52 

Wars  of  the  Milesians 17 

Walker,  Rev.  Mr.,  at  Derry    .         .         .         .599 

Well  of  St.  Patrick 153 

Willis's  robberies  in  Fermanagh      .         .         .  504 
Wogan  and  Warren         .....  325 

Woolscy,  cardinal 328 

Wolves  in  Ireland  ......     28 


York,  duke  of        ....         . 
Youghal  taken  by  O'SulIivan 

Zeal  of  the  primitive  Christians  of  Ireland 
Zouch  pursues  Desmond 


366 

481 

155 

485 


Date  Due 


fer-^ 


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